Wicked Local
KINGSTON – The Kingston Elementary and Intermediate schools are expected to return to school full time starting Monday, March 22.
Whether the children attend school five days a week at the start of the new term depends in large part on a commitment by parents and guardians to drive their children to school.
The Kingston School Committee voted unanimously, 5-0, Monday night to approve the full-time, in-person return with conditions attached. It’s approved as a short-term goal based on several contingencies.
School Committee Chairman Eric Crone said a survey will go out to families soon to determine whether a majority of parents prefer a full return and will commit to transporting their children for the remainder of the school year to limit school bus use.
Superintendent James Brosnan makes a socially distanced presentation of the award at the school on Thursday to Stephen Perrault. NORTH ADAMS, Mass. McCann Technical School senior Stephen Perreault was recognized Thursday during a small socially distanced award ceremony and given the Superintendent s Award. It is nice to have a tribute in this room for one of our No. 1 students, Superintendent James Brosnan said. We have a great deal of pride that we are able to present this award to you. Each year, superintendents across the state award one student with a Certificate of Academic Excellence, sponsored by the Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents.
FAIRHAVEN Fairhaven Superintendent Robert N. Baldwin has the honor of holding the title of Massachusetts Superintendent of the Year 2020-2021.
The American Association of School Superintendents annually recognizes one superintendent in each of the 50 states based on leadership for learning, communication, professionalism and community involvement.
Baldwin said he is very humble about being recognized for his achievements, as he normally does not like this kind of personal recognition stuff and would rather credit the entire community of Fairhaven for this award. This is a reflection of all the people that just serve our children and our district throughout the years on a daily basis, he said. I just happen to be the one with the title at the end of the continuum.
Last year, Fairhaven Superintendent of Schools Dr. Robert Baldwin was named President of the Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents. At the time, he joked with me about winning and the timing of the opportunity during the COVID-19 pandemic. It would be hard to imagine a tougher time to take on such a position, but in reality, Baldwin relished the chance to demonstrate leadership.
The world was in the middle of a pandemic. Here in Massachusetts, the debate was white-hot about whether or not learning should be conducted in school buildings and, if so, when that should begin and what it should look like. Dr. Baldwin helped make those decisions at the state level and helped shape policy for school systems all across the Commonwealth.
Teacher Brittany Jenney says her in-person classes are typically just a handful of students. The rest attend online. (Courtesy)
Just after Thanksgiving, Falmouth High School Principal Mary Gans got a call: the school had a positive case. Twelve of her staff members were considered “close contacts” and had to quarantine immediately. I just [did] not have the ability to cover all of their classes, even for the rest of the day, Gans said. There just weren’t the bodies that we could pull to satisfy that kind of puzzle.
Substitute teachers are very hard to come by this year, so the school decided to go fully remote for a week. The hybrid model is back up and running at Falmouth High School, but Gans said having enough teachers is an ongoing challenge.