Windham Public Schools

It has been a very stressful week, but we made it through. We are hoping to have all students back on campus on Monday, December 20th. This includes Windham Center School as their outbreak testing proved they are healthy enough to remain open. Unfortunately, the district had another 33 positive cases this week. Please visit the district’s COVID dashboard. Have a restful weekend.

Generations will be holding a vaccine clinic for children ages 5-18, today Thursday, December 16 by appointment. Appointments are available throughout the day. To register please call (860) 450-7471. Visit GENHEALTH.ORG/VACCINE for additional information about the COVID-19 vaccine at Generations. Looking for other mobile clinics? Visit https://portal.ct.gov/vaccine-portal/DPH-van-clinics

Out of an abundance of caution, Windham Public Schools are in secure school mode based on local and state police recommendation.

Generations will be holding a vaccine clinic for children ages 5-18 years old on Thursday, December 16th. Children between the ages of 5 years and 18 years (as of 12/16/21) are eligible. Please call (860) 450-7471 to schedule an appointment.

Please see the Superintendent's message on the District's homepage regarding COVID outbreak testing at Windham Center School.

The State Department of Education is hosting a webinar to share the latest medical information for keeping students safe, healthy and in school on December 16, 2021. Full information is on the District's website.

WPS-COVID Update C.H. Barrows & North Windham Learning Communities Impacted. Windhamps.org/page/reopening-covid

FREE COVID-19 Vaccine Clinic registration for children ages 5-11 years old is now open. Please register ahead of time and be sure to bring all the required documents to your appointment.

An Invitation to Comment on Special Education and Related Services in the Windham Public Schools Members of Windham’s educational community are invited to participate in an online survey available on the District website as part of a Needs Assessment currently being conducted.

Voya Financial, Inc. announced today that Nicole Bay and Christian Kollegger, teachers at Charles H. Barrows STEM Academy have won the first-place $25,000 grant award in the company’s annual Voya Unsung Heroes program. As the first-place winning teaching team, Nicole Bay and Christian Kollegger receive $27,000 to be used to help bring “Urban Farming for Food & STEM” to life at Charles H. Barrows STEM Academy.

Join Windham Public Schools and Eastern Professors in virtual information sessions about Eastern's numerous Educator Preparation and Teacher Certifications Programs.

What happens when there is a school closing, an early dismissal, or a late entry? See the letter from Superintendent Youngberg.

UNITED FOR ALICE Join United Way of Central and Northeastern Connecticut and the Town of Windham for the ALICE Challenge: a community problem solving session on how together we can help local families make more than ends meet.

Check out the newest family information in the DIGITAL BACKPACK at the WPS website, including information on the Advance Child Tax Credit !

We are loving our new app! Access documents, news updates, and even emergency notifications, right from your pocket. Download the app on Android: https://bit.ly/3jNvZEd or iPhone: https://apple.co/3jO9G1i.

As we start our first full week of school, please remember to complete your Daily COVID Health Checklist. If you check any of the boxes, stay home and call our school nurse hotline at 860-465-2521. Thank you for keeping us in the wellness zone! You can read our Health & Safety Manual For Families & Staff Members online: www.windhamps.org/page/wellness-zone

All Windham Public Schools, including C. H. Barrows STEM Academy, are going to have an early dismissal tomorrow, Friday, August 27. Early dismissal times, which can be found on our website (https://5il.co/t2bd), are as follows: Windham High School – 11:20am Windham Middle School – 11:40am C. H. Barrows STEM Academy – 12:00pm Sweeney, North Windham, Natchaug, & Windham Center Schools – 12:30 Windham Early Childhood Center – 12:45 We appreciate those families who understand the need to call these early dismissals to ensure safety when we are dealing with excessive heat and a mask mandate in both our classrooms and on our school buses. Looking ahead at the forecast, things should cool off nicely as we end August and start off the month of September.

Good morning Windham Public Schools families, After reviewing classroom temperatures across the district, we are seeing that many classrooms are above 80 degrees this early in the morning. The meteorologist has let us know that the highest heat index will be reached today. In addition, the mandated use of masks in our schools makes the heat even more unbearable. Therefore, I have decided to call an early dismissal for all schools except for C. H. Barrows STEM Academy. C. H. Barrows STEM Academy will have a full school day since it is day #1 and they have a climate controlled building. I recognize that this might be an inconvenience for families, but student safety is our priority. The early dismissal times are as follows (https://core-docs.s3.amazonaws.com/documents/asset/uploaded_file/1496134/Start___End_Times_w.out_late_entry.pdf): Windham High School – 11:20AM Windham Middle School – 11:40AM Sweeney, North Windham, Natchaug, & Windham Center Schools – 12:30PM Windham Early Childhood Center – 12:45PM Thank you for your continued support, and stay cool out there. Dr. Tracy Youngberg, Superintendent of Schools

We are carefully watching the regional heat advisory in place for tomorrow, Thursday August 26, our first day of school. If the meteorologists are correct this time and do we need to call an early dismissal due to excessive heat, you will be notified by 10:15am tomorrow. Thank you.

LAST NIGHT’S UPDATE FROM THE SUPERINTENDENT: This is Dr. Tracy Youngberg, Superintendent of Schools, calling to welcome your children back to school on Thursday, August 26, our first full day together. We are very excited that all of our students will be back in person this school year. I want to remind everyone that masks are mandated in our schools and offices per the Governor’s Executive Order. In addition to the mask mandate, we will continue to follow the recommended mitigation strategies designed to prevent the transmission of COVID-19 in our schools. The Department of Public Health continues to view vaccination as the number one prevention strategy. Vaccinations, as you know, are available to anyone 12 years and older. Please visit the district’s website for specific details shared with you in video format on how we will work to keep our schools in the Wellness Zone: www.windhamps.org/page/reopening-covid Video in English: www.youtube.com/watch?v=WbeT7yAV_is Video in Spanish: www.youtube.com/watch?v=UWNamN1Rlqc Have a great night everyone, and we will see you for the first day of school on Thursday, August 26.