MERSD End of Week Update!

Good Morning MERSD Community,

This has been a tumultuous week for our nation.  Beginning with the COVID-19 health crisis and culminating with the unjust murder of George Floyd, as a community and as a country we have been forced to face the reality that we are a society riddled with inequity.   While the latest act of racist violence is sadly not an isolated event, the climate in which it happened has raised awareness and motivated people of all communities to speak out and to demand better of ourselves and of our government.  As a school community, we must work to improve our practices, recognize our biases, and diversify our curriculum in order to develop a more educated student body.  An educated citizenry is essential for our democracy to thrive and for all Americans to access the founders' promise of liberty and justice for all.

Children are not born with hate or bias, but, as they grow, they are subjected to a whole host of words, images, and actions that barrage them with stereotypes, negativity, fear, and often

hopelessness.  We must all work together as a local community and as a society to help all our children see the strength in our diversity as a nation and to celebrate it.  Diverse peoples bring diverse perspectives to problem-solving; what better way to address the economic, environmental, social, and political issues confronting us as a nation.

MERSD is an inclusive school district.  We are a collaborative culture that welcomes all people into our learning community.  Recognizing that students share more similarities than differences, our learning community respects each individual’s unique contributions.  MERSD remains committed to continuously improving our equity practices and to providing access to an educational foundation that helps students to develop the skills and knowledge needed to be agents of positive change. 

Sincerely,

Pam

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Senior Celebration

Congratulations Class of 2020! Congratulations on completing the most unique senior year in history.   Class of 2020 you are an incredibly talented group of young adults who made your mark on Manchester Essex –now it's time to make your mark on the world.   I have every confidence that with your intellect, talent, and perseverance you will live the motto…be the change you want to see.   I know your contributions are going to be as unique as your senior year!

Senior Spotlight will be live-streamed tonight at 7 pm. The stream will go live around 6:45 pm and the video will start promptly at 7 pm. The chat will be enabled for viewers to wish the seniors well and to provide a connection between family members and friends. A recording will be available after the stream has completed. The recording will be available throughout next week.  https://youtu.be/-dycha0de-o

Senior Parade – The he parade will begin at 4:30 pm this afternoon and follow the route outlined below.   Please come out and cheer on the Class of 2020!

• Upper High School Parking Lot on to Pleasant Street Ext. 
• Cross school Street on to Pleasant Street 
• Left on to Pine Street 
• Left on to Central Street to Union Street 
• On to Beach Street over the RR tracks spin the Singing Beach Circle 
• Back down Beach Street 
• Right on to Summer Street 
• Left on to Lincoln Street past the High School 
• Right on to Arbella Street left on Pleasant Street Ext. 
• Right on to School Street to Southern Ave into the Town of Essex 
• Left on to Main Street (route 133) 
• Left on to Martin Street 
• Left on to Apple Street  to the END of Apple Street  
• Parade ends 

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Remote Learning: The MERSD Remote Learning Plan and related documents are available on our Remote Learning Page.  If you have questions or concerns related to the implementation of the remote planning plan, I encourage you to reach out to the school using the MERSD Problem Solving Quick Guide. 

Food Assistance: Free Lunch is available to all who need it.

• Pick-Up sites are currently in Gloucester (click here for information on locations). Open Table is working on adding locations
• Weekly Grocery Support is available. Please click here for more information.

School Buildings: All buildings and fields will remain closed per the Governor’s order.

• No access for students, staff, or the community.
• During the shutdown, buildings will be cleaned and sanitized.
• Construction at Memorial School continues under the guidelines for essential construction.

School Closure:  All Massachusetts schools remain closed and we will continue implementing Remote Learning for the remainder of the 2019-2020 school year.  Because we opted to eliminate three days of April Break to continue remote learning through that period, the DESE has advised that we can end the school year on the 181^st day of school.  That makes our last day of school June 19^th.