/logo.png){kind=logo}
Good evening, staff, parents and members of the Newmarket community-
At the outset, we are not planning to close schools at this time but we continue to work on plans for remote learning in the event a school closing becomes necessary. We plan to open school on Monday, however, it will be an early release day so teachers can finalize remote learning plans. While we realize this is not ideal, we feel it is essential given the trend in school closures locally.
I also wanted to provide you with some important information related to school closures, event postponements and other cancellations that impact Newmarket as well as provide you with an update on our remote learning plan and other precautions we have taken to ensure the health and safety of our students, staff and visitors.
Closures, postponements, and cancellations
- Exeter schools have closed and are moving to a remote learning method of teaching and learning for the next two weeks. Newmarket students who are enrolled in SST during the morning session should report to NJSH as usual @ 9:30am. Those who attend the afternoon session, will be allowed to leave NJSHS as normally scheduled @ 11:45am to work on their online SST coursework.
- The NHIAA has postponed all tournament events over the weekend and will reevaluate the situation next week. They have also decided to postpone the start of the spring sports season. Practices will not begin until the first or second week in April and games will not begin until the last week of April or first week of May.
- All District field trips and events will be cancelled until April 1st. We will continue to monitor this and make further adjustments if necessary.
- Access to the schools will be limited to staff, students, and volunteers who have been serving in schools on a routine basis this year.
Health Precautions
We are following all sanitation protocols (disinfecting doorknobs, water fountains, tables, bathrooms, sinks, etc. nightly, cafeteria tables between lunches, and entrance ways in the morning and afternoon). We have reviewed the hand washing protocols with staff and students and hung posters in bathrooms to remind people to do this. The bus companies are disinfecting their buses daily as well. This past Sunday night and Monday all of our facilities were sanitized and cleaned again by an outside contractor. We are asking anyone who feels sick to stay home and following up on all information shared to make sure we have all the facts when making decisions.
Remote Learning Plan
On Tuesday, our faculty spent the day developing five days of remote learning lessons in each subject area that can be used should we need to cancel school. We need to develop an additional five days of lessons and finalize how we will provide student supports services remotely. Families that do not have internet connectivity or a device for their children with at least an eight inch screen size should contact Jackie Santiago (santiagoj@newmarket.k12.nh.us) at the JSHS or Brenda Collins (collinsb@newmarket.k12.nh.us) at NES. We will provide more information about the plan on Monday.
As this is an evolving situation, we will keep you informed of any changes that will cause us to reevaluate our decision to remain open.
Susan K. Givens
Superintendent of Schools