Dear families and staff,
Smithfield's Return to School committee began its work to plan for schooling for the 2020-2021 school year. An important part of that work is to reach out to parents and staff to better understand your concerns and expectations for the fall. Please watch for an invitation to join a focus group and for surveys that will be sent over the next week or so.
Today, at 1pm, the governor and commissioner will be outlining their expectations for the fall and the parameters that districts will need to follow as plans are established. I hope you will be able to watch the press conference so that you can later share with us your thoughts on this plan and, in general, on what should be in place to give you confidence for students returning to school buildings in the fall. Our goal is to develop a plan that best meets the needs of our families and staff here in Smithfield.
Judy Paolucci, Superintendent
More exceptional work from our budding artists! Check out this video with illustrations by our middle school students in collaboration with 2nd graders from McCabe and LaPerche! https://drive.google.com/file/d/1euKDsmiysOTBteRWVgFigFR_vaA6oTop/view?usp=sharing_eil&ts=5ede1ed8
McCabe's Joy Matteson, Ella Fafard, and Kaya Hayden & LaPerche's Cameron Caisse and Uchenna Exeama were recognized by Secretary of State Nellie Gorbea through the Extraordinary Women Poster Contest. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8aFf4FOY9mc
#BeKindRI June 1-20, 2020: 1) Do a random act of kindness; 2) Share the act on social media; 3) Nominate 3 people to do the challenge; 4) Sit back knowing you've made RI a little better.
Every American can contribute toward addressing our nation's civil unrest. Our school district has taken steps to address bias and racism. The superintendent's new blog post provides a perspective on this work. https://judypaolucci.edublogs.org/
GMS artwork will really make your day!
https://bit.ly/2zbUNks
A note on graduation: When we received guidance on graduation, the high school leadership was charged with developing a plan to honor our graduates while also ensuring the safety of all participating. High school administrators and staff worked with students to devise this plan and student leadership, as well as our staff, are proud of what is being put together. On June 9th, I am confident that you will find the virtual event to be classy and filled with pride. Other added touches, including the banners at the Boyle Complex, the ringing of church bells, the distribution of care packages, and the numerous video messages contribute toward a celebration of the students' accomplishments that will be one to be remembered.
SHS AP artwork is phenomenal! Check out the work by our high school artists: https://bit.ly/3eMHc27
The 4 baby Killdeer birds have hatched! Federally protected Killdeers, a member of the plover family, nested on McCabe property and construction crews set up protective borders so that nests would not be accidentally disturbed. We are happy to announce their birth!
Bells will be ringing! Georgiaville Baptist Church, St. Philip Church, and St. Thomas Episcopal Church will be ringing their bells in honor of the 2020 graduates at 6:50pm on June 9th to remind the community that the graduation ceremony will be airing at 7pm.
Thank you, thank you, thank you! The OCRS PTA worked with a local business, J&R Marketing, to print this banner for our 5th graders and display it on the fence of the OCRS playground. We value our community partners!
The SuperScoop blog post was featured on the AASA "Best of the Blogs" page on their School Administrator magazine. Read the newest post, "The Power of Suggestion," https://judypaolucci.edublogs.org/2020/05/26/the-power-of-suggestion/
Virtual signing ceremony highlights outstanding Smithfield athletes heading to play college sports! 2020 Virtual College Signing Ceremony video: https://youtu.be/NvfmTAL17ow
GMS Art Show - GMS art teachers, Mrs. Jessica DeRemer and Mr. William Plante, have compiled a virtual art show to showcase the GMS student art work from this year. It is now posted on the GMS website (news item).
Construction of new Sallyport entrances for SHS and GMS has started and is expected to be completed early this summer.
Thanks to district funding, donations from the baseball boosters and others, DPW workers, and volunteers engaged by Representative Bernie Hawkins, the SHS baseball dugouts, backstop fencing, and fields were ready for play in advance of the 2020 season. The cancellation of spring sports, unfortunately, postpones the inaugural use of these facilities. A formal "thank you" to all contributors will be included in the June district newsletter.
Smithfield Job Posting: Elementary Assistant Principal - While we already have nearly 30 applicants, we want the best applicants to apply! Share this posting with those educators you know who might be interested: https://bit.ly/3c0qg6u
The location of the district's free breakfast and lunch program for children under 18 is changing due to construction taking place at OCRS. Beginning Wednesday, May 20th, the distribution site will be the District Administration Building at 49 Farnum Pike across from Town Hall.
