Letter from Mayor Siddiqui, communicating information from the School Committee

Cambridge City Hall | 795 Massachusetts Avenue | Cambridge, MA 02139 ssiddiqui@cambridgema.gov│[phone removed]│tty: [phone removed]│cambridgema.gov 1 OFFICE OF THE MAYOR Sumbul Siddiqui Mayor To: Cambridge City Council From: Sumbul Siddiqui, Mayor Date: December 10, 2020 Subject: Communicating information from the School Committee To the Honorable, the City Council: The Cambridge Public Schools began a temporary shift to remote learning for all students on Thursday, December 10th, amid rising COVID-19 cases, after having surpassed two of the three thresholds we set in partnership with our scientific advisors. This shift to remote learning will continue for at least one week (until December 16th) as two or more of the metrics must remain below their thresholds for 7 consecutive days in order for in-person learning to resume. All reopening decisions based on the metrics will be made in consultation with the Cambridge Public Health Department. While school buildings, including central offices, will be closed to students, they will remain open for staff and for those who need to pick up supplies. Remote lunch pickups will continue at 12:00 PM at each school and families are welcome to pick up lunch at any school building. The School Committee’s next Regular Meeting will be on Tuesday, December 15th at 6:00 PM. I want to highlight that we will be voting on the approval of CRLS’s Winter Sports Season for Swimming, Diving, and Basketball and that I have submitted a motion (#20-309) with Members Fantini and Wilson to request a report on our Dual Enrollment program as we plan to build out our own Early College program at CRLS. I look forward to the progress we will make on this front in the coming months. On Saturday, December 12th, I am co-hosting a Clothing Drive outside CRLS from 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM with the Thrifting Project, one of our Glocal Challenge teams this year. All donations will be benefitting The Spot. If families are not already receiving text message updates from CPS, they are able to opt into the service by sending “Y” or “Yes” to 67587 to be alerted about important announcements, snow days, surveys, and other important updates. The most recent updates from CPS include the launching of a new family feedback survey that will be open until December 17th, as well as the new Family Feedback Sessions, which began on Tuesday, December 8th. The Family Feedback Sessions will be held through Thursday, December 17th and are hosted by Robin Harris, the CPS Director of Family Engagement, and are accessible via Zoom at this link. Please click this link for the full schedule.

Cambridge City Hall | 795 Massachusetts Avenue | Cambridge, MA 02139 ssiddiqui@cambridgema.gov│[phone removed]│tty: [phone removed]│cambridgema.gov 2 All Massachusetts public school students, including those learning remotely (except for those with a religious or medical exemption) are now required to get a flu shot by December 31st, 2020. Students ages 12-22 can receive their flu shot at the Teen Health Center located at CRLS and can call [phone removed] for more information. Winter Break for the 2020-2021 school year will be from December 24th, 2020 through January 1st, 2021. Our upcoming meetings are as follows: • Tuesday, December 15th, 2020 o Regular Meeting | 6:00 PM • Tuesday, January 5th, 2021 o Regular Meeting | 6:00 PM • Tuesday, January 19th, 2021 o Regular Meeting | 6:00 PM • Tuesday, February 2nd, 2021 o Regular Meeting | 6:00 PM Please do not hesitate to reach out with any questions, suggestions, or concerns. Respectfully, Sumbul Siddiqui