Family Information for June 3rd

Parker Families,

The tent is going up on Sunday!  And next week members of the Class of 2022 will gather to celebrate their accomplishments, receive their diplomas, and accept the warm embrace of family and friends.  Commencement, like gateway exhibitions, is both a moment in time and a milestone signaling the end of something and the beginning of something else.

Commencement is also the result of tremendous collective effort.  Faculty and student speakers will write, revise, and rehearse their speeches; facilities and technology staff will set up the tent for our guests and graduates; seniors will spend much of Monday rehearsing the ceremony.  The proceedings will be live-streamed at 6:00PM on Wednesday evening (look for link on Parker’s website).

Student valedictory remarks are each approximately two minutes long, and often as many as twenty seniors choose to speak and go through the requisite coaching and preparation.  The result is compelling.  An audience member at a Parker commencement told me “…I learned as much about Parker in the thirty minutes of student speeches as I did in our five years here…”  And I think what she meant by that, in part, was the sheer variety of topics, images, and anecdotes student speakers shared—each voice distinct, authentic, thoughtful—and yet of a piece with the other speakers and their stories.  We look forward to hearing from and celebrating the accomplishments of the Class of 2022 next week!

—Todd

This week’s topics:

•     Todd Celebration
•     Event Parking Reminder
•     Sumner Fund Reminder
•     Division 2 End-of-Year Trip
•     Yearbooks
•     Final Lost & Found Pickup
•     Contact Info Update
•     At-Home Test Update
•     Tracking COVID-19 Numbers at Parker
•     COVID-19 Safety Checks
•     COVID-19 Information
•     COVID-19 Testing

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Todd Celebration

Please join us to honor Todd and to thank him for his eleven years of thoughtful leadership of Parker on Friday, June 10th, from 5:00-7:30 PM, under the tent in the school front circle. All past and present members of the Parker community are invited. Food and outdoor fun starts at 5 PM with a ceremony to honor Todd at 6 pm. Please park across Jackson Road at in the Museum Lot (P-5) and allow guests with limited mobility to use the available spaces on campus. This event will occur rain or shine.

Event Parking Reminder

During school events, our on-campus parking is insufficient for our whole school community.  Please remember and join in our community norms by parking in the Museum Lot (P-5), located across Jackson Road, and allowing guests with limited mobility to use the available spaces on campus. Thank you!

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Division 2 End-of-Year Trip

Reminder Division 2 advisories will be going on our end of year trip to Great Island Common in New Castle, New Hampshire on June 14th. Great Island Common comprises 32 acres of seaside green space and a beach. On the trip, Division 2 will have the opportunity to spend time relaxing and bonding as we hangout, play games, and celebrate the completion of our year. Students will have the option of a school-provided lunch but are welcome to bring their own. The trip cost is $20 and can be paid by a check made out to the Parker School or online using Unipay. Please do not allow money to be an issue for any student to participate. There is full and partial scholarship money available. You may apply confidentially by contacting Michelle McKenna at [email protected]. If you have a student in Division 2, use this link to complete the permission form by June 10.

Yearbooks

Reminder yearbooks will be distributed to seniors at the Senior Breakfast and to everyone else at the Big End. There are a limited number remaining for purchase. Click here for soft cover or click here for Div 1 only (first 48 pages of full book).

FINAL Lost & Found Pickup

The FINAL clean-out of the LOST and FOUND will be on Tuesday, June 14th. Please stop by before that date to search for and claim any items belonging to you or your loved ones!

Contact Info Update

Do we have your CURRENT contact information? If you have changed your:

• address
• email address
• home phone number
• cell phone number

Please take a moment to send any changes to Cindy in the main office ([email protected]). We appreciate your time!

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At-Home Test UPDATE

Thursday, June 9th, will be the last day that at-home tests will be distributed to students.  Please test your student this Sunday, June 5th, as well as Sunday, June 12th.  Please report POSITIVE results to Nurse Lisa at [email protected] or call 978-772-3293 x135. If you haven’t opted your student in yet, use this link to opt-in.

Tracking COVID-19 Numbers at Parker

Positive COVID-19 cases in the Parker community are reported to the Department of Secondary and Elementary Education (DESE) and to the Nashoba Associated Boards of Health, which is our local board of health.  The following are positive cases in the Parker community from 5/27/22-6/3/22:

• Staff – 1
• Students – 17

COVID-19 Safety Checks

UPDATE: Thank you to those who participated in the COVID Safety Checks (pooled testing) these past two years. As a school, we had a great turnout and I appreciate your assistance and support during this difficult time. The last day for COVID Safety Checks will be Wednesday, June 8th. Have a wonderful summer!

-Nurse Lisa

There are currently less swabs in each tube, and therefore a larger number of pools. Having fewer samples in each tube reduces the number of community members who have to be re-tested when a pool comes back from the lab with a positive or inconclusive result.

Pooled Test Results from 5/27/22-6/3/22:

• # of pools = 73
• # of NEGATIVE pools = 71
• # of POSITIVE pools = 2
• # of INCONCLUSIVE pools = 0

COVID-19 Information

Reminder to please call or email the school nurse if any individual tests positive for COVID-19. Lisa Zick can be reached at 978-772-3293 x135 or [email protected].

Please refer to the following guidlines when an individual experiences illness or is a close contact.

Below is the full list of COVID-19 symptoms to monitor for:

• Fever (100.0° Fahrenheit or higher), chills or shaking chills
• Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath
• New loss of taste or smell
• Muscle aches or body aches
• Cough (not due to other known cause, such as chronic cough)
• Sore throat, when in combination with other symptoms
• Nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea when in combination with other symptoms
• Headache when in combination with other symptoms
• Fatigue, when in combination with other symptoms
• Nasal congestion or runny nose (not due to other known causes, such as allergies) when in combination with other symptoms

NO FEVER and MILD SYMPTOMS:  Individuals who don't have fever, present with mild symptoms, and test negative for COVID-19 are okay to come to school.

FEVER and/or SYMPTOMS LISTED ABOVE:  Individuals who have fever 100.0 or higher and/or the symptoms listed above should test for COVID-19. If test is negative, they should stay home until fever free for 24 hours without fever-reducing medication and symptoms are mild.

COVID-19 POSITIVE:  Individuals who test positive for COVID-19:

• Self-report to close contacts of their exposure. If help is needed with contact information, please reach out to Monique or Nurse Lisa.
• Self-isolation for a minimum of 5 days after symptom onset or after a positive test, if asymptomatic
• Return to school on day 6 if they are fever free for 24 hours without fever reducing medication AND have improving symptoms
• Upon return to school, the individual must wear a mask at all times when around others for an additional 5 days and maintain physical distance of 3 feet at all times
• Return to school is based on time and symptom resolution
• Testing to return to school is NOT required

Close Contacts Who are Exempt from Testing and Quarantine Response Protocols:

• Asymptomatic, fully vaccinated individuals
• Individuals who have had COVID-19 within the past 90 days of their own illness AND remain without COVID-19 symptoms

Out of school close contacts:

Test & Stay is no longer an option due to the new at-home testing program. Those who are unvaccinated and are a close contact to someone outside of school, must quarantine for 5 days, and can return to school on day 6 if they:

• Remain asymptomatic
• Adhere to strict mask use
• Conduct active monitoring for symptoms through day 10
• Self-isolate if symptoms develop

Close Contact Testing:

For all those exposed, best practice is to get a PCR or a Rapid Antigen test 5 days after exposure.

COVID-19 Testing

At-Home Testing Program:

At-home rapid antigen tests are distributed every other Thursday to individuals who have opted into the program. This is surveillance testing to be done every Sunday. Only POSITIVE results need to be reported to Nurse Lisa. If you haven’t already done so, and you wish to opt-in, please reach out to Nurse Lisa at [email protected].

Symptomatic Testing:

Symptomatic testing is available (with consent) for all individuals (including vaccinated, unvaccinated, and those who have tested positive for COVID-19 in the past 90 days) that present with symptoms while at school.

COVID-19 Safety Checks:

Pooled testing will continue every Wednesday as usual. Those who have tested positive for COVID-19 in the past 90 days should not do the pooled testing. Nurse Lisa will notify you when your student can begin with pooled testing after 90 days.

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Sports Schedule

• Sports Schedule - Week 05-15-23.pdf
• Sports Schedule - Week 05-08-23.pdf

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Upcoming Dates of Note:

Tue	Jun 7	10th Grade Bio MCAS
Wed	Jun 8	10th Grade Bio MCAS
Wed	Jun 8	Noon Dismissal
Wed	Jun 8	Graduation
Fri	Jun 10	Todd Celebrations
Tue	Jun 14	Board of Trustees
Wed	Jun 15	Noon Dismissal
Thu	Jun 16	Last Day of School – Noon Dismissal

Click HERE for the Online Calendar.

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Looking for help with or information concerning:	Please contact:
a specific class or assignment	the teacher of that class (see Parker email list)
technical support	email: [email protected]
your family’s or student’s health	email: [email protected]
mental health/emotional support needs	email: [email protected]
food insecurity/free and reduced school lunch needs	email: [email protected]