Thank you to everyone who has reached out by phone, email, or socially distanced in-person meetings. I have enjoyed meeting so many of our staff and families as I start my tenure here at Abby Kelley. With that, I know the opening of school is first and foremost on everyone’s minds–including mine!
The Administrative Team and I are using the recommendations and guidance from DESE; results from the three surveys (families, staff/teachers, and high schools students); and detailed information from Facilities to develop our plans for the opening of Abby Kelley Foster Charter School.
How we manage sanitization, class sizes and spacing, staffing needs, breakfast/lunch, transportation, recess, and curriculum rigor, are just a few of the things we are discussing. Unfortunately, this upcoming school year will not look or feel like anything we are used to–and that might be the only thing of which I am certain.
I also know that regardless of which decision we make, it could create hardship and concern for some families. I take that very seriously, which is why we are weighing all of our options. Our mission at AKFCS is “to assist parents in their role as primary educators of their children….” Never has our mission meant so much more than at this time in history. I know it will take ALL of us working together, creatively and with lots of patience, to provide the best education for our students.
I promise I will continue to communicate with the entire Abby Kelley community as new information becomes available and as decisions are made. I have established the District Download, an Enewsletter for the District, which will be coming out as often as needed to ensure continuous updates from me. I am pleased to share that we have expanded our translation services for our families; the District Download will be available on the AKF website in the languages our families need.
While I know the recommendations we make, and the plan we develop, will take everything into consideration–as we have seen throughout this Pandemic, things change and they change quickly. I assure you, we at Abby Kelley will be ready to pivot and follow a new course when and if needed. I will assure the safety, education, and well-being of our students, faculty, and staff will guide all our decisions. Please email me at [email protected] if you have any questions/concerns.
Best
Heidi Paluk
Executive Director
