Dear Families,

Please see below for this week’s announcements.

COVID Testing
Upcoming Family Town Halls
Dismissal Updates
Picture Day
Supplemental Low Income Survey
Boston Prep Events
Community Events/Announcements

Stay safe and be well!

Sincerely,

Sharon Liszanckie
Executive Director

I. COVID Testing

At Boston Prep, health and safety is our number one priority. We ask for your help, as families, in a few ways.

Keep your child home if they are exhibiting symptoms of COVID-19 or have been in close contact with someone with COVID-19. If you believe your child is exhibiting symptoms of COVID-19 or has been exposed to someone with COVID-19, please immediately contact our nurses, Ms. Golafaie, Ms. Etheart and Ms. Fenoglietto, at nurses@bostonprep.org. Our nurses will partner with you to determine whether your child must remain home from school and for how long.

If you have not yet registered your child for our FREE COVID testing program, please do so now!

II. Upcoming Family Town Halls

Join us TONIGHT, Wednesday, October 27, 6:00 PM. If you haven’t registered yet, you still have time to click on this link and Register. Visit our website to view our other upcoming Town Halls.

We are eager to have as many families as possible join us for this Town Hall so that we can continue to partner together to ensure Boston Prep is an excellent, equitable school for all. Since returning to school we have observed some beautiful moments -- classrooms alive with discussions, students working in community as they navigate science labs and insights, student artwork and paintings adorning our halls and walls, and the launch of our weekly Circle practice where students get to share their personal reflections and feelings and support their peers.

That said, we are also encountering some challenges and we need your help. Specifically, we are having issues with adherence to mask wearing and physical distancing, derogatory language directed at students and faculty, cell phone and headphone use during class and other times, leaving classrooms without permission, not wearing the school uniform, and tardiness. Of course this is not everyone, but providing students with reminders, asking them to meet expectations and school guidelines is proving not effective. Our goal is to deepen relationships and ensure that everyone is safe, productive, and known. We would like to discuss some upcoming shifts and ideas that we have about how we can better support students, gather input and feedback from families, and discuss how we can better partner to support our Boston Prep community.

Please join us for the evening! We would greatly appreciate it.

III. Dismissal Updates

Please see dismissal time changes on the following dates:

Monday, November 8th: School will dismiss at 3pm (vs. 12:00pm)
Tuesday, November 9th: Normal dismissal at 3pm
Wednesday, November 10th: Normal dismissal at 3pm
Thursday, November 11th: No School | Veterans Day Recess
Friday, November 12th: No School | Veterans Day Recess

During this shortened week (November 8th - 10th), all after school activities will also be canceled.

IV. Picture Day

Picture Day is Coming! Picture day will be Thursday November 4, 2021. We are asking our students to please dress to impress or wear their uniform. If you would like to pre-order before Picture Day you can do so by going online to: https://my.lifetouch.com/mylifetouch/#/. Your student's School ID or Picture ID code is: EVTC9HWK2

If you do not want to order online, please request a form from the front office. Completed forms should be returned on Picture Day to our photographers.

V. Supplemental Low-Income Survey

As you may know, Boston Prep receives additional state and local funding to support learning for students whose families are identified as low income. The Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education identifies most (but not all) of these students already, by identifying students who receive public assistance. You may have already started to receive a letter and form this week with your child or in the mail. Using this process, we have already identified a majority of our families who fall in this category. However, we need to gather data from more families to ensure we have captured all families in this category. If you have not done so already, please take some time to fill out this survey to help with the collection of this data.

Our goal is for 100% of families who receive this letter to complete this form. We believe that the school has an opportunity to receive between $250K and $500K in additional funds based on families completing this form, which can support instructional activities, social-emotional learning, student clubs and organizations, college counseling and alumni support. We are asking for your help in ensuring that our school community receives every single dollar to which it is entitled. Thanks to all families who have supported and submitted this information already.

If you need assistance or have questions , please contact our Family Operations Manager, Madelyn Ruizdeporras at 617-333-6688 ext.: 424 or mruizdeporras@bostonprep.org.

IMPORTANT: This Supplemental Low-Income Data Collection Form will in no way impact your child’s access to free lunch and breakfast. They will continue to receive those meals free each day.

VI. Boston Prep Events

College Process

Join the College Counseling Team on Thursday, November 4 at 6pm to learn more about the college process timeline for seniors this year, the ways to explore various colleges and universities this fall, and how Boston Prep can support your family with financial aid. Families will need to RSVP for the session. Be on the lookout for an email from Sarah Dewey with the registration link.

College Open House and Tours

With school closed on November 11th and November 12th, the College Counseling Office recommends and encourages seniors to utilize this time by visiting local area colleges and universities. Many institutions will be offering open houses and campus tours on these days. Wondering what schools would be worth checking out for your senior? Reach out to Sarah Dewey (sdewey@bostonprep.org) or Aaron Canto (acanto@bostonprep.org).

Rocktober in the Middle School

As we wrap up with Rocktober, we wanted to thank everyone who has participated and made sure we strived to foster community, build a sense of Phoenix pride, while embodying our commitments to strengthen our community. We will continue each day to work hard to embody and fulfill these commitments.

Here you will find the October calendar with details for the remainder of the month.

Helping Hands November in the Middle School

In the month of November our focus will be encouraging students to give back to the community. Community service is one of the best ways to help benefit the public or give back to our community. It does not only have positive effects on society, but it will bring benefits to our lives and personal development.A canned food drive will begin from November 1st to November 19th to help families in need for the upcoming winter. Each Classroom will have a container for donations. The Classroom in each grade level that collects the most will get a surprise. Here you will find the calendar with details for Helping Hands November.

VII. Community Events/Announcements

Upcoming Workshops: Last workshop left from Harvard Medical School who works in collaboration with the Biomedical Science Careers Program for students and families on a variety of post-secondary topics. The last one is on: Saturday, October 30: they will go over Internships and Summer Opportunities 9:00 -10:30 AM Panel 10:45 AM - 12:30 PM NEW! Virtual Internship Fair
To learn more about the session, as well as sign up, please check out this flyer! For questions, reach out to Aaron Canto, the Director of the Persistence Project, at acanto@bostonprep.org

Enrollment is now OPEN!: If you have a child that is entering grades 6-10 next fall and would like them to enroll at Boston Prep or know someone who is interested in enrolling in Boston Prep for the 2022-2023 school year, enrollment is now open.
Apply today and SPREAD the WORD! You can apply by heading to this link: application.
Upcoming Workshops: Throughout October, Harvard Medical School, in collaboration with the Biomedical Science Careers Program, will be hosting a series of workshops for students and families focused on a variety of post-secondary topics. As you and your family begin to think about your student’s post-secondary plans, these workshops will assist you in learning more about applying to college, how to prepare for the financial cost of college, and highlight various internships and summer opportunities.
- To learn more about each session, as well as sign up, please check out this flyer! For questions, reach out to Aaron Canto, the Director of the Persistence Project, at acanto@bostonprep.org
College Open House and Tours: With school closed on November 11th and November 12th, the College Counseling Office recommends and encourages seniors to utilize this time by visiting local area colleges and universities. Many institutions will be offering open houses and campus tours on these days. Wondering what schools would be worth checking out for your senior? Reach out to Sarah Dewey (sdewey@bostonprep.org) or Aaron Canto (acanto@bostonprep.org).
Extracurricular activities: To learn more about the clubs at Boston Prep and external extracurricular programs, check out the Boston Prep Extracurricular Programs website (linked here).

APPENDIX: FAMILY QUICK REFERENCE GUIDE

Upcoming Dates

Wednesday, October 27, 6:00 PM - Family Town Hall
Thursday, November 4 - Picture Day
Saturday, November 6 - Middle School Fall Festival and Open House
Thursday, November 11 - No school (Veterans Day)
Friday, November 12 - No school
Wednesday, November 17, 6:00 PM - Family Town Hall
Wednesday, November 24 - Friday, November 26 - No School (Thanksgiving holiday)

Have questions?

Please don’t ever hesitate to reach out with questions! You can contact your child’s advisor or utilize any of the email addresses below.

For questions about yellow school buses, MBTA passes, and transportation: transportation@bostonprep.org
To report an absence or tardiness: attendance@bostonprep.org
To submit a physical exam record or to discuss health-related topics: nurses@bostonprep.org
For information about resources, please familiarize yourselves with our boston prep resource page: https://www.bostonprep.org/resources
For other questions: info@bostonprep.org