Dear Families,

Please see below for this week’s announcements.

COVID Testing
Reminder Thanksgiving Break
Covid 19 vaccination now available for ages 5-11
Flu Vaccination & Annual Physicals
Upcoming Family Town Halls
BPS School Exam Admission Process Update
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. Reminder Thanksgiving Break

There is NO SCHOOL: Wednesday, November 24 - Friday, November 26, 2021 for Thanksgiving Break! We wish all of our students and families a wonderful Thanksgiving Break! We hope that you have time for yourself and your family to reflect and give thanks for all you have to be grateful for even during this time of extended challenge. Please enjoy precious time together as a family. May this holiday season renew your spirits and refuel your Phoenix fire for the continued work ahead!

III. Covid 19 vaccination now available for ages 5-11:

Did you know that children ages 5 to 11 who live or go to school in Massachusetts are now eligible to get the Pfizer vaccine? It has been authorized by the CDC for use in children ages 5-11 on November 2.You don't need identification or insurance to get it. Contact your child’s health care provider or search VaxFinder.mass.gov for vaccination appointments.

You can also get information on vaccinating people ages 12-17, please visit: mass.gov/COVIDvaccineyouth

IV. Flu Vaccination & Annual Physicals Required for All Students

Students are required to submit an up-to-date physical exam record from their doctor each year. If your child already had their annual physical exam or you have not yet submitted the record of their most recent exam, please either drop the record off at the school or fax a copy to the nurses at 617-333-6689. Also remember that flu season is here and students are encouraged to get their flu vaccines. Please remember to keep your child home if they are sick and inform the school nurses by emailing them at: nurses@bostonprep.org

V. Upcoming Family Town Halls

Join us, Wednesday, December 1, 6:00 PM at our Family Town Hall. 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.

VI. BPS Exam School Admissions process update:

The decision was made to close grade 10 admission to the John D. O'Bryant School for the 2022-2023 school year. Students currently in grade 9 will not be eligible to participate in the admissions process this year.

The Residency Verification Period for students in grades 6 and 8 has been extended to Friday, December 17, 2021.

Application Requirements:

1. Student currently enrolled in grades 6 or 8

2. Residence in the City of Boston (Residency Verification required)

3. Grade Point Average (GPA) average of a B or higher in ELA, Math, Science, and Social Studies courses from the current school year

Families may complete the Residency Verification process in two ways: (1) start the application online and finish with a telephone/in-person appointment; or (2) walk into a BPS Welcome Center and work directly with a staff member. I am providing the BPS Registration Document Checklist, which includes the BPS Welcome Center locations. Instructions for accessing the online registration system and appointment scheduler are available on our website.

VII. Boston Prep Events

Helping Hands November in the Middle School

Our canned food drive has come to an end. We want to thank everyone who sent cans in and helped support our canned food drive. Special Shout Out to Framingham Homeroom for collecting the most cans for the Middle School. We appreciate everyone’s support! Click here for the November calendar.

Open Gym Time:

Open gym time schedule for the remainder of November is as follows:

Middle School Open Gym: Tuesday, November 23 from 4-5:30pm

Winter Sports at Boston Prep

Our winter sports season is here! Winter sports will begin on Monday, November 29th. Registration is now open! To sign up, please follow this link: https://www.familyid.com/boston-prep-athletics/sy-21-22-winter-athletics-registration

If you have any questions or concerns regarding winter sports registration or open gym time, please feel free to reach out to our Athletic Director, Nick Alves@ nalves@bostonprep.org

Family Committee! Interested in joining our Family Committee? We want to hear from you! Your voice and your support is needed. All families are welcome and encouraged to join! If you are interested in learning more and getting more involved: Sign up here!

Thanks to the families who have already signed up. Our first Family Committee meeting (Meet & Greet) for this year will be held virtually via zoom on Wednesday, December 8, 2021 at 7pm. Click here to register. Join us!

If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to: Family Operations Manager, Madelyn Ruizdeporras at: mruizdeporras@bostonprep.org

SEPAC: (Special Education Advisory Council): Boston Prep SEPAC wishes all families a wonderful and safe Thanksgiving break! We look forward to gathering virtually again at our next meeting. In the meantime, to learn more about our recent conversation on parent’s rights, please visit this resource A Parent’s Guide to Special Education, a joint publication from The Federation for Children with Special Needs and The Massachusetts Department of Education.

If you are interested in joining our SEPAC, please reach out to our Special Education Coordinator, Marissa Chin at mchin@bostonprep.org

Extracurricular Program: A resource for Boston Prep students to learn about extracurricular activities within and outside of Boston Prep. Check this resource out here! Students can learn about the high school summer enrichment requirement and begin to plan ahead for summer 2022, sign up for Boston Prep clubs, and learn about school-year opportunities outside of Boston Prep such as internships, youth employment opportunities, academic programs, and more. Right now, there are several programs accepting applications from middle and high school students including Summer Search, SuccessLink, ABCD, Achieve, and Breakthrough program. In addition to these opportunities, students can also find resources for resume writing and how to get a work permit.

If you have questions, please contact our Director of Extracurriculars & External Partners, Fina Fontes at: fina.fontes@student.bostonprep.org

VI. Community Events/Announcements

Thanksgiving Resource Guide: For a list of information on how you can pre-screen and get directed to neighborhood sites that provide free holiday meals, gift cards, thanksgiving groceries and much more, take a look here:

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.
APPENDIX: FAMILY QUICK REFERENCE GUIDE

Upcoming Dates

Wednesday, November 24 - Friday, November 26 - No School (Thanksgiving holiday)
Wednesday, December 1, 6:00 PM -Family Town Hall: Register
Wednesday, December 8, 7:00PM - Family Committee Meeting: Register
Wednesday, December 15 - Picture Retake Day
Wednesday, December 15, 6:00 PM - Family Town Hall: Register
Thursday, December 23 - January 2, 2022 - No school (Winter Break)

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