Dear Families,

Please see below for this week’s announcements.

COVID Testing
Dress Code Reminder
Transportation Reminder
Back to School Night: DATE TBD
School Schedule
Upcoming Family Town Halls
Have questions?
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 are all - faculty, students, and families - committed to doing what it takes to keep ourselves, our loved ones, and our community safe. 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 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.

Register your child for our FREE weekly COVID testing program. Regular COVID testing allows us to identify COVID cases in our community before they become contagious and are transmitted to others. In partnership with the Broad Institute, CIC Health, and Cataldo Emergency Services, we provide weekly PCR COVID testing to all faculty and students - at NO COST.
1. The test is a gentle nasal swab. It is quick, easy, and painless. Watch a test in action now.
2. All results are private and confidential and will only be shared with our nurses.
3. Testing is usually completed on Mondays but will be shifted in the case of holidays.
4. If your child tests positive for COVID, we will strive to contact you by 6:30am the day after testing was completed. Our nurses will discuss next steps with you at that time. In this way, no one who tests positive will return to school until fully medically cleared. Students who are required to quarantine by our school nurses will be able to continue learning from home, via Zoom live streaming technology.

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

II. Dress Code Reminder

Please read the entire dress code in detail, as linked below, and reach out with any questions. Thank you for your help ensuring a positive learning environment that celebrates our shared school pride.

Middle School Dress Code

High School Dress Code

III. Transportation Reminder

If your child rides the yellow school bus, please know that buses may arrive at the bus stop up to 15 minutes before assigned bus pickup time and up to 15 minutes past bus assigned pickup time, due to traffic.

Plan to pick your child up at school during dismissal instead of riding the yellow school bus? Please call the front office and inform Ms. Ross/Ms. Mendez at: 617-333-6688.

IV. Back to School Night: DATE TBD

Back to School Night will be held virtually - via Zoom. Join us online to meet your child’s teachers, learn about curriculum and grading, and more! Originally scheduled on Thursday, September 23, we must reschedule the date and will share as soon as the date has been finalized. More details and links will be shared soon.

V. School Schedule

We have resumed our regular daily schedule. After school activities, including office hours with teachers, have begun.

VI. Upcoming Family Town Halls

Family Town Halls will be held every three weeks. Family Town Halls are interactive dialogues, bringing families and faculty together to discuss how we can continue to work together to build a better school. Our next Town Hall will be held on Wednesday, October 6 at 6:00PM. Please click below to join us on Zoom! Visit our website to view the complete list of upcoming Family Town Halls and register for them or to view recordings and slides from past meetings.

VII. 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 other questions: info@bostonprep.org

VIII. Community Events/Announcements

Neponset River Fall Cleanup, Saturday, September 25, 9AM - 12PM: Join hundreds of volunteers as they spread out across the Neponset River Watershed to clean up the river, streams, ponds, parks, and trails. Locations in Hyde Park, Dorchester, Mattapan, and more. If you are interested in volunteering, pre-registration by NepRWA is required (register here with NepRWA).
Help us celebrate Latinx/Hispanic Heritage Month! Latinx/Hispanic Heritage Month is an annual celebration of the history and culture of the U.S. Latinx and Hispanic communities. This event spans from September 15 to October 15 and commemorates how those communities have influenced and contributed to American society at large. The Latinx/Hispanic community is made up of diverse individuals often set apart by their country of origin or ancestral history. September 15 was chosen as the starting point for the commemoration because it is the anniversary of the independence of five Hispanic countries.
Here are some ways to learn more about and activities to honor our Latinx/Hispanic families:
- Read books about and by Hispanic Americans: Middle School Books, High School Books
- Study Spanish: Try Duolingo, an incredibly popular (and free!) website and app. It offers basic Spanish lessons in a fun, engaging manner. Looking for something quicker? YouTube has plenty of options for short lessons.
- Take a spin of the globe: Research a Spanish-speaking nation:
  - https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/geography/countries
  - Learn more about every nation’s unique customs and traditions.
- Discuss representation: Take a look at famous Americans who are Hispanic or Latinx. Learning contributions made by Hispanic Americans is a terrific way to see firsthand the difference these individuals have made in our world. From Hollywood to Washington, D.C., Hispanic Americans are shaping our nation every day. Discuss the lack of representation Hispanic and Latinx Americans face. Despite comprising over 18 percent of the U.S. population, they are drastically underrepresented in media and politics. Research this issue, write letters to the editor, or discuss possible solutions.
- Explore Hispanic music: A quick search of “Hispanic Heritage Month” on Spotify and Pandora reveals that both apps have numerous school-appropriate playlists to choose from.
- Sample some cuisine: Like music, a culture’s traditional foods offer a wonderful enhancement to understanding and appreciation of a culture.
- Immerse yourself in art: Here is some amazing art created by Hispanic and Latino artists.
- Learn through play: Dominoes, the tile-matching game, is popular in Puerto Rico, Cuba, and the Dominican Republic. Lotería is a game a lot like Bingo, except it uses images on a deck of cards in place of the letter-number combos of Bingo.

APPENDIX: FAMILY QUICK REFERENCE GUIDE

Upcoming Dates

Wednesday, September 15 - Friday, October 15: Celebrate Latinx/Hispanic Heritage Month
Friday, October 1 - Enrollment opens for the 2022-2023 school year
Wednesday, October 6, 6:00 PM - Family Town Hall
Monday, October 11 - No School (Indigenous Peoples’ Day)
Wednesday, October 13 - SAT (Seniors only)
Tuesday, October 26 - PSAT (Juniors only)
Wednesday, October 27, 6:00 PM - Family Town Hall