Dear Families,

Please see below for this week’s announcements.

COVID Testing
COVID and Symptoms Information
Executive Director candidate meetings
Opportunity to participate in DESE Focus Group
Intent to Return to Boston Prep Survey
Middle School Semi-Formal Dance Appreciation
Middle School MCAS Exams
SEPAC (Special Education Advisory Committee) meeting
Upcoming Family Town Hall
PEBT Benefits
Boston Prep Events/Announcements
Community Events/Announcements

Stay safe and be well!

Sincerely,

Madelyn Ruizdeporras
Family Operations Manager

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 and Ms. Etheart, at nurses@bostonprep.org. Our nurses will partner with you to determine whether your child must remain home from school and for how long. You will be notified by Boston Prep’s Nursing Team if your student tests positive for COVID. If you do not receive notification from our Nurses, you should assume that your child has not tested positive.

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

Register for COVID Testing here

Thank you for continuing to be our partners in ensuring the health and safety of the Boston Prep community.

II. Covid and Symptoms Information:

We have seen our Covid positive numbers climb in recent weeks. A concern we are hearing from parents/caretakers and students is that it is hard to distinguish symptoms of Covid from other illnesses. Click this link: Is it COVID, allergies, a cold or the flu? to read this terrific article from the Mayo Clinic published in March 2022 that addresses the differences between Covid-19, allergies, the common cold, and the flu in an easy to read chart form.

When your student presents with symptoms, please test to help keep our Boston Prep community safe! We send rapid test kits home biweekly (there are two tests in the package). Parents/guardians should also continue to screen students daily prior to school and keep students with these symptoms home, testing prior to returning to school.

III. Executive Director candidate meetings:

We have confirmed timing for our Family Member/Caregiver meetings for our two Executive Director candidates. On Thursday, 5/19, family members and caregivers will have the opportunity to meet with our first candidate from 6-7pm. On Friday, 5/20, family members and caregivers will have the opportunity to meet with our second candidate from 5:30-6:30pm. Both meetings will take place via Zoom.

Please look for calendar invites including these details.

IV. Opportunity to participate in DESE Focus Group:

The state education agency that oversees all public schools in Massachusetts will be visiting Boston Prep on Wednesday, 6/1/22. They are planning to conduct focus groups with faculty members, students, family members/caregivers, and other members of the Boston Prep community. If you would like to participate in the student focus group, please enter your information here. Thank you!

V. Intent to Return to Boston Prep Survey:

All Boston Prep families are asked to take some time to fill out this brief Intent to Return survey.

This will let us know if you plan to send your child back to Boston Prep for the upcoming school year. It is important that we receive 100% of families participating. You may reach out to: Madelyn Ruizdeporras (Family Operations Manager) if you have any questions.

VI. Middle School Semi-Formal Dance:

On Friday evening, we held our very first annual Middle School Semi Formal Dance! A tremendous appreciation to our families for your food donations, chaperones and support for this event. The event was amazing and the students enjoyed the company of their peers. Check out some pictures of the event.

VII. Middle School MCAS Exams:

MCAS exams for Math, and Science are scheduled to begin Thursday, May 19th.

Testing dates for middle school students are scheduled on the following dates.

We ask for your support in ensuring that all middle school students are present and on time to school every day by no later than 8:00am. Please make sure your child goes to bed early so they are well rested for exam day. We will be sure to send additional information and a reminder in advance of the May Math and Science MCAS testing window.

We thank you for continuing to partner with us in service to your child’s continued success.

VIII. SEPAC (Special Education Advisory Committee) Announcement:

ALL are invited to join the next SEPAC Meeting on Tuesday, May 24th at 5:30pm. This will be a meeting co-facilitated by the SEPAC Leadership team on the topic of parent advocacy and building best practices/strategies to support your child’s learning.

Zoom details to follow.

IX. Upcoming Family Town Hall:

Please take some time to register now for our next Family Town Hall scheduled on Wednesday, May 25th, 6:00 PM. Topic to be discussed will be: Planning for the next school year. 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.

X. PEBT Benefits:

Families will now be getting P-EBT payments again!

Eligible students will receive a bulk retroactive P-EBT payment on May 25, 2022, for total months they were eligible from September 2021 to April 2022
A student is eligible if they had COVID-related excused absences during the school year. These absences can be due to any reason related to COVID.
After the 5/25/2022 bulk retroactive payment, ongoing P-EBT will be issued on the 25th of each month to students who met P-EBT eligibility in the direct prior month.
Each student will receive 1 of 3 P-EBT benefit amounts per month based on their number of COVID-related absences for each month
Each eligible student will be mailed a notice of their SY 2021-22 P-EBT eligibility.
Notices will be catered to each child. DTA households will be mailed a separate notice for each eligible child in the HH.
Notices will display the 3-tiered benefit amount table and a table of the student’s school-reported COVID-related absence data for each month they are P-EBT eligible.
Families will receive their P-EBT benefits on the same card they received P-EBT in the past
If families need a replacement card, they can request one online: DTA Connect - Massachusetts Department of Transitional Assistance. Families who are new to P-EBT will receive a new card in the mail

XI. Boston Prep Events/Announcements:

School Closed: Boston Prep will be CLOSED on Friday, May 27, 2022
Take some time to enjoy the long Holiday weekend with your friends and family.
Senior End of Year Events:
Senior Signing Day (NEW DATE: Monday, May 23rd): This event is a monumental moment for our community, as it is the official opportunity when seniors publicly share where they are committing to for next year. Senior Signing Day will take place during the Whole School Community Meeting from 8am – 9am. We would love for senior families to join us to recognize and celebrate the Class of 2022. Light refreshments and photo opportunities will be available at the conclusion of the event.
Senior Dinner (Tuesday, June 7th): This event is a time for our seniors, their families, and Boston Prep faculty to come together to reflect and recognize the transition from Boston Prep for the Class of 2022. The Senior Dinner will take place from 6pm – 8pm. We kindly ask that all senior families RSVP for the event by Monday, May 30th. Seniors and their families can RSVP for the dinner by clicking this link. At this time, we are asking for each senior to only bring up to 2 guests. If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to Aaron Canto, Director of the Persistence Project, at acanto@bostonprep.org
College Transition Meetings: Throughout May and June, the CCO will be meeting with seniors to discuss the transition from senior to alumni. Each senior should expect to have a transition meeting with a member of the CCO. Each meeting will be about 45 minutes. We will also be in touch with seniors 1-2 times throughout the summer to ensure things go smoothly before arriving on campus this fall.
Junior Updates: Last week, the College Counseling Office started working with juniors (the Class of 2023). Last week’s session was focused on understanding the timeline to apply to college and incorporated a panel of current seniors to share best practices and their experience with applying to schools this year. All of our junior college sessions take place after school on Tuesdays (3pm – 4pm). Please encourage your junior to attend these sessions! We are also in the process of confirming a date for our junior family workshop.

XII. Community Events/Announcements:

Free COVID-19 Vaccination Clinics: Mass Department of Public Health is parting with local businesses to host free COVID-19 vaccination clinics. There are several clinics over the break, all at really cool locations (amusement parks, bowling alleys, zoos, etc.). Attending and getting a shot will include some fun giveaways to these locations (READ: free tickets and swag).
The clinics will be offering boosters and you do not need ID or proof of health insurance.
https://www.mass.gov/info-details/school-vacation-week-covid-19-vaccination-clinics

APPENDIX: FAMILY QUICK REFERENCE GUIDE

Upcoming Dates

Friday, May 13: Middle School Semi-Formal Dance
Monday, May 23: senior Signing Day
Tuesday, May 24: SEPAC (Special Education Advisory Committee) meeting
Wednesday, May 25: Family Town Hall: Meeting Registration - Zoom
Friday, May 27: School Closed
Monday, May 30th: Memorial Day - No School
Friday, June 3: Junior/Senior Prom
Tuesday, June 7: Senior Dinner
Friday, June 10: Class of 2022 Graduation
Monday: June 20: Celebrate Juneteenth - No School
Friday, June 24: Last Day of School

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