Principal Grassa’s Pawprints 6/14/20

June 14, 2020

Last Day of School: Monday, June 22nd

The last day of school will be Monday, June 22nd. Report cards will be sent electronically to all students in grades 1-8 and mailed to our kindergarten families.

Virtual SPC Meeting: Wednesday evening, June 17th

The final SPC meeting of the year is this Wednesday, June 17th from 6:00-7:00pm. We’ll discuss volunteer and leadership opportunities for the 2020-21 school year and connect with Principal Grassa on end-of-year plans and other news.

We are looking to fill all parent/guardian leadership roles for the fall including co-chairs, co-secretaries, co-treasurer, SPEDPAC representative and alternate, Citywide Parent Council representative and alternate, DELAC representative and alternate, and seven School Site Council seats. To learn more about SPC roles and the election process visit the BPS Office of Engagement website or review these documents.

To attend the meeting please follow this link to register in advance: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZEkfu-vqjstE9M-3QVtxqmjl3gbbkq7le29

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. We look forward to connecting with you all Wednesday and in the weeks and months to come!

Summer Learning Opportunities

If you are looking for virtual summer learning opportunities for you child please email Cristina Silva (csilva4@bostonpublicschools.org) or Sugeily Santos (ssantos2@bostonpublicschools.org). Registration highlights (go to this document for details): The summer “Common Application” (linked here) is for families to complete and select their summer learning preferences.

Summer Reading

Follow this link to learn more about the summer 2020 reading program. Information is in English and Spanish.

Packing Up the School Building

Teachers will be allowed to enter the school building for 1 to 2 days June 15th–19th. They are going to pack up classrooms. We are not able to safely allow all students to enter the building. If your child has something important in their desk, cubbie or locker please communicate with your child’s teacher. They can leave it in a bag at the main office. You must set a scheduled pick up time between 8am–3pm June 15th–19th. Please keep in mind that this is only if it is a necessary item your child needs at home.

Shout Out!

We are thrilled to share that three BPS High School Valedictorians graduated from our 8th grade back in 2016. We are so proud of these students and all of their accomplishments! Kudos to the Curley K-8 teachers for preparing them to succeed in high school.

Student Technology

All students remaining in BPS (even if they are attending another school besides Curley K-8) should continue to keep their Chromebook and hot spot. They can bring these items with them back to school in the fall. Families who are leaving BPS should be return the technology back to Curley K-8.

EBT Card for BPS Families

Beginning this month, every BPS family will receive financial assistance for food due to the COVID-19 pandemic. These funds are available under a new federal program called Pandemic EBT or P-EBT. Families will receive $5.70 each eligible child each day for every day school is closed due to the pandemic, which comes to $28.50 a week. If they do not currently have an EBT card, they will receive a P-EBT card in the mail. Each enrolled BPS child in the household will receive a unique P-EBT card. If they currently have an EBT card, funds will be added to their account. The money can be used to buy food items at stores where SNAP benefits (food stamps) are accepted (look for signs that say, “We accept EBT here”). Click here f or more information or email . The card is valid for one year.

Fondos EBT para todas las familias de BPS

A partir de este mes, todas las familias de BPS recibirán asistencia financiera para alimentos debido a la pandemia de COVID-19. Estos fondos están disponibles bajo un nuevo programa federal llamado Pandemic EBT o P-EBT-Tarjeta para comprar comida en supermercados. Las familias recibirán $ 5.70 por cada niño elegible cada día por cada día que la escuela cierre debido a la pandemia. Esto asciende a $28.50 por semana por cada niño en las escuelas.Si actualmente no tiene una tarjeta EBT, recibirá una tarjeta P-EBT por correo. Cada niño BPS inscrito en el hogar recibirá una tarjeta P-EBT única. Si actualmente tiene una tarjeta EBT, se agregarán fondos a su cuenta. El dinero se puede usar para comprar alimentos en las tiendas donde se aceptan los beneficios de SNAP (cupones de alimentos) (busque carteles que digan: “Aceptamos EBT aquí”). La tarjeta es válida por un año.

Families Wishing to Donate Their EBT Cards

We are very excited about P-EBT cards and the potential of this card to address food access for so many of our students. Because the card has been sent to all BPS families, we are beginning to hear from families who would like to donate their cards. Because access to the card is non-transferable, it is not transferable and is unique to each child in the household. However, if you do not have a use for the card, you can use the card to purchase food and donate the food to a local food bank. For more information on donating food, please contact the Greater Boston Food Bank at 617-427-5200 or by visiting gbfb.org.

SPC Virtual Meeting Minutes

The minutes from both our May 27th and April 29th meetings are now available in English and Spanish. Stayed tuned for information about our June meeting.

2019-2020 SPC Meeting Minutes

Support for our Curley Community

Thank you to everyone who has contributed to our fundraising campaign to purchase supermarket gift cards to help feed Curley families in need. To date we have raised over $20,000. Principal Grassa and our school counselors are connecting Curley families with Catie’s Closet, a local nonprofit, who are distributing the cards along with other essentials.

How You Can Help

We believe access to healthy food will be an ongoing and growing need for many Curley families in the weeks and months ahead. To help address this need, the SPC is committed to matching donations up to $2,000 each month through June. Donations can be made via Paypal at:

paypal.me/curleyk8

If you are able, please consider making a donation each month.

We ask that you donate cash instead of purchasing and donating physical gift cards so we can streamline the process to allow the administration to purchase gift cards from stores that are most convenient for the families in need and to ensure equitable distribution of resources. Reach out to the SPC leadership team at chair@curleyk8.com with any questions.

If You NEED Help

If you need support or know someone who does, please contact our guidance team:

Contact	Email	Phone	Languages
Sugeily Santos	ssantos2@bostonpublicschools.org	617-230-2661	Spanish & English
Cristina Silva	csilva4@bostonpublicschools.org	857-308-7889	Spanish, English & Portugese

Thank you in advance to our amazing community for pulling together to support one another.
I Care, We Care, Curley Cares!

Free Financial Counseling Available

You don’t have to navigate this time of financial uncertainty alone. Thanks to the generosity of Wells Fargo, and in partnership with the Yellow Ribbon Network, the Association for Financial Counseling and Planning Education (AFCPE) is offering free, unbiased virtual financial counseling and coaching sessions for families in need.

Visit: https://www.yellowribbonnetwork.org/afcpecovid19 to learn more.

Check In: Let Us Know What Support You Need

We hope that all Curley K-8 community members are safe, practicing social distancing, hand washing, and encourage their child to participate in virtual learning.

We recognize that as time goes on the level of support families need can change and we want you to know we are here to help all Boston families. Please know we want to help and support families and all information shared is confidential. If you, or someone you know has needs please reach out for support:

Learn From Home

The Curley’s Learn From Home virtual learning website is live. You can link to learning activities for students and contact information for teachers by visiting www.curleyk8.com. (Look for Red Learn From Home link at the very top of each page.) We want students to have access to internet, technology, and other resources necessary to support their learning. Please reach out to your child’s teacher if you need any support with this or visit https://www.bostonpublicschools.org/laptop for more information.

Here are some helpful tips to support families at home.

On the homepage of our website www.curleyk8.com you can link to grade level work for all students. This link on the site was created to give families one spot to access information for multiple grade levels and resources.
Your student’s learning materials can also be accessed at www.bostonpublicschools.org/backpack using their BPS Google account.
Your child’s teachers are the best resource for support with technology and academics. Their emails are also linked on this site.

Internet and Computer Access

If you need computer or internet access please go to this page https://www.bostonpublicschools.org/Page/8131 and fill out the form.

Free Meal Locations

BPS will continue to provide free breakfast and lunch meals to all Boston students. We are proud that the Curley K-8 is one of those sites in the JP community. BPS will distribute the meals at several dozen locations throughout the City of Boston. A variety of packaged meal options will be available for pick-up Monday – Friday from 8:30am – 11:30am. Visit www.bostonpublicschools.org/coronavirus for the full list. No child will be turned away.

Additionally, the City of Boston in partnership with Project Bread, YMCA of Greater Boston, Boston Centers for Youth and Families, and other community organizations will also be providing free meals to school-aged children at various locations and times across the city. Click here to view all the current meal locations and times. More locations will become available over the coming week.

BPS Coronavirus Website

BPS launched a website outlining key questions families may have, prevention tips, and tips for educators. Our goal is to keep you as informed as possible and make sure you have the tools and resources you need in order to both talk with your students, staff, and families and keep your school community safe and healthy. We will be updating the website weekly. https://www.bostonpublicschools.org/coronavirus If parents or community members are asking questions about coronavirus that cannot be answered on the BPS Coronavirus Website, please have them email coronavirus@bostonpublicschools.org and they will receive an answer within 48 hours.

Amazon Smile

Do you shop on Amazon? If so, did you know that you can give back to the Curley K-8 with your shopping? Amazon Smile is an easy way to give money to the Curley via the Student Parent Council (SPC) (no fees, no extra charges- nada). If you shop amazon.com just change to amazonsmile.com choose the charity Friends of the Curley K8 School and that is it. Amazon will donate a percentage of your purchase to the Curley. The funds raised by the SPC can be used to support many of the initiatives and resources we currently use in or classroom or those we wish to deploy in the future. Please note that the SPC is not able to see the items that you purchase on Amazon; they are only able to see the dollar amount donated.

Social Media

For up to date information about the Curley K-8 School please sign up for email alerts by joining the Mailing List. You can also follow Principal Grassa on Twitter @principalgrassa and be sure to always use the hashtag #curleycares when sharing/posting/tweeting information about our school.