Paw Prints – January 3

Back to School:  We hope you all had a happy and healthy New Year’s. 2020 is in the books, and we are looking forward to all the new opportunities 2021 will bring. We are excited to resume school on Tuesday, January 5, 2021.

Specialty Schedule Change for the Week of 1/5/21 to 1/8/21: We wanted to let all parents know that we will have some changes to the Specialty Schedule when we come back from vacation January 5th. The schedule will return to normal January 11th. We apologize for the inconvenience and ask all students to check in with their Homeroom and Specialty teachers for their updated daily and weekly schedule.  If you have any questions or concerns please contact Mr. Diaz at ddiaz@bostonpublicschools.org.

Family Book Club:  The Curley community is starting its first social justice family book club! We will be reading We Want To Do More Than Just Survive by Dr. Betina L. Love. If you would like to join us on Wednesdays at 7-8PM starting January 6, 2021 through March 3, 2021 please register here. We have copies of the book for families who need it as we will be reading week by week and having equity discussions during our meetings.  

EBT Card Update: P-EBT has been extended for the whole year! Here are some things you should know.

• Dates of when benefits will be provided have not been determined, but BPS will notify families once benefits have been released. Once benefits are provided students learning remotely will receive $117 each month on their card and students in hybrid learning will receive $58 per month.
• Instructions for BPS families: 
  • If you do not have a card (lost or never received) – please request one at DTAConnect.com/pebt or call 800-997-2555 (the website is faster)
  • If you have your card, please keep it. Your child’s benefits will be updated/loaded automatically. 
• Having additional benefits does not replace the meal pick-ups at our supersites. Families can continue to pick up meals. 
• If you do not want the benefits, please feel free to contact a local food bank or church to ask what food donations they are willing to accept and purchase with the funds. 
• For more information visit the mass.gov website!

Meal Distribution Update: Meal sites are open on Mondays and Thursday 10am-6pm. We are excited to announce that the Curley is now a distribution site again! For more information please contact project Bread’s Food Source Hotline at (800) 645-8333 or the School Food number at 617-635-9144. For a full list of distribution sites please visit the BPS free meals page.

Tutoring: Boston Partners in Education offers tutoring services to support BPS students. Families with students in grades 5-12 can receive extra support afterschool and on weekends to help with school and homework. For more information or to request a tutor please access their flyer.

School Councils: Check out our School Site Council (SSC) and School Parent Council (SPC)! We have a  wonderful group of new and returning council members who are all excited to meet with Curley families. We will be discussing what matters most, providing the best supports for our students, families and community by caring about each other. Please join us on any of the following times, come to one or come to all! (Registration required)

SSC Every Second Tuesday of the month 5:30-7:00PM

• 1/12/21 Zoom Link
• 2/9/21 Zoom Link
• 3/9/21 Zoom Link
• 4/13/21 Zoom Link
• 5/11/21 Zoom Link
• 6/8/21 Zoom Link

SPC on Wednesdays during alternating times

• 1/27/21   6-7PM Zoom Link 
• 3/24/21   8-9AM Zoom Link
• 5/12/21  6-7PM Zoom Link
• 6/9/21  6-7PM Zoom Link

School Preview: It’s that time of the year again when we begin to plan our school preview days. Current Curley families are welcomed to attend. It’s a great way to get to know more about the school if your child is moving to a new grade level. Please reach out to Manny if you have any questions. The next school preview will be on January 20, 2021  9-10am. Click here to join.

Internet Supports: Comcast Internet Essentials –We have free vouchers for families who do not have access to stable internet:

• Households are eligible for this program if they:
  • Qualify for programs like the National School Lunch Program, housing assistance, Medicaid, SNAP, SSI, and others.
  • Live in an area where Comcast Internet service is available
  • Have not had Comcast Internet in the last 90 days
  • Households who owe money to Comcast may still qualify if approved by 12/31/20
• Be sure to call the correct phone number (see below). DO NOT call the regular service line. 
  • English: 1-855-846-8376 or InternetEssentials.com 
  •  Spanish: 1-855-765-6995 or es.InternetEssentials.com 
• The language of the application can be changed. There is a link to change the language on the top right side of the application.
• Amnesty for bad debt/past debt forgiveness is in place through 12/31.
• Families should elect to get the self-install kit first. If they ask for a technician to come and install, they will be charged an installation fee. However, if they call after they’ve received the self-install kit, they will send a technician at no charge.
• If you feel as if, you may qualify for a free voucher please reach out to Manny Hernandez for further assistance.

Updated Contact Information: It is imperative that the school has your correct and up to date contact information. 

• The BPS Family Guide including media release can be found at https://www.bostonpublicschools.org/familyguide
• The parent & student agreement form including media can be filled out online at BPS Emergency Contact. You can also update your emergency contact information here.  Again correct contact information will be essential during this time. 

Who should I contact: If you have questions and you are not sure who to contact please use the chart below to support you.

Classroom related questions	Classroom teachers: (Contact information can be found at www.curleyk8.com)
K-2 Support	Dawn Durant ddurant2@bostonpublicschools.org or Cristina Silva csilva4@bostonpublicschools.org
Grades 3-5 Support	David Diaz ddiaz@bostonpublicschools.org or Justina Levey jlevey@bostonpublicschools.org
Grades 6-8 Support	Adrian Ward-Jackson Awardjackson@bostonpublicschools.org  or Sugeily Santos ssantos2@bostonpublicschools.org
Health Questions	Keilah Santana ksantana@bostonpublicschools.orgApril Pumphret apumphret@bostonpublicschools.org
Curley K-8 School Parent Council & Family Liaison	Manny Hernandez ehernandez@bostonpublicschools.org spc@curleyk8.com
Technology Related Questions	BPS Helpline 617-635-8873 – Please have families call the BPS Family helpline Monday – Friday, 9am – 5pm for questions about technology and other resources available to BPS families.Help is available in Arabic, Cape Verdean Creole, Chinese, French, Haitian Creole, Portuguese, Russian, Somali, Spanish, and Vietnamese.
Urgent Priority Questions	Principal  Katie Grassa kgrassa@bostonpublicschools.org

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.