Sep. 1-Mar. 3: Applications for the 2021-2020 School Year Available Online

Oct. 9: No School Students/ Staff Professional Development

Oct. 12: No School

Oct. 19: Board of Trustees Meeting 6:00 PM

Wisdom    Justice    Courage     Compassion    Hope     Respect     Responsibility     Integrity

Be kind. Be safe. Be responsible.

Dear Families,

Welcome back! We have completed our first week of remote learning! This is our first year as Learning First Charter Public School and with this new beginning we have another first as we are faced with this pandemic. Due to the Coronavirus and the strict reopening guidelines set by the state for Covid-19, we are doing remote learning and trying to navigate through how remote learning works. This is new to our families as well as our staff.

We understand this has been very difficult for all of our families, especially our working families. Thank you all for being so patient during this trying time. Parents, please remind students to be present during all their classes, keep their microphones off while in a live lesson and stay in uniform. It is important that your child has a quiet work space that is away from household traffic, background noise and any distractions. 

If your child has an appointment during the school day, please let your child’s teachers know and get a note to the main office by taking a picture of it and sending it to jburgos@learniningfirstcharter.org. Most of all, remind your children that this is a learning curve and not everything is going to come easy right away.

Please reach out to your teachers, Heads of School, Guidance Counselors and the Main Office if your need of any support.

Keep trying and asking for help. We got this!

                                                                                                                                                                Sincerely,

                                                                                                                                                                Learning First Charter Staff

Food Service: Learning First Charter Public School serves free meals (both Breakfast & lunch) to all students. Meals will be available for pick up on Eastern Avenue for all Learning First Charter students. Meals will be “grab and go” style and will have 5 breakfast and 5 lunches for the week. There will also be the weekly supply of Fresh Fruit & Vegetables for the FFVP for snack.

How it works:
1. Upon arrival, provide the staff member with your child’s name.
2. Staff will provide you with the appropriate number of meals.
3. Drive off and have a nutritious day!

4. Each family will be allowed to pick up meals once a week during the times below;

 Monday 10:00 am – 1:00 pm

Tuesday 10:00 am-1:00 pm

Wednesday 10:00 am- 1:00 pm or 3:30pm-6:00pm

Thursday 10:00 am-1:00 pm

 If you have any questions do not hesitate to contact Tasha Griffin, Food Service Director, at 508-799-7500 ext. 1114 or email at tgriffin@learningfirstcharter.org. 

Important Message from the Nurse: The Department of Public Health has added a new influenza vaccine requirement for all grades of school from Kindergarten through Grade 12. This requirement was put in place to reduce influenza-related morbidity and to reduce the overall impact of respiratory illness in a population still facing the COVID-19 pandemic. Students will be expected to have received an influenza vaccine for the current influenza season (July-June) by December 31 unless they have a medical or religious exemption.

                All Kindergarten students must have immunizations and physical on file. Please fax to the school at (508) 753-9679 or email Sarah Chysna, School Nurse, at schysna@learningfirstcharter.org.

Technology: Due to Covid-19, the Chromebooks that we ordered in May are unfortunately still delayed. Thankfully we had a plan B which was to distribute our existing school laptops to families who needed them. Once the Chromebooks finally arrive, we will reach out with an update.

Early on, we had sent out several surveys to see which families had access to home internet service. We received feedback from 98% of our families and ordered hotspots for those families that specified they did not have access. Last week we were inundated by families that needed computers and hotspots. Our Technology Department has been working hard to accommodate all families that have made requests. We have ordered more hotspots and will contact families as soon as they are available. Thank you for your patience and cooperation. 

Attendance: If your child will be absent, the main office must be made aware by calling the school and leaving a message on the absence/tardy line (ext 4001) as well as messaging the classroom teacher. Please fax doctor notes to (508) 753-9679 or take a picture of it and email it to jburgos@learniningfirstcharter.org.

Uniforms: To mimic a typical school day, students will be required to wear a school uniform shirt while attending all live lessons. The shirt does not need a school logo, but must be light blue.

Student Applications for the 2021-2021 are now available! If you have a child whose sibling is turning five or older by August 31, 2021, please complete an application and return to the main office or you can go on line at https://learningfirstcharter.org/admission/. All applications require a birth certificate and two proofs of address to be complete. Completed applications should be submitted before March 3, 2021. The lottery will be held on March 5, 2021. A new application must be completed for each child, every school year. Please contact the Main Office for more information.

Community Connections: Need a little help with food during this trying time? The Friendly House operates several food pantries.

Friendly House, 36 Wall St., Monday and Wednesday 12:00-4:00pm, Friday’s 9:30am-3:00pm (508) 755-4362

Quinsigamond Village Community Center, 16 Greenwood St., Monday-Thursday 9:30am-3:00pm (508) 755-7481

Plumley Village, 16 Laurel Street, Tuesdays 9:00am-4:00pm and Friday 12:00-4:00pm (508) 755-3989

South Worcester Neighborhood Center, 47 Camp St., Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday 9:30am-1:30pm, Wednesday 11:30-1:30pm

Green Island Neighborhood Center, 50 Canton St., Wednesday 11:00am-2:00pm, Thursday 1:00pm-4:00pm (508) 890-2737

Some of your favorite Apple Orchards are now open! Take the children out for a short ride to our local orchards such as Bolton Spring Farm, Brookfield Orchids, Clearview Farm, Davis Farmland, Douglas Orchard and Farm, Meadowbrook Orchards, Stowe Farm and Tougas Family Farm. Pick your own apples and enjoy hayrides, mazes, fall treats, festivals and more. Please check the websites for special hours and review the Covid-19 rules and regulations for 2020.