Important Health and Safety Information: Preventing Large Gatherings & Out-of-State Travel

All,

I write to express gratitude and to share concerns we harbor.  Extending my sincere gratitude to all members of the CC community for a successful open of in-person learning.  The students have been fantastic.  We are proud of how well our students adapted and complied with essential safety measures.  Further, I marvel at how well school staff has adapted to a challenging learning environment.  It is impressive and inspiring.  

In-person learning remains the desired outcome, and our shared responsibility to ensure it continues exists in perpetuity.  Like most of what we see around us, nothing is impervious to change or improvement.  In terms of improvement, we need social distancing during mask breaks to improve.  

Often if you really want something, you will find a way, and if you don't, you find an excuse.  The vast majority want in-person learning, and we need to remain vigilant and continue to sacrifice for the sake of the broader community.  Attending sporting events, large concerts, and traveling without a modicum of concern for individuals beyond your inner circle are on hold for all of us.  

Simple, rudimentary measures remain an essential part of our collective well-being, including proper hygiene, social distancing, and wearing masks.  With the long weekend on the horizon, it serves as an opportune time to remind community members and students to avoid organizing, attending, and facilitating large gatherings.

Large Gatherings

 In a 14 September Blog Post, I highlighted concerns we harbor based on events in neighboring towns.  Those concerns remain. As we witnessed in several towns in Massachusetts, one large gathering will likely lead to a fully remote learning environment for an extended period of time.  The towns who did deal with parties with large numbers of students attending had to learn remotely, postpone sports, and disrupt the lives of thousands of people while putting countless people at risk.  

We celebrate the success of the open, but we need to remain vigilant and recognize the fragility of the situation.  Without learning names, we were alerted to planned parties this coming weekend.  We typically do not chase rumors, and we certainly are not in the business of telling parents/guardians how to raise their children, but what we are saying is we need everyone to comply with local, state, and federal regulations that forbid large gatherings.  

If parents/guardians are traveling and leaving older children home, we respectfully request protocols are in place to ensure conditions are not conducive to students gathering in large numbers.   

During the pandemic, so much of our "normal" life is beyond our control.  Outside events and forces dictate much of our life.  Many realms are beyond the power of forecast at the moment; we must take advantage of what we can control and forecast.  Preventing large gatherings are within our control, and what we can control we must take advantage of.  Just as different components of nature need to work in concert for a healthy ecosystem, we need to work together as a school community to ensure a safe learning environment that includes in-person learning. We are grateful for your efforts and vigilance.  

Sincerely,

Michael J. Mastrullo

Principal

Out-of-State Travel Protocols
https://www.mass.gov/info-details/covid-19-travel-order#lower-risk-states-

Michael J. Mastrullo

Principal