LPS Family Letter # 7 & Virtual Town Hall on Wednesday, Oct. 14th

Dear Lynn Public Schools Families,

As we bring the first full week of instruction to a close, I feel duty bound to extend my sincere thanks for your partnership and your patience. Over the summer months, we worked to build and, to the extent possible, polish systems and structures and develop skills to support an opening under circumstances we have never before experienced. Predictably, there have been challenges since September 16th, the first day of orientation. In all honesty, there are challenges each day, nonetheless, the number and depth of the challenges are decreasing with each passing day. This trend is due in large part to the unyielding efforts of the Lynn Public Schools staff and equally your efforts at home. The journey ahead will not be without challenges, but we got this…together!

As we move forward on this journey together, I want you to know that we are approaching the very systems and structures we have developed with flexibility in mind. As this is uncharted territory for all of us, there needs to be a commitment to assess and adjust when and where necessary. I am intimately aware of concerns in the realm of screen time, meal accessibility, and technology in general. Shifts or solutions are already in the works for these and other concerns. Further, we are in the process of developing a mechanism through which we can collect your feedback so that we may continue to make thoughtful and appropriate shifts to meet student need.

As we march on, I want to make sure that you are informed and supported and that your feedback is embraced. Much of these processes happen at the school level. Nonetheless, I want to continue to avail myself to you in the same way. Accordingly, I will host a virtual town hall on Wednesday, October 14th at 6pm. Links for this event will be shared on Tuesday, October 13th.

Yours in partnership,

Patrick Tutwiler, PhD
Superintendent of Lynn Public Schools

Download this letter in English & Spanish.

Lynn COVID-19 Tele Town Hall set for tomorrow, rebroadcast by LCTV

From Mayor McGee’s office: The City of Lynn is hosting a Tele Town Hall on COVID-19 on Tuesday, October 6th at 6:00PM. Mayor Thomas McGee and Public Health Director Michele Desmarais will be joined by several medical experts including: Dr. Clark Van Den Berghe from Lynn Community Health Center; Dr. Mitch Rein, Chief Medical Officer of North Shore Medical Center; Dr. Barbara Lambl Infectious Disease Specialist from North Shore Medical Center; and Dr. Christine Valdes from North Shore Physicians Group.

Residents will receive a phone call from the City of Lynn at 6PM on Tuesday evening and should remain on the line to join the town hall and ask questions. You can also join live via an audio streaming link which is accessible from any device with an internet browser. The audio streaming link will be available on Tuesday. Spanish translation will be available.

LCTV has been told a recording will be made available, which we will obtain and broadcast later this week for those that miss this Tele Town Hall.

Upcoming flu clinics in Lynn

The Lynn Dept. of Public Health is holding flu clinics that are open to all two times in October. Please bring health insurance card if possible, although this is not required. The days, times, & locations are as follows:

• Thursday, October 15, 2020 from 3 PM until 7 PM
  • Marshall Middle School  |  100 Brookline St. in Lynn

• Saturday, October 24, 2020 from 10 AM until 2 PM
  • Breed Middle School  |  90 O’Callaghan Way in Lynn

Schoology Parent Access Update

From Lynn Public Schools: Your student’s school will be reaching out to you by the end of next week with an access code for “Schoology”. If you do not receive an access code by October 9th, reach out to your child’s homeroom teacher. At the secondary level, you only need 1 access code and all courses will be loaded.

This account will allow you to see the work your child has submitted, discussions they have participated in, school updates, and also provides the ability to message staff at the school. Multiple children can be added to one parent account.

Watch videos showing how to set up your account in English & Spanish.

Download Step by Step Instructions on how to register & view your child’s activity in English and Spanish by clicking here.

Upcoming Household Hazardous Waste & Tire Collection Day

Saturday, October 17 from 8am-12pm at Lynn DPW (250 Commercial St.)

Click fliers above for full-resolution images

From Mayor McGee’s office: The Lynn Public Health Department has confirmed that as of today, the number of active, confirmed positive COVID-19 cases is 374 with 7 new cases today. 4,533 Lynn residents have recovered and 118 have died. The total number of confirmed positive COVID-19 cases in Lynn since March 21, 2020, including those who have died and recovered, is 5,025. Please visit the City of Lynn COVID-19 Data Dashboard which is updated daily.

A Statement from Mayor Thomas M. McGee

To date, our restaurant community has done a great job of safely adhering to the state reopening guidelines, and we will continue to follow the updated guidelines for restaurants announced by Governor Baker last week. We are continuing to monitor their compliance closely each week and based on our community’s ongoing data, will make adjustments if it is necessary to do so. I am committed to helping our restaurants rebuild in a health conscious manner, especially following social distance and capacity requirements, and I encourage restaurants to take advantage of the outside dining opportunities, supported by the City.

Stop the Spread Initiative Testing have been extended until Saturday, October 31st. Please visit http://www.ci.lynn.ma.us/covid19/resources.shtml#p7GPc1_2 for more information on how you can get a free COVID-19 test in the City of Lynn until October 31st.

We will continue to provide regular updates on COVID-19 through the City website (www.lynnma.gov), social media, and the Smart 911 emergency notification system (sign up at www.smart911.com).