Hello Peabody Parents and Guardians,
It is undeniable that the emergence of COVID-19 significantly changed our world and our lives these past few months. When those doors closed that Friday in March, it felt uneasy, with so many questions and little to no answers. We were unsure of what education would be like for those few weeks and it was scary. Then to hear that the closure had to be extended beyond two weeks, felt that things were getting out of control. But here we are...we rode out the Pandemic of 2020 together as a community. We will admit it was not an easy start, but we made it somehow. This is because of the teachers, the children, and of course you!
“Thank you” to everyone who supported our school community during this time. We received messages through Kudos on Monday, and we want to say “thank you” again for the time and effort that you put into supporting your children and our teachers. They/we really appreciate it. But honestly, we could never have done what we did together if we didn’t have students in front of us. The fact that you were able to get your children up each day and prepared (while multi-tasking we’re sure) speaks volumes. THANK YOU. We know homeschooling was not easy for many but the effort was all that was needed.
Our 5th grade Moving On Video was priceless. To hear/see how much these students have grown into themselves even since the closure is remarkable. We thank Mr. Kelly, Ms. Russell-Trainor, Ms. Serrao, Ms. Dowd, and the generosity of FoP for making this fifth grade ending so memorable. A teary moment was watching the video “What Makes Peabody School Special” which reminded us of how much we miss the kids, the families, the smiles, the building, and even the smell of boiled broccoli from the cafeteria. It was just what we needed to remind us why we were are all still here.
There are many resources that CPS is offering to support students and families over the summer. We hope that you all get to take a peek at the
Peabody Distance Learning Site. Additional resources include:
Summer Reading 2020 - Library,
2020 Summer Reading List | We Are Kid Lit Collective, and
Diverse Summer Reading List. Another timely resource is
Teaching About George Floyd And Black Lives Matter.
We hear and appreciate your concerns and questions about how school will reopen in the fall. As Superintendent Salim shared in his
End-of-Year message, the district team is “exploring a variety of scenarios to ensure that we can resume teaching and learning in ways that are safe and productive for students and adults alike... We expect state guidance to be released soon. We expect to share an update at the end of the month regarding emerging options for the opening of the school year.”
This is definitely the hardest ending of any school year. No hugs, no year-end celebrations, no goodbye treats, no laughter, no children, no families. At the same time, this experience reminds us that in each one of us, there is this unbelievable strength to persevere through. We saw this in ourselves and in the children. In spite of the challenges, everyone quickly adapted to this world of COVID-19. So now we know we can.
Although the world had to pause for the past few months, we hope this summer you all get to enjoy the sun, take in the smell of the ocean, and really process as a family what went well? How did we grow? What did I learn about myself? Did I pause? We leave you all with this quote: "
Change is hard at first, messy in the middle, and gorgeous in the end" -Robin Sharma.
Until we see one another soon, take care and have a wonderful and safe summer.
Best Regards,
Nadia Jeudy, Interim Principal
Catherine Serrano, SOM