March 29, 2024

Dighton-Rehoboth Regional School District End of Year Communication June 18, 2020

Posted

Dear Families,
The year 2020 has been difficult and complex. A world-wide pandemic changed day to day life and created a new normal that resulted in the extended closure of schools across the nation and world. Protests over racial injustice sparked an outcry for reform in policing and a call for true equity in our nation’s systems.

As educators, we are tasked with inspiring a generation of students to problem solve, be catalysts for change, and help make the world better. This year, amidst these crises, connecting with our students has been more difficult than ever before. We applaud our teachers for thinking outside the box to provide instruction and support for our students. And, we thank our families for taking on the responsibilities of day to day care, instruction, and structure during school closures. We encourage our families to continue to make learning paramount. Pose questions; seek answers; and learn together.

The only true way to make positive change is through education. As our nation faces conflict, we must confront the ignorance that leads to crises through mentoring, modeling, and teaching. The roles of parents and educators often blur. Collaboration between families and educators will continue to be essential as our nation and world face new challenges.

Our final day of school is June 22, 2020. Though teacher webpages will not be updated after 6/22, our online resources available on the DRRSD Extended Learning Website will still be available over the summer. Specifically, the Imagine Learning program will continue to be accessible to students. We also encourage families to utilize the following resources to help students understand the conflict occurring in our nation:

Talking to Kids About Racism and Justice: a list for parents, caregivers & educators from the Oakland Public Library
Resources for Educators Focusing on Anti-Racist Learning and Teaching from the Early Childhood Education Assembly
A Collection of Resources for Teaching Social Justice, Jennifer Gonzalez.
60+ Resources for Talking to Kids About Racism, Lorien Van Ness
Talking About Racism And Bias: Resources For Parents And Caregivers, Children’s Alliance

Additionally, we remind our families to monitor school listservs and websites for information about summer reading. If you have not received information regarding summer reading or are having difficulty obtaining books because of library closures, please reach out to your child’s principal. Finally, remember to relax, reflect, and refresh over the summer. It has been a difficult year, take a step back and enjoy time with family.

Joseph Pirraglia, Jr.
Assistant Superintendent
Kristin Donahue
Director of Special Education
Paul Kitchen
Business Administrator

The mission of the Dighton-Rehoboth Regional School District, in partnership with parents and the community, is to provide students with the tools, including technology, to acquire knowledge, apply skills, critically analyze information and issues, and develop social responsibility.

Dighton-Rehoboth does not discriminate based on race, color, religion, gender, national origin, age, marital status, veteran status, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, or any other legally protected group.

As the school year winds down, we will reflect on the remote learning program offered, and begin planning for the next school year. There are many questions about what our next school year will look like. We hope to continue to work with the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE), the local Boards of Health, and all stakeholders to begin to find answers and solutions to ensure next school year is positive, productive, and especially safe for our students and staff.

We hope you have a wonderful, relaxing summer and thank you for your continued support.

Sincerely,
Dr. Anthony C. Azar
Superintendent of Schools
Dighton-Rehoboth Regional School District

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