March 20, 2020 by Carol Britton Meyer
Following today's administrative leadership team meeting, Supt. of Schools Paul Austin expressed appreciation for all the Hingham school administrators and staff who are "devoting long hours to managing the myriad of logistics in relation to the delivery of academic engagement activities" to 4,300 Hingham Public Schools students.
He also emphasized the importance of remaining positive and of members of the school community continuing to support one another.
"Our leadership teams meet via the platform Zoom multiple times daily to process and plan. In addition, we have worked hard to provide timely and transparent communications to families while anticipating the short- and long-term needs during this current school closure and beyond," he said. "With the ever-changing developments regarding the spread of COVID-19 and rapidly evolving guidance from state and federal officials, Hingham educators, students, and families continue to adjust to the 'new normal' during this unprecedented time in our history. While families grapple with the challenges of social distancing and juggle issues of childcare, Hingham administrators and staff have devoted long hours [to their work]."
Custodial staff have continued their "outstanding work" to ensure that all the school buildings remain safe and clean for when they do reopen, and food service workers have done an "amazing job" of preparing food for any Hingham student in need, Austin said.
In addition, the technology department is working to distribute technology to support families in need of devices to allow access to engagement activities provided by teachers.
Meanwhile, classroom educators and support staff have collaborated in an endless number of on-line “virtual” staff meetings to plan, process, and provide engagement activities for students and their families during the school closure.
"I cannot say enough about the professionalism, dedication, and collegiality of our entire staff during this extremely challenging time. There is no road map for an international crisis of this scope and scale, and thus far, our staff has risen to every challenge with extraordinary grace and creativity," Austin said. "Our educators care deeply about their students, and we are all working tirelessly to meet students' needs to the extent possible. Our priority on this day and every day is to make sure that our students feel safe, supported, and that we engage their minds in productive learning."
Austin repeated what he has said many times before: "We will not only weather this storm, but we will learn and become stronger by it. We must all do everything we can to stay positive and to support one another," he said. "I could not be more proud to work in such an extraordinary town beside such extraordinary educators."