WEST NEWBURY — Superintendent Justin Bartholomew reports the Pentucket Regional School District is now able to provide rapid COVID-19 tests to students or staff who may fall ill during the school day.
Superintendent Justin Bartholomew is pleased to announce Chris Markuns has been appointed as the newest School Committee member for the Pentucket Regional School District.
The School Committee consists of nine representatives, three from each of the sending towns in the district. Markuns is one of the three representatives for the Town of Merrimac and plans to help support the work the district is doing as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The Pentucket School system has been a part of my family’s life for most of the 20-plus years we’ve lived here, and I’m happy to have a chance to give a little back,” Markuns said. “District leaders, families, teachers and staff have really done incredible things — basically reinventing school — to get through the past 10 months or so, and they deserve some support to keep that going and hopefully get back to the good work happening before last March.”
Markuns has worked in communications for Lawrence Public Schools since 2012. His twin daughters graduated from Pentucket High School in 2019 and his son is currently a junior at the high school. All three have attended Merrimac and Pentucket schools throughout their academic careers.
Markuns will serve in this role until at least the spring of 2021. His seat will be on the ballot for the 2021 Town Meeting.
“We are thrilled to have Chris serve on our school committee and would like to extend a warm welcome as he settles into his role,” Superintendent Bartholomew said. “Our school committee plays a vital role for the communities they serve and represent, and have done an incredible job through the pandemic in finding a balance between protecting the health and safety of our community and ensuring our students have the best possible educational experience.”
WEST NEWBURY — Superintendent Justin Bartholomew and Athletic Director Dan Thornton report that all practices and competitions for the boy’s hockey team are being postponed for two weeks following a positive case of COVID-19.
Superintendent Justin Bartholomew reports the Pentucket Regional School District has been chosen by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) and the U.S. Department of Defense to receive rapid COVID-19 tests to help identify cases of coronavirus in the district.
On Monday, Nov. 16, the district was one of 134 districts in the state chosen to receive free, rapid tests as part of the program. There are approximately two million tests available, but Pentucket officials have not yet been notified of the number of tests they will receive.
The tests are to be used for staff or students who develop COVID-19 symptoms while at school. If the individual tests positive for COVID-19, they will be sent home and given instructions regarding the next steps to take, including self-isolation protocols and additional testing requirements. These tests can only be administered to those who are already showing symptoms related to COVID-19 and the district has created isolation areas at each school for those who are showing symptoms.
The instant results will also allow for the district to start conducting contract tracing immediately after a positive result is confirmed, helping to mitigate further spread of the virus in the school community.
“Being able to start the contact tracing process moments after confirming a positive test result is vital in preventing any further spread of COVID-19 in our schools,” Superintendent Bartholomew said. “Though this resource will be vital in identifying cases of the disease among our school population, it’s important to remember that any individual who is showing symptoms of COVID-19 prior to the start of the school day should stay home and contact their healthcare provider about testing options.”
School nurses will be trained to administer the rapid tests in the coming weeks. Testing will only be conducted with parent or guardian authorization. Parents and guardians will also receive consent forms that must be returned and will also be contacted directly by the school should their students become symptomatic and need to get tested.
Families and staff are reminded that any individual who is showing any COVID-19-related symptoms prior to the start of the school day must stay home and contact their healthcare provider about testing. Those who may have been exposed to the disease are asked to remain home as well, monitor themselves for symptoms and contact their healthcare provider about testing options.
The district applied for the tests approximately three weeks ago. Districts chosen to receive the first round of testing kits were those who are currently utilizing in-person learning. Pentucket is currently following a hybrid learning model.
This is the first phase of the state program. DESE will also use the information gathered from the testing completed by all selected schools to help establish protocols for future phases. The tests will also be distributed to other organizations, such as private schools and nursing homes.
For more information about the program, click here. The district will share more information as it becomes available in the coming weeks.
WEST NEWBURY — Superintendent Justin Bartholomew is pleased to share that Pentucket Regional School District’s nurses have come together to create a video sharing health and safety guidance to prevent the spread of COVID-19 this holiday season.
WEST NEWBURY — Superintendent Justin Bartholomew reports that Pentucket Regional Middle and High Schools are transitioning temporarily to remote learning tomorrow as a result of a water main break.
Superintendent Justin Bartholomew and Interim Principal James Day report that all Bagnall Elementary Pre-K students will transition to fully remote learning beginning tomorrow through at least Thursday, Nov. 12.
Superintendent Justin Bartholomew and Principal Jonathan Seymour are pleased to announce the four Pentucket Regional High School seniors have been named Commended Students for the 2021 National Merit Scholarship Program.
The four students to receive the recognition are:
Letters of commendation from the school and National Merit Scholarship Corporation were presented to the students earlier this week.
“Congratulations to Nathan, Mitchell, Megan and Casey for these incredible honors,” Principal Seymour said. “They’ve demonstrated an exemplary commitment to their learning and these recognitions are a great, tangible example of that dedication.”
Approximately 34,000 Commended Students throughout the nation have been recognized this year. Though the four will not continue in the 2021 competition for National Merit Scholarship awards, the Commended Students placed among the top 50,000 scorers of the more than 1.5 million students who took the 2019 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT).
“I am beyond proud of the well-earned recognition our students have received,” Superintendent Bartholomew said. “They’ve worked incredibly hard over the course of their academic careers to set themselves up for success and have achieved that goal without a doubt.”
Additionally, Blanchard, Powers and Reading were selected for the College Board National Rural and Small Town Recognition Program based on their scores. The program, which is separate from the National Merit Scholarship program, recognizes students from underrepresented groups who have excelled on their PSAT/NMSQT and in the classroom.
Students received letters of commendation from the College Board as well.
WEST NEWBURY — West Newbury Fire Chief Michael Dwyer and Groveland Fire Chief Robert Valentine report that their respective fire departments responded to Pentucket Regional High School as a precaution after a science experiment did not perform exactly as expected.
At 8:30 a.m. Friday, Oct. 16, the two departments were dispatched to the high school, located at 24 Main St. in West Newbury, for an alarm activation. Upon arrival, firefighters were notified that a routine science experiment went wrong when a water vapor cloud caused by the experiment was sucked out the window of one classroom and into a nearby one.
Out of an abundance of caution, the building was evacuated. Firefighters working with a HazMat team member from the Amesbury Fire Department, determined that there was no danger as the cloud consisted only of water vapor.
The experiment involved sodium and water and is a routine part of the science curriculum. Fire crews cleared the area by 9:44 a.m., and classes resumed.
The Groveland Fire Department automatically responds as a mutual aid partner when alarms are activated at the high school. Groveland firefighters provided station coverage in West Newbury in addition to providing support on-scene. Atlantic Ambulance also responded to the high school and evaluated students and staff in the two classrooms as a precautionary measure.
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WEST NEWBURY — Superintendent Justin Bartholomew reports that the Pentucket Regional High School will transition to fully remote learning tomorrow and Friday following two positive student cases and approximately 25 identified close contacts among students.
