Dear North Shore Parents, Faculty, and Community Members,

I hope that this note finds you all well, rested, and enjoying your holidays. Our family has been enjoying the break together with ample amounts of good food, books, lots of movies, and some great music. We all extend our very best wishes to all of you in North Shore and are looking forward to a healthy and bountiful 2021.

As we embark upon this New Year together, I am looking forward to our return to school and have been monitoring positivity rates. They are concerning and very much within our control. Please be sure to follow New York's established quarantine guidelines for those who have traveled. In order for us to have a successful and safe return, it is essential that everyone follow these established guidelines. Our ability to remain open is dependent upon everyone doing their part by wearing masks, avoiding indoor gatherings, practicing social distance, and employing good hand hygiene at all times. We've been very successful at school and now it's on all of us to make sure we adhere to these principles outside of school.

Please defer to being judicious and quarantine before returning to school next week if there has been any chance of exposure within 10 days of our return to school on Monday, January 4, 2021.

Prior to our return, please email your school nurse with a copy to your child's principal and/or me if any of our staff or students are subject to quarantine. We are beyond any contact tracing involving work or school exposures, but we will want to keep track of these cases so that we can make our best effort to stay ahead of any contacts while respecting your privacy. We absolutely experienced a surge in cases after Thanksgiving, and want to be proactive as we come back together again.

As a courtesy to our community, rapid Covid-19 testing will be available once again at North Shore High School on Monday, January 4, 2021 from 8:00 a.m - 4:00 p.m.. At this time, arrangements will be made to offer this service weekly through the month of February. It is offered as an optional courtesy, most insurance plans are accepted, and you can book an appointment here or at the following link:

https://northshore14.youcanbook.me/
Jan. 4 North Shore.pdf 

On behalf of the Board of Education, please accept our warmest wishes for a Happy New Year and a 2021 filled with good health and much joy. Remember that "kites fly highest against the wind, not with it." Now is our time to prove this to be true and I have every confidence that together, we are poised to do just that. Take good care of yourselves and those you love, be well, and notice the good. I'm so looking forward to seeing you all again as we continue our good work on behalf of the children we share.
Happy New Year, Happy Holidays, Happy Everything!!