When Grades K-2 Sippican School students return from winter vacation week this coming Monday, February 22, they will be back in school full-time. In preparation for their return, Sippican Principal Marla Sirois held an informational Zoom meeting on February 11 to explain and illustrate the changes and take questions.

            While Sippican’s return to fully in-person learning for Grades K-2 will do away with the hybrid model for those grades, families on a fully remote model can continue as fully remote. Families on a fully remote model and those home-schooling their K-2 children can choose to enroll in full, in-person learning by notifying the school by February 11. Hybrid-model students were automatically enrolled in full, in-person learning.

            Sippican is maintaining a 6-foot distancing through the pivot, and there are red spots on the floor so children can know if their desks are in their intended positions. Other areas on the floors are marked with tape, so students know where to take certain materials. The floors at Sippican are now marked with large, color-coded dots, cones, and the aforementioned improvisations.

            As long as there is a chance at more snow days, students will be sent home with their iPads.

            “I know all of you have worked and waited so long to have your children (at school) full in person, so I would hate to see just simple miscommunication or illnesses, things that can be avoided. The bus, the school’s keeping the 6 feet of distancing, but the bus does not, and they haven’t the whole year; they’ve done about 3 feet,” said Sippican School Nurse Meagan Morais, who expects with more children riding the bus that contract tracing might increase. “The only way for us to keep this rolling is to work together. My goal is the same as yours, to keep them in school.”

            All three kindergarten classes have stayed in the same location, but more students could affect that plan.

            Both Grade 1 classes have moved, one meeting in the band room and the other to the library. “These classes are a little bit bigger … 22 and 23,” explained Sirois. Kindergarten has three teachers, and Grade 1 has two teachers.

            Second graders have also seen a change, as two of the three classes were in rooms divided by a partition that has been opened to add space for both rooms. The third class is now in what had been the Title 1 room.

            Asked what drop-off and pick-up will look like, Sirois said the plan is subject to change based on discussions with the police and fire departments. Up until the vacation week, buses have been pulling up to the front of the school and letting off students who keep a 6-foot distance walking into the building.

            For parents and guardians driving to drop off or pick up their kids, students will wait in staging areas in color-coded groups. Cars display school-issued name cards, and staff calls out the color and the name to alert the student that their ride is waiting directly outside.

            “So if you are going to be sending your child back and you are going to be a pick-up-drop-off family, then you would let the office know that, and we would have the cards made for you, and we would send them home, so you have them,” said Sirois, stressing that the school-issued, nametag cards also signify authenticity on the part of the parent/guardian. “If you’ve given your card to someone, it’s fine. I have had a few families lose theirs and make their own; it doesn’t work. If it’s not our font on our card, we will card you and make sure that whoever’s in that car is allowed to pick up your child.”

            Asked about a cap on classrooms and staffing, Sirois said Sippican is being joined by one student who had been on fully remote and another who had been home-schooled.

            “We’ve only had two at this point that have switched over. I’m not saying there won’t be more, but I’m sort of at a day-to-day with that,” said Sirois, indicating that there are different scenarios for each circumstance.

            First-grade classrooms have more room to expand class size, and the seven fully remote kindergarten students at Sippican can be easily accommodated. But if other kindergarten-age children currently involved in private programs transfer into Sippican, Sirois said adding a teacher might become necessary. Sirois also estimates that fully remote Grade 2 students can be accommodated under the new, fully in-person arrangement.

            “Something I encounter frequently that many people aren’t aware of [is] they’re not aware of the travel order in general, or they’re not aware that it applies for second residences out of state,” said Morais, who added that families have been doing an excellent job so far communicating when their kids are not feeling well or when they are traveling. “Not coming from a place of judgment or anything else, but I just would like to communicate if we could all keep working together with the open communication and letting me know and getting the kids tested and getting them back in.”

            Sippican’s travel order is posted on the school website, along with information on testing sites with fast turnarounds.

            Asked what students can access while under quarantine and if their schoolwork counts for attendance, Sirois said, “We will do our best to work with you and to provide you with work that you can come to pick up at the building. There may be opportunities that will be available in the Google classroom. We need to give it a couple of weeks after vacation to sort of see what that looks like.”

            Sirois said she met to talk curriculum with two of the three grade levels affected and projected out the next month with the intention to meet again. Classes were departmentalized to make the process more expedient.

            “We need to stay focused on the curriculum, but unfortunately … safety is going to come first,” said Sirois. “It’s going to be a little bit of an adjustment for those kiddos after vacation when their room is full of all the people they haven’t seen since March.”

            Morais told the meeting that parents would receive a call if their child is displaying any type of respiratory symptoms or a cough. A headache without any other symptoms will not require a phone call. “Most of the time, they’re not drinking enough; even the adults are forgetting to drink…. Usually, I just have them hydrate.” Likewise, Morais said a stomachache is okay, but not nausea or diarrhea. Preexisting conditions will require letters from pediatricians.

            Assistant Principal Sean Persico reminded parents that the water fountains at the school are blocked off and asked that students be provided with water bottles. “We’ll always be able to provide water for our students, but our water fountains are closed,” he said.

            Students are also asked to bring boots and snow pants every day for potential outdoor mask breaks. Sirois recommended leaving that equipment at school.

            Parents and guardians are asked to email kristinrego@oldrochester.org or lisadaniels@oldrochester.org with any updates on their children for pick-up after school. “We need to have information for all updates and changes, specifically for afternoon pick-up,” said Sirois. “Sometimes kids will be taking the bus, sometimes maybe you weren’t on the bus, so maybe you’re adding daycare. Whatever the children are doing the days we don’t already know, we absolutely need to know that so things can run smoothly and not seem like the first day of school when we get back from vacation.”

            Countryside Child Care of Rochester will be offering Monday before and after-school care and parents and guardians can also check with the YMCA.

By Mick Colageo

            For some people, tromping around woodlands or along rocky coastlines in winter is not their idea of how to spend downtime. But for many thousands of others, it is the perfect time to go birding. But first, let’s begin with a simple truth: There is birding, and there is birdwatching.

            We will be discussing birding, which is the active pursuit out in nature to locate and identify birds. Birdwatching is the far more passive observation of birds, say in your backyard or that accidental meeting of a soaring eagle high above Leonard’s Pond; you stop, watch, and then go merrily on your way. That is not birding; that is birdwatching. Both are worthwhile activities, but the former requires much more engagement.

            On February 10, the Marion Natural History Museum hosted a virtual presentation on the topic of birding and ways to get started in what can be family-oriented, fun-for-all-ages activity safely enjoyed outside in the fresh air. To introduce the participants to this one-of-a-kind hobby was birder Justin Barrett of Marion.

            Barrett began by establishing why someone should take up birding. “First, it’s a way to connect with others, especially during the pandemic; a way of doing something together.” Secondly, “It’s a way to connect with nature,” he offered, and thirdly, “It’s a way to be part of science, a citizen scientist.” Barrett recalled the winter of 2019 when, while birding with children from the MNHM program, “We came upon the first red-wing blackbirds to migrate to the area.” The thrill of that shared moment still rung out in his voice. That’s what birding can do for the soul.

            Barrett said this time of the year is a good time for birding along the wetlands of the seashore and inland-water sources where ducks can be found. With patience and persistence, two attributes one must either possess innately or develop to be a successful birder, one might spot ducks with names like Wood, Gadwall, Common Eider, Harlequin, or Merganser. Later, when spring becomes a promise we know will come true, the roseate terns return to Planting Island to nest, but you’ll have to view them from afar for their protection.

            In the backyard, one could take up positions inviting your children to spend a bit of time observing the birds. You might think this is merely birdwatching, nay you would be wrong. Just try spotting a little brown sparrow as it chirps from the bushes. If it doesn’t move, you’ll have a hard time pegging its location. Other local year-round visitors such as the brilliantly red male cardinal, American goldfinch, or cedar waxwing are stunningly beautiful birds.

            Barrett said that birding doesn’t require a heavy load of equipment or deep knowledge of bird physiology. A pair of binoculars is helpful, maybe a small pad of paper and pen to jot down notes or sketch a bird for later identification. A bird field guide is high on the list, too. It is important to wear drab clothing (birds apparently can be spooked by bright colors) and remain as quiet as possible when walking through habitats. To that end, noisy jackets made of nylon or similar materials should be avoided; it’s like the sound of someone unwrapping candy while in church, very noticeable.

            Barrett suggests joining a bird club, which may further enhance the birding experience, especially if the club is tolerant of newcomers. The Nasketucket Bird Club, established in 2006 under the auspices of the Mattapoisett Land Trust, is now a standalone organization. He said the group as a whole is knowledgeable and welcoming to novice birders. Their motto is, “We’re not just bird-friendly, we’re friendly birders.” Barrett said the club takes about two walks each month year-round, staying fairly local. When COVID-19 restrictions are lifted, the club will resume its monthly meetings at the Mattapoisett Library. In the meantime, the group is continuing to meet outdoors.

            Back to the migrating ducks now frequenting the area, Barrett said they would continue their journey north by April and remain in those cooler climes until October, when many will return to our part of the world.

            In the spring, we’ll see the return of many migratory species. These returning winged animals will be primarily those that seek woodlands and mixed habitats. And let’s not forget the annual Great Backyard Bird Count.

            This global, annual bird count, first established by Cornell University’s ornithology department, is a chance for people from around the globe to count the birds in their area and have that data included in a master database. It allows the average person to sprout their citizen-scientist wings (pun intended). The three-day event occurs every February and only requires participants to spend 15 minutes each day documenting the birds they find. Barrett said that in February 2019, people from 194 countries recorded seeing 7,000 species, a total of 27 million birds. To learn more about this annual event, go to birdcount.org. He said this yearly count was critical in gathering data that tracks where birds are, their numbers, and migratory trends.

            Being mindful of the children participating in the online presentation, Barrett had them look at bird photographs and describe what they saw, such as beak and tail lengths, size of and shape of breast, and color patterns. He also asked the children to notice where the birds were spotted, either in the sky, a tree canopy, or on the ground. He said that such information helps to identify the bird. The children were very comfortable sharing their comments during the virtual event, with one invested youngster saying, “Do you know there are Peregrine Falcons [that] go to Cape Cod?” Listen to the children; they know stuff.

            One final note on the hobby of birding, you might be interested to learn that it began in the 1800s in Britain and soon swept across the ocean, landing in the northeast (pun not intended). Two of the 15 most popular places to do birding are Arcadia National Park in Maine and Cape May, New Jersey. Just a short trek away, relatively speaking.

            If you are interested in learning more about birding clubs in the local area, contact Justin Barrett at jmbarrett426@gmail.com and watch for upcoming events from the MNHM at marionmuseum.org.

By Marilou Newell