Dear Rising Tide Families:
We are looking forward to starting the 2020-2021 school year. As we continue our final preparations, I want to share updates about Back to School Forms, the Early Program and Homework Program, Bus Transportation, Student Fees, Lunch and Breakfast, Calendar and Upcoming Events, and the Rising Tide Apparel Store.
Back to School Forms
Please help us by completing the back-to-school forms that contain important information to help us support your child(ren) and your family. The school forms are located on the Community Portal, Rising Tide’s online platform which gives parents/guardians secure access to their child(ren)’s progress report and report cards. The Community Portal is operated through our student information system, SchoolBrains. The forms can be accessed by clicking the drop-down tab next to your name on the top navigation bar. Please complete the following forms on the Community Portal by Wednesday, September 16, 2020:
- Information Review and Update Form
- Medical Information Forms
- Directory Information Disclosure and Photo & Video Release
- Counseling Services Form
- Questionnaire to Help The School Support Your Child
If you need any support accessing the Community Portal, please call our office at (508) 747-2620.
Early Program and After-School Homework Program
As in past years, the school day will begin at 7:45 am and end at 3:00 pm for all students in grades 5-12. The Main Entrance will open at 7:35 am for students arriving on the bus and for student drivers. The South Entrance, for carpool families only, will open at 7:25 am.
Early Program
In an effort to support families with the challenges that come with competing morning schedules, Rising Tide is again offering a separate, Early Program for any current Rising Tide students in grades 5-12. Space will be limited in the Early Program, and participants will be registered on a first-come, first-served basis. Please complete the Early Program Application to have your child attend the program this year. Students who qualify for Free and Reduced Lunch qualify for a fee reduction subsidized by the school.
After-School Homework Program
In an effort to support families with the challenges that come with competing after-school schedules, Rising Tide is again offering a separate, After-School Homework Program for any current Rising Tide student in grades 5-12. Space will be limited in the After-School Homework Program, and participants will be registered on a first-come, first-served basis. Please complete the After-School Homework Program Application to have your child attend the program this year. Students who qualify for Free and Reduced Lunch qualify for a fee reduction subsidized by the school.
Bus Transportation
Plymouth Residents
Bus transportation is available for Plymouth residents through the Town of Plymouth and First Student Transportation. If you have not yet completed the Plymouth Bus Application Form for the 2020-2021 school year, please complete and return the bus application form to the school with checks payable to “Town of Plymouth — Bus Fee.”
We anticipate the bus routes and assignments will be confirmed by Tuesday, September 15, as the bus company is working through the complex logistics related to the current safety guidelines.
Regional Residents
This year bus transportation is available for residents of the other 19 towns in Rising Tide’s designated region through our partnership with Lucini Transportation. If you are interested in having your child ride one of our regional buses, but have not yet completed the Regional Transportation Form, please do so this week. If you have been planning to have your child ride one of our regional buses this fall, and have not yet received an email from us specific to your child’s route, please call our Main Office on Monday at (508) 747-2620, so that we can get your child confirmed on the right route. The following are the four regional bus routes with the community stops for each route.
Regional Bus A (South West)
1. Wareham Walmart, 15 Tobey Road, Wareham
2. Berry Guys Farm, 342 Tremont Street, Carver
Regional Bus B (South)
1. Stop & Shop, Quaker Meeting House @Cotuit Rd., Sandwich
2. Park & Ride at Sagamore Bridge, Bourne
Regional Bus C (North)
1. Stop & Shop, 24 Mattakeesett St., Pembroke
2. Big Y, 182 Summer St., Kingston
Regional Bus D (West)
1. Planet Fitness, 10 Merchants Way, Middleborough
2. Shaws, 100 N. Main Street, Carver
3. Sauchuck’s Farmstand, 53 Palmer Road, Plympton
Student Fees and Invoicing System
Rising Tide collects student fees for students at each grade level to cover the costs of student agendas and English books that students keep and mark. Families are able to choose to pay the student fee in full, or spread out the payment through the school year. In May, the Rising Tide Board of Trustees voted to reduce the student fees for all students by 50% due to the current health crisis. Additionally, the fees are lower than past years due to the fact that we have been unable to schedule many of the special trips because of the pandemic. The invoicing system does show the true expense for these student fees, and we would be grateful for any families who are able to provide payment for the full cost of these materials supplied to students.
Students who qualify for Free and Reduced Lunch qualify for a fee reduction subsidized by the school for all student fees. Students who qualify for free lunch will will not be charged student fees. Students who qualify for reduced lunch will be charged 50% of the standard fee. These fee reductions will be adjusted automatically in MySchoolBucks for any student who qualifies for the reduced fee.
The following are the student fees for the 2020-2021 school year:
Grade 5: $20
Grade 6: $15
Grade 7: $15
Grade 8: $22.50
Grade 9: $30
Grade 10: $22.50
Grade 11: $25
Grade 12: $27.50
Rising Tide offers weekly clubs free of charge for all students. This year clubs will be offered remotely on Wednesdays and after school. Examples of clubs that are offered free of charge include Junior Classical League (JCL), Model UN, Newspaper Club, Games Club, Debate Club, and Student Government.
Lunch and Breakfast
The school breakfast and lunch program, catered by the Plymouth Public Schools, will offer grab and go lunch for each day. Students will be able to select breakfast or lunch on any day without ordering ahead. Lunch accounts are run through MySchoolBucks. Students can bring there own lunch to school; please be aware the the common refrigerator and microwaves have been suspended for student use within the current safety guidelines.
2020-2019 Calendar and Upcoming Events
You can download the 2020-2021 Academic Calendar for Families, or see the Family Calendar on the school’s website here.
The following are important dates for the first month of school:
- Monday, September 14: Student Orientation for Cohorts A and R
- Tuesday, September 15: Student Orientation for Cohorts B and R
- Wednesday, September 16: First Day of School (Remote for All)
- Thursday, September 17: Cohort A In-Person Day
- Friday, September 18: Cohort B In-Person Day
- Monday, September 21: First day for Fall Athletics
- Monday, September 21: Begin Standard Hybrid Schedule
- Cohort A: Mondays and Tuesdays in-person
- Cohort B: Thursdays and Fridays in-person
- Thursday, September 24, 6:30 pm: Senior College and Future Planning Night (Virtual)
- Tuesday, September 29, 6:30 pm: Middle School Back to School Night (Virtual)
- Thursday, October 1, 6:30 pm: Upper School Back to School Night (Virtual)
Student Orientation Days
To orient students to the 2020-2021 school year, we will host sessions in small groups on Monday, September 14 and Tuesday, September 15. These staggered student orientation rotations replace our traditional open house and will provide students an opportunity to meet their Advisors as well as other students, teachers, and staff members. Advisors will meet small groups of students outside the building and provide brief tours of the building while reviewing the safety protocols with the students. Students will also pick-up their schedules and agendas, and parents/guardians will be able to drop of any medications with our school nurses.
We will also have Chromebooks available for pick-up for students who need to borrow a Chromebook to access Google Classroom and Google Meet when learning at home. If you need to borrow a Chromebook, please complete the Chromebook Loaner Program Form.
To enable us to proceed with these orientations in a safe manner, we need each family to arrive in a timely manner for the designated time for their child’s Advisor group. We realize that this will be inconvenient for families with children in multiple grade levels, but we need to be highly structured to be able to run these orientation sessions in a safe manner. We thank you for your understanding and flexibility for these orientation days. Below are the student orientation times for each Advisory group. Advisor and cohort assignments for each student have been shared with families and are available through the Community Portal.
Monday, September 14 (Cohort A and Cohort R)
Middle School
Grade 5
8:00 am: Fletcher, Grez, MacKinnon
8:30 am: Day, Howard, Walker
Grade 6
9:30 am: Buick, Grogan, Wang
10:00 am: Flaherty, McDonald, Noyes
Grade 7
11:00 am: Lenkei, Peterson, Vendetti
11:30 am: Galarza, Leary, Walsh
Grade 8
1:00 pm: Carleen, McCullough, Papillo
1:30 pm: Favret, Greenberg, Griswold
Upper School
Grade 9
8:00 am: Gustafson, Leonardo, Mina
8:30 am: Eesley, Montville, Senegal, Williams
Grade 10
9:30 am: Magna, Malozzi, Wilson
10:00 am: Bennett, Campbell, Connelly
Grade 11
11:00 am: Higgins, Hodgson, Schoener
11:30 am: Carde, Orman, Whelan
Grade 12
1:00 pm: Fierst, Nelson, Szczepanski
1:30 pm: Paleologos, Prentiss, Shara
Tuesday, September 15 (Cohort B and Cohort R)
Middle School
Grade 5
8:00 am: Fletcher, Grez, MacKinnon
8:30 am: Day, Howard, Walker
Grade 6
9:30 am: Buick, Grogan, Wang
10:00 am: Flaherty, McDonald, Noyes
Grade 7
11:00 am: Lenkei, Peterson, Vendetti
11:30 am: Galarza, Leary, Walsh
Grade 8
1:00 pm: Carleen, McCullough, Papillo
1:30 pm: Favret, Greenberg, Griswold
Upper School
Grade 9
8:00 am: Gustafson, Leonardo, Mina
8:30 am: Eesley, Montville, Senegal, Williams
Grade 10
9:30 am: Magna, Malozzi, Wilson
10:00 am: Bennett, Campbell, Connelly
Grade 11
11:00 am: Higgins, Hodgson, Schoener
11:30 am: Carde, Orman, Whelan
Grade 12
1:00 pm: Fierst, Nelson, Szczepanski
1:30 pm: Paleologos, Prentiss, Shara
As families arrive for theses orientation sessions, we will have traffic attendants directing families to parking on the North side of the building. School leaders and Advisors will be outside the building as students and families arrive for their designated times. While students tour the building with their Advisors, parents/guardians will need to stay outside the building and can hear overviews from school leaders about the safety protocols for arrival, dismissal, movement through the building, mask breaks, and lunch. We will have cones outside the building to designate the necessary physical distancing requirements for students as well as parents/guardians. All students and parents/guardians will need to wear masks when coming for the student orientation sessions. Please review Rising Tide’s Reference Guide for Responding to COVID-19 and stay home if anyone in your family is experiencing symptoms of COVID-19.
Rising Tide Apparel Store
The Rising Tide Apparel Store is now open, and we encourage your family to show your Rising Tide pride while supporting the school. 10% of the proceeds will help support the extra costs for the safety measures for this year. The store will be open until Wednesday, September 30, and you can choose to have the items shipped directly to your home or to pick the items up at the school building in October.
We look forward to seeing you and your children this week.
Sincerely,
Michael O’Keefe
Head of School
