Published in the May 18, 2021 edition.
By MARK SARDELLA
WAKEFIELD — After soldiering through a year’s worth of remote, in-person and hybrid learning, Wakefield students eager for a return to normalcy and a fresh start in a new school year will have to wait a little longer. Following an extended summer vacation, their first day back in the classroom for the 2021-2022 school year will be Sept. 9.
The decision was part of last week’s approval by the School Committee of the 2021-2022 School Calendar. With Labor Day falling on Sept. 6 this year, school officials wrestled with the idea of bringing students back from summer vacation before the traditional end-of-summer holiday.
They opted instead to give students a longer summer.
School Superintendent Doug Lyons has said that the schools are prepared for a full opening in the fall, including all sports and extracurricular activities.
Prior to last week’s vote, Lyons presented the Wakefield Public Schools 2021-2022 draft calendar at the April 28 School Committee meeting in order to place it on the table for the customary two weeks’ consideration. At the earlier meeting, Lyons outlined for the committee the process by which the calendar was developed and the changes made, as well as the areas that would need to continue to need attention.
The calendar calls for two full days of teacher “professional development” on Wednesday, Sept. 1 and Thursday, Sept. 2. There will be no school on Friday, Sept. 3 and Monday, Sept. 6 is Labor Day. With the Jewish holiday of Rosh Hashanah beginning at sunset on Sept. 6 and ending at nightfall on Wednesday, Sept. 8, the first official day of classes will be on Thursday, Sept. 9.
Lyons said that since the draft calendar was first presented at the April 28 meeting, he has gotten feedback from parents, teachers and the Wakefield Education Association. He said that based on that feedback, the administration concluded that the calendar as presented was the best option for students and families.
He said that the calendar provides teachers with the needed two days of professional development prior to welcoming students back. He said that after the year of COVID there was no desire to rush things by doing just one day of professional development and then one day of classes before the Labor Day holiday.
In response to a question from School Committee member Stephen Ingalls, Lyons said that the plan is to revert to the pre-COVID daily start and end times for each school.
School Committee member Amy Leeman said that she was glad that this year’s calendar was able to provide for observance of Rosh Hashanah.
Committee member Ami Wall said that she was always in favor of starting school later. Kids are only young for a short time, she said, and summer already ends quickly, so starting school after Labor Day is better.
Chairman Suzy Veilleux agreed that at this point it would be a little late in the game to announce that classes were starting before Labor Day.
The 2021-2022 School Calendar includes the following holidays (no school): Columbus Day, Oct. 11; Thanksgiving recess, Nov. 24-26; Holiday Recess, Dec. 24-31; New Year’s Day, Jan 1; Martin Luther King Day, Jan. 17; Presidents’ Day, Feb. 21; Winter Recess, Feb. 22-25; Patriots’ Day, April 18; Spring Break, April 19-22; Election Day, April 26 (staff professional development. No classes); Memorial Day, May 30; and Juneteenth, June 20.
The calendar lists eight early release days (all Wednesdays) for staff development: Sept. 22, Oct. 20, Dec. 15, Jan. 26, Feb. 16, March 16, May 18 and June 8.
The Class of 2022 will graduate on June 8. The last day of school (assuming no snow days) will be June 21, 2022. With five snow days included, the last day of school would be June 28, 2022.
