Please direct inquiries to:
joteri@maldenps.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 21, 2021

Ferryway School Principal Announces Resignation

MALDEN, MA — Ferryway School Principal Abdel Sepulveda has announced that he will resign from his role effective immediately.

Mr. Sepulveda has served as principal of the school since July 2017. He began his career in the Malden Public Schools in 2007, first serving as a Spanish teacher before becoming assistant principal at the Salemwood School.

Mr. Sepulveda is stepping down from his role for personal reasons.

Current Assistant Principal Michael Ciampa will assume the role of acting principal for the remainder of the school year. Technical Education Teacher Earl Fitzpatrick will become acting assistant principal.

The district will immediately begin the process of finding the next permanent principal of the Ferryway School.

“It has been a privilege to serve the Ferryway School community as principal over the past four years,” said Sepulveda. “In that time, I have gotten to know so many of our families, students, staff and community members. Stepping down has been a difficult decision for me. I will always be grateful for the time I have spent here and take great pride in everything we have accomplished together.”

Ferryway School’s staff and administrators will continue to focus on welcoming more students back to in-person learning, including the return of students in grades 6-8 full time starting Wednesday, April 28.

Dear MPS Families,

On Monday, April 5, the Malden Public Schools is excited to begin providing in-person instruction, five days per week, for students in grades K-5. 

We will continue to closely follow strict safety protocols to protect the health and wellbeing of our students, staff, and families. We are confident that our school buildings are very safe and that the measures we have in place will help prevent the spread of COVID-19. In fact, we have had much success with these measures over the past several weeks and are pleased to report that MPS meets all health and safety guidelines as confirmed by a recent Department of Elementary & Secondary Education (DESE) site visit to Malden schools.

Please note that families of K-5 students will now have two options: fully in person (5 days/week) or fully remote. There will no longer be a hybrid model offered at these grade levels. Additionally, students in grades 6-8 will begin in-person learning five days per week on Wednesday, April 28. 

We have done everything we can to keep students with their current teachers. However, in some rare cases, such as when a classroom is at capacity and a family opts to shift from remote to in-person learning, we may need to make a change. We will look to avoid this situation whenever possible, but it remains a possibility. 

We are working with our educators’ union to find ways to help make this transition to in-person learning as smooth as possible.  We are in the process of hiring multiple Learning Support Assistants. These positions are temporary, flexible, part-time positions (up to 19 hours per week). Please see the link for more information. Link to interest form: Interest Form – Learning Support Specialists.

Processes & Procedures
Before students leave their home in the morning, families should conduct a self-check to make sure their child is free of any COVID-19 symptoms. If they do have symptoms, they should stay home and consult a healthcare provider. 

When arriving at school, students should only be dropped off at the time indicated by the building principal. This ensures we remain in compliance with DESE guidance related to social distancing and other safety precautions.

At lunch, students will report to a large space, such as the gym or cafeteria. There, they will be spaced 6 feet apart as they eat. Once they finish eating, students will put their masks back on and stay within their 6-foot area until the lunch period is over.

At dismissal at the end of the day, we ask that families pick up students and exit the common areas as quickly as possible. 

Meal Service Update
With the return to full-time in-person learning, we are making some changes to our meal services. Starting Monday, food distribution will take place at Salemwood School and Malden High School only. Families whose students are engaged in fully remote learning can pick up meals Monday through Friday, from 10:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

As always, thank you for your support and flexibility throughout this pandemic. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact your child’s principal. 

Sincerely,

John Oteri, Superintendent
Malden Public Schools

Attachments:
1) COVID-19 Guidelines
2) Meal Service Update
3) Return to School Timeline

Dear Malden Families,

Late Friday afternoon, the Massachusetts Board of Elementary and Secondary Education voted to require all school districts in the Commonwealth to fully reopen for grades K-5 starting Monday, April 5.

At this time, the Malden Public Schools is examining the implications of the state’s action. There are a number of factors to consider, including how we set up our classrooms and schools to accommodate a greater number of students, how we can best meet the needs of students and staff with underlying health conditions, and how we can serve students who may choose to remain in all-virtual learning for the remainder of this school year.

We continue to urge state officials to prioritize opportunities for our teachers and staff to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. We see this as a critical step in reopening our schools safely. As always, the health and safety of our entire school community is our top priority.

In the meantime, we will continue to move forward with the plan the Malden School Committee approved last month. Per the plan, we will have our third- and fourth-grade students return to our buildings to begin learning via a hybrid model on Monday, March 15. Our Principals are setting up the cohorts for our third- and fourth-grade students.   You can read more about our timeline in our previous letter to families.

Additionally, I wanted to remind you of our Family Forum on School Reopening, which will take place on Tuesday, March 9 at 6:00 p.m. This virtual event is an opportunity for families to learn more about our reopening plans and to ask questions.

I hope to be able to share more information with you soon. Once again, thank you for your flexibility and patience now and throughout this school year. If you have any questions about next steps, please contact your child’s school principal.

Sincerely,

John Oteri, Superintendent

Please read the updated flyer below: