In an effort to make life easier for you, we have compiled everything you need to know about the closures into one helpful and organized place.
As so many BGCB families try their best to adapt to the closure of Boston Public Schools, we know it is not easy. Whether you are at home with your kids or going in to work every day, finding activities to keep your children engaged can be difficult. There is an almost overwhelming amount of information and resources available.
In an effort to make life easier for you, we have compiled everything you need to know about the closures into one helpful and organized place. Additionally, starting next week, we will be sharing ideas of our own on our blog as part of a “Club at Home” series. These will make it easy for you to bring the same fun and educational Club activities into your home for the coming weeks. We will digitally send these ideas to parents and guardians of members each week, but also make them available to kids through our website and social media channels. We are designing these activities to be easy for Club members to do on their own, but also easy to do as a family.
Breakfast and Lunch Distribution Sites
Even with schools closed, Boston Public Schools is still working with partners throughout the community to provide free breakfast and lunch meals to youth age 18 and younger. The pickup sites for these meals are spread across the city, and can be viewed here.
Click here to view map of meal sites>>
A few important details to keep in mind:
– All pick-up sites are set up to be “grab and go”
– Practice social distancing (keeping six feet between yourself and others) –
– Stay home if you are sick
Also, all of these sites and meal times are subject to change. Make sure you refer back to the map before each trip to confirm this information.
Chromebooks Available for Online Learning
Boston Public Schools is distributing 35,000 Chromebook laptops to Boston Public Schools students across its entire network of schools. They have also secured an additional 20,000 to distribute to students who need them.
Click here to apply for a Chromebook>>
Students or parents are required to fill out a form to apply for a laptop. If your application is accepted, BPS will notify you directly via text or email with instruction to pick up your laptop.
Internet Connectivity and Support
Local internet providers have made special offers for free internet service available to residents.
Comcast is offering 60 days of free service to new Internet Essentials customers and free remote installation. It’s also increasing service speeds for new and existing customers.
Click here to apply for free Comcast internet>>
Starry is offering free service until the end of May to all current Starry Connect subscribers, as well as anyone who signs up for Starry Connect before the end of May. To qualify, you must live in a building that is currently served by the Starry Connect program.
Click here to join Starry Connect>>
Additionally, PCs for People is offering low-cost Wi-Fi hotspots and computers to qualifying households.
Accessing Online Learning Platforms
Boston Public Schools primarily uses two platforms to facilitate online learning for students: Clever and Google Classroom. In order to log in, students will be prompted to enter their BPS email account and password. If you’re having trouble logging in, BPS put together a Tip Sheet and offers support from their Help Desk at 617-635-9200.
Click here to log in to Clever>>
Click here to log in to Google Classroom>>
Teen students have already been utilizing online technology like this to learn, so they should be familiar with it.
Take-Home Work Packets
Some schools, including James F. Condon School, distributed packets to students to complete throughout the school closure. In these cases, each grade level has a prepared packet that was provided by the central office and delivered to each school. These packets can be picked up at one of the food distribution sites around the city. The packets are a combination of math and ELA work (worksheets and reading excerpts).
Additionally, some schools are giving weekly work packets while others have provided several weeks’ worth of work. And for non-BPS families, we recommend checking in with your child’s school, if you haven’t already, to access any materials designed for students to do remotely.
Keep up with all of the latest updates, including fun interactive content for members to do at home, on our “Club at Home” series starting next week on our blog.
