HARWICH — For almost every town building project, there are a few people eagerly waiting for the job to be completed. But in this case, hundreds of constituents are literally peering through the fence every day looking for signs that the work is finished. It’s the new playground behind Harwich Elementary School, and despite pandemic-related setbacks and other challenges, it’s nearly complete. “Our kids have...

CHATHAM — The select board agrees that Chatham should pay its own way when it comes to running the elementary school, rather than leaning on subsidies from Harwich. But some members say that such a change should also include steps to give the town more local control of the school. Having made a similar presentation to the Harwich selectmen several weeks earlier, Monomoy Regional Schools Superintendent Scott Ca...

HARWICH — Selectmen were pleased to learn that the Monomoy Regional School District reduced its proposed fiscal 2022 spending plan by approximately $300,000, but board members are still not happy with the town’s share of the regional school district budget. Selectmen recently made it clear that they planned to vote against the school budget without some form of mitigation related to the growing disparity in th...

Harwich's share of the Monomoy Regional School District budget has risen steadily over the past several years while Chatham's has dropped, a consequence of plunging enrollment due to a lack of young families, mainly in Chatham. There's no quick and simple fix to that problem, but there is a short-term solution to the financial inequity that has resulted in the district's two elementary schools, and Harwich offici...

Monomoy Regional High School’s new principal Jen Police and her staff are ready for the school hallways to once again be filled with the sounds of students engaged in learning come Sept. 14, though this year it won’t be quite as many, nor learning in quite the same way as they did in the days before the COVID-19 pandemic arrived on Cape Cod. Only about half to two-thirds of the school’s 687 students will be in...

HARWICH – Sometimes working backwards can be a good thing, at least when it comes to creating a school reopening plan in the midst of a global pandemic. According to Superintendent Scott Carpenter, that’s what district educators did in creating the plan for Monomoy Schools, securing its approval from the School Committee on Aug. 6. The plan, Carpenter said, was drafted after looking at similar plans from ot...

Parents Given Option Of Continuing Remote Learning   HARWICH – While many school districts are preparing plans for three possibilities – a full return to school, a partial or hybrid return, and the continuation of remote learning – the 47-page draft Monomoy plan only includes a hybrid learning plan and plans to shift back to remote learning if necessary. A full reopening, said Superintendent of Schools Scot...

HARWICH – As colleges and universities across the country, including the University of Massachusetts, announce continued remote learning for the fall semester, parents in the Monomoy Regional School District are eagerly awaiting plans for the reopening of schools this fall, which Superintendent Dr. Scott Carpenter said at this point still remain unclear. “The priority from the state is getting people back into...

Teacher Appreciation Week took on a whole new meaning this year courtesy of COVID-19, with thanks not only to the educators who continue to support their students remotely, but also to the many parents that have risen to the challenge of distance learning with gusto. Jessica Muldoon of Harwich has four children: Quinn, in fifth grade at Monomoy Regional Middle School, Maeve, in second grade, and twins Rowan an...

As the COVID19 crisis continues to impact people across the globe, students in local districts got back to the business of learning thanks to modern technology and dedicated educators in the Monomoy and Nauset school districts, as well as at the Cape Cod Lighthouse Charter School. Monomoy Superintendent Dr. Scott Carpenter said he began working with district administrators on remote learning several weeks ago ...

The halls of local schools are largely empty this week after concerns about COVID-19, the virus that causes coronavirus, continue to impact communities at the local, state and national level. In an email to parents from Superintendent Dr. Scott Carpenter, the Monomoy Regional School District announced Saturday that schools would close as of March 16, likely through the end of the district’s April vacation, wit...

HARWICH — Several days after the Monomoy Regional School Committee voted to close the Castle in the Clouds because of safety concerns, the board of selectmen this week voted to have the playground torn down. The decision came after an onsite inspection of the aging facilities by town and school officials, teachers and members of the Parent Teachers Organization.  The demolition began Wednesday. Among the many ...

Already endorsed by the Monomoy Regional School Committee, a plan to allow Head Start and the YMCA of Cape Cod to operate early childhood programs at Chatham and Harwich elementary schools has passed muster with selectmen in both towns. Superintendent of Schools Scott Carpenter said the lease of the classroom spaces must be finalized by the state education commissioner, but the new programs are expected to beg...

HARWICH — Massachusetts Department of Transportation has confirmed that the Harwich Elementary School application for a Safe Routes to School project has been approved and $685,000 has been set aside for the work. The application was filed by Principal Mary Oldach in January. In March the Mass DOT's office of Transportation planning notified the school district the project was advancing to the funding process....

Orleans Elementary School Orleans Elementary School hosted an evening of science fun at STEM night.  Over 200 members of the school community were in attendance to participate in more than a dozen hands-on activities to help students learn about Cape Cod’s waters and how to protect and understand this resource.  This was a program of the Cape Cod Cooperative Extension in coordination with AmeriCorps Cape Cod a...

Fund Our Future Forum Shines Light On Impact Of Budget Cuts  BARNSTABLE/HARWICH – While the Monomoy Regional School Committee again reviewed the proposed budget for fiscal year 2020 prior to its approval March 14, educators from several Cape districts shared the impacts of budget cuts in a Fund Our Future forum held at Cape Cod Community College. The Monomoy budget totaling $40,751,482 was unanimously appro...