Wareham Public Schools have canceled all school-related activities From March 16 to at least  April 7 to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus. Since the schools closed down, students have started learning remotely from home, and teachers and staff have rallied to make sure that kids have the food and resources they need during the closure.

The school district emphasizes that social distancing is vital to stop the spread of the virus. Social distancing measures include avoiding crowds, not shaking hands with others, and staying home when sick. 

For families in need of food, bagged grab-and-go breakfast and lunch meals for students will be provided from 9:30 to 11:00 a.m. Monday through Friday at the Wareham Middle School drop-off, the Bandshell in Onset, the Gleason Family YMCA parking lot, The Woods at Wareham, The Cromesett Road pumping station near Terry Lane, Brandy Hill Apartments, the Shangri La Playground, Decas Elementary School, the West Wareham School parking lot, and the Cranberry Highway lot next to Gold World. 

Director of Food and Nutrition Services Mike Russo said that the meals are available to all children ages 18 and under. On Monday through Thursday, one breakfast and one lunch will be provided per child. On Fridays, three breakfasts and three lunches will be provided per child, so that they will have food over the weekend as well.

Russo said that the school district “had a great response from the kids and the parents” during the first week of the free meals. On Monday, March 16, 281 children were served. On that Friday, 762 children were served.

The bagged breakfasts and lunches also come with an extra treat: an encouraging note from school staff. 

For students in need of the internet to continue learning while schools are closed, Xfinity will offer WiFi hotspots  to anyone who needs them for free – including non-Xfinity subscribers. For a map of Xfinity WiFi hotspots, visit www.xfinity.com/wifi. Once at a hotspot, consumers should select the “xfinitywifi” network name in the list of available hotspots and then launch a browser. Families without Internet may sign through Comcast and receive two months of free internet.

Children can also watch WGBH television for free academic services. 

Paper copies of educational materials are also available. To request a copy, contact the principal of the child’s school.

The last day of school is scheduled for June 22. April vacation will not be impacted by the current closure, but the start of spring sports season has been delayed to March 30.

For more information, go to https://www.warehamps.org/Page/1 and click on “Coronavirus (Covid-19) Information and Updates” at the bottom of the page.