COVID-19 Resources for our Somerville Campus

ACADEMIC RESOURCES

Somerville Public Schools  

> Schoology: Some teachers are posting notes and assignments 

Log-in using your student’s 111 number and password. If you would like to get in touch with your teachers directly and don’t have their email addresses or phone numbers, let us know and we can help put you in touch! 

> Open Up Resources: Somerville’s entire math curriculum

Additional Academic Resources

> Khan Academy: Free math resources with video lessons and practice exercises
> LIBBY (can be found in the app store): Free audiobooks and digital books you can read on your phone or on other devices. Listen to music and audiobooks, watch movies and TV, read magazines and e-books, and more online with your Somerville Public Library card.   

Log in: If you have a  Somerville Library card, you can get access to a ton of books for free. If you don’t have a Somerville library card, you can get a Boston Public Library card online to access all of the books on LIBBY. 

> WGBH has partnered with the Massachusetts Department of Education to create free resources for home learning. They have interactive resources for learning Math, Science, and Social Studies.
> Bookshare offers even more free digital books you can access on your devices.
> Take 25 Virtual Field Trips – everywhere from museums and aquariums to even Mars!
> Take a break and get some exercise! Glenn Higgins posts short and silly work out videos while dressed up as different characters from TV and movies. 

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GENERAL INFORMATION 

  • City of Somerville   
    • Click  HERE  to  sign up for city alerts via phone call, text or email.  
  • The City of Somerville has added a new page to their website featuring ways to get help and give help. Click HERE for more info on the following: Food Access, Advice for Renters, Info about the CARES Act Federal Aid (stimulus checks)
  • Massachusetts Department of Public Health 
  • Centers for Disease Control & Prevention  
  • If you have questions or concerns about COVID-19, call the Massachusetts COVID-19 Information Line at 2-1-1  

Food and Meal Services 

  • Grab and Go Meal Distribution: 
    • Breakfast and lunch meals are available Monday-Friday, 9-11 a.m. at the following school sites:   East, West, Winter Hill, and Healey   
    • Please bring a bag if you are picking up for multiple family members
    • Weekend groceries are also available on Friday
  • Food for Free Daily Supplementary Pantry (organized by Shape Up Somerville at 165 Broadway):
    • Food for Free is dropping food off at 165 Broadway each day. 
    • Families can schedule a pick up  HERE. 
    • Project Bread offers a Food Source Hotline at (800) 645-8333 (TTY line: 1-800-377-1292) to help callers find food resources
    • DTA SNAP and Cash Benefits During COVID-19 (MassLegal Services) 

Internet Access  

Financial Assistance

  • Families facing housing insecurity due to the pandemic can seek up to $4,000 through a state program. Application details are available online HERE.

Health Insurance Coverage

  • MassHealth COVID-19 Info Page
    • MassHealth will cover all coronavirus testing and treatment.    
    • MassHealth is allowing early refills and 90-day supplies of medicine    
    • MassHealth will cover telemedicine and has expanded telehealth and telephone services   
    • If you meet the income standard, need coronavirus testing, and do not have health insurance, you will automatically be enrolled in MassHealth  
    • MassHealth has expanded insurance eligibility for uninsured residents who turn up at hospitals with an illness   

Mental Health   

List of mental health hotlines, some of which provide text and chat support as well as phone.  

  • The Disaster Distress Helpline at 1-800-985-5990, or text TalkWithUs to 66746. This is a 24/7, national hotline that offers crisis counseling for emotional distress related to any natural or human-caused disaster, including disease outbreaks like COVID-19. It is toll-free, multilingual, and confidential. 
  • The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8225), live online chat at www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org/chat, En Español at 1-888-628-9454, and for people who are deaf or hard of hearing at 1-800-799-4889. Trained crisis workers are available 24 hours a day to provide crisis counseling and mental health referrals. 
  • The Crisis Text Line, which you can reach by texting 741741. The Crisis Text Line is also available by Facebook Messenger by clicking the “send message” button at www.facebook.com/crisistextline. This 24 hour a day line is staffed by trained crisis counselors. 

Some collected resources on how to talk to kids about  COVID-19.    

Mindfulness practices can help kids (and adults) keep themselves calm in stressful situations. Try these free apps if you find yourself feeling anxious or overwhelmed:   

  • For Me app (free- iTunes)    
  • Headspace for Kids app (free to start - iTunes and Android)    
  • Calm app (free- iTunes and Android)  
  • Mindfulness for Children app (free- iTunes and Android)   
  • Mindshift app (free- iTunes  and  Android)

    Inner Explorer (the platform we use for mindfulness practice at Breakthrough) has created an app for families called, I Am Present. Click HERE to download it for free.  

Unemployment Information