Friday 10/30/2020 Update from RSU # 71

Friday, October 30, 2020

Dear RSU 71 Students, Families, Staff, School Board, and Community Members, 

I hope this update finds you all well and geared up for a very different kind of Halloween. I'm grateful that community partners, including Waterfall Arts and the Belfast Free Library, will offer fun Halloween activities that will be safe for our young people to attend during this dastardly pandemic. It is a time when traditional Trick-or-Treating may be impacted, like everything else in our world just now. 

Here is an update on the happenings this week. I conclude this week's update with an excerpt from one of the BAHS graduation speeches in June because of its theme about the unity we share as a community despite our differing beliefs, values, and political affiliations.

RSU 71 Color Status and Gratitude for Understanding - Today is the end of the ninth week of in-person instruction in RSU 71. I regret the need to have moved our school system to the Yellow-Light/Hybrid Mode in K-8 schools for two weeks. Ames Elementary School will reopen to in-person instruction on Monday, joining the rest of our schools in the Yellow-Light mode. The Maine Center for Disease Control, Department of Education, and our Belfast, Searsmont, Swanville, Morrill, and Belmont communities have done an outstanding job keeping our students informed and actively engaged in rigorous and engaging learning, whether in-person or remote. While I have very high hopes that we will return to the Green-Light Mode in K-8 schools on Monday, November 9th, that will depend upon the Maine CDC/DOE designation announced on November 6th. The CDC decision will be founded on whether or not the number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 continues to climb in Waldo County. I ask each of us to do everything to follow safety protocols in-school and outside of school as the best way to keep students in school to whatever degree is safe and recommended. 

We reopened our eight schools on September 1, a week, or two or three earlier than other school systems, so despite the two-day hiatus this week, our students still will have had more in-person instruction than most students in other systems. Belfast Area High School staff and students used this past Monday and Tuesday to do a dry-run of our Remote Snow Day Plan, and the good news is that it went very well, with high attendance rates. I do not anticipate needing to give staff time to prepare to go back to Green-Light from Yellow-Light or to transition to the Red-Light/Remote, should that ever come to pass, despite our prayers. The staff did very much appreciate time during this first rodeo of a transition to prepare the move to the Yellow-Light Mode. On behalf of teachers, I abundantly thank you for understanding this need and making adjustments at home to transition between modes smoothly. The two possible COVID-19 situations we had been closely monitoring have been resolved, with both individuals testing negative. Our total number of confirmed cases in RSU 71 remains at two, one at CASS and the other at Ames. There is now on the district website a color-coded designation for easy reference (https://www.rsu71.org/).

K-5 Parent/Guardian Survey - As we near the end of the first trimester in our K-5 schools, we are again soliciting feedback from parents, grandparents, and guardians about whether you wish to have your children remain in-person as learners or transition to remote-learning. We will offer the same opportunity to reconsider plans at our middle and high schools as we approach the end of the first semester. While we have asked families to try to stick with plans developed for the whole first trimester (K-5) and the first semester (6-12), we have made exceptions based on changing circumstances.

Second Trimester Learning Options K- 5 Parent Survey

I end with a quote from Alicia Berube's graduation speech last spring:

I am proud to call myself a member of the 2020 Belfast Area High School Graduating Class, a class so well rounded it excels in individuality, academics, technical education, athletics, and extracurriculars. I am proud to graduate alongside the first transgender Valedictorian in Maine, not only graduate alongside but have called a friend throughout my high school experience. I am proud that collectively our track teams hold 15 state championships and that one of my oldest friends accounts singularly for 8 of them. I am proud to be a part of a class which includes Klairha, Grace, and Sydni, who have worked alongside Mrs. Maheu to create a beautiful work of art which commemorates and raises money for a scholarship fund in the name of Lalia Almatrouk, one of the most remarkable people I have ever had the pleasure to know who too I am proud beyond words to have worked alongside for the time that we had, and who I know would have had a thing or two to say about the current state of our world and who I unequivocally believe would have been a leader in changing it. I am proud that we are in the middle of history being made, not only graduating in the midst of a global pandemic but also in a time of political unrest and social tumult. I am proud that all of us have something to say about current times, regardless of the view we hold. I am proud that many of us have found a voice, I am proud that I have, and I am proud that we are able to use our voices to stand for whatever it may be that we believe. I am proud that even though we may lack diversity in a traditional sense, we compensate in part with the diversity of beliefs, opinions, and political orientation. I am proud that despite our divergences, we find the ability to converge. 

Let's take inspiration from the wisdom and example of the students in RSU 71 who have, since the beginning of the pandemic, consistently modeled an ability to stay together in mind, heart, and spirit, supporting and loving one another during this exceedingly difficult period in our collective lived experience. I couldn't be more proud to be their superintendent.

Sincerely yours, 

-Mary Alice

Mary Alice McLean

Superintendent of Schools, RSU 71

(207) 338 - 1960

 

Important announcement on Oct 26 & 27 learning

 Dear RSU 71 Students, Families, Staff, and Community Members, 

Out of an abundance of caution and to provide the time needed to further investigate one possible case and to transition to the Yellow/Hybrid Mode of our K-12 Instructional Plan, RSU 71 will be closed to in-person instruction on Monday and Tuesday, October 26 and 27. Students and teachers in the Red/Remote Learning Mode will stay in Red/Remote. Click here to view the different plans.

Here is a summary of the schedules by school for the next two days:

BAHS - will go to remote snow day mode with no in-person classes.

Waldo County Tech students - can go to school provided they have their own transportation (there will be no bus runs provided from RSU71)

THMS - students learning remotely will have classes, in-person students will have no school to allow the teachers time to prepare for the yellow/hybrid plan.

Ames - is currently in remote learning and will continue to hold remote classes 

CASS, East Belfast, Nickerson, and Weymouth - will close in-person instruction to allow time for teachers to transition to the yellow/hybrid plan.

Staff will work their usual schedules. We will reopen for students in person in the Yellow/Hybrid Mode on Wednesday, October 28. Families may pick up free meals for students at the school closest to home beginning Monday.

- Mary Alice

Breaking News - Update from RSU # 71

October 23, 2020

Dear RSU 71 Students, Families, Staff, School Board and Community Members, 

I write again today to share the news that due to the coronavirus outbreak in Brooks, Maine, the state has changed our color-coded designation from GREEN to YELLOW. This news changes the recommended status of our schools in RSU 71. 

I visited each of our K-8 schools today and had tears of joy and deep respect in my eyes and love in my heart as I witnessed our students' and teachers' genuinely outstanding work in action. Students are continuing to do a FABULOUS job working hard, learning lots, and teachers are engaging them in rigorous and inspiring learning. So it indeed grieves my heart to share the specifics of we will need to do in response to the coronavirus outbreak in Waldo County. 

BAHS -  This high school is already in the yellow/hybrid plan and will continue to be so. When a county is coded yellow, all sports and co-curricular activities are suspended. Fortunately, our student-athletes have been involved in sports for many weeks and months. The administration will work diligently to create intramural activities using the swimming pool, the weight room, the gym, and playing fields. The high school musical can go on next weekend -- the show must go on! -- but outside and for family members only.

THMS - The middle school is prepared to move to the yellow/hybrid phase of our plan beginning Monday, October 26. The administration will be in touch with families over the weekend.

K-5 Schools (except for Ames Elementary) - CASS, East Belfast, Nickerson, and Weymouth will begin the yellow phase of our plan on Tuesday, October 27. We need a day to get 1:1 devices to our families and photocopy and prepare packets for families to pick up. Ames Elementary will stay in the red/remote phase of our plans and reopen for in-person instruction in the yellow phase on Monday, November 2. Ames teachers have all been in school and teaching remotely from their classrooms throughout this period of required quarantine, with a 95% student participation attendance rate.

Food Service - Beginning Monday, October 26, free meals will be available for all students. Families can pick them up at their respective schools or can stop by the school closest to home.

K-5 Special Education - In a few exceptional cases, students in self-contained classrooms may be able to come to school four of the five days of the week, beginning Tuesday, October 27. Special education staff will be in touch with families.

Finally, I wish to share the truth that there are two additional cases in RSU 71 that the Maine Center for Disease Control and our school nurses are investigating.

Please feel free to be in touch with me, school nurses, and administrators.

Mary Alice

--

Mary Alice McLean

Superintendent of Schools, RSU 71

(207) 338 - 1960

Weekly update for RSU # 71

Thursday, October 22, 2020

Dear RSU 71 Students, Families, Staff, School Board and Community Members, 

I'm sending this "weekly update" out a day early this week. It will be Robo-emailed to our families and posted on the district website and my blog as well.

Good News and Information about Decision-Making: The presumed positive case at THMS came back negative. CDC says we must treat a "presumed positive" as a positive until we have the test in hand. The timeline for testing appears to be related to where the test is given and how long it takes the tester to get the CDC results. We have asked CDC if we can have testers send the results straight to the school system in addition to the CDC, but they have said it isn't possible. Health-care providers are challenged enough to get the results to CDC in a timely way. CDC is looking at getting a speedier testing site "in the field" of Waldo County to respond to the outbreak of COVID-19 in Brooks.

 

I am very keenly aware of these decisions' impact on students, families, staff, school board members, and the larger community. We are trying to balance the desire to keep everything going smoothly and our students in school to the extent possible while also firmly following the CDC's science, guidelines, and requirements. Safety needs to continue to be our top priority. We all sincerely appreciate the forbearance, understanding, and flexibility shown in our community in response to this volatile and rapidly changing landscape. We understand, too, the emotional roller-coaster set in motion by news of a positive or presumed positive case. In the presumed positive case at THMS, we had thought it was a confirmed positive rather than a presumed positive. I will be sure to be more definitive and ask for additional clarification in future communication with the CDC.

 

Reminder about our Yellow and Red Plans - We all hope that tomorrow doesn't bring news of our Waldo County status being changed from "green" to "yellow." Just in case it does, I include here a link (click the blue link below) to our RSU 71 K-12 Instructional Expectations Framework.

As always, please feel free to be in touch with me, nurses, and administrators with questions and feedback.

Sincerely,

Mary Alice

 

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1HJbyL6cjKFqLjNTGRDTvZ9DfdirSDbbHzS0j2bToyJc/edit?ts=5f908036

 

Mary Alice McLean

Superintendent of Schools, RSU 71

(207) 338 - 1960

Fwd: Important Update from RSU 71 about the Presumed Positive Case at THMS

October 22, 2020

Dear Troy Howard Middle School Students, Families, and Staff,

We received some great news from the CDC this morning.  The presumed positive case of COVID-19 at Troy Howard Middle School has tested negative!  The CDC has said that we may release those individuals that were identified as closed contacts from quarantine.  We are ready to welcome those individuals back to school tomorrow.  

Please continue to do the things that are making a difference in the mitigation of COVID-19:  wear a mask, maintain 6-foot distancing, wash your hands frequently, stay home if you are not feeling well, and get outdoors as often as possible.     

We thank each of you for your continued patience and support as we face this pandemic together.  These are trying times for sure but together we are strong.

Robyn Mailloux, THMS School Nurse

Bruce Bailey, THMS Principal

Alta Seekins, THMS Assistant Principal/Athletic Director

--

Mary Alice McLean

Superintendent of Schools, RSU 71

(207) 338 - 1960

Update from RSU 71 - Good News

Greetings RSU 71 Students, Families, Staff, School Board and Community, 

I am relieved to report that the second test of yesterday's presumed positive case at the Captain Albert Stevens School has again come back negative.

Other good news is that the primary contacts of positive cases at Troy Howard Middle School, CASS, and Ames have also so far tested negative.

Please keep wearing those masks, staying at a safe social distance from everyone, and sanitizing your hands. Surely these things have had a role in mitigating the spread of the coronavirus. 

This message will be Robo-emailed to all families.

Gratefully and appreciatively,   

-Mary Alice
 

Mary Alice McLean

Superintendent of Schools, RSU 71

(207) 338 - 1960

Important Message from RSU 71

Monday, October 19, 2020

Dear RSU 71 Students, Families, Staff, School Board and Community Members, 

I write to share news about a second case -- a presumed positive -- at the Captain Albert School Stevens School, the fourth case in RSU 71. On the Maine Center for Disease Control (CDC) recommendation, we released CASS students and staff at 12:30 pm today and will stay closed on Tuesday and Wednesday. The tentative plan is for everyone at CASS not in quarantine to return to CASS on Thursday, October 22; this could change if there are other positive or presumed positive cases.

As you probably know from local news reports, there has been an outbreak of COVID-19 in Brooks, and it appears that the positive cases in our school district are related to that outbreak. I've received questions about why the different cases in RSU 71 have occasioned different timelines and responses. The answer is that we have stayed in very close contact with the CDC,  are using their definition of close contact, and following their recommendations to the letter. A person is a close contact if they have been within six feet of the infected individual for 15 minutes or longer. Thus the handling of each case depends on the close contacts of the positive or presumed positive case. CDC recommends against a blanket approach that would exclude secondary contacts and swathes of buildings unrelated to a positive case.

While we wish for students and staff to stay for in-person instruction and activities whenever we may safely do so, we also want to be extremely careful and cautious in response to this virulent virus. Nothing is more important than the health and well-being of each member of our community. All close contacts to each case in our school district have been contacted, including Unified Arts teachers and specialists in the areas of Speech and Language, Physical Therapy, and Occupational Therapy.

Due to the coronavirus outbreak in Waldo County, we have made the difficult decision to suspend athletic and co-curricular activities for the remainder of the week. Student-athletes at Belfast Area High School have been immersed in various sports for the past fifteen weeks, since July 6. The fall season formally ends on November 14, and we very much hope to get back to practices and competitions next week. We will reschedule other events planned for this week, including the fall musical, jazz band, and National Honor Society.

I implore each member of our community to take this dastardly pandemic seriously.  It is invisible but real and potentially deadly, a covert and subversive virus that would have us keep our students from getting the education they so richly deserve. Students and staff have been simply superb about following all safety protocols while in school, but all of us also need to follow these protocols when not in school. Wear a face mask. Maintain safe social distance, even from the friends and relatives you love. Practice hand hygiene, wash your hands with soap and warm water at every opportunity and use hand sanitizer when soap and water are not available. I am positive that we can beat this if we all work together and follow safety protocols.

As always, please feel free to be in touch with me, school nurses, and administrators. Sending well wishes and fervent hopes for the speedy recovery of all infected and affected by COVID-19, 

- Mary Alice

Mary Alice McLean

Superintendent of Schools, RSU 71

(207) 338 - 1960

--

Mary Alice McLean

Superintendent of Schools, RSU 71

(207) 338 - 1960

Important Message from RSU 71

October 17, 2020

Dear RSU 71 Students, Parents, Staff, School Board, and Community, 

Today we learned of two more cases of COVID-19 in our district, one at the Ames Elementary School in Searsmont and the other at Troy Howard Middle School in Belfast. One bus route is affected. All students and staff impacted have been called by a school nurse or administrator today. To ensure confidentiality, we cannot provide additional information. However, Ames school nurse Shannon Robbins and THMS school nurse Robyn Mailloux will be happy to answer general questions about COVID-19 itself. Here are our plans:

Ames Elementary School - We will need to move to remote learning at Ames Elementary School through October 30. A cleaning company will come to school on Monday, October 19th, to do a thorough cleaning and disinfection. Teachers will come to school on Tuesday, October 19, to gather materials for students. We ask that parents, grandparents, and guardians go to the school on Wednesday, October 21, to pick up 1:1 devices and materials. All students will remain in remote learning through October 30, returning to school on Monday, November 2nd.

Troy Howard Middle School - We will need to close the school on Monday and Tuesday, October 19 and 20th, for thorough cleaning and disinfection, and to find substitutes for the staff needing to quarantine. Students in two homerooms and two classes will need to stay in remote learning through October 29th, returning to school on October 30th. All students whose parents did not receive telephone calls today may return to school on Wednesday, October 21st.

Please feel free to contact me, Ames principal Lori Smail, and THMS principals Bruce Bailey and Alta Seekins.

I regret needing to share this difficult news with our community and hope you will join me in rooting for all the individuals impacted by this pernicious pandemic and the chaos it creates. 

Sincerely and faithfully yours, 

Mary Alice

Mary Alice McLean

Superintendent of Schools, RSU 71

(207) 338 - 1960

Weekly Update Friday 10/16/2020

Dear RSU 71 Students, Parents, Staff, School Board, and Community Members, 

Difficult News: Today is the last day of our seventh week of in-person instruction, and I write to you with difficult news. We learned this morning that an individual at the Captain Albert Stevens School has tested positive for the coronavirus. It is the first case of a student or staff member in RSU 71 testing positive. Students at CASS are not in the school today on account of parent conferences. School nurses and administrators are in the process of notifying all students and staff who have been in close contact with this individual, all of whom will be required to quarantine through October 28, returning to school on October 29. More information will be coming to individuals affected on Monday, including information about remote learning plans in place through October 28th. To ensure confidentiality, we cannot provide additional information about the specific case. However, CASS school nurse Chris Kiley and all our school nurses will be happy to answer general questions and share information about COVID-19.

Good News: Yesterday, we were able to submit our application for the second round of Coronavirus Relief Funds for 1.4 million dollars. This will greatly assist us in being able to safely remain open for in-person instruction, fortify our resources for students involved in remote learning, and provide additional technology if we all need to move to remote learning at any point this year.

Invitation: Next month, we are launching our district's Strategic Planning Process. Students, staff, parents, and family members who wish to participate should be in touch with administrative assistant Christine Guerette by calling the central office (338-1960) or emailing Chris (cguerette@rsu71.org).  

A meeting involving the administrative team, students, teachers, parents, and community members will be on Tuesday, November 11, from 3:00 - 5:00 pm via ZOOM. This group will help design the structure of meetings involving a much larger set of stakeholders via ZOOM. We plan to hold meetings with all aspects of our RSU 71 community in November, December, January, and February, and to have the RSU 71 School Board vote on the proposed plan at the meeting on March 1, 2021.

Fall Sports and Theatre- I have thoroughly enjoyed seeing snippets of several teams competing, including 7:7 football, girls' soccer, and field hockey. The students play hard, observe safety protocols, and have tons of healthy fun as the gold and red leaves of autumn swirl around them in the cool and blustery wind and sunshine. Yesterday was the high school musical opening, which this year is Rock of Ages, which looks to be excellent, judging by what I have seen in rehearsals. I am so grateful to the staff, students, and parents who have worked creatively and collaboratively to keep our young people active and healthily engaged despite the coronavirus pandemic.

Learning and Growing: Our NWEA testing is nearly complete, and its results will enable us to tailor our design of instruction further to meet our students' needs better. Anecdotal data and observation attest to a high level of engagement and rigorous work on our K-12 students.  The school board has been hard at work developing meeting norms, goals, and self-evaluation tools for the 2020-2021 school year. We are fortunate to have such a dedicated and caring governing board leading our school district and modeling the professional learning and growth that is critical for all of us.

As always, please feel free to be in touch with any member of our administrative team and with me with questions, suggestions, ideas, and feedback. Please stay safe and continue to observe all safety protocols during this historical period of the pandemic.

Sincerely,    Mary Alice

-- 

Mary Alice McLean

Superintendent of Schools, RSU 71

(207) 338 - 1960

                                                          

Weekly Update 10/9/2020

October 9, 2020

Dear RSU # 71 Students, Parents, Staff, School Board, and Community Members, 

Today is the last day in the sixth week of in-person instruction and the start of the long weekend to recognize Indigenous Peoples.  I am very relieved to realize that we have reached this point in our academic calendar with zero coronavirus cases in our student and staff populations. While I hope and pray that this trend will continue, I am mindful of how quickly it could change. For that reason, I thank you and ask you to continue the strict adherence to safety protocols around wearing masks, maintaining social distance, practicing hand hygiene, and doing daily symptom-checks.  Science on the pandemic points to these efforts making a positive difference in avoiding contagion. 

We have been ecstatic and grateful to learn that the second wave of Coronavirus Relief Funds -- 1.4 million dollars -- is coming our way. Our application is due on Thursday of next week and needs to be spent by December 30th. So we have been busy collecting feedback from all stakeholders about what more we can purchase to assist our students' safe education during the pandemic. We will easily spend this money wisely in technology, instructional supplies, transportation, nursing, facilities, food service, PPE (personal protective equipment), outdoor furniture and equipment, and staffing.

We are making good progress on installing improved ventilation systems in all our schools; the bulk of the work will be done in advance of the cold weather when we need to keep windows and doors shut.

Students are continuing to be fabulous about protocols and staying engaged in their learning. Staff members have been nothing less than heroic in meeting student needs and designing instruction that enlivens, empowers, and elevates our students and promotes healthy growth. 

NWEA testing is nearly complete, and we look forward to using this data to better tailor our teaching to our students' needs. 

We will soon be embarking on an RSU # 71 Strategic Planning Process. Students, staff, parents, and community members who wish to be involved should contact administrative assistant Chris Guerette (email cguerette@rsu71.org or call 338-1960) to get on the participants' list. We hope to have the bulk of the work done in advance of developing our district budget for the 2021-2022 school year so that we can prioritize expenditures that will best assist us in achieving our vision and strategic goals. 

As always, please feel free to be in touch with members of our talented administrative team and with me. Questions, suggestions, feedback, ideas, and concerns are always welcome and promptly received and addressed.

With warm wishes for a happy and healthy long weekend,      

Mary Alice

--

Mary Alice McLean

Superintendent of Schools, RSU 71

(207) 338 - 1960

Weekly Update - Friday, October 2, 2020

Friday, October 2, 2020

Dear RSU # 71 Students, Families, Staff, School Board, and Community, 

Today is the end of the fifth week of in-person instruction in the 2020-2021 school year, and students are continuing to do well with wearing masks, practicing hand-hygiene, and social distancing. In a conversation yesterday with one of our amazing and wonderful teachers, I learned that, in some cases, "the honeymoon is starting to wear off." So anything that parents, grandparents, and guardians can do -- to gently remind their children and teens to continue to do their very best to fight the good fight against this beastly COVID-19 pandemic -- will be very appreciated by educators. One of the silver linings of the pandemic has been the ways that staff and parents are so beautifully partnering in the education of our youth.  Please know that we appreciate and do not take these efforts for granted!

NWEA - This fall, we have begun using the Northwest Evaluation Association's MAP (Measures of Academic Progress) in RSU # 71, testing students in grades 2 - 12 in math, reading, and language. We intend to use the data from the three testing windows (Fall, Winter, and Spring) as a formative rather than summative assessment (I'm sorry for that jargon and will explain in a later newsletter the important differences between the two) as a flashlight, not a club, shining a light on student growth. 

As test-takers engage in the assessment it adjusts automatically to their level of learning, and scores are given immediately to students and teachers as soon as students have finished the assessment. This distinguishes the NWEA, which is nationally normed, from the Maine state assessment, the results of which are not known for many months and often after students have already moved on to the next grade level. In fact, the state of Maine is considering making the NWEA the state assessment, another reason I'm glad that we are getting a head-start on this in the present year. 

In my experience, the assessment has been very well-liked by students as it gives them individual reports that show them important information about their own growth over time, along with information about what they themselves can do to make strong growth.  We will continue to "triangulate" data -- that is, we will look at least three different data points to glean information about how well we are doing by our students and their education, and results will be shared by students with parents during parent-student-teacher conferences this fall and again in the spring. 

I want to give a huge round of applause to our teachers -- who are already straight-out and even sometimes overwhelmed with the responsibility of designing instruction during a pandemic -- and to our RSU # 71 Tech and Administrative Teams for the huge amount of work that has gone into launching NWEA this fall.  My hope is that it will help us to determine which students will most benefit from the CARES Act money we have set aside in order to provide additional direct instruction to students most in need, with the help of teacher volunteers who will be paid for the work-beyond-contract before and/or after school.

Remote Learning - Remote learning continues to go very well and we believe the needs of our students, parents, and teachers are being well supported.  That said, we have had requests from many parents for their children to come back to in-person instruction in school.  One of the reasons that we are asking everyone to try to stick with the plan agreed upon is that if we have very many more students return to in-person instruction K-8 we will need to move to the yellow-hybrid plan of students learning part-time in-person and part-time remotely.  This is because we need to keep a minimum of a 3-foot distance between students in classrooms, which we will not be able to do if many more students return to school in person, as we simply don't have enough space. I'm just wanting to give our community a heads-up about this possibility.

Free and Reduced Paperwork - Many of the benefits and money flowing into RSU # 71 is related to our having more than 50% of our students qualify for free or reduced-cost meals. Even though we are providing free meals to all students regardless of income this fall we still need to ask you, even to beg you, to fill out the F & R paperwork as usual, so that these benefits will continue to come our way. This private information is kept strictly confidential.

Out-of-State Travel - Finally, I wanted to take this opportunity to remind families that if you travel out of state -- unless it is to the states of New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Vermont, Connecticut, New York, and New Jersey, in which case there is no need -- you will need to quarantine at home for 14 days before returning to school or produce a negative test result.  Please let the school know if you are traveling to other states not listed above, and please contact your children's school nurse for more information. 

That's it for this week.  As always please feel free to be in touch with me and with other members of the administrative team with questions, concerns, feedback, and ideas.

With warmest wishes for a wonderful October weekend.

Mary Alice
--

Mary Alice McLean

Superintendent of Schools, RSU 71

(207) 338 - 1960