Friday, November 13, 2020
Dear RSU 71 Students, Families, Staff, School Board and Community Members,
Ahoy! Here's this week's update.
COVID-19 - We have good news in this area! At noon, the CDC and DOE announced that the spread from the Brooks church outbreak has slowed, so we in Waldo County are still in the GREEN/In-Person Mode for grades K-8 and no longer need to be monitored so closely by the CDC. All of the coronavirus tests taken of BAHS folks in quarantine have come back negative. Kudos and thanks to all students, families, and staff for following safety guidelines to the letter. Keep up the great work!! New research has found that cloth masks most effectively prevent the spread of the virus and protect everyone from unwittingly infected and asymptomatic people.
Survey about Remote Learning - As promised, we surveyed our K - 5 families to learn whether the second-trimester students would remain in remote learning, move to remote learning, or remain at school in-person. We have five students returning to school in-person and thirteen moving to remote learning. Thanks for getting back to us, which helps us in planning for the second trimester. Families in grades 6 - 12 will be surveyed when we approach the end of our first semester.
Unplanned Fire Drill at BAHS - A work crew helping Siemens with our new O2 Prime systems inadvertently triggered a sensor. The good news is that we had a fire drill, which will count toward the number required by law. Students and staff were very orderly and did a great job continuing to wear masks and maintain social distance.
RSU 71 Students Shine TV Show - In December, we are launching the RSU 71 Students Shine TV show streaming via our YouTube channel. The first show will be with THMS teacher Sarah Wyman and her students, who have a blog to publish student writing. Please feel free to call or email me with other interview topics. I want to highlight high-quality student products and performances and their teachers and provide a wider audience with whom students can share their learning.
Credit: Leader of Their Own Learning: Transforming Schools Through Student-Engaged Assessment
RSU 71 Nurses' New Website - Our talented team of nurses has a new website -- check it out!
https://schoolnurses.rsu71.org/
RSU 71 Athletics - News from BAHS (next week, I'll highlight THMS): We finished the fall season with 134 athletes in good standing, and each of those students will receive varsity letters or sub-varsity certificates. In total, we safely completed 47 fall sports contests. All teams have much to celebrate this year as each was competitive in their pods and around the state. BAHS Field Hockey finished an undefeated season, winning each of their six games with shutouts. Remarkable! Our football team was two points away from a 4-0 season, finishing 3-1. Our golf team qualified all five individual players to the state meet and finished 8th overall. Our soccer and cross country teams represented us well with exciting wins against fierce competition. All athletes, teams, and coaches showed resilience and displayed impeccable sportsmanship. It was a great season for our sports program.
We now turn to winter sports with uncertainty hanging over our programs. Sign-ups for basketball, competition cheer, indoor track and field, swimming, and wrestling are going well. Where some sports may not be allowed, our winter coaches plan to augment those seasons with safe and allowable alternatives, including downhill skiing, nordic skiing, dance, yoga, recreational swimming, weight training, pickleball, ping pong, snowshoeing, ice skating, broomball, hiking, etc.
Remote Snow Day Plan - This year, we will pilot a number of our snow days as Remote Snow Days, during which classes will be held remotely. On beautiful winter days that are good for making snowpeople, sledding, tobogganing, skating, and the like, we will encourage students to go outside for fresh air and winter fun.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1l3Ajef2vTjwv__xyUcznXgi9Qmqx1A1JnTLPZbexxak/edit
Essential Work Plan - We've come a long way since March when it was unclear who would be able to work in-person safely. Here's a document showing all the employee groups and all levels: K-5, 6-8, and 9-12.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1PfScPkZrq9IhIDgRa_Y187NfXwc4R4A-PZCG0x8mdfk/edit
Requests from Our Bus Drivers - Students have generally been FANTASTIC about following bus protocols, though, as this pandemic wears on, some are beginning to forget that the bus is still "school," and the same rules apply. At this week's meeting of the Bus-Garage Team, bus drivers noted that students are not always following safety protocols and directions. Bus drivers love their work and the students they serve and do not like to stop the bus or write-up students. I have asked the bus drivers to complete bus slips and work with principals to address student misbehavior. I ask that parents, grandparents, and guardians remind their children to follow the bus drivers' directions for safety's sake, including sitting in assigned seats to allow for greater social distancing, keeping their masks on, and practicing hand -hygiene. Families have been great about communicating expectations to children, and this has really helped us. Remind students that we really do not want to remove students from the bus but need to do so when important rules are broken. Families have been super-supportive imparting requests to children, so bus drivers will greatly appreciate your having a friendly talk about this at home.
Jobs For Maine Graduates - Many thanks to JMG for the gift of twenty $100.00 Hannaford gift cards for THMS and BAHS families in need. "JMG's mission is to help students be successful by overcoming obstacles. During this unprecedented time, many students, and their families, are now facing new challenges and hope that this contribution provides a small bit of relief during this world-wide crisis." We so appreciate our fabulous partnership with JMG!!
Staff Leave Time During the Pandemic - There has been a little confusion about staff leave accommodations during the pandemic and how leave-time is compensated under EPSL, FFCRA, EFMLEA, and FMLA. That is because it is quite confusing! Please see the attached information and refer to it when making decisions for you and your families. And always feel free to call or email the central office with questions. I am very impressed by the work ethic of our RSU 71 workforce during this pandemic. Balancing work and family is never easy but has never been so complicated as now!
That's it for this week. As always, please feel free to be in touch with me, our administrators, and nurses with questions, feedback, ideas, and concerns.
Stay safe, and be well! -Mary Alice
