Friday Update 12/18/2020

                                                                  

Friday, December 18, 2020

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

This week's update contains information about changes to Maine schools' standard operating procedures (SOP) around COVID-19 and some good news in the area of staffing and ventilation. It will be the last update until Friday, January 8, unless we have a positive case of the Coronavirus or an outbreak in our community. This message will be Robo-emailed to all families and posted on the district website and my blog.

COVID 19 Update: There are still no active cases of COVID-19 and no evidence of transmission in our RSU 71 school system. The humongous surge of COVID-19 in Maine is directly related to Thanksgiving gatherings. Over vacation, which starts after school on Tuesday, December 22 (which is a half-day for students and staff), please do everything in your power to observe all safety protocols (wear masks, maintain social distance even with loved ones, limit gatherings, wash your hands constantly) to enable us to stay in school in -person for the remainder of the winter.

Revisions have been made to the guidance provided in Maine's Framework for the Safe Return to In-Person Instruction and the current Standard Operating Procedures for any confirmed cases in our schools. Dates are added to the places within the guidance that have been revised since its initial development this summer. The SOP changes reflect the current hotline implementation in response to the CDC contact tracers' request to streamline the reporting and follow-up processes. The new SOP can be accessed here. The other changes are limited to ventilation, buses, and the use of band instruments and can be accessed here. 

O2 Prime Installation is finished in all locations! - Our new HVAC air filtration systems are up and running in all our schools, again thanks to pandemic funding. O2 Prime perpetually cleans surfaces and the air from germs of all kinds, including the common cold. So quite apart from the pandemic, it is a good investment.

Additional Nurses and Subs Hired - For this school year only, we have hired two additional nurses, so there a nurse in every location able to respond to coronavirus concerns. We have hired a full-time substitute in every school so that each becomes a staff member known to students and staff and on-hand to lend additional support wherever needed, be it a classroom, playground, gym, lunchroom, hallway, office, cafeteria, or kitchen. CRF monies have enabled us to hire for these positions. 

Commitment: On a personal level, I am pleased to have had my superintendent contract with RSU 71 extended through June of 2024. I love this school district a lot and am thankful for and honored by the confidence shown, and the continuity and momentum enabled.

SNOW! - I think this is the 6th winter storm in the past two-and-a-half years in which the decision needed to be made before the storm had begun. It is a surreal experience to wake before dawn and need to decide when there is nary a snowflake in the sky. I hope that students were able to get outside and play. Many thanks to Christine Stevens, Scott Packard, David Murray, Travis McAvoy, and Jeffrey Gilmore for plowing late last night to get us ready for school today.

While subsequent storm days may well be remote school days for everyone -- teachers and students are well-prepared for this eventuality -- it was my strong sense that both students and teachers were ready for a good old-fashioned snow day yesterday, and knowing we have been in-person for instruction far longer than most school systems helped me decide. Our interim directors of transportation and maintenance were out on the roads by 3:30 and 4:00 am, checking road conditions and buildings' readiness. Reading that the storm would dump a lot of snow in a short period during the school day and that there would likely be white-out conditions and poor visibility sealed the deal.

Holiday Joy - It is the last day of Hanukkah, and the Yuletide season is upon us. It is a white Christmas and a joyful time for many, but not for everyone. So many of our brothers and sisters struggle with economic hardship, and poverty has its own pernicious effects, making it hard to provide little ones with gifts from Santa and put a roasted turkey on the table, for example.

I remember that our first few Christmases with our adopted sons were very, very tough. Some of the most severe abuse had happened to them during the holidays, and they felt sure that not only would Santa not know where to find them, but also that they had been such very, very bad boys they didn't deserve presents. I will never forget the first Christmas as a family when my husband and I heard them creep down the stairs in their onesie pajamas and exclaim, "He came! Santa Claus came!"

I love that our community does so much outreach. The Belfast Rotary Club, of which I am a proud member, has an annual 100 Club to provide gifts to children in need. Our school district is also keenly aware of and committed to children and young adults who struggle. Let's hold our hearts open and do what we can to provide love, sustenance, and light for their paths into adulthood. And give them the best education we can, a leg up in the world, and a chance to change the trajectory.

Wishing you joy and peace this holiday season and sending wishes for fortitude and spirit in the New Year, one that includes our being in school as much as possible.

- Mary Alice

 

Mary Alice McLean

Superintendent of Schools, RSU 71

(207) 338 - 1960

Friday Update: 12/11/2020

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

I hope that it has been a good week for you despite the extraordinary challenges of the time.

COVID-19 Update - As of today, we have no active cases and no evidence of transmission in any of our nine sites in RSU 71. The Mills Administration released an update of its color-coded Health Advisory System that classifies counties' relative risk of COVID-19 transmission at noon today, and Waldo County is still GREEN. Nevertheless, the pestilential rampage that has come into our state with a vengeance continues to have a significant detrimental impact, throwing our lives, traditions, and plans into places of fearfulness, economic hardship, sickness, and even the death of loved ones. 

Fabulous Staff - Throughout the pandemic and across the district, our RSU 71 family of staff members have been nothing short of heroic: showing up every day and giving it their very best. It has indeed been an enormous strain on staff to summon the vast energy required to be positive sources of inspiration, education, and sturdiness for our students and one another, even as they struggle with worries, health issues, and family dilemmas. Students have been very cooperative and good, and families have been incredibly supportive partners to educators. I believe that all of us appreciate the gift of public education as never before and hope we find ways to express our appreciation to the good folks at the frontline. This recognition of public education is one of the silver linings that give us hope and strength. We value things we may have taken for granted: engaging academic content, opportunities for social and emotional growth, exploration of special interests through fun co-curricular activities, nutritious food, safe buses, clean, well-lit, and warm buildings, essential friendships, a sense of purpose, and effective management and leadership. Let's continue to do everything in our power to support educators of all types and students of all ages and styles. As this pernicious threat wears on and we get royally tired of its requirements, let's nevertheless continue to wear masks, maintain social distance, practice hand-hygiene, and limit our time-honored holiday traditions. This way, we may all be around to enjoy returning to customs and traditions during the holiday season of 2021. 

Catch-Up Growth for Students: This fall, we launched the administration of MAP (Measures of Academic Progress), using the NWEA (Northwest Evaluation Association). NWEA is a non-profit organization that has assessed over 4.5 million students in 49 foreign countries, 50 states, and 3400 districts. In RSU 71 this fall, we administered Reading, Math, and Language assessments to all students in grades two through eleven. In December, all schools are using this data to help identify students most adversely affected by the pandemic this past year when we shut down in-person instruction for four months, March through June. Teachers will use this as just one data point in identifying students in need. Other measures may include:

1. Report cards/grades/credits

2. Teacher observations, assessments, and recommendations

3. History of trauma and high ACE (Adverse Childhood Effects) score or BARR data (Building Assets and Reducing Risks at THMS)

4. Counselor recommendation.

 

In January, identified students will be invited (not required) to work with teachers individually or in small groups before or after school to receive additional direct instruction. We will pay teachers and qualified ed-tech IIIs who are able and willing to work beyond the contract using pandemic funding (through CARES, CRF 1and CRF 2). This additional direct instruction will sometimes be in-person and sometimes be remote, depending on families' ability to transport students to or from school. Families without cars may still have their children participate remotely, thanks to our having 1:1 devices for all our K-12 students and hotspots provided to those in need. We will have winter and spring administration of the NWEA, too, which will give us an ability to gauge the effectiveness of our interventions and the extent to which they have elicited catch-up growth in students who have fallen behind. Unlike the Maine Educational Assessment (MEA), these tests are quick, easy to administer online, adjust to each learner individually, and provide immediate and usable results, enabling teachers to design instruction accordingly. Maine has broken up with its former assessment partner, Measured Progress, which is excellent news, as far as I am concerned. There will be no MEA assessment window this spring!

O2 Prime - Our new HVAC air filtration systems are up and running in nearly all our schools, again thanks to pandemic funding. O2 Prime system uses patented technology to artificially create millions of positive and negative ions and release them into the forced air circulation of an HVAC system traveling into spaces inside the building. Lab results provided by O2 Prime prove this treatment effective against H1N1, MRSA, E. Coli, Mold, and Norovirus. It perpetually cleans surfaces and the air from germs of all kinds, including the common cold. So apart from the pandemic, it is a healthful investment.

Holiday Food Program - Our indefatigable Director of Food Service Perley Martin and his dedicated Food Service Team members will provide free 30+-pound boxes of food to all eighteen and younger students. The boxes will contain five days' worth of breakfast and lunches, with cereal, milk, fruit, and juice for breakfast, and all the fixings for a delicious and nutritious turkey dinner, including a turkey, gravy, dinner rolls, vegetables, and fruit. Please RSVP by December 16 to ensure that we have enough food for everyone (one box per family). Email Mr. Martin (pmartin@rsu71.org) or call him at 207-3320, extension 307. Families should pick-up food boxes in the parking lot of either Troy Howard Middle School on Tuesday, December 22 from 11:00 am-Noon or Captain Albert Stevens School from Noon to 1:00 pm

Half-Day Tuesday, December 22 - The last day of school before vacation is Tuesday, December 22, and it will be a half-day for students and staff as well, with students in grades 6 - 12 being dismissed at 11:30 am and K-5 students at 12:30 pm. Of course, this plan could change if we have an outbreak of COVID-19 in our school district. Our superbly dedicated school board has given me the authority to move our school system between green, yellow, and red modes in response to this deadly disease.

That's it for this week!  This message will be Robo-emailed to all families and posted on our district website (rsu71.org) and my blog. I'll send out another update on Friday, December 18. In the meantime, Please Stay Safe. And for the sake of students trying to make their way during a dark time, I hope that some of the peace and magic of the season moves our hearts this holiday season, even as we experience the stress of uncertainty.

With deep respect and abundant affection,

- Mary Alice
--

Mary Alice McLean

Superintendent of Schools, RSU 71

(207) 338 - 1960

Friday Update - 12/4/2020

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

I hope that each of you enjoyed some cozy time over Thanksgiving. Ours was the most peaceful we've ever had as it was just my husband, our two sons, and our faithful black labrador, Reb. We missed being with extended family but thoroughly enjoyed how well the boys get along with each other these days -- adult children can be a joy! I ate way too much turkey and pie, of course, but I don't regret a single bite (despite my clothes seeming to have shrunk a bit).

COVID - 19 Update - Today, the Maine Center of Disease Control (CDC) and Department of Education announced that Waldo County is still in GREEN mode. So we in RSU 71 will stay the course, keeping grades K-8 in the GREEN/In-person mode and grades 9 - 12 in the YELLOW/Hybrid mode. So far, we have had five positive cases of the coronavirus in individuals associated with RSU 71 schools, all of whom are now fully recovered: two at BAHS, one at THMS, one at CASS, and one at Ames. The cases were not connected, and there is no evidence of transmission in the schools. All the confirmed cases' primary contacts were quarantined, and none of their tests came back positive.

Please keep up the excellent work regarding wearing masks, keeping social distance, washing hands thoroughly as often as possible, and using hand sanitizer when soap and water are not immediately accessible. Our teachers and other staff's most significant challenges at the front lines are keeping students distanced from one another. Anything that parents, grandparents, and guardians can do to remind their children-- little ones can be reminded to fly like a bird with arms outstretched like wings -- will be super appreciated by educators.

You may have seen in the news that the United States CDC has changed some of its guidelines about release from quarantine, but Maine CDC has not yet done so.  We must follow the Maine CDC guidelines.  If the Maine CDC changes its guidelines, we will then re-evaluate our protocols.

Additional information can be found here:  

1. Frequently asked questions document  

2. What is Isolation  

3. What is Quarantine  

4. Ending Isolation and Ending Quarantine  

5. Quarantine Guidance for Healthcare and Critical Infrastructure Workers with COVID-19 Exposure  

Please feel free to contact our talented administrators and nurses, and to contact me. This update will be Robo-emailed to all families and posted on the district website and my blog.

Wishing you all many moments of comfort and joy this holiday season, 

  Mary Alice

-- 

Mary Alice McLean

Superintendent of Schools, RSU 71

(207) 338 - 1960