Dear RSU 71 Students, Parents, Staff, School Board, and Community Members,
Today we are waiting for news about a possible case of COVID-19 in an individual associated with Troy Howard Middle School. We will contact all individuals associated with that person if the case is confirmed and ten-day quarantines are necessary. Please continue to fight the good fight against this beastly disease, and stay vigilant and in line with safety protocols, despite the increasingly wearying nature of doing so.
This week's update includes information about COVID-19 vaccinations and free food for February vacation. It will be Robo-emailed to all families and posted on the district website and my blog. As of 9:00 am today, we have no active cases of COVID-19 (though as we are awaiting information about a possible case) and no evidence of transmission in our school district. We are still categorized as GREEN, meaning that in-person instruction is possible if we follow safety protocols. Great work, everyone!!
Halfway Through - I hope that you enjoyed a happy Martin Luther King, Jr. Day on Monday and that it's been a good week, despite the challenges of the times. It is staying lighter longer these days, a sign that we are just beginning to turn the long corner of winter. We are twenty-one weeks into a forty-three-week school year and have, for the most part, been fortunate to be able to remain open for in-person instruction throughout. The middle school and high school are in their second semester, and K-5 schools are closing in on the end of the second trimester. The resilient and dedicated staff is working hard and engaging the hearts, minds, and bodies of students in the service of strengthening them. For example, under strict community guidelines, Belfast Area High School has begun some winter athletic competitions in Swimming and Basketball. The high school will also be sponsoring FREE recreational nordic and alpine skiing at The Camden Snow Bowl on Thursday evenings starting next week and continuing through mid-March.
Vaccination Info - According to the Maine Department of Education, there are no plans for schools to administer vaccines at this time. What we know:
Maine has received a fraction of the vaccine needed;
DHHS has a timeline on its website for review;
It is unclear whether or not educators will be prioritized;
School staff is currently considered to be in the 1-C category, so I recommend that staff stay in touch with their primary care providers to access vaccination with them;
The DOE does have guidance around this question of prioritizing staff, and it will be sent out in a priority notice;
Regarding testing: stay tuned!
Additional information about vaccination may be found in the blue link below:
https://mailchi.mp/maine/cu5lemq6y0-1322504 https://www.maine.gov/covid19/vaccines
Free Food Available during February Vacation - Families of RSU 71 students interested in five breakfasts and lunches for their children (one box per family) should sign up by February 5 by emailing or calling Director of Nutrition Perley Martin (pmartin@rsu71.org or 338-3320, x 307). Breakfasts will be pancakes, eggs, milk, and juice, while lunches will be chili, vegetables, fruit, and milk. Pick-ups will be in the parking lots of CASS (11:45 am - 12:30 pm) and THMS (1:00 - 1:45 pm).
Agape - The Greek word for the love of humanity is "agape," pronounced AH-GA-PAY. Last week I shared a quote from a book I'm reading, The Way of Love: Holding on to Hope in Troubling Times by Michael Curry (Penguin Random House 2020). Here's another practical thought about love not as a feeling but as an action:
"Where selfishness excludes, love makes room. Where selfishness puts down, love lifts up. Where selfishness hurts and harms, love helps and heals. Where selfishness enslaves, love sets free and liberates. The way of love will show us the right things to do every single time. It is … grounding -- and a place of rest -- amid the chaos that is often part of life. It's how we stay decent in indecent times. Loving is not always easy, but like with muscles, we get stronger both with repetition and as the burden gets heavier. And it works (p. 27).
Though agape is a way of being, not a feeling, one can sometimes feel it. I feel agape when listening to our students sing and play instruments. I have never been much of a crier, but regularly fill up and spill over at all the school concerts and musicals as I take in the beautiful spirit of agape in our students, so filled with talent, hope, excellence, intensity, camaraderie, and joy in making music. I sense that there's agape all over the place in RSU 71 and Waldo County, despite our differences. And I say the more, the merrier.
Be in Touch - As always, please feel free to be in touch with administrators, school nurses, and me with questions, ideas, feedback, and concerns.
With deep gratitude and appreciation for pitching in with our collective efforts, despite trials and tribulations, and with warm wishes for health and safety in the week ahead,
- Mary Alice--Mary Alice McLeanSuperintendent of Schools, RSU 71(207) 338 - 1960
