Weekly Update - Friday, March 19, 2021
Dear RSU 71 Students, Families, Staff, School Board and Community Members,
Pandemic Update - We are still in Green Mode K-8 and Yellow/Hybrid Mode 9-12. There has been a notable uptick in the number of positive cases of COVID-19 in the state and among young people -- even babies! So now is not the time to relax safety protocols, begin to wear our masks below our noses, or think that it is safe to be physically close to individuals outside of our families. Students and staff in the 7th-grade returned to in-person instruction today, while students and staff at the East Belfast School will return to school on Monday, March 22. We have had one additional person, an individual associated with Troy Howard Middle School, test positive for the coronavirus. Because the person has not been in school for some time, there was no need to do contract tracing or have anyone move to quarantine.
Vaccinations - My husband and I received our COVID-19 shots this past week, and the experience was terrific -- well-organized, speedy, thoughtful, and painless. Many staff members have already received their first shots, and some have had their second already. As Dr. Nirav Shah, MD, the Maine CDC director, advises: getting vaccinated to prevent COVID-19 helps protect yourself, your loved ones, and your community.
Lots of Good News - I hope you all enjoyed St. Patrick's Day on Wednesday. Spring officially begins tomorrow! This week there is a lot of good news in RSU 71 and the state of Maine.
Troy Howard Seed Company - There has been a lot of media coverage of the Seed Project at THMS: an article in the Bangor Daily News: a television spot on ABC 7 /Fox 22; and the website of the Bangor Police Department! Congratulation to 7th-grade students, featured students Katience Parenteau and Greta Graf, and teacher Mr. David Wessels!
https://www.foxbangor.com/news/item/middle-school-seed-program-helps-community/
https://www.bangormaine.gov/content/318/354/default.aspx
Student Journalists at the Captain Albert Stevens School - Here's an article by the editor at the Republican Journal about CASS journalists. Congratulations to CASS 4th-graders and their teacher Mrs. Nancy Nickerson!
Art Students on Exhibition at the Portland Museum of Art - The selected artworks of students Rose White (Kermit Nickerson), Lucy Engstrom (CASS), Ruby Day, and Euan Newell (Belfast Area High School) were chosen for exhibition at the museum in recognition of the National Youth Art Month. Congratulations to our students and their talented teachers: Nancy Brown, Linda Nichols, and Kathie Gass!
https://www.portlandmuseum.org/yam-2021#k-4th
Stimulus $ - RSU 71, Belfast, Belmont, Swanville, Searsmont, and Morrill will be receiving funds to alleviate some of the economic uncertainty caused by the pandemic.
Maine Success vis-a-vis the Pandemic - The state of Maine is doing relatively well by its citizens during this challenging period in our shared history.
That's it for this week. I will email this update to staff and the school board this morning, and we'll Robo-email it to families and the press in the afternoon and post it on the district website. As always, please feel free to call or email our nurses, administrators, and me.
Sincerely Yours,
Mary Alice
