Friday, April 16, 2021
Dear RSU 71 Students, Families, Staff, School Board and Community Partners,
Well, it's the Friday during which April break begins (after school today). The forsythia and magnolia buds in our yard look very nearly ready to bloom. Ramadan in the Islamic calendar is observed through May 12 when Muslims in our community and worldwide observe a period of fasting, prayer, reflection, and community. There will be no weekly update next week unless there is an emergency, with the next weekly update being next sent on Friday, April 30.
Pandemic Update - There have been two positive cases associated with Troy Howard Middle School since last week. In one case, there was no need to quarantine because affected staff and students at THMS had been in Red/Remote Mode. The second case required us to go to Red/Remote in one pod of students and staff. At the high school, we have had one confirmed positive case since last week. In several schools, we are awaiting additional test results for several individuals. As a district, we are still in Green/In-Person mode in grades K-8 and still in Yellow/Remote mode at the high school. There has been a serious uptick in the number of new positive cases of COVID-19 in Maine amongst young people. So I continue to implore everyone in our community not to let your energy abate when it comes to observing safety protocols, especially wearing masks and socially distancing ourselves.
I had my second shot earlier this week, and apart from slightly flushed skin for a few hours and a minor soreness in my arm, there were no ill effects, and I could continue to work all day and into the evening all week. Please call your health care provider if you or anyone in your family shows signs of COVID-19: sore throat, fever, chills, stuffy or runny nose, shortness of breath, or new loss of taste or smell. Also, be aware that other symptoms may include muscle pain, headache, fatigue, vomiting, diarrhea. These symptoms may not be allergies. Please notify your school if your child tests positive for COVID-19. Please also remember to let your school nurse know if you are traveling during the April break.
I will be going to the Transfiguration Hermitage in Maine for a few days of solitary and silent retreat and renewal. You can reach me in the event of an emergency by calling the central office. The nurses can be reached over vacation by emailing them -- their email addresses are on their School Nurse website.
Good News
Here is a link to our latest RSU 71 Students Shine Show featuring high school teacher Mr. Dave Thomas and several of his students in the Projects in Engineering class. They share information about their Sea Level Monitoring Project in Belfast Harbor. It is an excellent example of the rigorous, highly engaging, and relevant learning in our school district.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T25YwtkssG0&list=PL_Mm-bVlxwNtcuIIeUoKaAvfhi37pcJ7v&index=1
Here's a piece by me in the Pen Bay Pilot about "Silver Linings:"
Congratulations to the Maine Science Fair competitors from BAHS Chelsea Gaiero, Jonah Lovejoy, and Grace Hall! The competition had over 200 competitors throughout the state and covered a broad range of categories. Chelsea's project is investigating the possibility of using invasive green crabs for lobster bait. Jonah's project has been designing and implementing tidal sensors that accurately record sea-level rise in the Belfast Bay area to help Maine data. Chelsea and Jonah presented at the Science Fair even though they are still gathering data for their investigations and will continue to work this summer toward completion. Grace's project looked at small changes in temperature on the development of zebrafish embryos. The concern is that as our ocean temperatures are slowly increasing, there are ramifications of developing fish embryos even with small temperature changes. She completed her investigation and has ideas to continue working with zebrafish in the next year. Although a junior, Grace decided to challenge herself with scholarship interviews to prepare for next year's competition, and she was pleased she did. Grace won scholarships at five colleges with her completed project and interviews.
USM- A partial scholarship
UNE- $5,000 for four years
Saint Joseph's- $2,500 for four years
Husson- $1,000 can be used to take classes there without being enrolled
FULL 4-YEAR TUITION SCHOLARSHIP at the University of Maine.
CASS Wins State Tournament in Chess!
On Saturday, April 10, the Maine Scholastic Team State Chess Championships were held online via chess.com. Teams of students in grades K-8 from 14 Maine schools came together online to participate in this rigorous competition. Students competed from their schools directly supervised by a local certified tournament director. Each site's games were monitored and coordinated by the President of the Maine Chess Association, Michael Dudley, via zoom.
Ten chess players in grades 4-8 from CASS, Ames, and THMS participated, down from 28 participating students last year due to the inability to hold after-school and recess live practices at schools. While the CASS team had enough players to make the team, the THMS team was short 2-players, which took them out of the running for a trophy. Belfast and Camden were neck and neck in the K-5 division throughout the tournament, with the final games determining the outcome. Belfast defeated Camden by one point, with Brunswick placing 3rd.
RSU#71 teams, players, and results:
Captain Albert Stevens School (K-5 division): 1st Place State Champions!
Lucas Canning: 3.5 wins
Alex Miller: 3 wins
Silas Ociepka: 3 wins
Avery Gobin: 3 wins
Avery Adams: 3 wins
Pierson Dietz: 1.5 wins
Miles Fleming: 1 win
Troy Howard Middle School (K-8 Division)
Rohan Joseph: 2.5 wins
Brogan Mcavoy: 2.5 wins
Ibis Bird: 1 win
Our students showed outstanding sportsmanship, worked hard throughout the school year, and played beautifully at the tournament!! Thanks go out to all the parents for helping out with lunch, snacks, playground supervision, and helping students get started with each electronic game. And hearty THANKS to Team coaches: Jean Lawlis and Jacquie Gage!
Thanks also to Bruce Haffner for providing intermittent chess lessons for RSU#71 students and weekly free zoom lessons open to any midcoast youth chess player.
State Champions 2021: Avery Gobin, Silas Ociepka, Lucas Canning, Miles Fleming, Avery Adams, Pierson Dietz, Alex Miller
That's it for this week! With warm wishes to everyone for a great break,
-Mary Alice
