Friday, September 17, 2021
Dear RSU 71 Students, Families, Staff, School Board and Community Partners,
It has been another great week in RSU 71.
Pandemic Update
Survey - Due to the continued high level of COVID cases in Waldo County, RSU 71 is surveying families to determine what families have (or don't have) broadband connections. Please help us by completing this survey and letting us know if you would benefit from a hotspot: 2021-22 Broadband and Hotspot Survey.
Pooled Testing - Information for parents and guardians is now on the district website at this link: https://www.rsu71.org/departments/school-nurses/pooled-testing.
We hope to begin pooled testing on Monday, September 27.
COVID-19 Data (Number of New Cases, Number in Quarantine, Percentage of Staff Vaccinated)
Staff, kindly get your vaccination cards to your school nurse so that our percentages of staff vaccinated will be accurate. You can scan these to nurses rather than bring in the vaccination card if that is easier.
In addition, we would appreciate it if any staff or students who have tested positive COVID-19 at any time in the past would please share this information with your school nurse.
As of yesterday, we know that more than 76% of our staff members in RSU 71 have been immunized against COVID-19, and our fabulous team of school nurses is still receiving vaccination cards.
The data points below reflect the number of new cases since last Friday's update, the number of people in quarantine, and the percentage of staff vaccinated in each school. THMS is officially in "outbreak status" due to the four positive cases resulting from community transmission.
Quarantine Unnecessary - There are over 5O individuals that do NOT have to quarantine because of universal masking protocols in our RSU 71 COVID-19 Prevention Plan and the layered mitigation strategies in place. The plan is working well, and keeping our students, staff, and families safe,
Good News and Information
Kermit Nickerson - Sara Hallam from FoodCorp planted seeds in our new raised beds, and you should see what has come up so far! Lettuce, radishes, beets, turnip, carrots are thriving, and we are having fun learning about some new vegetables that are new to us.
Captain Albert Stevens - Congratulations to CASS 5th grader Eliot Fowler for another published article in the Republican Journal:
Update on Water Damage at CASS - Staff and students relocated to the United Farmers Market due to roofers' tarps that blew off in the fierce wind and rain of a recent storm will return to school at CASS on Tuesday. Today is our last day at the United Farmers Market.
Troy Howard Middle School - The THMS Open House is scheduled for Tuesday, September 21, 5:00 - 6:30 pm. This year's Open House will take place outside in front of the building.
The THMS field hockey team of 28 players went to Oceanside for their first game. Unfortunately, Oceanside only had seven players. Oceanside's coaches wrote to thank us for such a wonderful and supportive team. "I am full of feelings of positivity and gratitude…. THMS field hockey team came with smiles and a willingness to embrace our players..." stated OMS Coach Andrea and Coach Weaver echoed that sentiment. We are so proud of the girls for their leadership and being adaptable to an unusual season.
Belfast Area High School - The BAHS Open House has been canceled for Monday, September 20, and will be rescheduled. FAME (the Finance Authority of Maine) will still be hosting an informational session for senior parents at 6:00 pm at BAHS on Monday, 9/20/21. The Senior Chili Cookoff Challenge scheduled for that night has also been moved to a date to be announced in October.
Professional Development - During the early release Friday, K-12 teachers participated in NWEA (Northwest Evaluation Association) training last week. This year Maine has adopted this assessment format for all students in grades 2-8 and 11. As a district, we have adopted it for all of our K-12 students. The data from this 3 X yearly assessment will be valuable to students, teachers, and families to plot growth for each student and as a way for teachers to identify and plan the next steps in their instruction. The fall assessment in reading, language usage (related to reading and writing), and math will occur in October. Please reach out to your student's teacher for more information.
Special Services - Staff is receiving updated training from the Dept. of Education on IEP writing.
That's it for this week. This message will be emailed to staff and the school board and Robo-sent to all families. We'll send the next Friday update on September 24. In the meantime, please feel free to be in touch with our administrators, school nurses, and me with questions, suggestions, ideas, and feedback.
With warm wishes for a happy weekend -- the last of the summer of 2021 - and a healthy week ahead,
-Mary Alice
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