Dear RSU 71 Students, Families, Staff, School Board, and Community Partners,
Students are just finishing the sixth week of school for the 2021-2022 school year, and all of us are looking forward to the long weekend in celebration of Indigenous Peoples. Next Friday, October 15, we are holding Student-Led Parent-Teacher Conferences in Grade K - 8. We hope for a high percentage of parents and caregivers to witness student learning!
Pandemic Update, Information, and Reminders
Here is the pandemic data for this week as of 9:00 am today:
Information and Good News
East Belfast Elementary School
Mr. Campbell teaches the game of Cornhole to our littlest learners! It was a beautiful Tuesday for Kindergarteners, 1st graders, and 2nd graders to give their best effort!
Troy Howard Middle School
Ms. Conway's ELA classes were spent this week in the Outdoor Classroom, taught by an Artist in Residence. Susan Goodwillie, our artist/teacher, is trained in Theatre and Social Work. Ms. Goodwillie helped 7th graders develop a series of skits related to the class novel Fever, 1793.
From Mr. Wainer - "I am happy to share some great news with you from the halls of THMS. One hundred fifty-seven students have signed up to take instrumental music lessons this year. At this time, we could use additional instruments that you or someone you know might have but are no longer using. If the instruments are in fair condition and are in good working order, a donation of an instrument will certainly brighten a young child's day. Thank you For Your Consideration!
Examples:
Flutes
Clarinets
Saxophones
Trumpets
Trombones
Acoustic/Electric Guitars
Bass Guitars
Snare Drums
And anything else that makes a sound.
Building and Grounds
Here's the newest piece of equipment in the maintenance department. It is helping us in "getting the job done"!
Curriculum and Professional Development
Professional Development for staff is in full swing on Friday afternoons. Teachers of grades 4-8 worked with math specialists Cheryl Tobey and Becky Tapley to better understand reporting standards and daily learning targets.
School teams K-12 are also continuing with the book 10 Mindframes for Visible Learning - Teaching for Success by John Hattie and Klaus Zierer. Teachers reflect on how they think about learning as they explore the ten mindframes (behaviors) that support student success in our schools.
Belfast Area High School
Homecoming
We are extremely sad to deliver bad news regarding the homecoming football game against Old Town. Due to an overwhelming number of football players under quarantine, we have canceled both the JV and Varsity games with Old Town. These games will not be rescheduled due to insufficient weeks remaining before the playoffs.
Players will return from quarantine on Saturday, October 16th. Consequently, we have rescheduled the home Oceanside Football game for Monday, October 18th at 7 pm, which will be our Senior Recognition Game and our Homecoming Game.
Players should remain focused during this interruption. We still have games with Oceanside and Winslow to look forward to, and the playoffs will follow. We have also postponed the homecoming dance and are now considering dates for rescheduling.
BCOPE/BAHS Launches Personal Project
On Monday, October 4th, the freshmen class began a new learning experience. Each student will build/create/invent/design a product of their own choosing. They will employ Design Cycle thinking, create a report, maintain a process journal, conduct research and cite their sources, test their product against a set of self-designed assessment criteria, reflect on their work, and present to the larger community. Each student will be paired with a mentor for this, and the entire project will culminate in a public event we will call the BAHS Showcase, which is scheduled for May of 2023. More information to come.
Vans Come in Handy!
The new BCOPE/BAHS 14-seater van has added flexibility to our programming and is getting constant use. Yesterday, the vans were used to schlepp students, athletes, and fans to the homecoming field hockey game against Winslow. The vans are also being used on field trips and sports trips. Since these vans can be driven by anyone on a regular Maine driver's license, this has somewhat alleviated the strain caused by the shortage of bus drivers in Maine.
Captain Albert Stevens School
CASS 3rd graders enjoyed a presentation by the Belfast Historical Society and Museum regarding Captain Albert Stevens. During Adventure School, students studied Belfast history through Museum in the Streets, and we were thrilled to continue our study back in the CASS building. Thank you to our community partners!
That's it for this week. This message will be emailed to staff, the school board, and community partners this morning and Robo-emailed to all families this afternoon. The next weekly update will be sent on Friday, October 15. As always, we ask you to feel free to be in touch with our administrators, school nurses, and me with questions, feedback, concerns, and ideas.
With warm wishes for a fun and healthy long weekend,
Mary Alice
