Friday, February 11, 2022
Dear RSU 71 Students, Families, Staff, School Board, and Community Partners,
This week, we've begun planning in earnest for this spring's RSU 71 Strategic Planning Process, which we are calling a "Future Search." First, in March, a survey will go out to all members of the RSU 71 community: students, families, staff, and school board. From there, we will invite representative community members to a Future Search forum to be held at the Hutchinson Center on the evening of Friday, April 8, 2022, and all day Saturday, April 9.
We will use a process to identify shared values, principles, and aspirations. It should be an engaging and unifying experience as we leverage our diversity of perspectives to identify our strengths, assets, challenges, goals, and common ground.
Pandemic Update
COVID Vaccine Clinics
Community Clinics Being Offered - *Hampton Inn, Thomaston on February 10, 17, 24 from 12:00 - 6:00 pm (ages five years-adult) *Belfast on March 4 and April 1 from 1:00-6:00 pm. It's anticipated that the Belfast clinics will be for ages six months- adult. Walk-ins are welcome! We will share additional information as it becomes available.
This Week's Data
Good News and Information
New Initiative to Help Schools with Substitute Shortage
The Maine Department of Education unveiled a new Guest School Staff website to streamline the application process for becoming a substitute into nine easy steps, and the Department will automatically reimburse applicants for the $15 application and $55 fingerprinting fees. For those employers who grant volunteer days to their employees, encouraging those staff members to sign up to be a Guest School Staff Member for a day or two can make a real difference. Two days times 50 employees equal 100 days of support that helps keep students in school and engaged in learning.
Ames - After being selected VFW Teacher of the Year on Veterans Day, then winning district and state titles, Briana Brennick advances to the national competition!
Ames Teacher to Compete Nationally
BAHS - Hearty Congratulations to WCTC's students of the quarter: Brigham Graf in Welding and Wesley Cowan in Computer Careers. These students have worked hard and accomplished a lot, and we are very proud of them! That's it for this week.
THMS
Essay Contest - Theodore Fowler was selected as Runner-Up in the Teen Blizzard Essay Contest. He will be awarded a prize by the staff of the Belfast Free Library. Congratulations to Theo and to all the students who submitted entries!
This week, Mr. Wessels visited life science classes to explore structural adaptations in Maine mammals by studying their skulls.
Fiction Fair - Our 8th-grade Exploration Academy students presented their Historical Fiction Fair research this week. Students read historical fiction books and researched the decade in which their books were set! They learned about informational text structures and features and created writing pieces using what they learned to inform their readers. Check out our 8th Grade Exploration Academy webpage for
more photos and information: Fiction Fair.
Championship Games at THMS - THMS is happy to be hosting Busline League small-school basketball championship games Saturday. Our 7th-grade girls will be playing Medomak Middle School at 2 pm.
Please feel free to be in touch with staff members and me with questions, ideas, concerns, good news, and feedback.
Sincerely,
Mary Alice
