Thursday, March 10, 2022
Dear RSU 71 Students, Families, Staff, School Board, and Community Partners,
School board Chair Ryan Otis began walkabouts with principals and others this week. We saw engaging, motivating, and active learning at Belfast Area High School and Troy Howard Middle School. We also saw and heard high-quality student work, professional collaboration and teaming.
Pandemic Update
Revised Maine SOP - A revised Standard Operation Protocol by Maine CDC was released this week, and our school district's Guidelines for the Prevention of COVID-19 are in the process of being changed accordingly. The biggest changes are that mask-wearing is now optional, and we are not doing contact tracing. While we hope these changes are permanent, we may need to revert to tighter mitigation strategies should our county status change back to a high-risk status.
Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for Positive COVID-19 Cases in Schools (3/8/22)
This Week's Data (Monday - Thursday)
Good News, Reminders, Information
Heating Assistance Available - Linked below, please find information regarding a Heating Cost Relief Program from DHHS-OFI that will provide SNAP and TANF eligible households with $800 of cash assistance to address recent increases in utility and home heating costs. Questions about this communication or HEAP may be sent to liheap@mainehousing.org.
Ames Elementary - This week, ALL students enjoyed a taste of Dragon Fruit! Mrs. Byrer, Librarian, Mr. Martin, Food Service Director, and Ms. Kinney, Head Cook, all worked together to provide the fresh fruit and make a Literary Connection.
East Belfast Elementary - Here's a link to an article about the RSU 71 School Garden Collaborative: Gardens.
Captain Albert Stevens Elementary
Field Trip - Life returns slowly toward normalcy as we begin to venture outward. This Thursday, the fifth grade will be trekking to Portland to visit the Gulf of Maine Research Institute. This is a rich experience, from the moment they step on the special bus that takes them down there until they return.
Thank you to CASS chaperone Faith Boynton for the picture of CASS students at the Gulf of Maine Research Center.
Chess - 4 RSU teams from BAHS, THMS, and CASS will travel to the state chess tournament in Lewiston next Saturday. Many thanks to Coach Gage for all the work she and her team have put into getting ready.
We partner with Waterfall Arts, which displays our student artwork in their gallery. This year's artwork will be around town. Find more here: https://waterfallarts.org/event/young-artists-gallery-takeover/
CASS Principal's Newsletter with lots of information and more pictures and the latest edition of The CASS Times.
BAHS
Spring Sports - We are excited to announce that Spring Sports are right around the corner. Thrower's week for baseball and softball begins on Monday, March 21. Regular season practices for all sports: track and field, tennis, baseball, and softball, begin on Monday, March 28. The game schedules can be found on the athletic website. Users can "subscribe" to receive alerts whenever changes are made to any team. As always, practice schedules are in each team's TeamReach group. To see which facilities are in use, check our facilities calendar here.
Ski Trips Wrapup - Skiing is closed for the year. We took seven Wednesday night trips and had over 250 BAHS students join. Many learned to ski or snowboard for the first time. We are looking forward to future trips. This group has been incredibly supportive of each other. They have gained knowledge and skills with eagerness and generosity.
RREV Grant - The Maine Department of Education awarded $250,000 in Rethinking Responsive Education Ventures (RREV) funding to support education innovation at Belfast Area High School. These funds will support a marine institute and create a robust internship program. BAHS was one of 6 awardees who cumulatively received 1.2 million dollars.
The Wellness Committee - is comprised of staff, a student, a board member, and an administrator. Goals were set that focused on increased movement, more outdoor time, and the mental wellness of students and staff. Members reported some amazing opportunities happening across the district.
That's our news for this week, being sent on Thursday due to scheduling conflicts. Please feel free to be in touch with staff members and me with questions, ideas, feedback, and concerns.
With the hope that we will soon more regularly experience today's spring-like warmth and sunshine,
Mary Alice McLean
207-338-1960; mamclean@rsu71.org
