December 03, 2021
Dear Staff, Students, and Families,
This letter is to update the status of RSU #38 schools and contains other important information; please read in its entirety.
Maranacook Middle School will continue to be remote through Thursday December 9th. Students will return to in person learning on Friday, December 10th.
Wayne Elementary will continue to be remote through Tuesday, December 7th. Students will return to in person learning on Wednesday, December 8th.
Included here is covid information for the district through 3:00 p.m. this afternoon:
Pool Testing resumed this week for the Middle School and Readfield Elementary School. In both schools positive cases were detected. Next week the high school will be testing on Monday to make 3 out of 6 of our school participating. We highly encourage participation as part of the Maine SOP which allows students participating in pool testing to forgo community quarantine - this is important to consider regardless of vaccination status. This allows student athletes at all ages to continue to participate in extracurricular activities.
Please visit here to see our revised calendar for this school year. On Wednesday, the School Board of Directors accepted a proposal to add 8 early release dates. These dates are an important component of giving teachers time to be at their best for our students. Our teachers are being asked to cover additional classroom responsibilities due to substitute shortages, are unable to plan student support responses, expected to participate in more meetings due to increases in behavioral issues, revise and adapt curriculum due to learning loss, and provide learning opportunities for students when they are out due to sickness or quarantining all while continuing to teach for in-person students. We recognize and acknowledge that other professions are experiencing similar stresses. We know this will affect many families and want to provide as much notice as possible for planning purposes. This was not a request that came from the teachers, it is an issue that our administrative team recognized within the staff. We are experiencing teachers leaving the profession because “ I can’t do this anymore.” If we do not make a good faith effort to support our teachers in the work they do, by giving them the time they need to be the best they can be for our students, we are going to lose the people who care so passionately for our children due to burnout. We must take care of those that take care of our children.
Monday afternoon we will be releasing updated spectator guidelines for winter sports based on 50% capacity seating. Thank you to the solution focused conversations we had with many individuals.
A quick reminder as we enter cold weather - bus windows continue to be opened regardless of the weather. (2 windows in the front and 2 in the back opened a minimum of 4 inches each window or due to inclement weather every other window on each side opened one inch.) We encourage all to dress accordingly.
Finally, it is very important that if your children are experiencing any sickness that they stay home. Contact your school nurse who can arrange car side testing. Stay safe and healthy!
Sincerely,
James Charette
Superintendent of Schools