Friday, October 23, 2020

October 23 Blog Update

Before I dive into the updates for the week...I wanted to take a moment to provide a special thank you to OUR SCHOOL BUS DRIVERS!  If you weren't aware, this past week was School Bus Driver Appreciation Week across all of Maine's schools. We have incredible bus drivers here in Gorham who care passionately about the students and the community they serve...and our students and staff most certainly gave them a strong sense of appreciation  this week.   Just a few pictures  below, but please know our drivers got cards, notes of encouragement and plenty of smiles underneath those masks this past week and they deserved every piece of recognition they got!  OUR SCHOOL BUS DRIVERS IN GORHAM ROCK!


  

Now, on to the updates...

GHS STUDENTS PRESENT:  IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE!

Our GHS students aren't going to let a little Global Pandemic get in the way of their fall play!  What a creative bunch!  Yes - they have found a  way to still have a play while following all the safety rules as a RADIO PLAY!  SO PROUD TO BE A RAM!  AWESOME WORK!

Check out the flyer for more information:

Live Streaming! 
It's a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play
Friday November 13 and Saturday November 14 at 7:30
Sunday November 15 at 2pm  
Email ghstheater@gorhamschools.org to reserve!



GORHAM FOOD PANTRY COULD USE YOUR HELP!

I know this is pretty short notice, but ...the Gorham Food Pantry is doing a food drive TOMORROW, October 24th from 8:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.  You can drop  food items off anytime between that time.  They are located next to St. Anne's Church at 299-B on Main Street in Gorham.  Please see the flyer LINKED HERE for more details. This organization has helped our community so much over the years, and now more than ever they need our help to  keep doing the incredible work they do to support Gorham!


GORHAM ACTION TEAM FOR YOUTH - ASKS FOR YOUR FEEDBACK!
The Gorham Action Team for Youth is a coalition of people focused on promoting positive youth development and preventing at risk behavior for youth! We are looking for your input in what our Gorham community needs are, so we can continue to do this work. Please fill out this brief survey to let us know your thoughts and ideas so we can better serve our Gorham Youth. Please take just a few minutes to fill out this survey.

https://forms.gle/HXfaVtp6npV27dJq6

BAXTER LIBRARY - GETTING IN ON SOME 
HALLOWEEN FUN!

Baxter Memorial Library folks wanted to get in on the Halloween fun this year!  Of course this  year has created some special challenges  in what may have been traditional methods of celebrating, but that hasn't stopped them from becoming creative!  They've worked to create a fun alternative for children and families alike! 

Introducing the Harry Potter Horcrux Hunt! We will be placing flags with familiar horcrux insignias around downtown Gorham. We will have poetic clues posted on our website with a google form that participants can fill out with their answers.   Check out the flyer LINKED HERE and learn more on Baxter Memorial's website by CLICKING HERE.  Looks like loads of fun! 


A REMINDER...NOVEMBER 3 IS A REMOTE LEARNING DAY FOR ALL STUDENTS K-12

I had put this out a while ago, but I've recently gotten some questions so wanted to make sure to be clear that because three of our schools will be utilized as polling locations this year, we have moved the November 3 date to  a remote only learning day for all students across grades k-12.  

This move will allow the town to utilize our schools as polling locations that are large enough to spread folks out and ensure appropriate distancing and other safety measure are in place for voting safely.  Please know that at the end of the evening, buildings will be sanitized thoroughly and will be ready for use by  students again  the next day.

Students in group B  who would have had their face to face learning day on Nov. 3 will now have their face to face learning day on Friday, November 6, 2020 so that all students still get their 2 face to face days of instruction that week. 

As a related reminder, if you want to keep track of A and B learning days scheduled throughout the school year, you can CLICK HERE to view our school district calendar.

SPEAKING OF NOV. 3 - BE SURE TO GET OUT AND VOTE!

If you haven't already done so (and many of you have), please remember to make a plan to get out and vote on November 3rd!  Need information on polling locations for this year?  CLICK HERE.  Need information on what's on the ballot?  CLICK  HERE.  Need information on the School's bond referendum question and the need for approval of our $5,689,000.00 bond request...check  out my blog posts for:

*  September 18, 2020
*  October 2, 2020 and
*  October 9, 2020

You may need to scroll a little on each blog post linked above, but each post gives specific details on all six projects requested as part of the school bond referendum question.  If you don't want to scroll for those details, you can CLICK HERE for a one page summary of each project as well.   

Also for those of you that weren't able to watch the Candidates forum for School Committee members...the link is below if you want to watch...

https://vimeo.com/471081943

There is no more important civic duty than voting and this year, more than ever, our leaders definitely need to hear our collective voices!  See you at the polls! 



RESULTS OF THOUGHT EXCHANGE SURVEYS 
COMING SOON!

We are currently working on coding themes for Thought Exchange Survey Results...we had incredible  participation, which  is awesome...but that means it takes a little longer to code responses for accurate theming.  Our plan at this  point is to present the findings of all three surveys (Parents, 6-12 Students, and  Staff) at the November regular School Committee meeting.  That meeting is scheduled for THURSDAY, November 12 at 7:00 p.m.   We typically don't meet on Thursdays but due to the Holiday that week, it was moved.  The meeting will be live streamed on GOCAT for those that wish to watch.  We will then post the survey result summaries to everyone immediately after that.  I want to take a moment to THANK those that participated...the information gathered has already begun to be used to help strengthen programming for our students!  

"LISTENING TOUR" ON TOPICS OF DIVERSITY, EQUITY AND INCLUSION DATES ANNOUNCED FOR  PARENT PARTICIPATION

As promised, I am moving forward with plans for a large scale "listening tour" with students,  parents and staff on the important topic of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in our schools.  I am currently working with Civil Rights Team leaders and others to determine the most appropriate means through which I can listen to the stories of our student experiences across grades K-12 and hope to have those plans solidified within the new few weeks.  For parents, I have developed a two step listening tour process.  The first involves voluntary participation in a google survey.  The aim of the survey is to offer up an ability for parents to share their experiences within the Gorham Schools with the issues of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in a safe and anonymous way.  The survey won't be your typical survey.  It won't ask your opinion.  Instead, it will ask you to share your experiences through the telling of stories.   At the end of the survey you will have the opportunity to share your name and email contact information if you'd like to set up a one on one meeting with me to more deeply share your stories and experience.  For those that wish to participate in this piece, I will then reach out to schedule a time to meet with you.  

To be clear, these surveys and potential follow up meetings will NOT be a time for me to lecture to you on this topic, and conversely, it is not intended to be a time whereby you lecture me on this topic.  Instead, the focus is on SHARING  REAL STORIES...SHARING OUR REAL EXPERIENCES...and on LISTENING to these shared experiences as they relate to our schools.  No judgement, no blame, no finger pointing.  Just respect, honesty, courage, compassion and responsibility - sound familiar? ☺

I would ask parents who are interested in participating to please complete the survey/story by November 20, 2020.  I look forward to hearing from you and as always, if you have questions, please feel free to email me at heather.perry@gorhamschools.org

Here is the link to the survey.  

https://forms.gle/JSEauWFZpD4SqiJHA



A REMINDER - SCHOOL LUNCH/BREAKFAST PROGRAM IS MOVING FROM SATELLITE SERVICE TO HOME DELIVERIES BEGINNING  NOV. 2, 2020 - PLEASE  PARTICIPATE IN SURVEY!

As  was shared in my last blog post, I just wanted to remind  families that beginning on November 2, 2020 we will be closing down our two breakfast/lunch pick up sites.  Instead we are moving this program to full home delivery status.  This means that any family can get a free breakfast/lunch delivered to their home on their "at home learning days" or if you are a remote only family, on any day of the week.  Students will still be eligible for a free breakfast and lunch on the days they are present at school.  If you are interested in participating in this home delivery service, please go to the SNP website LINKED HERE and complete the survey.  Thank you!

SNOW DAY DETAILS COMING SOON

Well if  you visited the SNP website from  the previous section, you probably saw a little something on there about snow days too.  I know, I know...most people DO NOT  want to be thinking about snow right now, myself most definitely included!  Unfortunately, it is getting close to that time of the year once again when we need to be thinking about snow days!  Along with everything else in 2020, COVID 19 is placing its "fingerprint" on snow days as well.   I wanted families to be aware that we are putting the finishing touches on plans for how we will deal with snow days this year, in a year like none other!  The good news is...it looks like we'll  be able to continue our learning programs on snow days in a similar fashion to how  at home learning days are occurring now.  This means that we will NOT have to make these days up at the end of the year as usual which ultimately results in an earlier start to our summers.  The bad news is...well, that traditional snow days are likely not going to occur this year.  I know! I can hear the collective groans of students from here...and likely even louder screams from our GHS seniors!  My apologies!  This is why I wanted to get this news out there earlier rather than later!  A detailed parent letter will be going home on Thursday of this coming week with  more information on  exactly what to expect and  how these days will be communicated.  I will also link that detailed letter into my blog post so folks can be sure to see it.  For now, just wanted to make sure you all knew it was coming so you can look for it and be sure to read it when it is sent.  Please stay tuned.

COMMUNITY SUPPORT COORDINATORS - PARENTS HELPING PARENTS!

Participation is picking up on these important sites...which is GOOD.  There is nothing like knowing there are other parents out there struggling with the same things you are, and focused on helping one another through these difficult times.  Sharing ideas, "tricks of the trade" and other resources with one another!  These pages are all about parents helping parents get through these unprecedented times!  You can join to seek support or you can join to offer it, or - more likely - BOTH...but I strongly encourage you to join!  Here are the links and numbers of members for each page...Hope to see you online!


That's plenty for this week...ENJOY YOUR WEEKENDS!







Posted by at No comments:

Friday, October 16, 2020

October 16 Blog Update

Good afternoon  everyone!   Happy Friday!  Hard to believe we are just finishing week 6 and are on to week 7 here soon and going strong (knock on wood)!  

Before I launch into some specific detail oriented information for families, I wanted to take a moment to DEEPLY THANK three current School Committee members who will  be ending their terms and not returning to the School Committee in November.


Pictured  above are current School Committee (SC) members (from left to right) Kate Livingston, Bill Benson and Jen Whitehead holding their ceremonial apples.  All three joined the SC three years ago and have served the community of Gorham well!  Our SC members ROCK! And these three are three of the  best who will surely be missed!  THANK YOU for your dedication to the children of Gorham!  I'm sure we'll see you in the future on the other side of the proverbial gavel!

Ok...on to the information part! 

OTHER COVID RELATED MATTERS - A QUICK MESSAGE FROM SUPERINTENDENT PERRY ENCOURAGING CONTINUED VIGILANCE


Its' been a while since I've shared a video!  Here's a quick message from me regarding the importance of remaining vigilant as a community regarding the three key safety practices to prevent the spread of  COVID 19 - Wearing your mask,  Maintaining physical distancing,  and Washing/Sanitizing Hands frequently!

Listen to the message by CLICKING HERE!

COVID 19 Q&A

I've recently has some questions that I have added to our online Q&A sheet, but thought might be best to be shared here too!  These questions  come from recent parent emails so I know if these folks  are thinking of these questions - other  parents are too!  Here goes:

Question:  With the Governor's new updated emergency order - what does it mean that now masks are required by everyone on school grounds (including parking lots) at all  times?  Does this  mean children attending school will no  longer be able  to  have mask breaks?  

Answer: The intent of the  Governor's most recent order is to make it crystal clear that everyone is expected to wear masks while on school grounds.  Delivery folks, contractors,  etc.  So yes,  the expectation is that if anyone is on school grounds (including  parking lots), during the school day, inside or outside, they should be wearing their masks.  HOWEVER...it is also clear that supervised mask breaks by students that occur outside are still able to be conducted and in fact are encouraged insofar as required physical distancing can be maintained and so long as they are supervised.  So rest assured, our teachers are still doing what they can to offer students SAFE mask breaks during the course of the school day.

Question:  When you post a positive case on  the online summary sheet, if close contacts to that case later test positive, do you  add to  that number or are they then just included as  the "one case" listed?

Answer:  The summary sheet lists each known positive case of  COVID 19 in our schools so if individuals who  were close contacts to a case later test positive, they would be added to that number and not considered part of the original number.  Additionally, it should be known that when a  positive case has been medically cleared to return and cleared by CDC to return to school, that case will no longer be listed as an active positive case on the summary sheet.  Again,  you can view the summary sheet that is  updated DAILY by Clicking here. 

Question:  Are there reasons other than positive COVID 19 cases that would cause a school to move a classroom, grade level,  school or the whole district to the red model?  If so, what are they?

Answer:  There are TWO key things that might  cause us to have to move a classroom, grade level, school or district to the red model. The first is what you all would assume - that we have some sort of a breakout  of positive COVID 19  cases.  So far, we have only had to move 3 high school classrooms for one group only to the red model due to  1 positive  case at  GHS.   However, what actually may be more likely to occur that would drive a classroom, grade level or school into the red model is lack of staffing.  If staff are asked to quarantine  and/or are experiencing symptoms themselves and  are therefore staying home and we don't have the substitute manpower to cover these classrooms the only alternative we may have would  be to send the whole class, or school into the red model.  I will be honest, having to send staff members home to quarantine at the high school after the 1 positive case has tested the limits  of our substitute pool already.  If not for the awesomeness of other teachers at GHS being willing to pick up classes  during their planning time, we would likely have had to send additional classrooms and possibly even the whole school into the red model just due to a lack of staffing capacity.  Certainly something to be mindful of...oh - and if you are interested in being added to our sub list - please apply online HERE!   We require a high school diploma, MDOE fingerprinting, and completion of a training course...pay isn't bad at $95.00 per day and we could sure use the help!  We're also still looking for full time subs and duty monitors - these are full time positions through Dec.  30!  If you have questions about these employment opportunities, please email chris.record@gorhamschools.org!

Question:  As the weather gets colder...will students still be able to go outside for mask breaks?

Answer:   Yes.  We will  use similar protocols to determine if it is possible to go outside for this purpose as we do with recess.  If the temperatures drop below a certain point and we can't have recess...well  we probably wouldn't be asking students to go outside for mask breaks either.  But by that same token, if we are sending students out to recess there shouldn't be a reason that they can't also go outside for mask breaks.  Clearly there will be more days this winter where outdoor mask breaks are not as available as they have been this fall...but rest assured our teachers want our students to have SAFE mask breaks as often as is possible so we will work to follow our existing protocols through the winter as long as mother nature allows!

Question:  What are the different levels of Red instruction?

Answer:   Depending upon conditions, individual classrooms can be asked to go "red" by group (A or B), by whole classroom (both A and B), by team (at GMS), by grade level, by school and by district.  This gives us lots of flexibility for how to address the safety of our students and staff while also attempting to balance the needs of  our students to be in school as much as possible.  We absolutely share this common goal!  Please know our primary goal is to ensure students are able to continue to access face to face instruction as much as possible.  We will keep this goal at the forefront of decision making, right along side of CDC rules and safety practices!  Rest assured, if your child is asked to remain home, if your child's classroom, grade or school is asked to stay home - our teachers  and staff will be prepared to help you and your children navigate our red models and we will work  to keep these red experiences as short as safely possible!

As always, if you have questions - please reach out to ask! 


HAVE TECHNOLOGY  RELATED  QUESTIONS?

Just a reminder to families out there that may have the need to ask technology related questions and to seek technology help!  Your first questions should always be to your child's classroom teachers as they are typically the ones best able to troubleshoot and answer questions in context.   However if you find yourself with a real "techie" question and you need answers...here's how to get them:

Students & Parents


High School & Middle School:


You may reach out to the technology staff assigned to your school (listed above), or email Tech Support <techsupport@gorhamschools.org> or call the tech support line: 207-222-1188


Elementary School:


please email your teacher, and:

Joanne Gauley <joanne.gauley@gorhamschools.org> or

email Tech Support <techsupport@gorhamschools.org>

or call the tech support line: 207-222-1188


All

If you are unable to resolve your issue or get an answer to your question, please contact the technology director, Dennis Crowe <dennis.crowe@gorhamschools.org>

RECENT REMINDER ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF NOVEMBER 3 BOND QUESTION

On Tuesday of this week I was in the middle of a meeting of our Pandemic Advisory Committee via zoom when several of the Committee members from Gorham Middle School heard a fire alarm.  There was pretty thick smoke in the 2nd floor of the building and someone did the right thing and pulled the fire alarm.   This was after school, so adults evacuated the building and the Gorham Fire Department quickly arrived on the scene.  Everyone was safe.  The Fire Department then proceeded to try and determine the source of the smoke...after much investigation they discovered the culprit.  One of our Heat Pumps had broken down causing that section of the system to fill with smoke.  Now, this is not a significant fire hazard, more of a disruptive event involving smoke...and everyone was safe and the building was cleared to house students the very next day. The point of my sharing this story is to simply share that another of our heat pumps went down at GMS and without the approval  of this referendum we will have difficulty doing more than simply placing another "bandaid" on the problem.

If you want to learn more about the School Bond Question on the November 3rd referendum, please CLICK HERE for a one pager informational sheet and then go to my blog posts on Sept, 28, October 2 and October 9 for more detailed information!  Then - make sure to get  out and vote!

MEET THE CANDIDATES NIGHTS COMING RIGHT UP!

There is nothing more important than serving  your community in the capacity as an elected official!  There is also nothing more important than trying to inform your vote!  If you are interested in learning more about the candidates for both Town Council and School Committee - Gorham GOCAT has you covered!  Candidates for  Town Council will go on camera on Monday, Oct. 19 at 7:00p.m. while candidates for School Committee will go on camera on Wednesday, Oct. 21 at 7:00 p.m.  You can CLICK HERE for the link to the facebook live event.  Flyer is below!


UPDATE ON DRAFT ANTI-RACISM POLICY WORK

At its regular meeting held on Oct, 14, 2020, the School Committee heard initial public comments from folks regarding a draft Anti-racist policy that is being considered for adoption.   This was a first reading  only.  The policy itself is not planned to come back to the full School Committee for a vote until its regular meeting in December (12/9/20).  In the meantime, if folks want to offer comments and feedback regarding the policy draft, I'd first urge you to review the draft policy itself by CLICKING HERE.  Then, please reach out directly to either Assistant Superintendent of Schools Chris Record  (chris.record@gorhamschools.org) or to Anne Schools, Chair of the Policy Committee (anne.schools@gorhamschools.org) with your specific  feedback.   This feedback will  be  collected by  the Policy Committee and reviewed in  order to inform revisions  to the draft policy that will be brought back to the full  School Committee  for  final recommendations in December.

COMING SOON - STAY TUNED... REMOTE BREAKFAST & LUNCH DELIVERIES FOR ALL ON AT HOME LEARNING AND REMOTE LEARNING DAYS

As you are likely aware, we are currently operating two pick up  locations for families to pick up meals for students on their "at home" learning days or for the case of fully remote students, every day.  Cold weather is coming and we are looking to move these services entirely to at home delivery services for those families that need school breakfast and lunches on these days.  Please CLICK HERE to read an important message regarding how to access these important services  moving forward!  Sometimes links from other linked documents  are a little funny, so just in case - here is the direct link to the survey mentioned in the letter...

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScxFZWOUT2_0YNcOPsHgD3Nn7efBcKotzuHUN2JsAlxwswAew/viewform 

INFORMATION ON CARES  RELIEF FUNDS (CRF)

Last but not least, I wanted to share an overview of how the Gorham School Department is utilizing its Cares Relief Funds (CRF).  Before I go into details, it is important to provide some background.  These funds are federal funds that were allocated to the state of Maine directly by the Federal Government back in April  when the Pandemic was in full swing.  The total allotment by the Federal Government to the State was $1.4 billion dollars and there were relatively few strings attached to these funds other than to say that they must be used to specifically address COVID19 related issues.  Governor Mills has distributed  these funds in lots  of different ways - to support early child care programming, to support businesses, and unlike a lot  of states in the country - to support public schools.  

There have been two allotments of these funds distributed to public schools across the state between August, 2020 and October 15, 2020  totaling over $300 million dollars.  These funds must be expended on  COVID 19 related needs.  They cannot be used to offset revenue shortfalls.  They cannot be used to pay for items that were already budgeted for.  And they cannot be expended beyond Dec. 30, 2020.  These rules are from the Department of Treasury at the Federal level.

Gorham's first allotment was approximately $2 million dollars and could not have come at a better time  - August, 2020 when we were just trying to  get our schools  opened up in this new COVID 19 world.  I'll be honest...if it weren't for these funds - we would have had a hard time opening our schools!  Our focus for this first round of funding was on purchasing the required PPE and other sanitizing equipment needed to open our schools and on  ensuring we had the appropriate staffing capacity to do all that we needed  to do to open  our  schools safely.  On the PPE and sanitizing side, we bought face coverings, face shields, gloves, thermometers, gowns,  disposable face masks, plexiglass for barriers, hand sanitizing gel,  sanitizing spray, sanitizing wipes, refill bottles, electrostatic sprayers, and much much more.  On the staffing side, we hired 25+ new temporary positions ranging from Nursing aids to full  time subs to what we call duty monitor positions that help us sanitize our schools thoroughly twice each day while teachers teach and in between each cafeteria seating.   Like I said, without these funds we literally would have had a very difficult time opening our doors!

Our second allotment, which was announced just two weeks ago, and whose applications  were just  due on Oct. 15 was approximately  $2.1 million dollars and once again could not have come at a better time!  Our focus  with these funds are on technological improvements both in the form of purchasing additional devices for our staff and students to use for direct instructional purposes, but also in the form of updating our wireless and network infrastructures for several sites (one of which is the Gorham Municipal Building since that building is now being used to house several GHS classrooms), upgrading our radio communications  between  buildings and across the  district and in upgrading our phone systems - all core components of our communications systems  that have been highly impacted by COVID 19.   Another focus of funds in this round was in  purchasing instructional supplies and materials that can allow for more materials to be sent home with students so that they are available for them during their "at home" learning days (if participating in the hybrid model) or on  a more regular basis for students who are  participating in our fully remote learning programs. 

I share this information with all of you for several reasons:  1) I want you to know how these federal dollars are being best utilized by our schools to offset additional costs to taxpayers, 2) I want you to know how important these funds were in allowing us to reopen and sustain the opening of our schools  in our hybrid model, and 3) I want you to know that these funds are being utilized not  only to help  the schools in the short term, but to best position and assist our entire TOWN/COMMUNITY for the longer term in these uncertain times.

I also want to be clear that even though you may see headlines in the papers about these funds flowing to schools - and even though these funds have been extremely useful for our schools to offset additional and unplanned COVID related costs, you should not expect that these funds are going to be enough to offset all costs associated with COVID 19 or the potential  future loss of revenue  that is likely going to impact us in FY 22 in the form of less state subsidy.  Building and maintaining a school budget has always been complex, requiring lots of different balancing acts.  The process for FY 22 is going to be far more complex as the implications of COVID 19 to expenditures and funding streams becomes more and more clear.  We are in good shape for FY 21 as the Maine Department of Education  has promised no subsidy curtailments this fiscal year...however, the biennial budget process is coming. Please stay tuned, and  I will do my best to keep you informed!

That's all for this week.  ENJOY YOUR WEEKENDS!














Posted by at No comments:

Thursday, October 8, 2020

October 9 Blog Update

Fall is most definitely in the air in Gorham!   Beautiful weather to be outside and learning in Gorham!  Here's a few recent examples, and then on to updates!:

COMMUNITY COORDINATORS FACEBOOK PAGES ARE READY FOR PARENTS TO JOIN!

First of all, a HUGE THANK YOU to our parent volunteer community coordinators!  These brave souls have all volunteered to help administer School/Grade level based facebook pages for families in Gorham to join so that they can work together to share resources and support one another during this most unique school  year!  Every School has at least one page so there is an opportunity for all families to BOTH get and give support to one another.  These resources are  for ALL GORHAM PARENTS!  The incredibly awesome thing about our community is that we really do support one another - join a page today and learn how!

INFORMATION ON VOTING FOR NOVEMBER 3rd ELECTIONS

The November 3rd elections are coming  up fast and furious!  Let's make sure we get out and vote - Here's how!   First, if  you are interested in absentee ballots, it's not too late...please check  out the information on the Town's website LINKED HERE and follow directions.  

If you go to that page you will also note that the polling locations have changed.  Due to the anticipated high volume of voters and the need to physically distance during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Gorham Schools will be closing our schools on Nov. 3 and moving that date to a remote learning day for all students.  Group B student's face to face learning day that week will be moved to Friday, November 6.  This will leave the schools open and available for use as polling places.  Here's how the ward assignments play out:

  • Ward 1-1: GORHAM MIDDLE SCHOOL
  • Ward 1-2: GREAT FALLS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
  • Ward 2: GORHAM HIGH SCHOOL

Polls will be open on  Nov. 3 from 7:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m.

SPEAKING OF VOTING...HERE'S DETAILED INFORMATION ON THE LAST OF 6 PROJECTS FEATURED ON THE SCHOOL'S BOND QUESTION...

Two blog posts ago, on Sept.18, you learned about two of the projects that comprise the bond requested on the November 3rd ballot for the Gorham Schools.  Then on my previous blog post on Oct. 2 you learned about two more.  As a quick reminder, this potential bond, if approved, would fund six much needed Capital projects.  Those six projects are outlined below:

Project #1:  GMS HVAC Heat Pump Upgrades and Repairs - $2,265,000.00

Project #2:  Narragansett Expansion Project - Phase II - $1,423,000.00

Project #3:   Narragansett Bus Loop and Sidewalk Upgrades and Repairs - $351,000.00

Project #4:  Middle School Sidewalk Repair - $300,000.00

Project #5:   Field Lighting Safety Repairs for Competition field, baseball, softball and tennis fields  - $1,275,000.00

Project #6:   Necessary Civil Engineering Costs to support project designs - $75,000.00

The Sept. 18 blog post focused on the Narragansett Bus loop  and sidewalk upgrades and repairs as well as on the middle school side walk repair.  The October 2nd post dug more deeply into the GMS HVAC Heat Pump Upgrades and Repairs and the Field Lighting Safety Repairs for Competition field, etc.  This blog post  will provide additional  details on the Narragansett Expansion Project Phase II and on the Necessary Civil Engineering Costs to support project designs.

I'll start  with the easier one first...

Project #6 - Necessary Civil Engineering Costs to support project designs - $75,000.00

This project supports all the other projects listed above  (#'s 1-5) and future Capital Improvement Projects.  As you know, when projects are brought  forward for a referendum vote, they aren't at the final design phase yet.  If the projects listed above  are approved, we'll need to bring the designs to their final stages before being able to move forward with actual work.  These funds will support the final design phase work needed to get these projects "shovel ready".

Project #2 - Narragansett Expansion Project - Phase II - $1,423,000.00

This project is the 2nd planned phase of the originally planned Narragansett Expansion Project.  The Narragansett Expansion project is part of our overall "master plan" for K-5 facilities here in Gorham that was voted on and approved  by the Gorham School Committee back in 2018.  This facilities master plan first called for a shifting of our original K-5 attendance zones.  The shift in attendance zones occurred just this year, moving just under 100 students from their current schools to Narragansett Elementary School to begin the 2020-21 Year.  By doing this, we hope to reduce populations at the other two K-5 schools (Great Falls and Village) to give them room to continue to grow and simultaneously to point future growth so that it is more concentrated  at Narragansett Elementary School.  We did this because Narragansett  Elementary  School had the largest campus to work with that would allow future expansions. Over the  2019-20 School year and through  the  summer of 2020 we worked diligently to construct Phase  I of  the modular expansion to Narragansett Elementary  School.   This expanded classroom space and cafeteria space is now opened to students and fully functioning as we await the completion of the kitchen project.  A schematic and some photos of the phase I project are below.

   

  

We looked  to build the overall modular expansion  at Narragansett out over 2-3 different phases as populations continued to  grow in Gorham.   The modular  expansion was built to last between 10-15 years with  the overall long term goal being to apply for and receive funding from the state to build a new elementary school, about the same size as Great Falls  on the Narragansett School site.  Of course  all of this is part of a long term plan.  What is "in our face" right now  is the need  to go ahead and move forward with the 2nd phase of the modular construction project as we believe, especially once COVID 19 is behind  us (which is hopefully not  too far down the  road) that our enrollments will continue to increase.  During the 2019-20 School Year Narragansett Elementary's total population was approximately 291 students.  This year, after the impacts of the attendance zone changes, the  population at Narragansett Elementary School stands at 384 students.  We anticipate that for 2021-22 Narragansett's total population will sit at approximately 410 students.   Phase II of the project would allow us to build on six additional classroom spaces, which should account for the 2 classrooms needed for 2021-22 and allow us four additional spaces to "grow into" over the next few years.  The six classrooms are highlighted in the orange portion  of the schematic below.  The blue section is what was completed this year and the green section allows for a third phase of the project as needed in the future.



Well that's the deeper level of information for the last two projects.  Again,  if you wish to review all six projects that make up the question, just go to  Sept. 18's blog post and Oct. 2nd's blog post.  You can  also view a "one pager" overview of the Nov.3 referendum question by CLICKING HERE.

Please get out and vote on November 3! 

ASPIRE GORHAM - A BIRTH TO  ADULT ASPIRATIONS PROGRAM -  CONTINUES IN 2020-21!

The Aspire  Gorham program is a community-wide initiative that encourages students in every grade, in every Gorham school, and beyond - to think about their futures. Collaborating with businesses and community organizations in and around Gorham, the Aspire Gorham team is connecting students to professionals for career exposure, exploration, and experience opportunities from early childcare to kindergarten through 12th grade and beyond!   For the early ages, our focus is on exposure to opportunities, for late elementary and middle school ages the focus is on exploration of careers, and for our high school students, the focus is on experiencing those careers first hand!

EXPOSURE: Younger students are exposed to a wide variety of careers through group tours of businesses, classroom speakers, and school-wide activities. The goal is to help them connect the concept of work, jobs, and careers to the people and products they see in their lives. Participating businesses and organizations include the Gorham Police and Fire Departments, Hannaford, EcoMaine, Great Falls Construction, and the Animal Refuge League of Greater Portland.

EXPLORATION: Students begin to identify areas of interest and explore how those interests could affect their future plans. In addition to classroom speakers and activities throughout the year, each grade level has a day designed to help students dive deeper into their interests and skills. Participating businesses and organizations include Sunday River, Ethos Marketing, Moody’s Collision Centers, and Cianbro Construction.

EXPERIENCE: Students plan for life after high school by identifying career fields that match their interests. Students have opportunities to participate in career-focused field experiences, job shadows, and extended workplace learning experiences (similar to internships), as well as college campus visits. The Career Speaker series brings in professionals from all walks of life to talk about their career paths with small groups of students who have expressed a genuine interest in the topic. Participating businesses and organizations include Coastal Women’s Health Care, Tyson Foods, News Center Maine, NorDX, University of Maine School of Law, and the American Red Cross.

The data is clear - this work is making a positive difference in the lives of our children and in helping them think about their own future stories!  You can check out the year end data summaries by clicking on the links below to learn more.  

*  2019-20 Student Survey Data
*  2019-20 Staff Survey Data

You can also check us out on social media by clicking on the links below, and finally, you can view our most recent newsletter!  

-  Website
-  Follow us on Twitter:  @AspireGorham

Stay tuned over the course of the year for more incredible news from this program!

Well that's enough for this week!  I hope you all enjoy your long weekends!  See you back at school on Tuesday, Oct. 13th!  GO RAMS!

















Posted by at No comments:

Friday, October 2, 2020

October 2, 2020 Blog Post Update

Good afternoon everyone!   Sorry for the longer span of time between posts as I was out on a much needed vacation last week where I actually truly "unplugged" for the full week!  No really!  Turned my notifications off on my phone, left my laptop at home and went to camp and spent some quality time with family!  I am happy to be back at it now though...and there is plenty to talk about - so let's get to it!  

IMPORTANT NEW K-12 PARENT THOUGHT EXCHANGE SURVEY NOW THROUGH 10/14/20

We have gone through four full weeks of school here in Gorham using our hybrid model approach and now that we've worked out a good number of the initial "kinks" in our systems - we are definitely ready for some constructive feedback to help improve our processes and see what is working and what may still be challenging for Gorham families and staff in this brave new COVID19 world!  With that said, we have launched a new Thought Exchange Survey and would love to see ALL K-12 Gorham Parents Participate!  Yes, that means parents of our remote learners as well - we want ALL feedback!  

If  you haven't already participated, please do.  If you have, please log back in and rate the thoughts and ideas of others!  The link is below and the survey is open now through October 14, 2020.  Your voices are so very important to us - please share your thoughts!

Survey Link:

https://my.thoughtexchange.com/751897463

We have surveys also going out to all K-12 Gorham Staff and to all Grades 6-12 Gorham Students.

WHERE ARE WE WITH THE QUESTION:  TO GO GREEN OR NOT TO GO GREEN?

I've had several parents reach  out to me recently to ask where we are with this particular conversation.  I  am sure it is on the minds of many so I thought I'd just get it out there - the truth - we haven't moved much further on this question now than we had when we considered it over the summer.  This is NOT because it isn't constantly on our minds as we all want our students to return to school 5 days a week as soon as is safely possible.  It is more because conditions haven't changed enough to allow us to even consider it.  

The MDOE rules/guidelines remain the same, the numbers of students we are working with remains the same, the total square footage of our buildings remains the same, and the total number of buses and (more importantly) bus drivers remains the same.  And to be even a little more discouraging, numbers  of COVID 19 cases, especially for our York County neighbors seem to be increasing making it even more difficult  to consider.

The two biggest barriers remain unchanged as long as the MDOE rules/guidelines remain unchanged.  Those are:

1.  Transportation:  Right now things are running relatively smoothly with just 1/2 the population attending school each day...but if we go green, that would double the number of students needing transportation each day yet the requirements would not change so we would still be limited to just 22 students on a bus.  This means we either need more buses and bus drivers or we would need to significantly alter the school day itself in order to allow for multiple rounds of routes.  We COULD add more buses...unfortunately those buses do us no  good unless we have more bus drivers and that is ultimately where the problem lies as we have just enough to make things work now and there seems to be no pool from which to draw to hire more.  This has been a problem well before COVID-19...but it is an even more clear problem now.

2.  School Nutrition Service Times:  Again, right  now things are running relatively smoothly with just 1/2 the population attending school each day.  We are able to maintain the full 6 ft. physical distancing required for our students to remove their masks to each breakfast and lunch each day.  If we go green, we would double the number of students in our schools but our square footage wouldn't change.  We could try to put some students in classrooms to eat while others are in the cafeteria, but even that isn't enough square footage to make things work while still allowing time to sanitize and time for staff to have their lunch breaks too.

Additionally, the current  plan as approved by the Gorham School Committee is very clear about the use of six feet of physical distance at all times.  Again, this works with 1/2 our population in the buildings  at any given time, but would not work with all students in the building.

I certainly don't want people to think we are just throwing out excuses and barriers and not trying to focus on solutions...because we are.  The district's leadership team continues to grapple with this issue.  Additionally, our new "Pandemic Operations Committee" will be taking this up as well to try and offer further insights and possible solutions.  Bottom line is - we haven't given up on this conversation by any stretch...we just also haven't made much headway so far either.  We will keep working though and if there is a SAFE solution - rest assured we will find it!

UPDATE ON ANTI-RACISM WORK

Just wanted to spend some time updating folks on this very important work, what has been accomplished thus far, and what our plans are for continued next steps.   As we all realize, this conversation is not a "short term" "to  do list" kind of conversation.  What we are talking about here involves culture so it is difficult work that involves significant commitment over time.  There is no question it is important work, so most definitely worth the effort!

For the past few months we have been focusing our efforts in three key areas.  First, has been the work of the School Committee to develop a new "Anti-Racist" Policy for the Gorham Schools.  It is the role and the  responsibility of the School Committee to set our vision and to drive our policies which in turn determine how we operate our schools.  It is important for the School Committee to set the tone for this  conversation through policy so this is where we have been focused.  

The School Committee's policy committee first worked with a draft resolution created by several of our GHS Student Civil Rights team members last spring to craft initial draft policy language.  Since then they have met with some interested students and staff to review the draft language and to assist in making revisions. This newly revised, but still draft policy, will next be brought to the full School Committee for what is called a "first reading".  This is a typical policy approval  process that is specifically structured to ensure that the public has opportunity to weigh in and discuss policies the committee creates.  By putting an item on the public agenda for first reading, we are announcing that we want our stakeholders to weigh in on the draft language.  This feedback is then brought back to the policy committee for specific changes and adjustments so that the draft policy can then be brought back again to the School Committee for a 2nd reading.  When a policy is voted on at its second reading (if approved) it becomes a formal School Committee policy.  Due to the significance of this conversation and because of the election of new school committee members, the School Committee is purposefully placing extra time between the first reading (which will occur on Oct. 14, 2020 at its regular SC meeting) and the 2nd reading (which will occur on Dec.9, 2020, also at  its regular SC meeting).

You may view the Draft Anti-Racism Policy that will be presented to the School Committee on Oct. 14th by going into the public School Committee folder and viewing materials for the Oct. 14th regular meeting.  Those are typically placed  in the folder by the Friday before the meeting (which in this case will be Oct. 9).  You can CLICK HERE  for the link to that public folder.  

The Second key focus area has been on providing professional development to School  Committee members, members of our district leadership team and to our staff in the important areas of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.   So far our district leadership team and school board members have had the opportunity to participate in the first of a series of 8 training meetings offered through the Maine School Superintendent's Association called the "Cultural Competence Institute".  This institute will continue to provide trainings throughout the school year.  Additionally, we have been working with the Maine Intercultural Communications Consultants (MICC) group to organize a series of specific trainings for all K-5 staff.  These are the same trainings that were completed by grades 6-12 staff last year.  While the K-5 staff complete their trainings, MICC will be working with our middle school and high school staff and students to create "Cultural Competency Leadership Teams" for both schools.  These teams will work in conjunction with already existing groups  (such as our Civil Rights Teams which already exist at each of our  five schools) to take the lessons learned through their training and work to actualize new skills in the areas of diversity, equity and inclusion across students and staff in both buildings.

The Third key focus area has been on improving our diversity hiring practices.  We have identified a consultant to work with our district over the course of the next few months.  This consultant just so happens to be a fairly recent graduate of GHS - Humza Khan (class of 2015).  Humza will work with our leadership team and central office team to conduct a thorough study of our existing hiring practices through the lens of diversity.  This study will culminate in the form of a report that will be delivered to the School Committee late this fall/early winter.  The report  will outline  existing  strengths in our practices, challenges, and highlight recommended next steps in improving  our practices to recruit a more diverse staff across all components of our organization.

There is much more going on as well - the biggest of which will be a "listening tour" that I hope to launch soon (so keep your eyes out for that) as well as a review of our K-12 curriculum through the lens of diversity, equity and inclusion. Please stay tuned and I'll continue to update you all on this important work!

COMMUNITY SUPPORT COORDINATOR FB GROUPS READY TO SEE ACTION!

If you recall, we've been working with an incredible group of parent volunteers to create community based Facebook Pages geared towards helping parents help one another get through these difficult times together.  Our pages are all ready for service so please - CHECK THEM OUT!

UPCOMING BOND QUESTION ON NOV. 3 BALLOT 

PART II.

In my last blog post from September 18 you learned about two of the projects that comprise the bond requested on the November 3rd ballot for the Gorham Schools.  As a quick reminder, this potential bond, if approved, would fund six much needed Capital projects.  Those six projects are outlined below:


Project #1:  GMS HVAC Heat Pump Upgrades and Repairs - $2,265,000.00

Project #2:  Narragansett Expansion Project - Phase II - $1,423,000.00

Project #3:   Narragansett Bus Loop and Sidewalk Upgrades and Repairs - $351,000.00

Project #4:  Middle School Sidewalk Repair - $300,000.00

Project #5:   Field Lighting Safety Repairs for Competition field, baseball, softball and tennis fields  - $1,275,000.00

Project #6:   Necessary Civil Engineering Costs to support project designs

The Sept. 18 blog post focused on the Narragansett Bus loop  and sidewalk upgrades and repairs as well as on the middle school side walk repair.  This post will  go more deeply into the GMS HVAC Heat Pump Upgrades and Repairs and the Field Lighting Safety Repairs for Competition field, etc. 

Project #1:  GMS HVAC Heat Pump Upgrades and Repairs - $2,65,000.00

  

This project was originally presented to the Town Council in the spring of 2017.  The numbers have changed a little bit (gone up of course), but the overall project itself has changed very little.  You can view the presentation slides (which provide some great visuals) given to the Town Council by CLICKING HERE.  At the time, it was set aside because we were still  unsure of where the GHS project was going...well we're still unsure of that, but this project can't wait any longer.  The bottom line is that the school was constructed in 2002, 18 years ago.  That means the HVAC system as  a whole is reaching the end of its useful life and requires upgrades.  Additionally, many of the components of the system are no longer able to be purchased for replacements and repairs, especially the heat pump units themselves which use R22 refrigerant. This type of refrigerant can no longer be purchased on the market due to updated EPA regulations. In this project we are looking to replace all major components of the system to include:

*  Heat recovery systems

*  Heat Pumps

*  Water Heater

We will also look to update the control systems to gain better efficiencies and to add boilers and mini-split units to replace aging components and gain efficiencies in operations.

Especially in the year of COVID-19, we need to ensure our HVAC systems are operating efficiently and effectively.  This project will ensure those very things.

Project #5:  Field Lighting Repairs for Competition Field, baseball, softball, and tennis fields - $1,275,000.00

If you have been anywhere near the GHS athletic fields over the past few years, you shouldn't need much explanation regarding why the request to repair our field lighting.  As you know, we had been trying to incorporate this much needed work into a capital project at GHS, but while  that has gone on hold, the need for field lighting has not.

At this point, we have had to remove the lighting almost entirely from the Baseball and Field Hockey fields due to squirrel infestation and rot in the wooden poles that have been used for too many years.  Here are some pictures of some of these poles that were removed  two years ago:

  

Frankly, these lights had to be removed for safety reasons as it likely wouldn't have been long before they simply fell down, hopefully not on anyone!

Although the lights on the competition field were in better shape and not considered immediate safety hazards requiring removal as the others were, they still are not in great shape.  The wooden poles have twisted  and warped over time so that the lights aren't exactly even facing in  the correct positions.  Additionally, the lighting units themselves are old, outdated, lack lumens, and are about as inefficient as they can be.  Here are a few more photos showing some of the poles twisted in different directions and the lights themselves:

  




This project will replace all the wooden poles with steel poles and replace all the outdated lighting  equipment with new, efficient lighting units.  These poles will be placed in such a manner as to allow for movement if and when we may ever need to move them due to a larger scale GHS capital project.  In the meantime, this project will improve safety, improve  efficiency and allow more of our fields to be used by more of  our community.

That's it for this week's blog post.  Next week I'll spend some time on the final two projects up for referendum on Nov. 3 and on any other important and timely updates folks may need!

Thanks for reading!  As always - if you have questions - please email me at heather.perry@gorhamschools.org.

ENJOY YOUR WEEKENDS!



Posted by at No comments:
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)