So very much to get to for information...but just needed to take a moment to show some photos of our incredible students in their "natural" school "habitats" this year! We have such incredible students doing such incredible things! GO RAMS!
Oh, and if you haven't already seen this incredible video from Mr. Parvanta and Team entitled: "We Got This Gorham"...CHECK IT OUT BY CLICKING HERE! I have heard that the young star of the film is now signing autographs by the way!
Now on to the "less fun"...Informational "stuff"!
TO RETURN TO SCHOOL FOR MORE TIME OR NOT TO ... THAT IS THE QUESTION!
I thought that headline might grab some attention! This is a question that Gorham, as well as many other school systems in our region are struggling with right now. For "good" or for "bad" there is no question that there is mounting pressure to re-open schools right now even though our staff are not yet fully vaccinated and the CDC safety guidelines for schools to remain open have not changed.
Our school system, however is embarking on an in depth study of how we might still be able to overcome these odds and potentially look to increase face to face instructional time for our students. On Feb. 24 the School Committee gave me a homework assignment to come up with three scenarios that might allow us to increase face to face instruction time for students THIS SPRING. Right now, we are looking at three scenarios. . .
1. Bringing students back for 1/2 days on Fridays rotating A and B groups.
2. Bringing students K-2 back to 4 days per week
3. Bringing students K-12 back to 4 days per week
I have been working with District Leadership Team members and with other committees that involve teachers, nurses, social workers, and others from across the district on this homework assignment. Our building leaders are even working to "stage" some classrooms to see how many students can safely fit in classrooms using different configurations and what traffic flow might look like in various areas.
Many folks may ask, why are we even looking at these options right now? Isn't our current programming doing a darn good job given the circumstances? Why would we want to potentially disrupt the "learning flow" we have worked so hard to create? These are valid questions. My initial responses are below:
1. The first response is to be clear that just because we are investigating these potential changes, that does not mean we will actually implement any changes this spring. The School Committee is going to have to weigh many different factors in order to ultimately determine what is the appropriate direction for us to take in the best interest of the district.
2. Although what we have been doing has been AWESOME (no question there and thank you for all your hard work thus far)...I think it is safe to say that we are all getting tired and frustrated and are feeling as though children simply need to be back in school more. When we constantly ask ourselves the question: "What is best for children"...and we broaden that view to include what is best for their families and our community right now...if we can increase face to face time, we probably ought to look at how we can do so safely. So look we will.
3. The reality is that we are going to have to find a way to open our schools for 5 days per week next fall and if we know we are going to have to do that, shouldn't we try to figure out how now, and "practice" this spring while we have strong relationships built with existing students and families that will allow us to work through the "kinks" of what we all know will be a difficult task?
These are just a few key reasons we need to look closely at these ideas in order to be best prepared to meet the needs of our students in this Pandemic World.
I want you all to know that as we look at these ideas, I will keep you informed. We will seek to engage parents, staff, students, and our medical advisors in these important discussions and ultimately we will advocate for what we all collectively feel is best for the students and staff of Gorham. As we work our way through this process and continue to work together to navigate COVID 19...I want you to know that our values and goals are the same. As we talk about ways to increase face to face instruction time for our students this spring, we are constantly asking the question - what do we need to focus on? What are the things we must pay attention to as we continue forward?
I recently asked these questions of our District Leadership Team the other day and then I also asked these questions of members of the Pandemic Advisory Committee. Their responses are below in the form of word clouds. TWO THINGS before I share the results: 1) I couldn't say it any better than they did, and 2) I am constantly amazed and how we all share the same core values in Gorham - these two word clouds are pretty similar...which means our beliefs are very much in alignment.
District Leadership Team:
Pandemic Advisory Committee:
So What Should YOU (as a parent) Take Away from These Discussions?
1. Please know these are thorough discussions and important explorations of the possibilities, however NO DECISIONS HAVE BEEN MADE regarding making any changes to the hybrid learning model at this time.
2. The District Leadership team will work closely with staff, students and parents to engage people in these important discussions before any final decisions are made.
3. Ultimately, whatever decisions are made will be made with TWO KEY FOCUS POINTS at the forefront of all that we do. The FIRST is that we will continue to ensure the safety of our staff and students. SECOND is to make sure whatever is done, special focus will remain on meeting the social/emotional needs of our children, staff and families over other needs.
If you want to follow along in the conversation - remember our SC meetings are online and open to the public. Just go to our district website and click on the calendar link for zoom information. As we get closer to the meeting you can also CLICK HERE to view the full School Committee Packets for their meetings. I will also continue to keep you informed via this weekly blog post, and as always, if you have questions or wish to share information please email me directly at heather.perry@gorhamschools.org.
WHAT CHANGES WHEN YOU BECOME VACCINATED?
As we gain. more and more staff that have become fully vaccinated, we started to get more and more questions about what being vaccinated meant in terms of following safety protocols, quarantines, close contacts, and all the other wonderful new vocabulary we have learned over the past year. I shared the information below with staff and I thought, this is likely also very good information for all of you as you or your family members also slowly but steadily become vaccinated against COVID 19.
- All staff who experience Covid like symptoms will continue to follow the protocol in the handbook, regardless of vaccination status. (Please link to the protocol and chart here)
- All staff, regardless of vaccination status, will be required to wear face coverings in all public places, as per Gov. Janet Mills' order.
- All staff, regardless of vaccination status, should continue to practice social distancing and hand hygiene in the school setting.
- Staff who are asymptomatic, have been fully vaccinated, and are >14 days out from last vaccine will not be required to quarantine in the event that they are a close contact of someone with Covid 19.
- Staff who are fully vaccinated and are > 14 days out from last vaccine and who travel within the US will not be required to test or quarantine when they return home.
The largest benefit to being vaccinated at this time is that after it has become fully effective (14 days after you are fully vaccinated) you no longer have to quarantine if you are exposed to COVID 19 as a close contact. Additionally, if traveling within the US, you would no longer be required to quarantine or test upon return home. Check out some of the following resources to learn more about the benefits of vaccination!
Resources
*. “BenefitsofGettingCovid-19Vaccine”: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/vaccine- benef its.html?CDC_AA_refVal=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cdc.gov%2Fcoronavirus%2F2019- ncov%2Fvaccines%2Fabout-vaccines%2Fvaccine-benefits.html
*. “Be Safe After You Vaccinate”: https://www.maine.gov/dhhs/mecdc/infectious- disease/immunization/documents/Be%20Safe%20After%20You%20Vaccinate.pdf
*. What to Expect after Getting a Vaccine”: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/pdfs/321466- A_FS_What_Expect_COVID-19_V ax_Final_12.13.20.pdf
*. Pfizer Vaccine Emergency Use Authorization Fact Sheet: https://www.fda.gov/media/144414/download
*. Moderna Vaccine Emergency Use Authorization Fact Sheet: https://www.fda.gov/media/144638/downloa
*. Johnson & Johnson Vaccine Emergency Use Authorization Fact Sheet: https://www.fda.gov/media/146305/download
Video Resources:
*. The mRNA Vaccine is like a Cookie Recipe | Northern Light Health
*. Webinar: “COVID-19 Vaccine: Helping to Educate”: Covid 19 Vaccine: Helping to Educate Maine
UPCOMING DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION OPEN FORUMS - MARK YOUR CALENDARS!
I will be hosting one K-12 staff open forum on the topic of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) and one one K-12 parent open forum on the same topic. For each meeting, the agenda will look roughly like this:
- Welcome & Introductions
- Overview of the "Why"
- Overview of Work done thus far.
- Sharing of stories collected through listening tour
- Structured conversations - "What is on your hearts and minds after you have heard the stories shared?"
- Wrap up and next steps
Links for these meetings is below...please mark your calendars and reach out if you have any questions! I look forward to seeing folks online for these important conversations!
K-12 Staff Open Forum - Wednesday March 17 at 3:30 p.m. via zoom.
Join Zoom Meeting https://networkmaine.zoom.us/j/82942313276?pwd=RzhtaUV0Z0VvTmx6dDN2V3krZUNOdz09 Meeting ID: 829 4231 3276Passcode: 067129
K-12 Parent Open Forum - Thursday, March 25, at 6:30 p.m. via zoom.
Join Zoom Meeting https://networkmaine.zoom.us/j/83489107323?pwd=dCtaWTdIOFZraUhETWEyOFh3NTJhZz09 Meeting ID: 834 8910 7323 Passcode: 266328
SMALL CHANGE TO 2021-22 CALENDAR
Just wanted to make parents (especially those of incoming K students), that we made a small adjustment to our 2021-22 calendar. We have moved the first day of Kindergarten to Sept. 2, 2021. Originally the first day of K had been placed on Sept. 7, 2021 which is the first day of Rosh Hashanah. We felt it was important not to force parents to have to choose between their child's first day of Kindergarten and one of the most important Jewish holidays on the calendar so we made the slight change to accommodate. This change doesn't impact anything else on the calendar for 2021-22. You can view the revised calendar by CLICKING HERE. It is also posted on our website.
GORHAM OUTDOORS CLUB - UPCOMING EVENT
The Gorham Outdoors Club has collaborated with the Gorham Fire Department and "Survivor Bob" to put together a cool fire safety and story time event scheduled for Sunday, March 14 behind the Narragansett School. You can watch a quick promo video linked below and get more details from the flyer!
"POOCH STICKERS" IN HONOR OF OFFICER WAYNE "POOCH" DROWN TO SUPPORT HIS SCHOLARSHIP FUND
The Gorham Police Department is putting together a fundraiser in memory of Pooch that involves purchasing "Pooch Stickers". Below is a message from the GPD and a link to get involved and donate to a great cause to support his legacy through the "Wayne POOCH Drown Memorial Scholarship".
We sure still miss you Pooch!
FINAL CALL - VINTAGE HITCHCOCK LIVE RADIO PLAY THIS WEEKEND!
GHS Theater students are putting on a production of Vintage Hitchcock: A Live Radio Play THIS WEEKEND! Friday, March 12 and Saturday March 13 at 7:30 p.m. or Sunday March 14 at 2:00 p.m.! This regular length play is filled with spies, murder, love and suspense! Only $5.00 to view! Links are below!
IN CLOSING - IN HONOR OF NATIONAL WOMEN'S HISTORY MONTH...
I thought it might be good to end this week's blog with some inspirational quotes from women in honor of national women's history month...some sage words of advice indeed! ENJOY YOUR WEEKENDS!
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