Friday, August 27, 2021

August 27 Blog Update

It has been a great week of preparation with our Gorham Schools staff these past few days!  We had an excellent opening day, lots of training, lots of learning, lots of questions and answers, lots of professional discussions and lots of fun working hard to make sure we are prepared for our students next week!  Here's a few images of some of our opening days with staff:

We absolutely have the best staff around...we are ALL very much looking forward to the return of our students next week!

REMINDER - BUSES ARE ROLLING!

Just wanted to take this opportunity to remind folks that our buses will be back on the road again starting Monday, August 30!  Let's be sure to plan a little extra time getting to work and make sure to stop for those red flashing lights!  This first week of school, drivers are getting used to runs, parents and students are getting used to pick up and drop off procedures - so let's ALL be a little more vigilant on the roads for the safety of our children!  

A reminder, if you need to access our a.m. bus route schedule, you can go to our website!  I've linked the page HERE for your convenience.  Please be sure to have students ready at their stops at least 10 minutes ahead of time for the first week of school as times may vary while we get used to our new routes.  For the p.m. time frames, we purposefully do not post times as we don't know exactly when buses leave each school in the afternoons, especially at the elementary schools.  If it is helpful to know, we develop all our routes to be no more than 30-40 minutes in length.  We encourage families to be flexible and patient the first week or two.  After that the routes settle in and are much more predictable.  Please know that we take very good care of our students on our buses.  Not that we plan for any missteps, but If a student misses a bus or gets on the wrong one, we will make sure to take loving care of them.  Know that they are safe and well supervised at all times and that we will communicate with you as needed.  If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to your school's offices and they can assist.

OPENING DAYS OF SCHOOL CALENDAR REMINDER

Just a quick recap for those who just want to make sure you know our opening day schedules...here you go:

-  Monday, August 30 - Grades 6 & 9 only 

-  Tuesday, August 31 - Grades 1-12 

-  Wednesday, Sept. 1 - Grades 1-12

-  Thursday, Sept. 2 - Grades K-12

-  Friday, Sept. 3 - NO SCHOOL - LABOR DAY WEEKEND

-  Monday, Sept. 6 - NO SCHOOL - LABOR DAY WEEKEND

You can find a more detailed district wide events calendar on our website (www.gorhamschools.org) and then you can click on each school to get their specific school events calendars.  As always, if you have any questions, just reach out to your school's office and they'll be more than happy to assist!

STUDENT MEAL SERVICES BENEFITS APPLICATION - PLEASE COMPLETE!

Just a strong reminder to families to PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE take the time to complete the Student Meal Services Benefits Application this year (formerly known as the Free/Reduced Lunch application).  You will likely be getting a paper copy in your opening of school packets, but you can also access a PDF form by CLICKING HERE or you can complete the application entirely online by CLICKING HERE.

Even though approved meals for all students will be free this year WE STILL NEED FAMILIES TO COMPLETE THESE FORMS!  Other important school funding depends on it!  The programs listed below are all funded based on the results of these applications.  If these forms aren't completed, we could stand to lose significant dollars to support our schools (please see a summary below of other funding based on this information).  Please take the few minutes required to complete the forms - EVEN IF - you don't. think you will qualify.  THANK YOU!


HOT DAYS & SNOW...OH MY!

I have recently received several questions from parents asking about how we will be dealing with hot days this fall, especially with everyone wearing face masks while indoors and many of our schools NOT having climate control in our classrooms.  

Please know we have well established safety protocols that we will use to determine if our buildings are too hot for instruction to safely take place.  We primarily lean on the utilization of the heat index (see image below).

We use this index to determine when conditions get too hot for students to safely be in our schools.  Similar to snow days, we closely monitor individual conditions across our schools and make determinations based on those conditions.  In the event that we have to release students early from school due to heat (which is most often the case vs. a full cancelation), we will communicate with families ASAP and use our early release procedures for getting students home.

This does remind me to remind folks about snow days too.  WE WILL BE HAVING ACTUAL SNOW DAYS THIS WINTER.  Unlike last year, we do not have an emergency waiver for the number of school days and we are required by law to have 175 student days. The plan at this point is that we have five "snow days" built into our calendar.  We will use these as traditional snow days...then if we go above those days (which we typically don't - but sometimes do) we will use remote learning days so that we do not have to extend the school year into the scheduled summer.  

COVID DATA AVAILABLE

Just a quick reminder that families can check out our COVID 19 website to get up to date information on active positive cases in our schools.  CLICK HERE to view and stay up to date.  We'll be sure to keep you informed!


POOLED TESTING 

The Gorham Schools are electing NOT to begin the school year utilizing pooled testing.  We have made this initial decision based upon the following factors:

-  We do not want to send any messages of "false security" to families who may decide to send students to school if they are sick thinking they will be tested.
-  We want to maintain our student/staff focus on mask wearing and hand washing/sanitization as the best and most effective prevention strategy.
-  We are unsure how many families would give permission for students to participate (permission must be granted by parents for students to participate) and if numbers are low, results will not be as helpful.
-  The pooled testing program would only prevent quarantine for students in classroom cohorts (which universal masking already greatly mitigates),  and would not assist in preventing quarantine for students in cafeterias, buses, or athletics which are outside of those cohorts.  

THIS IS NOT TO SAY THAT WE HAVE ENTIRELY "CLOSED THE DOOR" TO POOLED TESTING AS AN OPTION.  It is to say that we have decided to take a more cautious and "wait and see" approach.  That being said, we do want to consider the wishes of our families, especially our K-5 families on this item since it is this population of student who have not yet had access to vaccinations.  Therefore, we plan on surveying all K-5 families about their interest in participating in pooled testing.  We will send a survey out after the first two weeks of school and then use the results of this survey to better determine next steps.

That being said, I'd like to urge families to learn more about Pooled testing and what it is so that when we ask your opinion, you will be able to make a more informed choice.  Here are some resources to learn more:


I'm sure you can each do your own research as well and I would encourage you to do so.  Please stay tuned.

VOLUNTEERS WILL BE ALLOWED IN OUR SCHOOLS - AFTER TRAINING!



Just wanted to let folks know that we will be opening our schools back up again to volunteers.  ALL VOLUNTEERS (regardless of whether or not you may have already previously participated in a training program) must participate in a training/orientation program before being allowed to volunteer in the schools.  The reason for this is that we want to add and include in this training specific expectations for COVID safety protocols so that our volunteers and our staff are clear on the rules and procedures that we will be using to keep everyone safe.  

If you are interested in volunteering in our schools, please go to our website LINKED HERE  to learn more.  WE WOULD LOVE TO HAVE YOU!

Note:  There is a contradiction on the website regarding any previous training...we will be fixing this.  Bottom line, EVERY VOLUNTEER will need to complete a "COVID 101" training before entering our schools.  Please reach out to Kelly Reed with any additional questions.  Her email is on the site linked above.

SCHOOL BACKPACK PROGRAM SIGN UP FORM!


The BackPack Program provides school-age students enrolled in the Gorham School Department with healthy snacks and staple meal items helpful to your family for the weekend.  We aim to provide food that is child-friendly, non-perishable, and easily consumed; and to distribute the weekly bag discreetly, with the help of school staff.

Food bags will be distributed TO STUDENTS while they are in school once a week.  In addition, participants will receive 1 snack per day while they are at school.

If you are interested in signing your family up for this program, please click on the survey ink below.  If you have any questions or would like to learn more about how to help support this incredible program, please email Heather Whitaker at heather.whitaker@gorhamschools.org.

Here's the survey link:  https://forms.gle/qMoXN22eTeRxg2zQ8

ASPIRE GORHAM SUMMER EDITION

We thought you might like to know a little bit more about our 2021 graduates and their plans!  Check out the information below to learn more about our recent graduates' "future stories"! 


UNITED CRAFTSMEN FAIR COMING TO GORHAM
On Saturday, September 11, 2021 the United Craftsmen Fair will be held on the Chick Property space near the ice skating rink.  Crafters will begin set up at 6:00 a.m..  The fair will run from 9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.  Parking will be in the Narragansett School Lot, the Public Safety Lot next to the skating rink, and the bus loop as needed throughout the day.  

No Parking on Chick Drive.

Porta Potties will be near the skating rink area.

COME AND ENJOY these talented crafters...and maybe get a little early Christmas shopping done! 

NEW BLOG TIMELINE


Last year I sent out a blog post every week.  This year I plan on sending out a blog post every TWO weeks.  If things come up between those time frames I may send out some posts in between...but for now, please anticipate one of these updates every two weeks.  Next one will be Sept. 10!  

In the meantime...WELCOME BACK TO SCHOOL IN GORHAM!  Check out our social media sites for pictures and images of our opening days!  We are so very excited - GO RAMS!











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