Hard to believe it has been two whole weeks since my last blog post! I usually start each blog post off with a series of pictures taken from various schools. Although I certainly could share many pictures once again, I would like to instead share a quick video clip from a recent channel 6 news expo involving the GHS Bee Club.
This club's story is a symbolic of what is so incredible about our community here in Gorham. I won't tell the whole story because the video clip linked below does a better job at that...but I will skip to the "moral of the story" at least as far as I am concerned.
When we provide caring and supportive learning environments for our students, when we listen to their questions and respond to their curiosity, when we empower students to start something that allows them to take their ideas and make them into reality, when we support students with caring teachers, when we connect with our community resources, and when we make connections for students between their learning and their real lives - well - when we do that, anything is possible and the results are just amazing to watch!
Check out the video below and tell me you don't agree that this represents some of the best of what our incredible community has to offer! GO RAMS!
CLICK HERE to watch the news clip!
Lots to share...let's get down to it!...
UPCOMING SCHOOL CALENDAR REMINDERS
Just a quick reminder that there is NO SCHOOL on Monday, Oct. 11 to celebrate Indigenous People's Day. Students will return to school on Tuesday, Oct. 12, 2021. Additionally, I wanted to make sure parents knew that we have an early release day on Wednesday, Oct. 20, 2021. Students will be dismissed for a half day on this day using our usual Early Release Day dismissal schedule. Additionally, there will be NO SCHOOL on Friday, Oct. 22, 2021 due to Fall Parent/Teacher conferences.
You should have heard from your schools regarding how to sign up for Parent/Teacher Conferences. Last year we heard a lot of positive feedback about holding these conferences via zoom and since COVID 19 is still hanging around we will hold P/T conferences primarily via zoom again this year. If you might have difficulty participating via zoom, please reach out to your child's teacher to discuss options. We want to make sure that all parents have an opportunity to participate in their child's fall conference!
On Oct. 25, 26 and 27 our schools will be hosting Flu Clinics in partnership with Northern Light Health Care. If you are interested in your child participating in the flu clinic but have not yet seen an announcement on how to complete the online registration from your school, please reach out to your school's office and they can direct you on how to sign up. Once again this year, we highly recommend staff and students get their flu shots...there are just so many other things out there to worry about right now, and if you can take one off your plate - like the flu - well its certainly recommended.
Another calendar related reminder for families at Great Falls Elementary School only. Due to the need for the Town of Gorham to use Great Falls Elementary Schools as a primary polling location, we will be moving instruction for all students at Great Falls to fully remote instruction on Tuesday, Nov. 2, 2021. This will impact Great Falls Elementary School ONLY.
Finally, for those families that may be looking just a little further ahead on the school calendar, Veterans Day falls on Thursday, Nov. 11 this year so there will be NO SCHOOL to honor those who have served our nation in the armed forces.
SEL4ME AND THE IMPORTANCE OF SOCIAL/EMOTIONAL LEARNING FOR OUR CHILDREN
As I walk around the schools and talk with support staff, teachers, administrators and students there is a definite theme that emerges in regards to the challenges we continue to face as a direct result of the COVID 19 Pandemic. Our teachers are tough. They are passionate. They care tremendously about our students and they are willing to do whatever it takes to support our students in their learning to ensure they are well prepared for "the world" they graduate into.
That being said, I also want you to know that our teachers are worried about our students. Students who are experiencing gaps in their learning through no fault of their own, and are therefore feeling a little insecure about themselves. Students who are stressed trying to meet the expectations of their families. Students who are having to learn how to navigate groups of social structures again after having been isolated for 18 months. Students who are stressed trying to juggle 5 day per week instruction with homework, work work, extra and co-curricular involvement and meeting their own high expectations, let alone the high expectations of others.
Before I go any further, I want you to know that we got this. Our schools are doing great and our students and staff are all very happy to be back to 5 day per week instruction. Yes, we've all been dealt a "bad hand" with COVID 19, and yes, our students may not have all the academic skills they would have otherwise had by now due to the events of the past 18+ months, but we will make that academic learning up. That is the relatively "easy" part. It won't happen in a month or two, but over the course of time - our teachers will absolutely get our students to where they need to be in order to position them to make whatever choice they want to about their next steps in the post secondary world. We will prepare our students to achieve their version of greatness, whatever that may be.
When I listen to teachers right now, they are much more concerned about the SEL needs of our students than the academic needs (although please know we are not ignoring those). We are responding to this as a school system. We are talking about these issues and problem solving them together as professionals. We are working to beef up advisory conversations, to offer more real world connections to our students, to embed movement breaks and mindfulness practices into our classrooms, we are strengthening our restorative practices approaches, and we are supporting students using our strong student support services models as just a few examples. But we could use your help at home on the SEL front as well.
Of course, as a parent you are probably wondering how you can help? Well, one great place to start is a resource created by the Maine Department of Education called SEL4ME. This incredible resource bank is geared towards providing resources to students, staff and parents. All you need to do is click on the link below, register on the site and then a whole world of mini-lessons that can be conducted at home come alive at your fingertips for children across grades K-12. It's a great tool for parents to work with children on their SEL skills, especially for those of you who may not know where to start. I'd encourage you to watch the video linked below and sign up today to learn more about how you can support the SEL needs of your child(ren).
TOGETHER we can provide the needed supports to let our children know that THEY are ok...that WE are ok...and that we are all here to support and care for each of them, all of them. With this strong SEL focus as a foundation, the sky is the limit on academic learning. But just like any building without a strong foundation - well let's just say it is worth the time to focus on that foundation now rather than try to fix it later. Check out those resources below to learn more and feel free to reach out to your child's teacher to ask them about what they are doing in the classroom to support SEL practices...
SHARING A QUICK DIVERSITY, EQUITY AND INCLUSION RESOURCE FOR PARENTS
In my recent traveling and continued learning on the topic of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, I ran across this incredible resource put out to the greater Portland community through GPCOG (Greater Portland Council of Governments). As we all continue to learn and grow in this area, I thought this might be a valuable resource for those of you as parents who may want to talk to your children about these important topics, but may not know where to start. The title of this video created and shared by GPCOG is: "Having Uncomfortable conversations with your kids: Talking about Race and Racism".
For those of you who might be looking for resources in this area, I thought I'd share. Check out the link below if you are interested!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9LqV0pBGs8
LITTLE RAMS EARLY CHILDHOOD PROJECT
-WE NEED YOUR HELP-
The Gorham Schools "Little Rams Early Childhood Project" is conducting a survey of parents of children ages birth to 6 to try and better understand the need for child care and early learning in the community of Gorham.
The Little Rams Early Childhood Project is a powerful partnership of schools, child care programs, educators, parents, businesses, and local organizations and leaders from the community of Gorham. We engage the community in prioritizing our youngest children with a focus on early learning, nurturing care, and healthy development ages birth - age 5.
Our vision is that ALL children and families in Gorham have access to quality early learning experiences that promote healthy development and school/community readiness.
Data collected from this survey, and others will assist us in creating a vision for early childhood learning ages birth - 5 within the community of Gorham.
IF YOU ARE A RESIDENT OF GORHAM AND A PARENT OF A CHILD(ren) AGES BIRTH - 6 YRS OLD, PLEASE COMPLETE THIS SURVEY!
IF YOU KNOW OF A GORHAM PARENT OF A CHILD(ren) AGES BIRTH - 6 YRS OLD, PLEASE SHARE THIS LINK AND ENCOURAGE THEM TO COMPLETE THIS SURVEY!
DEADLINE FOR COMPLETION - Friday, Oct. 15, 2021.
Survey Link: https://forms.gle/NJthg6wCpJ4HSWTy6
REMINDER ABOUT ANOTHER CORE COVID 19 SAFETY PROTOCOL
As we complete our sixth week of school this year, I thought it would be important to just take a moment and reflect on where we are with our COVID 19 safety protocols and to remind families of the absolute importance of remaining vigilant as we inch ever so closer to having access to vaccines for our 11 and under populations.
Throughout the opening of school we have talked at length around the importance of wearing masks, sanitizing and washing hands frequently, and of trying to maintain physical distance whenever possible as our three core safety protocols. I must admit right now that I have been remiss in talking more specifically about another key protocol and that is what I'd like to focus on here. That additional key safety protocol is - STAY HOME IF YOU ARE SICK.
Before COVID (boy, that sounds like such a long time ago doesn't it)...it wasn't unusual to see teachers come to school fighting that cough, eating cough drops like candy and pushing through the pain to make sure they were here for our kids. Similarly, it was a pretty common occurrence that families whose children may have been a little under the weather with a bad cough, running nose, sore throat, etc. were sent to school with a pep talk about making it through the day and if they were still sick tomorrow, maybe they could stay home then. Students often weren't sent home unless they spiked a fever, or unless they were physically ill. Often times each fall, there would be schools that reported 1/3 or more of their populations out sick for several days.
I can remember talking to my administrative assistant on more than one occasion saying, you know, I love that you are tough enough to work even while sick, but I do not want what you have and I encouraged her to either head home (which she rarely did cause she is tougher than nails) or stay a good distance away from me during the day so I wouldn't catch whatever she had and spread it to my family. She really is tougher than nails by the way! Of course, that was then, and this is now.
We can look back at those times with some nostalgia I suppose, but in reality we probably should have always been following this rule of STAY HOME IF YOU ARE SICK. Certainly in our new pandemic world, this little phrase has even more importance in our daily decision making. There is no one that is going to say this is convenient or easy, but the reality is that this little phrase is one of the most effective public health strategies known to mankind. It always has been, it is now, and it will remain so in the future post pandemic world. It really is important to follow that one simple, yet oh so complex rule.
This of course, gives me an opening to remind parents about what the protocols are if your child does feel sick. First it is important to realize that just because they feel sick does not mean they have COVID 19. However, in today's world that also can't be ruled out. So what should you do if your child comes down with symptoms that you are unsure of? Well, here's the general rule of thumb:
- First, follow the golden rule...if they are sick, keep them home.
- Then I'd suggest you reach out to your child's school nurse and/or your child's PCP for guidance, but generally speaking should follow the flow chart (far right section) that is in the Gorham COVID 19 Family Handbook:
The Symptoms List for the flow chart can be SEEN BY CLICKING HERE.
- If you have questions, we encourage you to reach out to our school nurses and they can assist you in navigating the flow chart above.
- If you decide to get your child tested, please know that your child must remain home while awaiting any testing results.
- If the test comes back positive, you should contact the school nurse and begin isolation immediately.
- If the test comes back negative, AND symptoms have improved, then your child may return to school. Please notice that very important conjunction above:"AND". Even if your child doesn't have COVID, that doesn't mean that you should still send them back to school with a fever or with aches and chills or with a severe sore throat or vomiting. The same reasons to keep students home before COVID still exist and there are other things we don't want to pass along to our friends by sending sick children to school that may not be COVID.
Please know that as a school system we understand the strain that being extra vigilant in these areas causes you as parents. We understand that sometimes when you go to get a COVID 19 test that the PCR test takes 3 days to get back, or that it is sometimes hard to even get a test in the first place. We understand that children never seem to get sick when you are at a "lull" at work, but instead often somehow choose the most stressful times to get sick. We get it. We are often working parents too. But please know that one thing we absolutely want to avoid at all costs is going back to where we were in March of 2020. We never want to go back there. We can't go back there. We need to keep our schools open to 5 day per week programming for our children and, frankly, for our working families. The safety protocols we have put in place are there to ensure that this goal is achieved.
Our guidelines and expectations can be found in our Family Handbook LINKED HERE. This document was shared before the opening of school and outlines all of our safety protocols and expectations.
I ask for your continued vigilance and patience with these protocols. I think we all share the common goal of keeping our schools open and that is the primary function of these safety protocols. I think we are all exhausted and ready for this pandemic to be over already, but we must be vigilant a little longer!
I have recently become aware of angry phone calls and/or emails to nurses or to teachers. Communications that raise voices, that sometimes swear, and that are not communications that would be reflective of our Code of Conduct. I get it. I can get angry, tired and frustrated too. We all can, especially when we perceive the potential for negative impacts to our children or to our jobs. I would ask that you keep in mind that these folks are doing the best they can following the rules we have to follow to keep our schools open.
If you are upset about these protocols and wish to share your frustration or if you have questions about why these protocols exist, please send that information to me in an email. I will listen and I will respond. I get paid the "big bucks" to do this kind of work. ☺ But I would ask you to please, please, try to BE KIND TO OUR SCHOOL STAFF who are implementing these safety protocols. Our school nurses, our teachers, our support staff...they are doing their jobs and doing their best to ensure folks follow the rules so our common goal can be attained and our schools can remain open. THANK YOU.
ASPIRE GORHAM NEWSLETTER READY TO VIEW!
This months Aspire Gorham newsletter spotlights senior Colby Tucker and his aspirations for the future, plus a lot more! Check it out via the link below!
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1N25nfvXOeX8_8bPzehr8G3gwqC0LWvtX/view?usp=sharing
A FEW UPCOMING COMMUNITY EVENTS!
Just a few events I thought might be of interest to folks coming right up:
* Moody's 44th Anniversary Celebration on Saturday, Oct. 16th. Check out the flyer LINKED HERE for details!
* Upcoming Zombie Run! Yes - I said Zombie! Check out the message below from Jason Tanguay, GHS Cross Country Coach (who is assisting with the event) to learn more:
Our high school cross country team and the Gorham Outdoors club is helping the USM Women’s Cross Country team put on a Zombie Run next Friday, October 15th at the Shaw Farm Cherry Hill trails.
You can find more info and how to sign up on this Eventbrite link:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/
You should also check out the promotional video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
Hope you can get outside and enjoy the many trails in our great community!
IN CLOSING
Just wanted to share what I think is a pretty funny meme reflecting workplace stress right now...for those of you who grew up with Sesame Street as I did, I think you can appreciate where cookie monster is on this one! If it gets one chuckle, it is worth it! See you next time (Oct. 22)!
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