Its been a great week back from the February break in the Gorham Schools! Lots happening for sure...so we'll get right to it. But before we get to the information...just want to start with my usual "snapshot" of our students and staff doing what they do best - Having fun while learning!
MASKING UPDATE
On Wednesday 3/2 Governor Mills and the Maine CDC announced that they will be adjusting their recommendations and SOP for public schools to allow for optional masking. Their start date to lift the recommendation was Wednesday, March 9.
On Thursday, 3/3 the Gorham School Committee met in an Emergency Special meeting to discuss moving that date up to Monday, March 7 in order to be more realistic in implementation of the change at the beginning of a school week vs. the middle of one. Given that data wouldn't change significantly in that 48 hour time frame, this would be a more common sense approach for our school system since no other significant changes would need to be made. The School Committee voted unanimously to move the initiation date for masking optional to Monday, March 7 for this reason.
Bottom line: Our schools will move to optional masking for all school related indoor activities (including school buses) on Monday, March 7 in continued alignment with Maine CDC recommendations.
Over this same time frame, our school leaders and our school staff have been working to ensure a smooth transition from required masking to optional masking. We have been spending time talking with our staff and students about the importance of making sure that individual choices in this matter are fully respected and encouraged. It is ESSENTIAL that we view this as an individual decision. Everyone will be supported, no matter what decision that they make.
It is also important to note that our messaging is making it clear that there will be no tolerance for making comments or poking fun at anyone that chooses to still wear a mask. It would be most helpful if you could help with this messaging as parents as well. Everyone has their own reasons for their decision. Some may choose to wear a mask for comfort and protection, some may choose to wear a mask to help keep their faces warm, some may choose to wear a mask in order to help individuals in their family who may have compromised immune systems. It is not anyone's place to ask questions or make assumptions about these choices.
As a school system we continue to focus on making sure that every child and every staff member is supported in the decision to either wear a mask or not to wear a mask. Our Code of Conduct teaches us to be respectful, responsible and courageous and we will continue to honor our Code of Conduct through our actions moving forward. It is time to celebrate the fact that we are at this point where this kind of a change can safely occur in our schools and we look forward to moving our focus from Pandemic to Endemic over the course of the next several months.
As usual, have gotten some questions already from families. I thought it might be helpful to share some of those questions (with answers even) with all of you in case you are wondering similar things. You can view the Q&A sheet by CLICKING HERE.
In closing, I would be remiss if I did not take this opportunity to point out the 2+ years of hard work and dedication it has taken us to get to this point TOGETHER. We have been through so much, and that hard work is now beginning to pay off. COVID 19 is not "done with us" by any stretch, but it is clear that we are moving from the Pandemic phase of this work to the Endemic phase. In order to help us stay here, we all have a great responsibility to do our best to follow all the other safety precautions that help to keep COVID 19 at bay. As a reminder, those are:
* Continue your daily health screening routines. If Sick - STAY HOME.
* If experiencing symptoms, test.
* If you test positive for COVID 19, report to the School Nurse so she is aware and can help guide you regarding specific protocols. Isolate for at least 5 days. If asymptomatic on day 6, return to school is possible but A MASK IS REQUIRED to be worn on days 6-10.
* Wash/Sanitize those hands frequently.
* Maintain physical distancing of 3 ft to the extent possible.
* Strongly consider getting vaccinated/boosted if you haven't already done so.
By continuing to work together we will ensure continued forward progress - I have no doubt! GO RAMS!
P.S. - There is A LOT of work to do to go back through all of our handbooks and other online resource materials to make sure they are updated with these changes. This work will be ongoing over the course of the next several weeks, so please if you have questions email or call your building principals and I'm very sure they can help you in answering them. THANK YOU!
CONTINUED 2022-23 SCHOOL CALENDAR CONVERSATIONS
All that being said, I wanted to make sure you all had a solid understanding of timeline and process.
The School Committee will meet again on Wed. March 9 at 7:00 p.m. in council chambers to continue discussion. NO DECISION will be made on that night. However, it is a perfect opportunity for folks (if interested) to come out and share your thoughts with the School Committee. There will be a public comment section at the beginning of the agenda for this purpose. If you can't make the meeting, I would encourage folks to send a respectful email outlining your thoughts and ideas to Anne Schools, (SC chair) and then cc other School Committee members and myself. School Committee email addresses can be found on the district website or you can CLICK HERE for the direct link.
We have conducted a study of Cumberland County school systems to determine what they do for Early Release or Late Start days and will be presenting that on Wed. Night. I thought folks might also find that information interesting, so you can CLICK HERE to view.
Additionally, we will present a more thorough overview of what this additional time might be used for, where our focus points would be and how we would measure success. Again, thought folks might be interested, so you can view that information by CLICKING HERE.
After this meeting, we plan on spending another chunk of time on this discussion at our March 23 Workshop meeting. Again, no decision will be made at this meeting, but additional information will be shared and questions asked. Then the plan would be to bring the item back to the April 13 regular meeting agenda for final decision making. The March 23 meeting will be at 7:00 p.m. in the upstairs conference room at the Municipal center and the April 13 meeting will be at 7:00 in council chambers. The March 23 meeting will not be live streamed but both the March 9 and April 13 meetings will be using the town's website (CLICK HERE for quick link).
Bottom line, we are still very early in the conversation and learning phase of this topic, but I am sure that through continued open and respectful dialogue we will find the right balance to meet the needs of our staff and our families moving forward. I'll continue to keep folks updated and will most definitely share the final approved calendar after our April 13 meeting as I know many of you are "itching" to know those dates for next year! ☺
FINAL CHA GORHAM FACILITIES REPORT
I had mentioned this important work a while back, but wanted to follow up with the completed report that folks can view if you are interested. As a quick re-cap the Town of Gorham and the Gorham School Department hired CHA (a state Architectural Firm) to conduct a long range facilities plan in November of 2020. The Town recognized the need to prepare a long- range facility plan to be used as a planning tool for the Town Council and the citizens of Gorham in evaluating options for growth at Town owned buildings. The completed report draws conclusions and make recommendations. Only the residents of Gorham can determine the final solutions and decisions. This study prepares an analysis of existing conditions, organizational concepts, population and school enrollment projections, and education visions for school organizations. This report recommends that the Town embark in a series of public workshops to begin the dialogue and help the Town establish priorities for tackling overcrowded and outdated facilities as well as opportunities. The Town inevitably will have to make major investments with local or state funding to renovate, expand, or construct new schools and municipal facilities.
You can view the full and final report by CLICKING HERE.
The topic of capital facilities needs across our community is going to continue to be a large topic in the community of Gorham as we grow. It is a relatively lengthy report, but worth the read!
Next steps will be for the Town Council and School Committees to establish a timeline of joint meetings and joint work to do exactly what is recommended above. To engage our community in establishing priorities for tackling overcrowded and outdated facilities as well as to address the various opportunities these discussions can present. Once those priorities are established together, we will then work collaboratively to make them a reality for our community over time.
The next Joint meetings of the Town Council Facilities Committee and the School Department Facilities Committee will take place on Monday, March 7, 2022 at 6:30 p.m. in the downstairs conference room of the municipal building. A full agenda can be found on the Town's website.
ASPIRE GORHAM
It has been a while since I have updated people on this important work so I thought it might be nice to take a moment or two to do that very thing!
This community-wide initiative encourages students in every grade, in every Gorham school, to think about their futures. Collaborating with businesses and community organizations in and around Gorham, the Aspire Gorham team is connecting students to professionals in order to ensure meaningful real-world learning opportunities are at the center of our curriculum for students. We do this through a focus on THREE key elements:
EXPOSURE: Building future-ready skills and inspiring students.
This foundational state of Aspire Gorham provides introductory career-related opportunities that incorporate dramatic play, experiential learning, time for discussion, parent engagement, and development of future-ready skills that foster children's aspirational strengths and interests.
EXPLORATION: Supporting students to explore their strengths and interests.
Deepening the career exposure that occurs in early childhood and elementary education, this stage encourages students to actively "try it" and explore many different careers and skills, without fear of failure. Students continue to focus on the development of future-ready skills through ongoing exposure to and engagement with their community.
EXPERIENCE: Empowering students to craft their future stories.
Building upon the foundations of career exposure and exploration, students partner with teachers and community mentors to pursue authentic career experiences that are directly tied to future goals and are located in the community. Students also actively engage in career exposure and exploration activities as they refine their skills and take steps towards realizing their aspirations.
Basketball-Girls basketball won the Class AA South Regional Championship over Scarborough Saturday night. The girls will play in the state championship game on Saturday night vs. Cheverus at 7:00pm. Anna Nelson was named Red McMann Outstanding Player, the Ms. Basketball semifinalist honrs, and received, along with Elijah Wyatt, the Maine McDonald’s Academic recognition award.
Skiing-the girls Alpine Ski team finished 16th of 24 teams and the boys finished 11th of 21 teams. The girls were awarded the Sportsmanship Award!
Indoor Track-The boys team finished 5th in State Championship meet highlighted by Andrew Farr winning the state championship in the 400 Meter Dash and setting a new state record as well as winning the 200 meter dash. The girls finished as the Class-A runner up—highlighted by state championships by Alyvia Caruso I the 55 Hurdles, Emma Green in the High Jump, and the 4x200 relay team of Maddie Michaud, Ashley Connolly, Emma Green, and Sydney Connolly who won the state championship with a new state record time.
Ice Hockey—the boys team is the 7th seed in the Class B South Play-offs. The girls team was awarded MPA Sportsmanship Award!
Swimming—Boys swimming finished 9th and girls finished 11th at the state championships!
We are congratulate all of our athletes for a job well done!
UPCOMING GMS MUSICAL
The Emperor's New Clothes will be presented by Gorham Middle School Students on Friday March 11 at 7:00 p.m., Saturday, March 12 at 7:00 p.m. and again on Sunday, March 13 at 2:00 p.m. Tickets are $5.00 at the door.
I've seen rehearsals...it is going to be good! Check out the flyer below for more details:
The last game of the GHS unified team's schedule will be next week Wednesday at 3:30 pm at GHS.
Gorham Middle School will be starting their own Unified team this year with their home games coming up at GMS on March 10 and March 24 at 3:30 p.m.
If you have a moment, you should most definitely check these games out...we are so very proud of our unified athletes! GO RAMS!
Maine Department of Education Resources on Helping Young People Safely Navigate the Internet
Maine DOE Offers Parents, Educators, and Students Free Resources By Grade Level
Augusta, ME—During his State of the Union address this week, President Biden called for increased measures to ensure young people are protected on the internet and while using social media. The Maine Department of Education offers parents, educators, and students a number of free resources, by grade level, to help young people safely navigate the internet and avoid dangers that can impact their physical and mental health.
The Maine Department of Education’s comprehensive web-based social emotional learning resource SEL4ME embeds specific lessons in interest safety at every grade level. For example, the second grade module Be Fine Online helps students learn ways to stay safe when online, including the importance of never revealing their personal information; sixth graders have lesson like Be Aware What You Share in which they gain a deeper understanding of internet safety and social media and on cyberbullying; the eighth grade lesson User Beware: The Scary Side of the Internet helps students understand that not everything on the internet is safe, including how to spot online predators and the dangers of sexting; and in 11th grade, students have access to Cyber Bullying and Digital Citizenship which goes into the effects of online bullying and the virtual footprint that can follow them into the work place.
SEL4ME is free to all Maine schools, families, and community partners and offers more than 450 PreK-12th grade learning modules. Each grade level hosts lessons within the five key elements of social emotional learning (SEL): self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationships, and responsible decision making. Educators, families, and students can learn more and sign up here.
The Maine Department of Education’s Digital Learning Specialists, in partnership with the MLTI Ambassadors, also provide professional learning, resources, and support for digital citizenship, social media use, online safety, and cyber security. MLTI also partners with Common Sense Education to share digital citizenship and online safety resources with educators. Educators can also reach out to specialists directly to explore ways to integrate these skillsets into their instruction to help students stay safe online.
“The internet is a tremendous resource for students to explore and activate their passions, develop skills and knowledge, build connections, and expand their digital literacy, and Maine educators and schools are constantly integrating technology into teaching and learning in innovative ways,” said Education Commissioner Pender Makin. “We’re also committed to making sure students have the tools and resources they need to navigate the internet safely and avoid the very real dangers that President Biden outlined in his State of the Union speech that pose a threat to the physical and mental health of our young people. We encourage educators and families to take advantage of our free resources.”
RESOURCES FOR TALKING WITH YOUR CHILDREN ABOUT UKRAINE
UPCOMING PIHCINTU CONCERT
A concert happening right here in Gorham of the Maine Multicultural Girl's Choir. Check out flyer below for details if Interested!
Well that is it for this post. I'll blog again on March 18! Have a great weekend everyone!
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.