Wow, what a fantastic start to Continuous Learning! Here is a WES PreK class meeting on Zoom to learn together with friends. Thank you all for your efforts to continue your child's learning with us. What a wonderful community we have here!
Good morning students! We are looking forward to seeing you all today. #gomustangs
Lyman Elementary had 98% of our take home packets picked up today! Thank you parents for valuing education and helping us while we navigate this uncharted territory. I am so amazing and proud of our staff who gave up their practice online day to be at the school and help get the packets out to cars. I feel so fortunate to work in this community!
Line staff have been working hard to plan for Continuous Learning online, starting tomorrow, March 18th! We can't wait to reconnect with our students! Check rsu57.org for more information. Resource packets are available for pickup until 7PM and we are getting close to 100%!
WES teachers are working hard planning for Continuous Learning online, starting tomorrow, March 18th! We can't wait to see you all! Check rsu57.org for more information.
Please see the News Feed on the district website (www.rsu57.org) for the latest community update.
Students, we miss you already and will see you online tomorrow, March 18th! Check your school email and RSU57.org for details. Thank you to our entire staff for their hard work and dedication. We are tremendously grateful.
The MHS Guidance Department and Extended Learning Opportunities Coordinator have created a Google Classroom for information on course selection for next year and general announcements from their departments. To access this Google Classroom use the following code: 2ulkdmw
WES: Our amazing staff has been working diligently through the day to get materials together to support Continuous Learning.Tomorrow (Tuesday, 3/17/2020), you will be able to pick up technology and learning packets from 8:30am-3:30pm and from 5:00pm-7:00pm at WES.
If you have a child in PK-grade 2, please follow the regular drop off loop and pull up to the curb. If you have a child in grades 3-5, please pull into the bus loop to the front entrance curb. Please remain in your car and a staff member will be present to assist you. Call the school with any questions. Thank you!
Dear Parents,
I hope this email finds you well. As you can imagine we have been working hard to plan for your child(ren)’s education over the next ten days. Online and paper packets will be utilized starting on Wednesday. Teachers have created packets which include planning for reading, writing, math, art, music, and PE along with information on the online resources being used.
Alfred and Lyman Elementary Schools will be open tomorrow from 8:00am-3:30pm and 5pm-7pm Tuesday, March 17, so that families can pick up packets. If these times do not work, please contact the school so that we may help to facilitate a pick up. In an attempt to minimize public entrance into our building please drive into the circle and remain in your car. We will have staff members prepared to collect your information and deliver the resources to you. All students will receive a paper packet as well as their iPad and charger. If there are items you would like to pick up from either our nurse or your child(ren)’s teacher, please call the main office in advance or email their teacher so that we can prepare in advance and have them ready for your arrival.
Please review the newly created website at: https://sites.google.com/rsu57.org/rsu-57-distance-learning-site/home for information regarding teacher schedules and open virtual office hours. We will email when this link goes live. Teachers will be available daily as a resource to your child and will share a ZOOM meeting code/link that can be accessed from a web browser or a phone (a number is provided) to ask for help on their school work. Please check in with your students teacher daily as this is how we will collect attendance and check progress with their assignments. If your child is sick, please let your child's teacher know and call our main office. If you have not been receiving the district-wide emails and updates please contact Kevin Perkins at Tel: (207)247-0754 email: kevinperkins@rsu57.org
Thank you and please do not hesitate to reach out with any questions. We appreciate your support and patience as we work hard to navigate these new waters.
Our best,
Cindy Pellerin and Catherine Poulin
As I stand in the cafe at the end of a long day, I cannot help but smile at what I see. Although the circumstances are difficult, I am so appreciative of the hard work and collaboration of all of our staff across the district to continue to serve our students. Thank you:)
Spectrum Signup: Spectrum is now offering free/low cost Internet service for 60 days to qualified homes. Any household that currently qualifies for free or reduced lunch and is a first time subscriber to Spectrum can complete an application at http://bit.ly/57spectrumsignup.
March 16, 2020
Good Afternoon RSU #57 Families.
Today, Monday, March 16th and Tuesday, March 17th are "no school" days. There is no remote work expected of your student. Remote check ins with your child and their teacher(s) will begin Wednesday, March 18th. Staff are vigorously working to compile resources and prepare for this launch. You will receive a notification with further details from your building and/or specific teacher(s) no later than tomorrow, Tuesday, March 17th.
We ask that students and families wait until tomorrow, March 17th, to come to schools if you need to pick up items - iPads, clothes, instruments, binders, books, etc. The buildings will be open starting March 17th, for you to access what you need. Individual buildings will be sending out the times and protocol for pick up, as each site has unique community needs. Please email or call your child’s school in advance if you 1) Need to pick up medication from the School Nurse and/or 2) Need to pick up items outside of the scheduled hours.
If you are dropping things off, please clearly mark them to say who it is for and who it is from.
We encourage you to stay in contact with your student(s) schools. We are also encouraging daily communication with your teacher(s). This communication could be through the use of Google Classroom, SeeSaw, logging in to an app that was assigned by your teacher, an email, a phone call, etc. We ask that you help by encouraging all learners to be engaged in daily school activities. Our staff are working hard to create purposeful assignments and interactions to help keep our learning going.
Parents, please be sure to monitor your child on his/her device. Our district firewalls do not provide protection off school grounds. While our staff will review best practices with students we will need your support to ensure all learners remain safe online.
We will continue to communicate with you and you are welcome to email or call your child’s school during the office hours. We deeply appreciate your patience, support, and cooperation as we take these next steps. We encourage you to reach out to your child’s school to let us know how we can best support needs in this new learning environment.
Be well,
Larry Malone, Superintendent
Kindergarten registration for fall 2020 is now underway! Registration can be completed online and includes a meeting with our District Registrar. If you have a student that already attends one of the district PreK programs there is no need to register them as they are already in the system. Thank you
In an effort to support the children and families in our community, the RSU 57 School Nutrition Department will be offering free meals to all children ages 18 and under starting on Monday, March 16th through the duration of the school closure.
Meals will be pre-packaged, grab n' go and will be available at the following locations:
Line Elementary School - 818 Water Street, West Newfield, ME 04095
Massabesic Middle School - 134 Old Alfred Road, East Waterboro, ME 04030
Hours of pickup will be Monday - Friday from 7:00am - 9:00am and 11:00am - 1:00pm.
Please note: This is open to ALL children, ages 18 and under from any community.
To help eliminate unnecessary travel for families, children have the option to receive breakfast and lunch for each day and can take up to 3 days' worth of meals per pickup. Pickup will occur at the front doors of each location. Please remain in your car upon arrival. Staff will be present to assist you.
Please know that our department is following strict sanitation guidelines to ensure the safety of our community.
**If you or your family cannot access either site during the pickup hours, please contact Cathy at the School Nutrition Office at (207) 247-3221, ext. 2257.
We will update this information as needed. Thank you.
March 15, 2020
To the RSU 57 School Community,
RSU 57 schools will be closed for two weeks starting Monday, March 16th through Friday, March 27th as a proactive health measure in our community. Although there are no confirmed COVID-19 cases in our schools, it is in the best interest of our school community, York County, and the State of Maine, to practice social distancing in our collective attempt to “flatten the curve”. This will also ensure those most vulnerable are able to receive the treatment they need. These decisions have been made through constant consultation with Maine CDC, Maine Department of Education, and in collaboration with York and Cumberland County Superintendents. This has been a difficult decision and we fully understand that the consequences of a prolonged school closure are profound.
Our team has been working diligently to prepare. There are many things we will be doing for the first time as no one has prior experience with a prolonged school closure of this magnitude. Educators and staff will be finishing up plans for implementing virtual learning on Monday and Tuesday and will be ready to resume your child’s education remotely on Wednesday, March 18, 2020.
We believe the continuous learning plan we have prepared will provide a level of continuity for our students during this time of change. Details will be shared with parents by Wednesday, March 18th, and will outline how to obtain and access resources, required assignments, a method for daily communication and a directory of supports.
A plan is being finalized for students or parents to pick up needed supplies on Tuesday, March 17. For elementary students this includes packets for home learning and technology. For MMS and MHS students we ask that you contact the main office at your child’s school to notify them if your child needs to pick up devices from school. Please expect more communication from your child’s school about this procedure on Monday.
The School Nutrition Department is working on a detailed plan to allow for our students to access food if needed. Line Elementary School and Massabesic Middle School will be sites for pick up of bagged breakfast and lunch items. Please check the website and/or see the nutrition update for details about this service.
All staff will report to their regular building assignments on Monday morning. Please see building updates for more information. Transportation staff are asked to bring their buses to the bus garage and meet in the East Training Center at 8:00 am.
Finally, as our health professionals continue to remind all of us: wash your hands, wipe down surfaces, practice social distancing, cover your mouth or use a tissue if you are coughing, and stay home if you are sick. These habits continue to be the most effective defense and our best chance to slow the spread of COVID-19. We will continue to send and post updates on a regular basis. Most importantly, take care of one another.
Regards,
Larry Malone, Superintendent of Schools
RSU 57 School Nutrition Department
Good evening, This is a message from Larry Malone, Superintendent of Schools, informing you that there will be NO SCHOOL FOR STUDENTS for two weeks, beginning Monday, March 16th through Sunday, March 29th. Although there are no confirmed cases of COVID-19 in our schools, the closure is a proactive health measure for our communities. We will send additional information to parents and staff tomorrow.
Dear RSU #57 Community,
Thank you for your patience as we work through this unprecedented and rapidly changing situation. It is imperative that we work collaboratively with each other, within and outside of our immediate community. Please know we are heeding the advice of trusted educational and medical professionals.
As educators our first priorities are to keep students safe and to educate them to the best of our ability. We understand that a school closure, should it come to that, would present a significant hardship for many families. Our focus must remain on the safety of our students and staff and we will do our best to limit the impact on their academic progression.
Neither Governor Mills nor the Maine CDC recommend school closure at this time. We are focusing on providing your child with an excellent education whether that is on-site or through distance learning. Information around these procedures will be communicated.
The following decisions have been made and I will continue to make adjustments in the best interest of all stakeholders:
• Distance learning plans are being prepared in the event of a school closure.
• Daily attendance is being monitored as it relates to potential COVID-19 symptoms.
• Student drop-off and pick-up procedures may be revised and will be communicated to you as needed.
• The use of school volunteers will be suspended through April 27th.
• Staff and students who have been absent as a result of fever are being asked to consult their medical professional and return to school when directed with a note.
• We are in contact with known staff and students who have travelled out of the country.
• We have implemented measures to reduce the number of students in one place at any given time as we encourage social-distancing when possible.
• The Maine Principals Association Board of Directors and Interscholastic Management Committee voted today, March 13, 2020 to delay the start of the 2020 Spring sports pre-season practice until April 27, 2020. We will continue to monitor the situation and will make the appropriate changes as needed to ensure the safety of all students.
• The remainder of the middle school winter sports season has been cancelled.
• Field trips are suspended through April 27th.
• Out of state school trips are cancelled through April 27th.
• The district will be cancelling activities and events outside of the regular school day. Some activities and events scheduled during the school day may also be cancelled and will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
• Building use by outside groups has been suspended with the exception of childcare to support our enhanced cleaning and disinfecting practices.
Please continue vigilantly washing your hands with soap and water and maintain a reasonable distance from others as suggested by the CDC. Please remain home if you or your children have symptoms associated with the COVID-19 virus and seek medical advice via phone should you have questions.
These plans are developing rapidly and we will keep you informed. Thank you.
Larry Malone, Superintendent
https://www.maine.gov/doe/covid-19
Internet Access Opportunity: Please see the news story linked below from News 13 about access to free wifi through Spectrum for families with school-age children. We will pass updates as we receive them.
http://bit.ly/news13spectrum