Distance Education & COVID-19 Resources

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Dear RSU #74 Families, Community Members, and Staff

RSU #74 schools will remain closed indefinitely at least through April 26th, 2020, and probably longer.

Next week we will be giving more information as we prepare for the coming weeks.

Once again thank you for your support and patience.

Good Evening RSU #74 Families,

Tomorrow we will be delivering school meals starting at 9 am. If no one is home we will not be able to deliver the meals. The van driver will blow the horn as they arrive at your home. Someone needs to come out and let the staff know the number of children in your home, and the staff member will leave the meals for each child - ages infant to 18 years old.

Additionally, there will also be a staff member at Garret Schenck, Solon and Carrabec Community Schools from 11 am-12 noon to provide school meals curbside.

If you do not want the food delivery, please call your child's school in the morning prior to 8:30 am, or Ms. Agren at (207) 431-8812.

Thank you,

Mike Tracy, M.Ed.

Superintendent of Schools

As of March 17, 2020 (5:00 pm)

Dear Families and Students of RSU #74,

I first would like to thank you for your patience during this time. As recent as 4:00 pm yesterday, President Trump has updated the US national emergency status to recommend no gatherings of more than 10 people. Please know that we, in coordination with the Maine CDC, Department of Education and regional Superintendents have agreed to remain on at least a 2 week shut-down while we figure out our next steps. In the meantime our school district teachers and staff are working on two priorities:

1. School Meals Distribution for children
2. Making Educational Resource Packets and Distribution to families

MEALS

• Bagged meals will begin Thursday this week.
• We will be delivering meals door-to door from 9:00 am - 11:00 am. In order to receive your children’s family meals (ages 0 - 18), an adult or child must be present to receive it.
• Next week meals will be delivered M,W, F door-to-door, and available at the schools listed as below.
• If you are not home during delivery, you may pick up your child’s meals at one of the three curbside locations (Solon Elementary, Carrabec Community, and Garret Schenck Elementary Schools) from 11:00 am - 12:00 noon.
• If you have other food needs, please call Ms. Agren at (207) 431-8812, or the central office at 635-2727.
• If you DO NOT wish to participate or otherwise have your children receive school meals please contact your child’s school.

SCHOOL RESOURCE PACKETS

• We are working diligently to create distance learning plans that will be mostly “paper and pencil” that all children can do at their level at home to help maintain their learning this year.
• We plan to begin distributing these packets to your child’s home at the address listed in our school database.
• Distribution will begin Monday, March 23.
• We are NOT prepared to send school laptops home at this time.
• We are establishing a teacher Call Center so that your child’s teacher can be reached directly by calling (207) 635-3278 from 8am-11am M-F.
• At this time, to limit the potential spread of the virus, we will not be collecting school work back.
• In addition, please provide us with any changes in the daytime location of your child (who may be at a different caregiver during the day etc.)

Again, thank you for your patience. We are truly doing our best to meet the needs of your children and our community.

Sincerely,

Mike Tracy, Superintendent of Schools

Good afternoon RSU # 74 School Community,

I am writing to inform you that RSU #74 schools will be closed starting Monday, March 16 and will remain closed through Friday, March 27. At that time, we will consider a decision on a potential longer closure based on the facts available. On Tuesday and Wednesday this week (March 17-18), staff will report to work as usual and will participate in professional development activities so that we may provide the best possible distance learning opportunities for students. We are hoping that by Thursday, March 19th distance learning will begin.

Although we have no evidence of a direct threat locally, we are taking precautions to protect our greater Maine community. This closure is in response to the call by medical professionals to implement practices of social distancing as we all work to minimize the spread of (COVID-19). This closure is not the result of any suspected or confirmed cases of COVID-19 in our immediate community, though we know the virus is present in our state. We are taking this proactive approach out of an abundance of caution and in an effort to “flatten the curve” of COVID-19 cases in Maine.

We know distance learning will not fully replace the classroom settings that students experience each day. We know there will be flaws with distance learning, but we are determined to continue to provide learning opportunities for all students, and we ask for your patience and flexibility as we work through this process.

We are still deciding how we will create these distance learning opportunities, and will be in touch via our school’s webpage, and Facebook with further instructions. For students who receive special services, parents will be receiving information from our Director of Special Education, Mrs. Grace Cram.

Much more information will be forthcoming on this closure, but I wanted to communicate this news to you as soon as possible so you may begin planning for child care and other concerns that will be raised by this decision. During this closure, we ask that you assist by minimizing group meetings of students and adults. Practicing social distancing and good personal hygiene are the two greatest steps we can take to protect our community from the spread of COVID-19.

We will continue to stay in touch with you throughout these distance learning days. We understand this is a time of great uncertainty, and we are here to support you and your children while at the same time doing our best to insure healthy practices for all in the community.

Thank you for your continued support of our students and our schools.

Sincerely,

Mike Tracy

RSU #74 Superintendent of Schools

March 13, 2020

Dear Parent/Guardian and Staff:

We understand that the Novel Coronavirus, now known as COVID-19, is causing much anxiety in our community, country and the world. RSU #74 is working to provide you with the most up to date information on this rapidly evolving situation. Following is a brief overview of the current situation. For more information and FAQ's, we recommend you visit: www.maine.gov/doe/covid-19

RSU #74 is making the following adjustments out of an abundance of caution and in an attempt to protect students, staff, and the community from the possible spread of the COVID 19 virus. These changes increase the possibility that our schools will remain open for the foreseeable future in this quickly evolving pandemic. I realize that you may find some of the adjustments an inconvenience, but what is in the best interest of the majority must be considered. Social distancing is the only effective strategy that is currently available to reduce the impact of the virus. Minimizing use of school facilities by the public and continual cleaning of all School District facilities is essential. Limiting the public's access to schools will provide the time necessary to complete such essential tasks. The fact remains that we want to continue to create an inviting atmosphere however, these new guidelines will be in place effective Monday March 16th through Monday April 17th. We will continue to monitor the quickly evolving situation and make adjustments as necessary.

*All student field trips and excursion out of school facilities are canceled.

*All travel for the school department by employees will be limited and must be approved in advance.

*All community use of School Department facilities is canceled.

*All extra and co-curricular activities are postponed.

*The Maine Principals Association is delaying the start of spring athletics until Monday April 27th

*All booster and PTO activities (including meetings) at schools are canceled.

*Involvement of school volunteers is postponed. Meetings that involve members of the public will be reduced and canceled when possible.

*If it is necessary to hold meetings that involve parents and/or others the meetings must be in a location as close to an exterior door as possible. -Custodians must be notified so the room is thoroughly cleaned after use.

*All school facilities will close every day at 5:00 p.m. and will not be open on weekends.

*"Closed" applies to everyone including all staff except essential personnel. It is imperative that buildings be empty to allow for disinfecting and cleaning. School events that involve only students and staff from that school may be held with prior permission.

*The March 20 PD day will be utilized by teachers and administrators to prepare for the potential of school closing.

The Maine CDC and 211 Maine announced yesterday a new option for Mainers to get answers to questions about the 2019 novel coronavirus (COVID-19) at any time. This service is available by dialing 211 (or 1-866-811-5695), texting your ZIP code to 898-211, or emailing info@211maine.org. I hope the adjustments and information mentioned above is helpful, and thank you for your understanding and support.

Dear Parents, Guardians, Students, and Staff,

The coronavirus has been part of our daily headlines; we want to stress that right now there are no cases in Maine. RSU #74 school district works closely with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Department of Education (DOE) to keep up to date with current conditions. In the event that an outbreak occurs in our community, we would partner with the CDC and follow their guidance.

Currently, the influenza virus (FLU) is in Maine and has many health officials concerned. While we are still learning about the coronavirus and possible symptoms, we do know it is similar to the FLU in that the symptoms include cough, fever, and shortness of breath. Right now in Maine, we are focused on influenza, the virus is highly contagious and can come on quickly. People typically experience headaches, fever (greater than 100.0), severe body aches, and respiratory symptoms such as cough, sore throat and runny nose. If your child is experiencing any of these symptoms accompanied with a fever, they must not return to school until their temperature has been normal for a full 24 hours [without the use fever-reducing medications like acetaminophen (Tylenol) or Ibuprofen] If you have any questions regarding your child’s symptoms, your child’s primary care provider is the best person to call. If your student is ill, please keep them home and notify the school office they will be absent.

The procedures we use fight the FLU pertain to decreasing the spread of all viruses. As the school nurse, I am asking for your help in preventing the spread of FLU and other potential viruses in our schools.

Doing the following may help protect you and your family from the spread of influenza and other potential viruses:

• Cough or sneeze into a tissue or inside the of the elbow if a tissue is not available.
• Washing your hands often with soap and water is best or use hand sanitizer if soap and water are not available.
• Avoid taking infants, young children or those with chronic illnesses like asthma, diabetes or cancer into large crowds during the flu season.
• Minimize close contact with those who are ill.
• Do not share water bottles, straws, or eating utensils

IF YOU OR YOUR CHILD HAVE NOT RECEIVED A FLU SHOT, IT IS NOT TOO LATE TO SEE YOUR PRIMARY CARE PROVIDER TO GET ONE.

Visit the following website to learn more about Influenza: https://www.cdc.gov/flu/index.htm and the following website for the coronavirus: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/about/

We appreciate your help in keeping our schools and community healthy and safe.

Sincerely,

Laurie Hanson-Hiscock, BSN, RN, RSU# 74 School Nurse