March 27, 2020

Dear Parents/Guardians,

It’s hard to believe that we have completed our second week of our new reality, but in other ways, it feels like these two weeks have been very long. Our staff has been extremely busy planning and preparing ways to connect with their students. Watching this new way of connecting and learning unfold has been very exciting to watch. There is certainly a learning curve for all of us and we appreciate your patience and feedback as we continue to work out the kinks. Our primary goals are staying connected with our students and keeping them engaged.

One way we are making an effort to connect with our students is by having teachers let us know of any families they have not heard from during the week. This includes contact from a parent or student in ways such as, email, Zoom meeting, blog post, or any other way a teacher has created to connect with students. If we have not heard from a family, we will be reaching out. Please understand, we are not trying to cause any more stress than what families are already enduring, nor are we trying to overstep our boundaries. Instead, we want to make sure we are staying connected and to see if there are any ways we can help.

Our breakfast and lunch program is going well. Remember, you can sign up anytime to have breakfast and lunch for seven days delivered Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays by filling out this form. If you would like to discontinue this service at any time, please email me directly.

Starting next week, our building will be open on Mondays between the hours of 7:00-5:00 for parents to pick up packets, books, and materials.

I hope you have begun settling into this new rhythm. I know these unprecedented times can be difficult. Please know, we are here for you and we want to help. We also want to hear your thoughts and suggestions, as this is all new to us, too. Reach out to your child’s/children’s teachers. Their desire is to keep students’ engaged and their minds stimulated. We are constantly working on a balance between enough and too much. Remember, we are in this together!

Be well and stay safe,

Danielle Fagonde

Dear HES Family,

I hope you are well. It seems for many of us that the adrenaline is wearing off and exhaustion is setting in. It’s a very important time to remember to be kind to yourselves, to be patient, and to practice all of your self care routines. If you don’t have any, what better time to explore than now! Go slow and steady. This will feel more like a marathon than a sprint.

We have a few updates that we want to share with you.

Our lobby will continue to be open for material pick-up on Mondays from 7:00 am-5:00 pm. However, only two people are allowed in the lobby at a time. We also ask that you maintain the six feet social distance guidelines. There will be hand sanitizer for you to use as you enter, as well. If you are not able to pick up materials, please let your child’s/children’s teacher(s) know so that other arrangements can be made.

We have temporarily removed the HES wifi password in order for people to be able to use the wifi from their vehicle in the parking lot.

We are aware of resource fatigue. We are all feeling it, too. We also understand that we may be contributing to the resource fatigue you are experiencing. As part of the solution to this, we have created the HES Remote Learning Page. You can access this page from our HES website at www.hes.fivetowns.net. Here you will be able to find links to resources posted by teachers. You will find videos for PE and art ideas, resources and articles from our school counselor, lessons for French and music, a catalog of library books, past newsletters from myself, and even a story read by Mrs. Walsh! Some pages will only be accessible by family members of students in a particular class. If you cannot open your child’s teacher’s page, please contact the teacher directly. We are still in the beginning stages so please be patient and visit often as this space will be continually updated.

For middle school parents, the middle school team has put together a weekly newsletter, which includes remote learning suggestions and updates along with Zoom meeting dates. This will be emailed to middle school parents on Sunday and will also be found on our HES Remote Learning Page.

The West Bay Rotary has created an incredible website with many resources to promote and facilitate financial and volunteer support to families and individuals in the midcoast area. The address for the Midcoast Rotarians web page is https://rotariansserving.org/. This link is included on our HES Remote Learning Page under News & Updates.

Spring break will remain on the calendar, from April 20th-24th. During this time, there will be a break in remote learning. However, we will continue the same meal schedule, delivering meals Monday, April 20th, Wednesday, April 22nd, and Friday, April 24th.

With the new guidelines set forth by Governor Mills, we are postponing the Wings of Hope parachute airdrops. Names will continue to be drawn each week, however, and eventually Wings of Hope will be able to proceed with the parachute airdrops.

I wish you peace and wellness during these unprecedented times. Remember, we are here and we care. We are all in this together! Please tell your children we miss them! We’ve included a link to a slideshow from all of our staff to share with your children so that they can see some familiar faces and know that we are all sending our love.

As always, please feel me to contact me if you have questions or concerns. Hang in there. Together we will get through this.

Be well and stay safe,

Danielle Fagonde

Hello Video

Dear HES Family,

I hope this newsletter finds you healthy and well. This experience changes day by day and we all are finding our way. I am sure you have heard by now that the Maine Commissioner of Education, Pender Makin, with support from Governor Mills, is recommending that schools continue with remote learning for the rest of the 2019-2020 school year. We believe all schools in Maine will be following this recommendation.

There are many unanswered questions that remain. What we do know, however, is this: We will continue to stay connected with each of our families/students. We will continue to improve our remote learning skills to better serve the students. HES will continue serving meals as long as possible. We will do our best to keep students engaged so that they are ready to jump back into the classroom to continue their progress. We will continue to assess how we are doing with our new model of education and adjust our sails for the wind as it continuously changes. We will make sure our students have proper closure to the school year and that eighth graders will be honored in a way that is special and memorable to the extent that we are able to do so safely.

I know this was not an easy decision to hear. Like you, we are disappointed, concerned, and heartbroken. We are missing our students more than you know. We miss coming to work at our place that is filled with so much love and hope. We miss the very important role we have to be entrusted with your children each day, to look after them and support them. Teachers are worried about all they have left to do with their students and ending a year without proper closure. Our heart breaks for our disappointed eighth graders who will not experience the traditional milestones that make Hope the special place that it is.

Our staff is working very hard and I could not be more proud. Teachers are pushing themselves way beyond the comforts of their own classroom, reaching students at levels they hadn’t dreamed of. They are building different kinds of relationships and making sure different needs are being met for each student. Staff are eager to prepare, pack, and deliver meals and they long for communication from students in all different forms. We are also using this time for meaningful professional development so that we are better prepared to respond to our students when we are together again.

We are being very mindful of the “offer vs. serve” model of education we are presenting. We want to make sure we are offering enough materials, ideas, and resources, without creating anymore added pressure on families than what is already caused by COVID-19. We will continue along with this philosophy of remote learning, while being prepared to differentiate when appropriate.

HES will continue to be open on Mondays from 7:00 AM -5:00 PM to pick up materials and packets. Please visit our HES Remote Learning Page for helpful resources from your child’s/children’s teachers.

MS parents, please look for the MS newsletter, which we will continue to email on Sunday. We will also email the same newsletter to your MS children. In addition, a paper copy will be available in the lobby on Mondays. We recognize the learning curve our middle school students are experiencing by learning how to engage with teachers and peers using a video conferencing platform, such as Zoom, checking and responding to email, and keeping track of their new daily schedule. These are all very important and useful skills, which will undoubtedly prepare them for the future. However, we never anticipated that they would need to learn them so soon.

These are very challenging times indeed, but we are all in this together. I have no doubt that we will emerge from this stronger and more united than ever.

Be well and stay safe,

Danielle Fagonde

Dear HES Family,

I hope you are well and that you have recovered from the recent power outages and storms. Memories of last week have dimmed now that the sun is shining and the flowers are beginning to bloom.

Although we don't have many updates this week, we do have some important reminders.

Next week is April break. Staff are encouraged to log-off and step away from school for the week. We will continue to serve food Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.

Our HES internet is open for public use and can be accessed from our parking lot. Please feel free to use it.

Please remember to check out our HES Remote Learning Page for resources, ideas and past updates. Also included on this page is our meal survey where you can sign up for meal deliveries.

Speaking of surveys, we have a new survey that we are asking you to complete. As we are five weeks into our remote learning journey, we are seeking your feedback so that we can better serve you during the weeks ahead. Our remote learning philosophy is to offer academic resources and activities while being mindful not to cause extra stress for families. Our goal is to keep students connected and engaged. We want to know how it is working for your family so please take a few minutes to complete this survey.

Students were emailed an Essential's Team Activity Checklist this past week filled with lots of fun ways to be active, creative, and mindful. Students can work on this throughout April vacation. When students complete the activity checklist, students can send an email to the teachers who are mentioned at the bottom of the checklist so that they can send a a "Congratulations!" message..

We wish you a wonderful April break safe at home and hope that it provides you with a chance to catch your breath and unplug a little. Thank you all for your support, patience, and understanding over the last five weeks as we have tackled this shared unprecedented journey. Please tell your child/children we miss them!

Be well and stay safe,

Danielle Fagonde

Dear HES Family,

I hope you are staying safe and finding your way through these unprecedented times and that it was an easy transition back to remote learning this week.

Our last day of remote learning is set for Friday, June 5th. We will continue to deliver meals through June 19th. We are working out plans and logistics for returning items that belong to the school as well as creating some sort of closure to the 2019-20 school year for our students.

Teachers and staff will use the time between June 7th - June 19th preparing for our return in the fall. There are many unanswered questions for which we wish we had answers. I will be sure to keep you apprised of information as best as I can. As of now, you know as much we do about the 2020-2021 school year. However, we will do our best to make sure we are more prepared than we were earlier this spring.

8th Grade Graduation is a major event in our minds. We are brainstorming ways to make this milestone meaningful and fully honor our 8th graders. We do know that it will be much different than our traditional graduations and there is a strong possibility with the Governor’s latest plan, that it will need to be held remotely.

School will continue to be open on Mondays from 7:00 AM - 5:00 PM for material and packet pick-up. Please wear a face mask upon entering the building. If you have items you wish to pick up from school, but are finding it difficult to get there during this time, please let either me or your child’s/children’s teachers know and we will make alternate arrangements. Library books can now be returned on Mondays in the pink tote by the front door.

If you would like to sign up for meal delivery, please do so here. We are delivering to any child under the age of 18 living in Hope. Please remember to check out our HES Remote Learning Page for resources, ideas and past updates. The meal sign up is also located on this website.

If you have not yet given us feedback about our remote learning model, please do so here. If you have already, thank you!

As always, thank you for your support, feedback, and connection during this challenging time. Please let us know if you have questions or concerns, or if there is anything we can do to help you. We are here for you!

Stay well and be safe,

Danielle Fagonde

Dear HES Family,

I hope you are doing well and hanging in there. It’s nice to see the weather cooperating for now. Get outside when you can!

We are expanding our hours for our school to be open to parents for material and packet pick-up. School will continue to be open on Mondays from 7:00 AM - 5:00 PM. In addition, school will be open Tuesday - Friday from 7:00 AM - 2:00 PM. Please wear a face mask upon entering the building. If you have items you wish to pick up from school, but are finding it difficult to get there during this time, please let either me or your child’s/children’s teachers know and we will make alternate arrangements. Library books can now be returned in the pink tote by the front door when the building is open.

Mrs. Burcalow announced her retirement this week after twenty-five years of teaching. We are so grateful for all of the joy for music she brought to our students and her enthusiasm for music education. She will leave behind many talented young musicians that she helped to nurture. We wish her the best of luck and congratulate her on her retirement.

Don’t forget the Essentials Checklist. Students were emailed an Essential's Team Activity Checklist filled with lots of fun ways to be active, creative, and mindful. When students complete the activity checklist, students can send an email to the teachers who are mentioned at the bottom of the checklist so that they can send a "Congratulations!" message.

If you would like to sign up for meal delivery, please do so here. We are delivering to any child under the age of 18 living in Hope. Please remember to check out our HES Remote Learning Page for resources, ideas and past updates. The meal sign up is also located on this website.

If you have not yet given us feedback about our remote learning model, please do so here. If you have already, thank you!

In honor of Teacher Appreciation Week I would like to share with you this video that demonstrates this unique time in education for teachers and shows their commitment and persistence to stay connected to their students. We are truly fortunate to have the wonderful staff we do and in times like these, it really shines through.

As always, thank you for your support, feedback, and connection during this challenging time. Please let us know if you have questions or concerns, or if there is anything we can do to help you. We are here for you!

Stay well and be safe,

Danielle Fagonde

Dear HES Family,

I hope you are holding up okay. This week, I have been channelling my thoughts to become more comfortable with uncertainty. Sometimes, it’s okay not to be in despair nor excited about the possibilities, but to remain neutral and live with the complexities that we are confronted with. “This is what uncertainty feels like and it’s a very healthy place to dwell.” -Margaret J. Wheatley

Our school will continue to be open to parents for material and packet pick-up on Mondays from 7:00 AM - 5:00 PM and Tuesday - Friday from 7:00 AM - 2:00 PM. Please wear a face covering upon entering the building. If you have items you wish to pick up from school, but are finding it difficult to get there during these times, please let either me or your child’s/children’s teachers know and we will make alternate arrangements. Library books can now be returned in the pink tote by the front door when the building is open.

Pre-K will be having their annual plant sale on May 23rd from 8:00-12:00 in the back parking lot. Face coverings are required and we will follow social distancing rules. We will only have a few shoppers at a time and there will be volunteers to help for curbside pickup. There is a wide variety of vegetables, annuals, perennials, and succulents. All proceeds benefit the Hope Pre-K discretionary fund. For more information please email Mrs. Pride at marybeth.pride@fivetowns.net.

If you would like to sign up for meal delivery, please do so here. We are delivering to any child under the age of 18 living in Hope. Please remember to check out our HES Remote Learning Page for resources, ideas and past updates. The meal sign up is also located on this website.

If you have not yet given us feedback about our remote learning model, please do so here. If you have already, thank you! If you would like to set up a time to talk with your child’s/children’s teachers to discuss your child’s learning experience during the last few months, please contact teachers to schedule a time.

We still do not know what the reopening of school in September will look like. There are a few scenarios that we will be preparing for:

1. Fully open

2. Staggered opening

3. Remote learning

4. Combination of the above

However the scenario plays out, we do know that we will be prepared to start where we left off in March. Teachers will be meeting in vertical teams to address gaps in curriculum and plan for how the gaps will be resolved. Students will be given the same diagnostic assessments (AimsWeb & NWEA) we use each fall to determine where they're in their learning continuum.

We also know that if we should return to remote learning, our remote learning model will be different from what we are currently doing. Students will be actively engaged in new learning. We have had time to experiment, learn from other schools, reflect on what has been working and what has not, as well incorporating feedback from families..

Although there are still many unknowns, I am confident that we will be ready for whatever the Commissioner of Education and the Governor deem appropriate and safe for Maine schools. Together, our teacher association and the Hope School Committee are in the process of drawing an agreement to take five professional development days previously scheduled for June 15-19, and use them for planning in July/August when we have a better sense of what reopening in the fall will look like at HES.

There is a beautiful weekend forecasted for us. Hopefully you can enjoy the outdoors! As always, thank you for your support, feedback, and connection during this challenging time. Please let us know if you have questions or concerns, or if there is anything we can do to help you. We are here for you!

Stay well and be safe,

Danielle Fagonde

Dear HES Family,

It is hard to believe it is Memorial Day weekend and summer is around the corner. To honor this special weekend, HES staff have prepared and delivered a lemon geranium plant to every family with a message of hope included! Plants were generously donated by an HES family.

Our school will continue to be open to parents for material and packet pick-up on Mondays from 7:00 AM - 5:00 PM and Tuesday - Friday from 7:00 AM - 2:00 PM. Please wear a face covering upon entering the building. If you have items you wish to pick up from school, but are finding it difficult to get there during these times, please let either me or your child’s/children’s teachers know and we will make alternate arrangements. Library books can now be returned in the pink tote by the front door when the building is open.

The building will be open from 7:00-5:00 and we will be delivering food on Memorial Day.

We have been planning an event to wrap up the school year that we are excited to share with you. On Thursday, June 4th at 2:00 PM (rain date: June 5th at 2:00) our staff will be lined up around the outside of the school ready to wave and give a shout out to students as families drive around the school. We will have the Hope Fire Department and other officials helping us direct traffic. As much as we would love to get closer to our students who we miss so very much, it is very important that everyone remain in their vehicle.

Pre-K will be having their annual plant sale tomorrow, May 23rd from 8:00-12:00 in the back parking lot. Face coverings are required and we will follow social distancing rules. We will only have a few shoppers at a time and there will be volunteers to help for curbside pickup. There is a wide variety of vegetables, annuals, perennials, and succulents. All proceeds benefit the Hope Pre-K discretionary fund. For more information please email Mrs. Pride at marybeth.pride@fivetowns.net.

HES will continue to deliver meals through June 19th. If you would like to sign up for meal delivery, please do so here. We are delivering to any child under the age of 18 living in Hope. Please remember to check out our HES Remote Learning Page for resources, ideas and past updates. The meal sign up is also located on this website. If you need assistance with food security during the summer months please contact Patricia Cochran at patricia.cochran@fivetowns.net or myself at danielle.fagonde@fivetowns.net. There are resources we can connect you with.

If you have not yet given us feedback about our remote learning model, please do so here. If you have already, thank you! If you would like to set up a time to talk with your child’s/children’s teachers to discuss your child’s learning experience during the last few months, please contact teachers to schedule a time.

I hope you have a wonderful Memorial Day weekend! As always, thank you for your support, feedback, and connection during this challenging time. Please let us know if you have questions or concerns, or if there is anything we can do to help you. We are here for you!

Stay well and be safe,

Danielle Fagonde

Dear HES Family,

I hope you have been enjoying the beautiful weather we have been having! It’s hard to believe that we are headed into our final week of remote learning. This is not the way any of us ever imagined ending the school year, but here we are and we will make the best with what we have!

Our school will continue to be open to parents for material and packet pick-up on Mondays from 7:00 AM - 5:00 PM and Tuesday - Friday from 7:00 AM - 2:00 PM. Please wear a face covering upon entering the building. If you have items you wish to pick up from school, but are finding it difficult to get there during these times, please let either me or your child’s/children’s teachers know and we will make alternate arrangements. Library books can now be returned in the pink tote by the front door when the building is open. Please look for correspondence from your child’s/children’s teachers about getting items returned to school.

Reminder, on Thursday, June 4th at 2:00 PM (rain date: June 5th at 2:00) our staff will be lined up around the outside of the school ready to wave and give a shout out to students as families drive around the school. We will have the Hope Fire Department and other officials helping us direct traffic. As much as we would love to get closer to our students who we miss so very much, it is very important that everyone remain in their vehicle.

Starting at 2:45, 8th graders will be escorted from Hope Center Fire Department to HES. If you live on this route, please feel free to cheer them on and wave as they go by. If you do not live on this route, but would like to show your support to our 8th graders, we welcome you to make signs that we can post along the route. Signs should be delivered to the HES lobby by 2:00 on Wednesday, June 3rd.

HES will continue to deliver meals through June 19th. If you would like to sign up for meal delivery, please do so here. We are delivering to any child under the age of 18 living in Hope. Please remember to check out our HES Remote Learning Page for resources, ideas and past updates. The meal sign up is also located on this website. If you need assistance with food security during the summer months please contact Patricia Cochran at patricia.cochran@fivetowns.net or myself at danielle.fagonde@fivetowns.net. There are resources we can connect you with.

There are a few online programs that you and your child/children may already be familiar with that will have a continuing subscription through the summer months that we would like to share with you, which are ALEKS, ….

I hope you have a wonderful Memorial Day weekend! As always, thank you for your support, feedback, and connection during this challenging time. Please let us know if you have questions or concerns, or if there is anything we can do to help you. We are here for you!

Stay well and be safe,

Danielle Fagonde

Dear HES Family,

We made it - and we did it together! Although none of us asked to be in the position we were faced with for the last one-third of the 2019-20 school year, I know we have learned some valuable lessons that we will carry with us for a very long time. Perhaps the most important is how critical the partnership between home and school is for the complete education of the student. Thank you for partnering with us!

It was so great to see everyone yesterday. Thank you for making it happen. It was a testament to the strong and beautiful community in which I am so proud to be a part of and to raise my children in.

If you were not able to make the parade yesterday, don’t worry. We have one last farewell from HES staff attached at the bottom of this email.

Our school will continue to be open to parents until June 19th for material pick-up/drop-off on Mondays from 7:00 AM - 5:00 PM and Tuesday - Friday from 7:00 AM - 2:00 PM. Please wear a face covering upon entering the building. If you have items you wish to pick up from school, but are finding it difficult to get there during these times, please let either me or your child’s/children’s teachers know and we will make alternate arrangements. Library books can be returned in the pink tote by the front door when the building is open. Again, June 19th is the last day the school will be open.

We have several summer reading incentives and book lists to help encourage your students to read over the summer. The link to Hope Summer Reading 2020 will be at the bottom of this email. Hard copies will be available in the school lobby.

HES will continue to deliver meals through June 19th. If you would like to sign up for meal delivery, please do so here. We are delivering to any child under the age of 18 living in Hope. Please remember to check out our HES Remote Learning Page for resources, ideas and past updates. The meal sign up is also located on this website. If you need assistance with food security during the summer months please contact Patricia Cochran at patricia.cochran@fivetowns.net or myself at danielle.fagonde@fivetowns.net. There are resources we can connect you with.

This is our final Friday parent update. I will continue to be in touch as plans for the reopening of school unfold which I don’t expect until August. As always, thank you for your support, feedback, and connection during this challenging time. We have shown, once again, that it truly takes a village. Please let us know if you have questions or concerns, or if there is anything we can do to help you. We are here for you!

Enjoy the ease of summer and we wish you all the best adventures and lots of family fun!

Stay well and be safe,

Danielle Fagonde