RSU 34 -

Required parent form for RSU #34 students - Fall 2020 Dear Parents/Guardians of RSU #34 Children, Our district has put together a form through which parents/guardians will inform the schools of their family’s plans and needs for the upcoming start to the school year. Please submit one form per RSU #34 student in order for us to coordinate family plans PreK-12. We estimate this form will take no more than 5 minutes per student to complete. Please submit this form as soon as possible and no later than Friday, July 31st. You can watch the presentation of our planning to the School Board here: https://www.rsu34.org/article/272060?org=rsu-34 RSU #34 anticipates needing to move flexibly between three “lanes” in 2020-2021, depending on things such as community transmission rates of the novel coronavirus and the rates of student and staff illnesses with symptoms similar to COVID-19. These lanes are: fully remote learning, a combination of in-person and remote learning, and in-person learning five days per week. Families that wish to participate remotely all year long may do so. More details and background about the district’s plan can be found here (tinyurl.com/y9o23gmk). Here is the link to the form: https://forms.gle/qzbHRsjgZQuNAkuNA Any questions should be directed to the building principal of your student. Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter. We thank you for your hard work, patience, and community spirit supporting our children throughout the pandemic. Sincerely, RSU #34 Planning Team

RSU #34's 2020-2021 application for federal program funding is in the "public comment" phase. This application, under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), covers services we provide to students through Title IA, Title IIA, and Title IVA. Services provided under these funds include Reading Recovery, Supplemental Instruction for Literacy and Mathematics, professional development for teachers, and Title IV programming under Safe & Healthy Schools, Well-Rounded Education, and the Effective Use of Technology. For more information on the applications and/or to provide comment, please email Dr. Doty at jon.doty@rsu34.org . Thank you for your support of RSU #34 schools!

VOTE! School Budget Validation Referendum Vote tomorrow July 14, 2020. Please support the budget as adopted at the annual school budget meeting held on June 24, 2020

RSU#34 July 2020 Board Meeting Wednesday July 15th 6:30 pm David Walker is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting. Topic: July 15, 2020 Board Meeting Time: Jul 15, 2020 06:30 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada) Join Zoom Meeting https://networkmaine.zoom.us/j/83596851882 Meeting ID: 835 9685 1882 The School Board meeting on Wednesday, July 15th will include an update about planning for the 2020-2021 school year. The meeting will be at 6:30 PM, and a videoconferencing link is included above. At the June meeting we shared an invitation to participate in planning and feedback; if you’d like to be involved please email Dr. Doty for more details. Jon.Doty@rsu34.org As you’ve no doubt seen, information about the COVID pandemic changes rapidly, as do things like outbreaks and the availability of PPE. Our team continually adjusts planning possible paths forward based on medical guidance, a “reasonable precautions” approach, and resource availability. We’re working to develop a flexible, resilient approach that can carry forward through changing conditions. We know that our approach to schooling is tremendously important to kids, staff, household members / families, and community – and that our approach impacts learning, safety & well-being, social development, abuse & neglect, adults’ ability to work, and much more. We know we and our students are fortunate to live and work in an awesome community that always finds a way.

2020-2021 SCHOOL CALENDAR - Can be found in the documents page of our website

The Maine Department of Education will soon release draft guidance for schools and communities, with parameters and restrictions for a safe reopening of the physical school buildings. Our educators are very eager to teach kids in person. We know the path ahead is complex and uncertain, with some factors in our control and some beyond our control. Next Wednesday evening, June 17th, there are two public opportunities to learn more and ask questions. The School Board's committee on Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment meets at 5:45 pm via Zoom; planning for the fall is the largest agenda item. The full School Board meets at 6:30 pm via Zoom; a more brief update on our plans for the fall will be shared then. Both meetings have opportunities for public comment, but please know you can reach out to our schools at any time. Phone numbers and email addresses are at www.rsu34.org; information about how to connect to the meetings will be posted there next week. Together, we will continue doing our very best by kids and community as we navigate through the pandemic!

As a long school year comes to a close, it is time to begin the retrieval of student devices for inventory, repairs, and redistribution. You may drop off your device at any time (M-Th, 9am-2pm) for those that are no longer using their devices or have an alternative device and no longer need them. You may drop your device at OTES on the 8th from 9 am to 2 pm. From the 9th to the 11th of June, you are welcome to bring your device to the front door of J. A. Leonard Middle school between the hours of 9 am and 2 pm each day. Beginning on the 8th of June, there will be someone at OTHS to receive devices as the last week of school winds down and Seniors finish their preparations for graduation through the 12th of June. Also, staff from the elementary schools will be reaching out to families and making arrangements for those devices. Beginning the week of June 15th to the 19th, there will be someone from 8 am to 2 pm at each school to receive the remainder of devices. On the 22nd of June, an inventory will be done and phone calls will be made to coordinate drop off or pick up of any remaining devices. This will be done through the 26th of June.

Dear Families and Community Partners, Don’t miss out on this amazing webinar GEAR Parent Network is hosting. There is still time to sign up!!!! Wednesday, June 10, 2020 from 10 a.m. to Noon “School Work and COVID-19: What You Can Do to Help Your Kids to Not Fall Behind” Presented by: Elisa Sousa, MEd, LSW, Children’s Case Manager, Crisis and Counseling Centers; Join us in a discussion around your child’s school work, how to advocate, maintaining balance during this stressful time and creating structure for your family. In addition to learning about the importance of role modeling and listening to your children.

Parents/families of RSU #34 kids, if you haven't already done this survey please do. We value your input / feedback! Our families and educators have done amazing things with kids on an emergency basis this spring. Please let us know the strengths and challenges on this anonymous survey: https://forms.gle/hdJ4X7RseMUhHjdp9 Please do the survey by June 3rd. Thanks!

Parents & families of RSU #34 kids, we seek your input/feedback! Our families and educators have done amazing things with kids on an emergency basis this spring. Please let us know the strengths and challenges on this anonymous survey: https://forms.gle/hdJ4X7RseMUhHjdp9 Please do the survey by June 3rd. Thanks!

Parents & families of RSU #34 kids, we seek your input/feedback! Our families and educators have done amazing things with kids on an emergency basis this spring. Please let us know the strengths and challenges on this anonymous survey: https://forms.gle/hdJ4X7RseMUhHjdp9 Please do the survey by June 3rd. Thanks!

We have family food boxes available for delivery or pick up starting Wednesday afternoon May 20th! Please call School-Community Coordinator Jennifer Goodwin at 370-8564 or email her at jennifer.goodwin@rsu34.org if your RSU #34 family could use one!

The University of Maine Extension has a series on food and cooking that could be great to do with kids, called "10 Steps to a Healthier You!" The lessons and supporting videos are available at the links below. Thanks for sharing these, Professor Kate Yerxa! Lessons: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1KZ-te2z-Uqjkb67DPMbVwBQhk63GGZCY?usp=sharing -----and----- Videos: https://extension.umaine.edu/food-health/efnep/10-steps-to-a-healthier-you/

Understanding Anxiety during COVID-19 Parent Webinar 5 Link to video: https://youtu.be/a1I5Exg58-U Link to slides: https://www.bangorschools.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Parent-Webinar-5-compressed.pdf

With children spending a lot more time at home, Northern New England Poison Center has some important tips about keeping them safe! Thanks for sharing this, Mrs. Costello, one of our awesome team of school nurses that we celebrate on this School Nurse Appreciation Day! Thanks also to Nurse Vanessa and Nurse Jana!

Books are awesome, and our kids want more! If you have books for any age reader to donate, please drop them off in our elementary school lobbies. Thanks to the Wilcox family and Alton Grocery for getting another Little Free Library in action! We're working with more community partners to get these built and installed. Each has a sign about precautions such as hand-washing in the COVID19 era. (if you have books to return from our school libraries, please return them to the schools, not to the Little Free Libraries)

Surviving Distance Learning #4 Here is the shareable YouTube link: https://youtu.be/0aBai5n6pEk Here is a link to the slides: https://www.bangorschools.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Parent-Training-4-Return-from-Vacation-compressed.pdf

Surviving Distance Learning Part 3 Here's the video link: https://youtu.be/A_TBZdjsH68 Here's the PDF link: https://www.bangorschools.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Parent-Training-3-Vacation.pdf

Thanks to Miss Hamlin and Mrs. Zabierek's hard work, we have another 30 face shields on the way to our local healthcare workers! Our LMS 8th graders have been great tech support when we've run into 3d printing troubleshooting. http://bit.ly/3D-Face-Shield

Here is the link to the 2nd Parent Webinar video. Surviving Distance Learning #2 Link to the slides: https://www.bangorschools.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Parent-Training-2.pdf Link to the video: https://youtu.be/JQmpyoNHEF8