There is a PTA Zoom meeting today, Wednesday, May 6 at 6:00 P.M. If you'd like to join us (and we'd like to have you!), please email Kathy Cummings for the link. kcummings63@gmail.com
This is Teacher Appreciation Day! Message a teacher in your child's life who makes or who has made a difference. It will mean so much!
LMS WILL be creating and selling a yearbook this year. Mr. Kirkland will be heading up the creation of it, with help from Ms. Henry. In order to make this a success, we will need help from students and families to fill in pictures, art work, and written pieces to represent remote learning and experiences. More information will be coming soon on submitting work and purchasing the yearbook.
Looking for extra support for your 14-20-year-old teen during this time? It’s here,
and it’s good.
https://www.mainepublic.org/post/nami-maine-launches-teen-support-line-outbreak-beyond
8th Grade Families...Are you wondering about OT High School registration? Here is the information!
Amara Francis cooked dinner for her family. Doesn't it look delicious? Share photos and stories of your kids! gert.nesin@rsu34.org
BOKS (Building Our Kids Success) is a before-school physical activity program that started earlier this year at LMS. The goal of the program is to get students active before school so that when they are in school they are focused and ready to learn. Starting on Monday (April 20) we will be posting BOKS Workout Challenge of the day every Monday, Wednesday and Friday morning. They will be quick, easy and a fun way to get a quick workout in at home! Thank you to Sam Lenson, our BOKS Coordinator, for providing this opportunity.
Sadie May enjoying some time at Hirundo. What is your child doing?
If you or someone you know is a SNAP recipient, and lost food because of power outages, here's some help! Please share.
Some kids and families are taking advantage of opportunities to be outside and learn new skills. Joey Porter went for a 9-mile bike ride and Emma Palmer has been doing some cooking! What are you up to? Post pictures here, or send them to gert.nesin@rsu34.org.
LMS Parent Resource Link:
Please click on the following link for LMS Parent Resources from Mrs. O'Connell https://padlet.com/traceyoconnell/19vnayrsxs0t
For 8th grade parents...and important letter from the high school.
We will still be delivering lunches for 7 days a week, other than April vacation—the week of April 20. Due to the stay at home directive and the increasing risk to families and employees, the delivery will look a little different, starting on Thursday, April 9. Please see below.
🍎🍎🍎UPDATE ON MEAL PICKUP AND DELIVERY:
Meals will be available as usual from our tent and from our buses Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday of this week.
However, rules and waivers have changed several times since we began this program, and on April 9th we will make another change. We will consolidate our efforts and start sending home one week’s worth of breakfasts and lunches on Thursdays (one exception is noted below). This will minimize exposure for everyone, but it will require some planning on the part of parents and guardians. A 7-day menu with storage and preparation instructions will be included with the meals. On Thursday, the tent will open at 10:00 AM and the buses will roll out as usual at 10:30. Each child up to and including the age of 18 will receive a bag containing components for 7 breakfasts and 7 lunches. We will repeat this process again on April 16th.
🍎Please note that April 23rd falls during Spring Break, which is an anticipated closure. We will not be sending meals out that week but will resume on April 30th and will continue weekly until the end of the school year.
Right now, we are planning to start up our summer program as usual on the Monday after July 4th. More information will be shared as it becomes available.
🍎🍎🍎Application Reminder to all parents and guardians: If your income has dropped remember that you can still complete an online application for free/reduced meals at any time. New eligibility will carry through the first couple of weeks of school giving you time to get a new application in for the 2020-2021 school year. Go to www.myschoolapps.com. (link is below)
Call our office if you have any questions. 207-827-3908.
Dear LMS Families,
We are rolling out our official, required remote learning beginning this coming Monday, April 6, and this message is to help you know what to expect and how it will work. I will keep it as simple as possible. If you have questions, please email me or one of the team teachers whenever you need assistance.
We may adjust as we go along, as we discover the most effective ways to learn and communicate.
Your child’s work will EITHER be online OR through a packet. They will have similar goals, but not exactly the same work because the available resources are different.
Online Work
Each GRADE LEVEL has one Google classroom, where all work will be assigned and turned in.
When you go to that classroom, there will be a learning board for the week. It will have some clearly marked required blocks, and some clearly marked optional blocks. When you click on the block, it will take you to directly to that assignment/activity. The team will create a new block for each week.
Packets
If your child does not have access to online work, or there are arrangements otherwise, he/she will receive a packet on Thursday or Friday that will be for the following week. Follow the directions and do the learning activities in the packet.
Attendance and Work Completion
Children will count as attending for the week if they complete all required work for that week.
Online: Students submit all work online, and they will also receive feedback online.
Packets: Students and/or parents send an email to the HOMEROOM teacher listing and BRIEFLY describing the activities completed. This email should be sent by 3:00 on Friday. They may be sent earlier, if all the work is completed. You will receive a response from the teacher.
Grades and Report Cards
Grades will be based on work completion, under Habits of Mind for each subject area, based on the following guidelines:
DNM (Does Not Meet): Completes almost no required work
PM (Partially Meets): Completes some required work
MS (Meets Standard): Regularly completes all required work
ES (Exceeds Standard): Regularly completes all required work, and some/all optional work
Work not completed during the assigned week will not be made up later. Allowances will be made in the event of significant student or family illness.
Schedule
Some of the work may be scheduled at a particular time, but most of it should be flexible enough to complete when it is best for your child and family. Using whatever schedule works best for you, the work should be completed by 3:00 on Friday.
Advisory Meetings
Throughout the time of remote learning, teachers will hold classroom meetings through Google Meets. The purpose of the meetings is to connect with and support each other. Students are strongly encouraged to attend these meetings when they can, but it is not required. The meetings are private and will be closely monitored and supervised.
Teacher Support
Although we and your children certainly appreciate your support, most of the work we assign can be done independently and/or with teacher support. Team teachers and support staff will be available throughout each school day to help with questions about how to navigate the technology, assistance with the work, or just to keep a connection with the teacher. Each grade level is doing it a little differently, and will communicate with you about the schedule for their support opportunities.
If you have any questions, please contact your team teachers. I am also available to answer questions. Email gert.nesin@rsu34.org or call (207) 827-3900 x1304 (me) or x1303 (Mr. Crandall. We are working from home, but messages will be forwarded to us.
As always, we’re in this together!
Gert Nesin
Assistant Principal
Dear RSU #34 Schools Families,
Governor Mills has announced that beginning at 12:01 a.m. this Thursday, Maine residents will be prohibited from traveling outside their homes for all but “essential personal activities” and ordered all schools closed for classroom-based instruction until May 1, 2020. This essentially continues our current operating procedures with homebound learning. Teachers are now providing students with learning opportunities, times to connect, ask questions, and receive help. That will continue.
While it is impossible to predict when or if we will be able to reopen our schools and return to a normal schedule in the near future, we will be exploring additional opportunities for our students to engage in virtual activities.
It is our plan that students in good standing will move to the next grade level for the 2020-2021 school year as would normally be the case. We are also considering plans, should it be necessary, to have an alternative way to honor our 2020 graduates in case a traditional ceremony isn’t possible. Seniors expecting to graduate in June of 2020 MUST be in contact with OTHS staff to successfully complete graduation requirements.
We anticipate changes in our delivery model but, we will continue to offer our meals program and we encourage anyone who would like to participate to contact the RSU#34 Food Service office at 827-3908.
If you are concerned with how your child is doing emotionally you can contact the NAMI
MAINE HELPLINE. Their number is 800-464-5767, press 1 (helpline@namimaine.org). Here is a link to the Department of Health & Human Services (DHHS) and additional hotline numbers. Their direct number is (207)287-3703.
Also, don’t hesitate to reach out to us at any of the RSU#34 schools or the central office as well, at (207) 827-7171. Please look for information on our website, www.RSU34.org and download our app if you have not already done so. You can also use the number 2-1-1 to get general information regarding the Coronavirus outbreak in Maine.
The Alton, Bradley and Old Town communities are strong, together. Eventually, life will return to normal and our students will return to school. We will have learned much that will help us to be even better as a school system. In the meantime, we will continue to rely on one another as one Coyote Strong community.
Sincerely, David Walker
Students and families...we know we are all figuring out remote learning together. We have great leadership and guidance, from the state, from local experts and our own people, and from others who are doing this. What questions or concerns do you have as we move forward? Please post questions on our FaceBook page or email them to gert.nesin@rsu34.org. We will read them all, and send a message answering them.
Here's how to connect with our School Counselor Facebook Page! https://www.facebook.com/RSU34-GuidanceStudent-Services-412120629362989/
LMS/RSU#34, 3/30/20 Update: (Food/Resource Center): We have staff who have been working in our Resource Center bagging up food for families who need it. Please reach out to jennifer.goodwin@rsu34.org or call her at 207-370-8564 if your family is in need of food beyond our district’s meal distribution.
(Updated Online Resources): We have updated our RSU #34 website with a COVID 19 section. It can currently be found by visiting rsu34.org, clicking on Menu, and then COVID 19. Soon, there will be an easy link on the homepage as well. Don’t have our app? Go to your phone’s app store and search for RSU #34 ME and download our free app.
We’ve had many questions about food delivery. Our busses leave OTES at 10:30, and go their regular route. They will stop at regular BUS STOPS, and deliver lunches to people waiting there. We’ve been distributing to 700-750 kids daily. Thank you Stephanie Salley and all of the awesome volunteers.
Hi RSU #34 families,
During this time of school closures, we are all reaching for ideas and methods to continue to educate and care for our students and our community. As the school nurse for Alton, Bradley, and Leonard Middle School, I’d like to offer “virtual clinic” hours where I will be available by email from 9am – 12:00pm Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings.
This is not a service for urgent medical needs. Please contact your provider or 911 in the event of a medical emergency.
I am available to connect with students, their families, and any staff member who would like to check-in or chat, discuss any minor health concerns, or assist those who need help with finding resources. I am unable to provide any diagnosis for illness or conditions, but can offer guidance and nursing assessment to those in need.
Please email me if you would like to connect over any health concerns or questions.
Stay well!
Nurse Vanessa
Vanessa Koch BSN, RN
vanessa.koch@rsu34.org
