Our PTC is meeting on Wednesday, February 9, 6:00 - 7:00 P.M. by Zoom. Part of the agenda this month: Planning an exciting community event! All families welcome. Please email gert.nesin@rsu34.org for the Zoom link.
On February 11 and April 1, students will be dismissed from LMS at 12:30--right after lunch. This will allow teachers time to plan curriculum between teams and grade levels.
Dear RSU #34 Community, You may know that Superintendent Walker is retiring at the end of this school year, after 17 years of service to the RSU #34 community. The School Board has formed a committee to conduct the search for RSU #34’s next Superintendent. We seek your input in the search process! The Board has contracted with Maine School Management Association to assist with the search; MSMA will host a community input forum on Wednesday, January 26th, at 6:30 PM, by videoconference. If you’d like to attend the forum, please email Jon.Doty@rsu34.org for the video link. Board members serving on the committee are Hunter Umphrey (chair), Moriah Geer, Howard Jack, John Milligan, Laura Sanborn, and Dave Wollstadt. Staff representatives serving on the search committee are Brenda Dahlbergh, Kerri Dexter, Jon Doty, and Scott Gordon. Input about strengths, needs, and priorities can also be provided via a survey. The survey can be done anytime between now and February 4th through this link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/RSU34SuptSearch Thank you in advance for your input!
Attention LMS Families:
Over the next two days we will be offering lunch to be picked up here at LMS between 11-12. Teachers will be taking a lunch count during the homeroom meet session, so make sure your child request a meal if needed.
Breakfasts were sent home at the end of today for any student that wanted one for tomorrow. If you are picking up a lunch tomorrow, you can also pick a breakfast for Friday morning at the same time.
If you have any questions please contact the school in the morning.
Thank you.
LMS Remote Thursday and Friday, January 20 and 21
This week, we have seen a surge in COVID cases at Leonard Middle, in students and adults. Due to numerous staff/faculty absences because of illness, we are going to go remote this Thursday and Friday, January 20 and 21. With the number of absences we have, we are not able to ensure a safe environment for all the children.
The teachers who are well will be in school the entire 2 school days, to teach remote classes and support students. Before students leave today, teachers will prepare them for the next few days. They will send children home with a schedule, computer, and any needed materials.
All extra-curricular activities are cancelled for Thursday and Friday, including basketball, cheer, and the chorus concert.
If you cannot arrange a safe placement for your child for the next few days, please contact me by 7:00 this evening.
Gert Nesin, Principal
gert.nesin@rsu34.org
827-3900 x 1304
LMS 2021-22 Yearbooks now on sale for $25, through March 31.
Order online at https://jostensyearbooks.com/?REF=A03268900
Dear RSU #34 Community,
You may know that Superintendent Walker is retiring at the end of this school year, after 17 years of service to the RSU #34 community. The School Board has formed a committee to conduct the search for RSU #34’s next Superintendent. Board members serving on the committee are Hunter Umphrey (chair), Moriah Geer, Howard Jack, John Milligan, Laura Sanborn, and Dave Wollstadt. Staff representatives serving on the search committee are Brenda Dahlbergh, Kerri Dexter, Jon Doty, and Scott Gordon.
We seek your input in the search process! Input about strengths, needs, and priorities can be provided via a survey, or via a community forum. The survey can be done anytime between now and February 4th through this link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/RSU34SuptSearch
The Board has contracted with Maine School Management Association to assist with the search; MSMA will host a community input forum on Wednesday, January 26th, at 6:30 PM, by videoconference. If you’d like to attend the forum, please email Jon.Doty@rsu34.org for the video link.
Thank you in advance for your input!
RSU #34 will adjust contact tracing procedures for the duration of the school holiday, in order to meet CDC guidance while recognizing that many families and staff will be hard to reach. If we learn of a positive case of COVID-19 in our school community, we will continue to trace back to their previous 48 hours to identify close contacts at our schools and on school buses. Please note that 48 hours after school/busing ends on Wednesday extends well into December 23.
We will rely on email notification to get the word out to close contacts.
Because less information will be available than typical, we anticipate that we will be sending some messages advising that children/staff “may have been close contacts” –reminding families of symptoms to watch for and recommending testing.
We will not have staff available over the holiday to provide advice for specific children’s circumstances; please use the information available through the Maine CDC’s website (links below) and contact your primary care provider with questions.
Please use our COVID hotline to report positive cases of COVID-19 (827-7171 ext. zero). The school offices’ and nurses’ phone/email inboxes may not be checked until school resumes in January.
If you are involved in an extra-curricular activity that meets during the holiday, please also be sure to promptly inform the coaches and athletic director.
With COVID spread in Penobscot County and in Maine extremely high, contact tracing incidents are a daily occurrence. We urge our school community to continue conducting daily home screening before students get on the bus or attend school, and we urge our school community to continue erring on the side of caution.
If you do learn of a positive case, please let us know promptly. We have seen repeatedly and first hand in our community how sneaky a disease COVID-19 is, causing no or minor symptoms for some, while devasting or ending the lives of others. Please keep helping our community, and our overwhelmed hospitals, by acting with an abundance of caution.
Maine CDC Website: https://www.maine.gov/dhhs/mecdc/infectious-disease/epi/airborne/coronavirus/index.shtml
What to do if you have COVID-19: https://www.maine.gov/dhhs/mecdc/infectious-disease/epi/airborne/documents/Isolation-CO.pdf
What does quarantine mean? https://www.maine.gov/dhhs/mecdc/infectious-disease/epi/airborne/documents/Quarantine-CO-v2.pdf
Where can you go to get tested? https://www.maine.gov/covid19/testing
Next Wednesday, December 22, will be a half day for students in RSU #34. At LMS, they will have lunch at 11:45 and dismissal will be at 12:30.
Please check our LMS Winter Sports Protocols and the EMMSL BASKETBALL GAME PROTOCOLS in our News Section: https://www.rsu34.org/o/lms/article/597870
https://www.rsu34.org/o/lms/article/595403
What are we up to this morning? A whole school visit with award-winning author Christina Soontornvat!
Our 7th grade honors veterans.
RSU #34 and Penobscot Community Health Care are partnering to offer COVID-19 vaccination clinics for our 5-11 year olds. The first dose is Thursday November 18th, at an after-school clinic hosted at Old Town High School. Parents/caregivers must accompany the child, and signed consent is required.
Two weeks after the second dose, the child is considered fully vaccinated and will be exempt from quarantine in almost all circumstances!
We will soon be sending home paper copies of the flyer and consent forms; an electronic version can be found at this link: https://5il.co/11n37
Here are some resources that you may wish to check out to learn more about the vaccine. With specific questions, please don't hesitate to reach out to your child's primary care provider or your school nurse: https://www.healthychildren.org/English/health-issues/conditions/COVID-19/Pages/The-Science-Behind-the-COVID-19-Vaccine-Parent-FAQs.aspx https://healthychildren.org/English/health-issues/conditions/COVID-19/Pages/Getting-Your-Child-Ready-for-the-COVID-19-Vaccine.aspx
Regional School Unit No. 34
Alton – Bradley – Old Town
156 Oak Street
Old Town, Maine 04468
Telephone (207) 827-7171
David A. Walker, Superintendent
SUBJECT: WINTER WEATHER AND SCHOOL
Regional School Unit No. 34 maintains a policy of keeping school in session under all conditions; except when weather and road conditions are hazardous and therefore jeopardizing student safety. In general, when bus schedules are disrupted due to road conditions, schools will not be in session. Regardless of our decision to open or not open schools, we respect the right of parents to make the decision not to send your child(ren) to school when you feel their safety is at risk due to travel conditions. In these cases, the absence will be excused when we receive a note from you stating you chose to keep your child at home for safety reasons. NO-SCHOOL announcements will be made using our Emergency Notification system and posted on our website www.rsu34.org. We will also notify area television stations that accept early morning school closing notifications.
Under most circumstances children are kept in school for the full day once they have reported to school. Early dismissal of students would occur only when weather conditions would appear to be too hazardous to remain the full day, loss of power for an extended period or when travel conditions are predicted to significantly worsen prior to normal dismissal times. In this case, students would be dismissed early. Parents who are not at home during the day should make early dismissal plans for their child(ren) and make the school aware of these emergency plans. Advance planning for a neighbor, friend or family member to care for your child(ren) if they are dismissed early is critical. We may also delay the start of school if travel conditions so warrant. This too might require advance planning on your part if your child(ren) are not boarding the bus at their usual time and/or the school is not open to accept students until a later time.
I STRONGLY URGE all parents to make plans in advance before the winter season.
Feel free to call my office (827-7171) or any of the school offices if you have questions or if we can assist you with making plans for your child(ren). The safety and wellbeing of your child(ren) is most important to us.
David A. Walker
Superintendent of Schools
Progress Reports:
We just sent home trimester 1 progress reports. Students should have them as they arrive home. Conferences are coming right up as well, so look for that sign up information coming out next week.
Looking for Ed Techs!
SALARY AND BENEFITS
Pay range $14.46-$16.31, depending on education
32.5 hours per week, great hours for working parents
178-day work year
Summer employment opportunities available, but not required
Full single subscriber insurance up to 95% for the calendar year, not just the school year
Full dental benefits
Vision plan
6 University Credit Hours Paid by RSU 34
13 paid sick days (bereavement, personal)
10 paid holidays
Disability insurance
$1,000 in lieu of taking district insurance health plan
$250 bonus for participating and earning 250 points in the health insurance online program
For an application, contact angela.porter@rsu34.org
For more information, contact gert.nesin@rsu34.org or kimm.kenniston@rsu34.org
It's been 19 months, but band is back! Starting this Monday, October 25 LMS bands will once again be playing.
6th Grade Band…meets Mondays
Symphonic Band…meets Tuesdays
Concert Band…meets Wednesdays
Jazz Band….meets Thursdays
Due to the size of the bands they may be split into Green and White days to provide the required spacing. All students have signed up and Ms. Priest has been communicating to them directly about which day their rehearsal will be.
School pictures at LMS are cancelled for tomorrow, October 14. Our photographer, Lifetouch, called us this afternoon and let us know that they are short staffed. We do not yet know the new date, but will let you know as soon as we find out.
PTC meeting tomorrow night at 6:00 via Zoom. Join us using the link: https://networkmaine.zoom.us/j/87984424440 or using the meeting id: 879 8442 4440
PTC is looking for new members. Join us this Wednesday October 13, at 6:00 via Zoom for our next meeting. We will be voting in new co-chairs and discussing current and future fund raising projects.
