Old Town Elementary School

OTES Family Update May 28, 2021 🔗 View this Newsletter as a Google Doc: https://docs.google.com/document/d/11sVuVpbl-cE_brj93823GV3YjyIvmlr-B_aqUBSIXKM/edit?usp=sharing 😷 Maine Mask Mandate/School Requirements Despite the changes in Maine’s mask mandate on Monday, May 24th, Maine still requires “masks to be worn in schools and child care settings, where people ages 5 and older must wear one while indoors.” All our staff and students will continue to be required to wear masks inside. While outside, spaced and stationary, staff and students are allowed to take their masks off. While moving around with others, including playing, outside, masks will be required. Masks will also be required for all attendees at OTES school events, inside or outside. ‼️ Updated Last Day of School! The last day of school will be Monday, June 14th. This will be a full day of school. OTES kindergarten only ends Wednesday, June 9th. 🎉 End of Year Celebrations- Please see communication from teachers for details Kindergarten: Thursday, June 3rd Green Community 5-5:45pm, Blue Community 6:15-7pm First Grade: Tuesday, June 1st Green Community 5-5:45pm, Blue Community 6-6:45pm Second Grade: Thursday, June 10th Blue Community 4:30-5:15pm, Green Community 5:30-6:15 K-2 Remote Only: Tuesday, June 15th 5:30-7pm, including materials drop off Third Grade: Monday, June 14th Yellow Community 5-5:30pm, Red Community 6-6:30pm Fourth Grade: Monday, June 14th Red Community 4-4:30pm, Yellow Community 4:30-5:00 Fifth Grade: Celebrations during school the week of June 7th-11th. Monday- tie dye, Tuesday- movie field trip, Wednesday- field day, Thursday- visit LMS and tree dedication, Friday- certificate presentations (a link to these presentations will be shared with 5th grade parents) ☀️ Sunscreen and Insect Repellant We highly recommend that you apply sunscreen and insect repellent before school if you feel your student needs those products. Sunscreen can be sent to school and reapplied by the student. Insect repellent is not allowed at school. 📚 Last Call for Summer OTES Kids Club Any current kindergarten to 4th grade student not already enrolled in an OTES summer program can register to attend our OTES Kids Club to be held each Wednesday in July from 9am-2pm. Free breakfast and lunch will be available, however transportation is not. See our Facebook post or the flyer available in the OTES vestibule for more information. If interested, please return the registration form by Tuesday, June 1st! 🗳 RSU #34 School Budget Validation (Vote) From the City of Old Town: Notice of RSU # 34 School Budget Validation Election Election Day: June 08, 2021, Hours: 7:00AM-8:00PM, Location: The Old Town Elks Lodge at 37 Fourth Street. This election is for the proposed FY 2021-2022 RSU #34 School Budget. The RSU #34 proposed budget packets are available at City Hall and during the election. This election is for Old Town residents only and who are at least 18 years of age. There is no referendum question. 🍎 RSU #34 Resource Center and OTES Farm Stand Open The RSU #34 Resource Center is open for you each Thursday from 2:30-4:00pm. Appointments are preferred. Please call Jenn Goodwin at 370-8564. The OTES Farm Stand is also now open each Tuesday from 3-6pm. Produce is first come, first served and free or by donation. 🖍 PreK and Kindergarten Registration is Open! Please Help Spread the Word! We are still accepting registration applications for kindergarten students turning 5 years old prior to October 15, 2021. Kindergarten screenings will take place on Thursday, June 10th and Friday, June 11th, so it is important for registrations to be completed ASAP! Please contact Betsy Clark, our school secretary at 827-1544 ext 3602 or Betsy.Clark@rsu34.org for more information or questions. Parents can drop by between 8 am and 4 pm to pick up a registration packet at school. If you have a child that attends OTES already, let us know and we can send the packet of information home with your child. Children registering must have an original birth certificate, up to date immunization record, and proof of residency (a bill with your name and address indicated works). We can make a copy of any original paperwork at school. PreK locations have yet to be determined, but the same registration packet procedures can be used. 📅 Upcoming Events Monday, May 31st: No school in observance of Memorial Day Tuesday, June 1st: Farm Stand 3-6pm, 1st grade celebrations Wednesday, June 2nd: K-2nd remote only learning materials pick up, PTC meeting 6-7pm Thursday, June 3rd: K-2nd field day, Resource Center open 2:30-4pm, kindergarten celebrations Tuesday, June 8th: 3rd-4th grade field day, 5th grade movie field trip, Farm Stand 3-6pm, budget validation vote 7am-8pm Wednesday, June 9th: 5th grade field day, last day of school for kindergarten only at OTES Thursday, June 10th: 5th graders visit LMS, Resource Center Open 2:30-4pm, 2nd grade celebrations Friday, June 11th: 5th grade certificate presentations, report cards sent home Monday, June 14th: LAST DAY OF SCHOOL, FULL DAY, 3rd and 4th grade celebrations Tuesday, June 15th: K-2 remote only end of year celebration and materials drop off

This morning around 9:30am, we conducted a fire drill. All students as staff evacuated quickly and quietly as always. Great job all!

OTES Family Update May 7, 2021 🔗 View this Newsletter as a Google Doc https://docs.google.com/document/d/16aTy-xvPnT838yiwfuWEYc4bcjfJyEJeuaIZaHOQLBw/edit?usp=sharing 😷 Masks- Please Send Extras and Guidelines for Wearing Masks Outdoors Please send at least one extra mask with your student each day. Masks get wet or dirty or sometimes a change in style can be more comfortable for a student. We do not have many extras and appreciate families continuing to provide masks for their students. We are aware of CDC updates about wearing masks outdoors. However, children struggle to play and interact outdoors and remain six feet apart from each other, as is indicated in the new guidelines. Therefore, we will continue to require masks be worn by both students, staff, and adults outdoors at OTES. An exception to this rule will be when we are outdoors for a structured activity such as a read aloud, independent work, or eating, when students and staff are stationary and remain 6 feet apart. 🗣 Final Reminder: Input on Your Student for the 2021-2022 School Year If you have not already completed this Google Form for your student(s), please do so. We need parent/guardian input for planning the 2021-2022 school year. Please take a few minutes to give us input about your family to help this process. All information shared will only be viewed by Administration. https://forms.gle/vHdNFxKDkHBX44Te9 🥗 RSU #34 Resource Center Now Open! The RSU #34 Resource Center is open for you! Each Thursday, we will be open from 2:30-4:00pm. Appointments are preferred. Walk ins will be arranged on a first come, first served basis. COVID precautions will be in place including mask wearing, distancing (one person at a time) and hand sanitizing. Please call Jenn Goodwin at 370-8564 to make an appointment or with questions. 🖍 PreK and Kindergarten Registration is Open! Please Help Spread the Word! We are now accepting registration applications for kindergarten students turning 5 years old prior to October 15, 2021. Kindergarten screenings will take place on Thursday, June 10th and Friday, June 11th, so it is important for registrations to be completed soon! Please contact Betsy Clark, our school secretary at 827-1544 ext 3602 or Betsy.Clark@rsu34.org for more information or questions. Parents can drop by between 8 am and 4 pm to pick up a registration packet at school. If you have a child that attends OTES already, let us know and we can send the packet of information home with your child. Children registering must have an original birth certificate, up to date immunization record, and proof of residency (a bill with your name and address indicated works). We can make a copy of any original paperwork at school. PreK locations have yet to be determined. 📅 Upcoming Events Wednesday, May 12th: K-2 Remote Only Materials Pickup 7am-6pm, School Board Meeting 6:30pm Thursday, May 13th (and all remaining Thursdays): RSU #34 Resource Center Open 2:30-4:00pm Saturday, May 22nd: OTES Learning Garden Plant Sale 9:00am-1:00pm

OTES Family Update April 16, 2021 🔗 View this Newsletter as a Google Doc https://docs.google.com/document/d/1NnUPX5OVlDKaa40-NuUFvkpV8bhf-ZeouH82d8kmsq8/edit?usp=sharing ☀ April Vacation Next week is April Vacation. School resumes Monday, April 26th. Doors open at 7:25am. If you are travelling out of the state of Maine, with of the exception of New Hampshire, Vermont, Connecticut, Rhode Island or Massachusetts, during vacation, or at any time during the remainder of the school year, please review the guidance at the close of this newsletter and notify our school nurse, CeCe Costello. Please see the details in the shared post below. 🗣 Final Reminder: Input on Your Student for the 2021-2022 School Year If you have not already completed this Google Form for your student(s), please do so. We need parent/guardian input for planning the 2021-2022 school year. Please take a few minutes to give us input about your family to help this process. All information shared will only be viewed by Administration. https://forms.gle/vHdNFxKDkHBX44Te9 🌱 Garden Volunteer Work Days Today, April 16th and This Sunday, April 18th Volunteer opportunities have been few and far between this year, but we are looking for some help preparing our OTES Learning Garden for the growing season! Our garden work days will be Friday, April 16th and 30th from 2:30 to 5pm, SUNDAY April 17th from 9:30am to 12pm, and Saturday, May1st from 9:30am to 12pm. Sign up for one session or more, any help is appreciated! Direction, support, and any tools necessary will be provided! COVID safety protocols will be in place. Please call the school at 827-1544 with any questions and we will connect you with a garden committee member or simply sign up here: https://signup.com/client/invitation2/secure/9969872324461680120/false#/invitation 🖍 PreK and Kindergarten Registration is Open! Please Help Spread the Word! We are now accepting registration applications for kindergarten students turning 5 years old prior to October 15, 2021. Please contact Betsy Clark, our school secretary at 827-1544 ext 3602 or Betsy.Clark@rsu34.org for more information or questions. Parents can drop by between 8 am and 4 pm to pick up a registration packet at school. If you have a child that attends OTES already, let us know and we can send the packet of information home with your child. Children registering must have an original birth certificate, up to date immunization record, and proof of residency (a bill with your name and address indicated works). We can make a copy of any original paperwork at school. Our screening dates will be set for June and further information will be shared at a later date. PreK locations have yet to be determined. ✈️ The Following Travel Guidance Message Was Sent Out By RSU #34 Direct Link to this Google Doc: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1KLkE3qXOpyvG01kMRRkH8L0x3BykbTbK3od-xRAb8L4/edit?usp=sharing

OTES Family Update March 25, 2021 🔗View this Newsletter as a Google Doc: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1yzi1Pxh1iq0ac7YfCREKFtN6dcYXMhjWsYdhMmHBfb0/edit?usp=sharing 🌱UPDATED: Garden Volunteer Work Days Volunteer opportunities have been few and far between this year, but we are looking for some help preparing our OTES Learning Garden for the growing season! Our garden work days will be Friday, April 2nd, 16th and 30th from 2:30 to 5pm and Saturday, April 3rd and 17th and May1st from 9:30am to12pm. Sign up for one session or more, any help is appreciated! Direction, support, and any tools necessary will be provided! COVID safety protocols will be in place. Please call the school at 827-1544 with any questions and we will connect you with a garden committee member or simply sign up here: https://signup.com/client/invitation2/secure/9969872324461680120/false#/invitation 📫Usborne Cards for a Cause Fundraiser Extended to Monday, March 29th The PTC is hosting a brief fundraiser from now through Monday, March 29th. In-person students have been given an order form and remote-only students have been emailed a .pdf or can pick up an order form here at school. Each card box contains 30 cards for $30. That is a great price for cards and better yet, OTES receives $13 from each sale! Thank you for your continued support! 🖍PreK and Kindergarten Registration is Open! Please Help Spread the Word! We are now accepting registration applications for kindergarten students turning 5 years old prior to October 15, 2021. Please contact Betsy Clark, our school secretary at 827-1544 ext 3602 or Betsy.Clark@rsu34.org for more information or questions. Parents can drop by between 8 am and 4 pm to pick up a registration packet at school. If you have a child that attends OTES already, let us know and we can send the packet of information home with your child. Children registering must have an original birth certificate, up to date immunization record, and proof of residency (a bill with your name and address indicated works). We can make a copy of any original paperwork at school. Our screening dates will be set for June and further information will be shared at a later date. PreK locations have yet to be determined. 📚Reading Fun! Remember to Fill Out Student Reading Bike Sheets For a Chance to Win a Bike! We have had so much fun celebrating reading this month! The first week, we held themed Dr. Seuss days and dropped everything to read each day. The second week, we were virtually visited by Maine author Stephanie Mulligan. The third week, we had a mystery book door decorating contest. Finally, this week, and all month really, students tracked the books and chapters they read to earn strips of duct tape to stick Dr. Tuell and Mrs. Mitchell to the wall in a “Stick with Books” event. Be sure to check out our Facebook page and website for pictures! Students should all have a bike sheet to track their home reading. Returning this complete sheet by Friday, April 16th will earn them an entry into a drawing for one of many bikes provided to us by the Kenduskeag Masonic Lodge. More sheets are available at OTES. 📸Picture Day Orders Still Available We held two school picture days on March 9 and March 11 and all students present were photographed. If you missed ordering, the online should still be open for a time at www.mylifetouch.com. Our Picture Day ID is EVTQ28RZ8.

OTES Family Update March 12, 2021 🔗View this Newsletter as a Google Doc: https://docs.google.com/.../1aQ6.../edit... ✉️Report Cards Sent Home Today, Friday, March 12th Your student’s report card was sent home today. Please take some time to review it and any documents included in the envelope. Please sign the envelope and return it to school so that we know you have received it. Remote-only students will receive report cards through the mail. No return signature is necessary. If you have any questions or concerns about your student’s report card, please reach out to their teacher. 🧦Lots of Socks Day on Friday, March 19th in Recognition of World Down Syndrome Day World Down Syndrome Day is March 21st. The purpose of this day is to create public awareness of Down Syndrome. We celebrate this day on the 21st day of the third month to represent the triplication or trisomy or the 21st chromosome. This year, the RSU #34 Civil Rights Team will be participating in the Lots of Socks Campaign to celebrate World Down Syndrome Day. It is the mission of the Civil Rights Team to decrease biased behaviors and create an environment where all students feel safe, welcome and respected. Please join us on Friday, March 19th. All you need to do is choose some socks that are going to get noticed - they might be mismatched socks or your craziest and most colorful socks, whatever takes your fancy! We will be collecting money to support Camp Capella that day if you would like to donate. 📸Last Minute Picture Day Orders We held two school picture days on March 9 and March 11 and all students present were photographed. If you missed ordering, the online should still be open for a time at www.mylifetouch.com. Our Picture Day ID is EVTQ28RZ8. 📚Author Visit We were so excited to virtually welcome Maine author Stephanie Mulligan to OTES today! She shared two of her great books, How to Catch a Keeper and How to Tap a Maple. Both of these books are available to purchase at a discounted rate through OTES. An order form was sent home and extra forms are available at school. Orders will be accepted through Tuesday, March 16th. Visit Stephanie’s website https://stephmulligan.com/. As well as view her appearance on The Green Outdoors here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ShywaZQlQAs. Special thanks to our PTC for sponsoring this visit! 📬Usborne Cards for a Cause Fundraiser The PTC is hosting a brief fundraiser from now through Monday, March 22nd. Students have been given an order form to take home soon and remote-only students have been emailed a .pdf or can pick up an order form here at school. Each card box contains 30 cards for $30. That is a great price for cards and better yet, OTES receives $13 from each sale! Thank you for your continued support! ⏰ Don’t Forget to “Spring Ahead” Your Clocks This Weekend!

You'll notice more than a few familiar faces and places in this video. Thank you to all our student, staff and families, who have supported us in having happy, healthy WinterKids! https://youtu.be/1p3vmbCqKPs

Dear Parents of 5th Graders: The 5th Grade Team has been working on a plan to bring all of our 5th graders back as of March 1st. We have developed plans to address the numbers of students that are in one class at a time, a schedule for lunch and breakfast that addresses 6ft distancing, and creating a new schedule for other opportunities to address extracurricular activities and academic interventions. We believe that bringing our students back to school and trying to make up for all the loss time is absolutely necessary and we are committed to making this plan work. One big stumbling block is the limited number of seats available on the buses. We are asking parents, if possible, to provide transportation to and from school during this last trimester to help with the limited bus capacities. If bussing becomes an issue, we have a few other options we are exploring in order to get our students to school 5 days a week and in a safe manner. Your cooperation is greatly appreciated. March 5th is the end of the 2nd trimester at OTES and we would love to finish off our school year with our 5th graders here everyday and celebrate their transition from OTES to LMS in all the traditional ways. If you have any concerns or questions, please feel free to email me at Jeanna.Tuell@rsu34.org Enjoy the rest of your vacation and stay safe.

OTES Family Update February 5, 2021 Read below or here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1CXP9_t3tMMLIF4nf89_vNvp1UplQZaGcPo4_S_APdjQ/edit?usp=sharing ❤️ Upcoming Fun Events ▪️ Friday, February 12th will be “Red Snapper Day” here at OTES. We will wear red and collect donations for the American Heart Association in honor of our former secretary, Kathy Rivers. She enjoyed a red snapper and also led our efforts to raise money for this cause each year. ▪️ Please look for communication from your student’s classroom teacher about Valentine’s Day and the 100th Day of School. A couple important reminders: we are asking for valentines to come in early so they can sit for a few days before distribution and we cannot allow homemade food to be shared. ☃️February Vacation A reminder that February Vacation begins Monday, February 15th and goes through Friday, February 19th. School resumes on Monday, February 22nd. Please remember that if your student travels out of state, with the exceptions of New Hampshire and Vermont, they must quarantine for 10 days or present a negative COVID test up to 72 hours prior to their return or after their return to Maine. ✏️ Connecting With The Classroom While Symptomatic or in Quarantine If your student is out for an extended time due to COVID symptoms, quarantine, or other issues, please connect with your student’s teacher. Teachers can provide materials for pick up and/or post assignments on Seesaw or Google Classroom. 🦠 Important Reminders Around COVID-19 ▪️ Please remember to screen your student daily. If they do not pass this screener, they should not attend school. Please notify us of their symptoms and call Mrs. Costello if you have any questions or concerns. https://www.maine.gov/doe/sites/maine.gov.doe/files/inline-files/Pre-Screening%20Tool_11.pdf ▪️ If your student is exposed to COVID-19, they need to quarantine for 10-14 days depending on the situation. Please keep your student at home and contact Mrs. Costello to discuss a timeline for testing and a planned return date. ▪️ If your student is continually exposed to COVID-19 in a situation such as with a positive live-in parent or sibling, their quarantine and testing protocol extends 10-14 days after the positive person is cleared by a physician. For example, if a father who is with their child daily tests positive and is cleared ten days later, the child begins their 10-14 day quarantine period the following day. ▪️ If your student travels out of state, with the exceptions of New Hampshire and Vermont, they must quarantine for 10 days or present a negative COVID test up to 72 hours prior to their return or after their return to Maine. ▪️ If you have any questions or concerns, please contact our school nurse, CeCe Costello at 827-1544 ext. 3605 or cece.costello@rsu34.org

At around 8:15am today, February 3rd, Old Town Fire and Rescue, along with Old Town Police, responded to a medical situation at OTES. At no point was there a threat to student safety.

OTES Family Update January 15, 2021 📆 Upcoming Important Dates Monday, January 18th: No school in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day Tuesday, January 19th: 4th grade students return to full time in-person instruction Wednesday, January 20th: 5th grade Monday/Tuesday cohort attend school in-person Friday, January 22nd: Interim reports sent home 📱Important! Contact Information Updates Please notify the office at 827-1544 or deb.letourneau@rsu34.org if your contact information (phone number, email, physical address) has changed. It is very important that we can reach you regarding your student! If you notify your student’s teacher via email, please cc Deb Letourneau. We recently installed a new phone system as well, so our staff extensions have changed. Please visit www.rsu34.org if you need a new extension. Our email addresses remain the same. 😷 COVID-19 Reminders Please remember to use this Symptom Screener daily https://www.maine.gov/.../inl.../Pre-Screening%20Tool_11.pdf Please send in extra masks with your student each day. Especially outside in the winter, masks get wet and soiled. The extra masks we have at school are in short supply and are for emergencies only. To report a confirmed or suspected case of COVID-19 in the RSU #34 community, call 827-7171 and choose menu option zero. You can also report a confirmed or suspected case using this webform: https://forms.gle/WUVWpiRfRhFHCCFx9 If you have questions or concerns about your student’s situation, please call us at school (827-1544) and we will connect you to the appropriate staff member. 💲 Support Local Thanks to all our families who have dined in-person or ordered takeout at Governor’s and Yamas. We were thrilled to support these businesses as well as purchase and give away gift cards for future use. The business of the month for January is Margaritas! If you dine in or get takeout at Margaritas this month, be sure to put your ticket in the yellow box at the restaurant or turn it in at school. We will be drawing gift certificate winners at the end of the month!

Dear Parents of our 4th Grade Students, As we returned from the holiday break, we assessed our decision to return our 4th grade students to full in person instruction. We had set January 11th as a potential date for this return. Since returning to school from the holiday break, we have experienced an uptick in the community spread of COVID 19, and this has involved some of our 4th grade families, non of these exposure have occurred at OTES. This has made our decision to return more complicated. Although we believe we have a good plan for the safe and healthy return of our students, we think by extending our return date to January 19th, we will gain the necessary time to assess the current community spread and assure the safety of all students and staff. We want to assure the families that at this time, we have no students at OTES with a positive COVID diagnosis, but we want to proceed with caution as we decide to return our 4th graders to full in person learning. Of course, we will continue to evaluate our current health guidelines and community cases to make final decisions and we will communicate those decisions to families if anything changes prior to January 19th.

A reminder to send multiple face masks with your student each day. Wearing a mask all day, especially outside in cold weather, after eating, and many other conditions, can cause kids' masks to get wet, dirty or uncomfortable. Having a couple options for the day keeps your student comfortable and happy. Thank you!

OTES Family Update December 18, 2020 ❄️Holiday Break Holiday Break begins Wednesday, December 23rd. School resumes Monday, January 4th. 🍪Holiday or Anytime Treats Many families like to send in treats with their students to celebrate the holidays, birthdays etc.. This year, there are two important reminders. 1) Please make sure the treats are store bought. We cannot currently share homemade items. 2) Please check with your student’s teacher about allergies or other considerations for their class. 🚗Out of State Travel If your student is travelling out of state during the holidays or at any time, you must notify OTES. Please be prepared to share your student’s return to Maine date so that we can discuss the quarantine timeline or test results requirement and return to school date with you. Given enough notice, students can be provided with some work to complete during their quarantine. Remote or hybrid students should still participate in remote learning during quarantine. 🏠Quarantine Requirements for RSU #34 Students For someone who had close contact with COVID positive person: 1) Stay home for 10 days after your last contact with someone with COVID 19 and monitor closely for symptoms. 2) If any symptoms develop, call your PCP to get tested. 3) If you remain asymptomatic, a COVID test must be done between day 5-7 from the last exposure in order to return to school after a 10 day quarantine (RSU #34 district procedure). 4) If you remain asymptomatic and choose not to get tested, you must quarantine for 14 days (RSU #34 district procedure). 5) If no symptoms develop, even though you are out of quarantine restrictions at 10 days, you need to monitor for symptoms for a total of 14 days. 6) A negative test result does not get you out of quarantine early. 7) For out of state travelers: Stay home for 10 days upon entering Maine or until you receive negative COVID test results. Continue to monitor for symptoms for 14 days. 8) For someone awaiting test results when symptomatic: If negative, then you can leave quarantine 24 hours after symptoms resolve. If positive, then you will need to go into isolation. 9) Given enough notice, students can be provided with some work to complete during their quarantine. Remote or hybrid students should still participate in remote learning during quarantine. This is of course if your student is feeling well enough to complete work. 📆 Important Reminder for 4th and 5th Graders On Monday and Tuesday December 21st and 22nd, Cohort B Thursday/Friday students will be in-person. Cohort A Monday/Tuesday students will be remote. All other students follow their regular schedule. 📦Food Assistance Available and Thank You for Participating in the One Hand, One Heart, One Community Food Drive Thank you to all of our students and families who contributed to our December food drive! As a reminder, boxes are available for drive through pick up at OTES today, Friday, December 18th from 3-5pm. If you can’t make it, please call us at 827-1544 to reserve a box. Food assistance is available throughout the year by contacting our school-community coordinator, Jenn Goodwin at jennifer.goodwin@rsu34.org or calling 827-2508.

OTES Family Update November 20, 2020 🦃Thanksgiving Break There will be no school Wednesday, November 25th through Friday, November 27th. We hope all our families enjoy a safe, healthy and relaxing Thanksgiving! 🚗Out of State Travel If you plan to travel out of state, please be in contact with our school office at 827-1544. Any staff or students who travel to any state other than New Hampshire or Vermont (no restrictions for these two states only as of 11/16/20; subject to change), will be required to either: - Quarantine for 14 days upon return to Maine, or - Quarantine until receiving a negative test result. The test must be taken either: - In the state you are visiting and no more than 72 hours prior to your return to Maine, or - Once you return to Maine. Any staff or students who have travelled to restricted states will not be permitted inside the school building until either the negative test result or 14 days has occurred. This is not dependent on the length of time spent within the restricted states, meaning that a day visit still requires any person to quarantine for 14 days or until a negative test result is confirmed. All members of the household who travel must test or quarantine if over 12 months old. Any person who is quarantining should stay home, and not have in-person contact with others unless there is an emergency. 🗓December Break and Schedule Change for 4th and 5th Hybrid Students In order to balance the number of in-person days, we have made the following change: Monday, December 21st and Tuesday, December 22nd will be IN-PERSON days for our THURSDAY/FRIDAY cohort of 4th and 5th graders. Monday, December 21st and Tuesday, December 22nd will be REMOTE LEARNING days for our MONDAY/TUESDAY cohort of 4th and 5th graders. All other students, kindergarten through 3rd grade, will follow their regular in-person schedule on these days. Holiday break begins Wednesday, December 23rd and students return to their regular schedules on Monday, January 4th. 📚Holiday Book Fair to Benefit the OTES Library It’s almost Holiday Book Fair time! The holidays are the perfect time to buy books—books make wonderful presents!! From November 20th-December 4th, the OTES Library will be hosting an Usborne Holiday Book Fair to stock up on great books! The library will earn 50% of dollars spent to purchase books for the library with Usborne. Here is the link to the Facebook Event Page: https://www.facebook.com/events/152123586602111 Here is the link to the shopping site: https://z9460.myubam.com/1916489 More information will go home with your child! Great books=happy readers! ✉️Trimester 1 Report Cards Trimester 1 ends Tuesday, November 24th and report cards will be sent home on Friday, December 4th.

Dear Families of Bus C, Over the past couple of weeks, we have had many more children/families want to ride bus C. Starting tomorrow, we are going to try to do a split run if it’s necessary to get students to and from school. In the mornings, we will have Bus C start Downtown on Main Street and head all the way to Orono line to pick up students. The bus will turn around at the Orono line and head back into town head up Highland Ave to Hamlin, down Brunswick Street to Cooper Street. If the bus is full, the bus driver will head to OTES and drop those students off and return to Jefferson Street to start picking up student on Perkins, Brunswick Street to Cooper Street and down to South Main Street. The bus will head right to school from there. In the afternoon, if the bus is overloaded with students, we will have the students that ride from the Regency to the Orono Town Line, wait at school (supervised) and the bus driver will drop off students on Perkins Street and come back to school to pick up the students for the second run. We know this is a bit more time on the bus for students, but we are trying to accommodate students needing transportation and keep the numbers down for safety reasons. We do not have an exact timeline for pick up and drop off until we experience the run as we have planned. Please be patient as we figure out the timing of the new run. If you have questions, please do not hesitate to call school (827-1544) or the bus company (827-2335) for clarification.

OTES Family Update November 6, 2020 🇺🇸No School Wednesday, November 11th🇺🇸 A reminder that RSU #34 schools are closed this coming Wednesday, November 11th in honor of Veterans Day. No in-person or remote learning will be conducted. 🧤Winter Weather and Clothes🧤 Despite the warm stretch we are currently experiencing, the snow this week was a wake up call! We do a lot of outdoor activities at OTES, please make sure your student is prepared for the coming winter weather with snow pants, a jacket, boots, a hat, and gloves or mittens. Please contact your student’s teacher if this is a hardship for your family. We will not be able to loan out items this year due to COVID-19 regulations, but we do have many donated items to give to students to keep if necessary. A change of clothes and mask in your student’s backpack or cubby is also important if students get wet or dirty! ❄️Snow Days ❄️ We will continue to have storm/snow days this year, if necessary. We will announce storm/snow days through the RSU #34 app and through our website. We know that major storm/snow events often come paired with power outages, internet outages, and other challenges that make a full day of remote learning difficult. When there’s a storm/snow day, we encourage our students to help shovel out a neighbor, build a snowman, play a game, and do other wonderful things. If during the year we begin to accumulate an unusually large number of storm/snow days, we may consider shifting to some remote learning days for moderate storm/snow events. Link to school calendar: https://core-docs.s3.amazonaws.com/documents/asset/uploaded_file/871751/2020-21_Student_Calendar_Revised.pdf?fbclid=IwAR1P4d8SboZm-zPD_4GutP83H3hv3vMGfbRHl-3zkX1htLClL5-Sl7lbPjg 🦠Continued Vigilance Around COVID-19🦠 ✅Screening for Symptoms✅ All students and staff need to use this home screening tool to determine if they are well enough to attend school each day: https://www.maine.gov/doe/sites/maine.gov.doe/files/inline-files/Pre-Screening%20Tool_11.pdf 📞Reporting Absences📞 Please report your student absent EACH DAY they need to miss in-person or remote learning for any reason. Contact your student’s teacher or the school office attendance voicemail 24/7 at 827-1544 option 3. 📃Make Up Work and Remote Learning📃 When students cannot attend in-person due to symptoms, quarantine, or other reasons, please contact the student’s teacher for make up options. 4th and 5th grade students should still attend their remote learning days if well enough to participate. ☎️COVID-19 Hotline☎️ Please remember to contact RSU #34 with information about a confirmed case of COVID-19, so we can take appropriate action to keep the spread slow and protect our community. You can report a confirmed case 24/7 by calling 827-7171, option 0, or go to www.rsu34.org and click “COVID-19”.

❄️This week's snow is an indicator that the winter weather season is here! Please read this important district re-post about snow days during the 2020-2021 School Year. ❄️ RSU #34 Calendar & Storm/Snow Days RSU #34 revised its school calendar at the end of the summer; the calendar can be accessed at the link below. That calendar lays out the school holidays, such as Veteran’s Day next Wednesday, November 11th. The last scheduled day of the school year is Monday, June 14th. We continue to guide families to anticipate a typical number of storm/snow days. For example, with four storm/snow days school would end Friday, June 18th. We will continue to announce storm/snow days through the RSU #34 app and through our website. We know that major storm/snow events often come paired with power outages, internet outages, and other challenges that make a full day of remote learning difficult. When there’s a storm/snow day, we encourage our students to help shovel out a neighbor, build a snowman, play a game, and do other wonderful things. If during the year we begin to accumulate an unusually large number of storm/snow days, we may consider shifting to some remote learning days for moderate storm/snow events. Link to calendar: https://core-docs.s3.amazonaws.com/.../2020-21_Student...

Progress reports are coming home today if they have not already. If you have any questions, please reach out to your student's teacher. Included in the link below are some helpful tips for home-to-school communication anytime. https://core-docs.s3.amazonaws.com/documents/asset/uploaded_file/559172/RSU__34_Guide_to_Referrals_and_Parent_Communication.pdf

OTES families, WE NEED YOUR HELP! Please fill out and return the form linked here or the paper form sent home with some 4th and 5th graders today, Tuesday, and all others starting Wednesday or Thursday. If you believe it doesn't apply to you, just sign the bottom of the form and return it. This information allows us to get extra federal money, and all information will be kept confidential. Forms must be returned to OTES by October 15. Thank you! https://www.rsu34.org/o/rsu-34/browse/171211