Author: mfavreau
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August 8th Update
August 8, 2021Staff / Parents / Students / RSU 18 Community,
As we reach the second week of August, I still do not have all the answers for you about the start of school. I can tell you that many people in our district are working hard, and we will be ready. I will continue to send out regular updates, so you know where the decision making is about the fall. As I have told you all since early July, some decisions will not be made until we reach the latter part of August. Our next school board meeting is on August 18th. At that meeting the board will hear more recommendations and consider some of the final decisions that still need to be addressed.
Some of the things we do know about the start of school are focused on cleaning and safety protocols. Many of the protocols we implemented last year will continue:
· additional custodial staff · outdoor learning spaces · additional sections and space for lunch · live streaming events · organized hall traffic for transitions · student drop off / pick up protocols · options for virtual parent conferences · cleaning supplies available in all rooms · limited visitors in our schools · hand washing / sanitizing · Contact tracing and quarantining for close contacts. Note: Vaccinated staff and students will not have to quarantine unless they test positive
We will not be offering remote learning as a full-time schedule. If an entire class must go remote for a short period of time, remote synchronous learning could be an option. However, if individual students must quarantine due to being a close contact, they will have to utilize asynchronous learning. All teachers will continue to use Google Classroom or Seesaw as a communication tool for students and parents. This will assist in any asynchronous learning situations.
High School fall sports are scheduled to start on August 16th. Please keep an eye out for communication from Mr. Foye or Ms. Wills.
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Central Office Staff Take On New Roles
July 29, 2021To a large extent, the job of the Central Office staff is to provide support for the entire district so that our teachers, support staff, and administrators all have what they need to do their jobs for our students. Throughout the last year, this has been more important than ever. New supplies, subscriptions, technology, PPE, and everything else that we needed had to be ordered, stored, delivered, inventoried….. Etc.
Our Central Office dealt with all of these behind-the-scenes aspects and more, while simultaneously taking on new training and reorganizing the work structure within the central office for greater efficiency. We wanted to take a few moments to recognize this amazing team as a whole and introduce you to some of these hard-working women in their new roles.
Cindy McCarthy recently became the Accounting Coordinator for RSU 18. The Accounting Coordinator position plays an integral role in RSU 18’s business office providing a wide variety of administrative and district support in matters pertaining to finance, business, and accounting. Cindy previously held the position of Accounts Payable and has been with the district for 8 years and working with local schools for over 25 years. Cindy’s positive attitude, hard work, and willingness to help anyone have had a positive impact on our schools. When Cindy isn’t working hard at the Central Office she is granting wishes for Make A Wish, traveling the world, and spending time with her family.
Jennifer King joined RSU 18 in October as our Purchasing & Payables Specialist. Jenn has many years of experience in finance with outside organizations and we were excited for her to bring her skills and knowledge to our district. She has proven to be a huge asset to our Finance Team and Central Office. She has been a fast learner, a great communicator, and is always willing to help others. During Jenn’s downtime, she enjoys spending time with her family, attending her children’s activities, and remodeling her backyard oasis.
Megan Bacon is a familiar face within RSU 18. She joined Messalonskee High School in 2009 and transitioned to Central Office a few years later in 2013. She has now transitioned to the role of Administrative Assistant to the Superintendent and Assistant Superintendent of Schools. Megan is the life of the party at Central Office, always offering to help with her quick wit and outgoing personality. Megan is a leader in any task she is asked to complete and the go-to person when we need historical information on the district. Traveling to tropical places is one of Megan’s favorite things to do, she also loves spending time with her family especially her nieces and nephews, and shopping with her Nan.
Laura White has been with RSU 18 since it was formed over a decade ago as the district’s payroll specialist. Prior to that, she worked in School Union 52 as part of the district with China Schools. Her attention to detail and knowledge of business software has gained her respect in our district and around the state. Laura is now transitioning to be the district’s human resource and payroll specialist. In her spare time, Laura enjoys spending time with her partner Mike, her children, her mother, and of course her granddaughter Ava.
Kristi Farrell joined RSU 18 in October of 2017 as the Administrative Assistant to the Superintendent. Over the last several months she has transitioned into the payroll specialist position. Kristi is extremely detail-oriented and hard working. In her downtime, Kristi enjoys spending time with her two daughters, Kourtney and Kelsey, and her fur babies.
Sharon Jolicoeur is our most senior person at the Central Office. While her role hasn’t changed much, it has changed to the Administrative Assistant to the Maintenance and Facilities Department. Sharon’s can-do attitude, flexibility, and friendly personality make her the perfect person for welcoming all to RSU 18 whether they are entering the Central Office or calling on the telephone. You will often find Sharon giving treats to her animal friends, spending time with her family, and gearing up for her first grandchild.
Many districts struggled to meet staff needs last year, but the RSU 18 Central Office staff dedicated themselves to making sure everyone had what they needed when they needed it. And they delivered while doing extensive training and migrating to a new financial software system. In a normal year, this software change alone would have kept everyone busy. The work the Central Office staff did may have been behind the scenes, but it was a big reason we were so successful as a district this last year.
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Change to summer meal pick up times
June 15, 2021We are changing the serving time at China Middle School so that we can have someone there to hand out meals. Meals can be picked up at China Middle School from 945 to 1030.All other school sites will keep their pick-up times from 10-11.Thank you! -
6/6/21 Update from Superintendent Gartley
June 6, 2021 -
Summer Meals
June 3, 2021 -
June 2021 Parent Healthy Newsletter
June 1, 2021 -
Virtual Spring Chorus Concert
May 26, 2021 -
End of Year Band and Chorus Links
May 24, 2021It’s a pretty big week for our chorus and band students We kick it off on Tuesday evening with the Beginning Band Concert and end with the music awards on Thursday, May 27th.
Here are the times and (where possible) the links for all the amazing musical events taking place this week.
May 25
6:30PM MHS- Beginning Band Concert https://youtu.be/2Qm2pYBUB5Q
May 26
6:30PM Virtual Spring Chorus Concert/Music Department tribute to Chorus and Band Seniors
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/16AKKMYNGibJtKqjpDnBdtXyKk2R3Tmhk?usp=sharing
May 27
6:30PM MHS – Concert band livestream https://youtu.be/xEgeqMYlSjw
7:00PM MHS – Music Awards
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RSU 18 Wellness Champions…So Far
May 18, 2021