Mon, 03/16/2020 - 6:00pm

The following is from RSU 13 Superintendent John McDonald:

To Our RSU 13 Families:

We are asking that all families please complete this survey (more details below): SURVEY

At this point, we do not have a clear picture of how long our schools will remain closed, and from Commissioner Pender Makin’s message to schools following Governor Mills’ declaration of a civil emergency last night, schools will be closed for “an indefinite period of time.” It will likely be a period of time up to April 27th. Please continue to put your trust in us that we will be in continued communication with families via our One Call system, Facebook, and our RSU13.org website. Our first plan of action has been around instruction, and while we could not have predicted how quickly we would need to distribute our plan, we have indeed been preparing and will be ready to disperse student work this week with distribution beginning Wednesday. Each school will be open from 8:30am until 1:30pm for pickup of materials, and this will include iPads and chargers for all K-12 students. Any materials not picked up can be delivered. Know that right now, teachers are hard at work gathering materials to ensure our students have continued and enriching opportunities for learning. Please also know that we are going to be realistic and flexible in our expectations as we work through this uncharted territory in education. In addition, a centralized copy of all assignments with live links will be available through our district webpage through folders that will go live on Wednesday, March 18, 2020. The linked communication also provides information about internet availability as well as provides a suggested household routine.

We also understand that students may need to get things from school, which can also take place from 8:30am until 1:30pm on Wednesday. If a family cannot make it to school, we will arrange to have it dropped off.

We also ask that your children continue social distancing guidelines. It is counterproductive to a school closure if large groups of students are gathering for play dates or parties. Keep groups small. Continue handwashing. Adhere to travel guidelines. Please. Our community depends on you, too.

During this time, FREE breakfast and lunch will be available to all students, and we will inform you of the details and start date for this once established. In order to provide this efficiently, we need to collect information via THIS SURVEY (same one linked from the top of this letter) from all families using the online form available on the RSU13.org district webpage, by submitting a hard copy of this form to us (using the address above for Central Office or dropping off at your child’s school), or by calling us using the number above. If at all possible, we ask that you submit the online form in order to help us quickly and efficiently organize this information, however, we recognize the need for multiple data collection avenues. While we are collecting information regarding food distribution needs, we also want to know which of our families currently have access to the internet.

More details on menus and procedures for breakfast and lunch will be shared as soon as it is available, but in short, we are planning up to three satellite locations for a quick pickup by families as well as a delivery system of breakfast & lunch to students’ homes using our buses and vans.

Finally, please know that we also care very much about the impact of a school closing on our community, and we hope to develop a plan to work together to find ways to support our local community and each other. We will be reaching out to organize efforts with community partners as we develop plans in the coming weeks.

Much appreciation for your patience and support during this time.

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Work Packet, Internet, and Meal Distribution Survey

Full Name of person completing the survey ________________________________

Full Name(s) of student(s) in the household _________________________ __________________________

_________________________ ___________________________

What schools do your children attend? (Circle all that apply) APCS CCS SS TGS OMS OHS

Using the attached list, what Bus Number provides transportation to your current address? ______________

Does your family have access to the internet (circle yes or no)? Yes No

Would you like your child/children (listed above) to receive breakfast and lunch through an RSU 13 food delivery service (circle yes or no)? Yes** No

***If answering “Yes” to the last question above, On a scale of 1-4, what is your current need (1 being not urgent and 4 being urgent/immediate)? 1 2 3 4

**If you answered “Yes” to the last question above and do not know your bus number, please provide your full current address: ____________________________________________________________________________

Additional Comments:

Please click on the Bus Number to see the complete route. If you have any questions, please call the Bus Garage at 593-9066

2A – Donna Brown

AM - OMS and OHS

AM Elementary - CCS

PM - OMS

PM Elementary – CCS

2B – Jeff Coburn

AM - OHS and OMS

AM Elementary - SS and SS Pre-K

PM - OMS and OHS

PM Elementary – SS and SS Pre-K