Veazie Community School News

COVID-19 MEMO #10 Veazie Community School End of Year Details V.2

Dear VCS Parents and Caregivers, 

I wanted to reach out with updated information on end of year activities and procedures at Veazie Community School: 

Last student day: June 5, 2020 

The last week of school will include a variety of wrap-up activities within each classroom. We are currently planning step-up Zoom meetings for kids to meet next year’s teachers. Third trimester report cards will be mailed home on or before Tuesday, June 9. Please remember that report cards may look different at each grade level as grade level teams and individual classes adjusted to remote teaching and learning. 

End of Year Vehicle Parade: 

VCS graduating 8th graders and their families will be grand marshals of an end of year celebration parade. VCS staff will also be in their vehicles along with Veazie Police and Fire Departments serving as our escorts. At this point in time, the tentative date and time for the vehicle parade will be Friday, June 5 at 2:00 p.m. We will publish a parade route closer to the date so families can plan ahead for safely viewing the parade. This vehicle parade will be a great opportunity for us all to put down the technology and engage in a real event, and worthwhile celebration! *Yearbooks: Thanks to support from our PTO we have purchased a yearbook for every student! We will share a plan for distributing yearbooks once they arrive. Thanks to Mrs. Shannon for assembling this year’s yearbook under incredible circumstances. 

Technology Devices: 

(Macbooks, Chromebook, iPads). Given the many uncertainties surrounding summer programming and back-to-school schedules in the fall, we are not planning to collect devices at this point in time. We hope that our school devices provide students with a gateway to the outside world this summer (on days they are not able to get outdoors and play). We will also be offering summer programming opportunities and do not want lack of technology to be a barrier for student participation. More than likely, we will strategically collect devices beginning with graduating 8th grade MacBooks towards the end of July so that they can be reformatted, cleaned and prepared for the next student. More details will come on this in July. Parents may voluntarily return a VCS technology device at anytime by contacting Mr. Cyr. 

VCS Summer Programming (June 30 - July 30): 

ESY—VCS Special Education Director, Debrajean Scheibel will be communicating directly with parents and IEP teams to provide details for our Extended School Year programming (ESY). -Math Camp—When federal CARES Act funds become available, we will announce a summer math program aimed at minimizing summer learning loss. This voluntary, web-based program will be run by VCS music teacher and grade 3 math teacher, Mr. Arell. More details will be shared at a later date. -Summer Library Programming—Mrs. Shannon is putting together a combination of Literacy and STEM activities for VCS students to participate in over the summer. More details will be shared at a later date. -Coding Club—The current after school coding club will take a break beginning June 5 and return beginning the week of June 30. More details will be shared at a later date. 

Grade 8 Commencement Activities: 

VCS staff have coordinated a variety of activities and opportunities for our 8th graders to give them a safe and respectful graduation experience. These events include but are not limited to the following: -We are planning an in-person graduation following strict CDC and Maine DOE safety guidelines. This event will not be open to the public and is scheduled to begin at 1:00 p.m. on Friday, June 5. Each student will be permitted to bring two guests (no exceptions). We will be required to have a member of law enforcement present during this ceremony to ensure that social distancing regulations are properly followed. Students and guests will have the chance to privately walk through the school just prior to being seated. More details of the event will be sent directly to 8th grade families. -8th Grade students and their families will be grand marshals for our vehicle parade immediately following the graduation celebration (we estimate the parade to begin around 2:00 p.m. on Friday, June 5). Details of the motor route will be published at a later date. 

A recording of the graduation ceremony will be published on FB and our school website so staff and family members who were not able to attend can share in the celebration of these amazing kids. 

The VCS electronic road sign is currently scrolling through names of our graduating 8th graders and will continue for the rest of the month of May. We encourage families to stop by and take a photo when your name pops up. 

The spring edition of our community newspaper, THE VIKING has been delayed until later in June. We will have a special color section dedicated to our graduating 8th grade students -During the last week of school (June 1 - 5), 8th grade students will be invited to “visit” Zoom classes of grades PK - 7 so they have opportunity to say good bye. -In lieu of helping to pay for a class trip, our PTO is purchasing a high school hoodie for each graduating 8th grader so they can proudly display their school of choice. 

Lost and Found: We will fold lost and found items on tables and place them outside the main entrance later this month (we will make announcements so families have opportunity to look for lost items). Unclaimed items will be donated to Good Will later this summer. 

Library Books: 

Our library book bin is outside the school main entrance and can be used to return all VCS library and classroom books. Your efforts are greatly appreciated—Thank you! 

The Veazie Community School staff will be using Monday June 8 and Tuesday June 9 to debrief our remote learning experiences and complete routine end of year paperwork. The remaining two calendar days are being moved to August to provide staff with additional time to prepare for the upcoming school year (August 27 & 28). 

As of right now, our first student day for the 2020-2021 school year remains to be Wednesday, September 2. 

The Veazie Community School wants every student to be healthy and able to manage their worries and any anxiety they might be experiencing. If you are concerned with how your child is doing emotionally, you can contact the NAMI MAINE HELPLINE: 1-800-464-5767, press 1. Or email at helpline@namimaine.org. Other helplines: -Maine’s Statewide Crisis Line: 1-888-568-1112 (call or text) -National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255 -National Crisis Text Line: Text HOME to 741741 -Trevor Project LGBTQ Crisis Line: 1-866-488-7386 (or text TREVOR to 1-202-304-1200 There is also a NAMI MAINE Teen Text Support Line at 1-207-515-8398. This is open from 12:00 p.m. until 10:00 p.m. and is a peer support text line for youth 14 - 20 years old and staffed by individuals under 23 years of age. Please note that the Teen Text Support Line is not a crisis line but a way for teens to have someone to talk to if they are anxious and just need a friendly ear. Also do not hesitate to reach out to us at Veazie Community School. You may also dial 211 for information on the COVID-19 crisis in Maine. 

In the coming weeks, we will be sharing information regarding any summer programming that is possible based on state and national regulations. 

Our last day of food delivery will be Monday, June 8 with food for the remainder of that week. 

The day WILL come when our students are able to return to a regular school schedule in our beautiful school. In the meantime, Veazie Community School staff will remain resilient and continue to look for ways to improve our model of remote teaching and learning. Your support is greatly appreciated. 

Please take care of each other. 


Sincerely, 

Matthew D. Cyr 
Superintendent & Principal