Veazie Community School

October 5, 2020 7:15PM EST COVID-19 MEMO #18 REVISED SCHOOL CALENDAR (EARLY RELEASE DAYS & SNOW DAYS) Dear VCS Parents and Caregivers, The Veazie School Committee voted unanimously this evening to adjust the school calendar as follows: 8 Early Release days will be added to the school calendar (all Wednesdays): October 21, November 18, December 9, January 13, February 3, March 10, March 31, May 12: *Students will be dismissed at 12:10 (we will send a bag lunch home with students who request it). *VCS staff will remain at school and use this valuable time for Planning, Doing, Checking, and Adjusting our in-person and remote learning plans. Snow Days Will Become Remote Learning Days: *Remote Snow Days will not be made up in June. *Pilot year (the School Committee will evaluate pros and cons at the end of the year before deciding to continue in future years). *Snow Packets and remote learning options will be sent home at a later date. *A modified Zoom check-in schedule may be used to allow for teacher/student communication. *Student Accountability— students will be recorded as absent if completed work is not submitted within 3 school days after returning from a snow day closure. The addition of 8-early release days provides VCS staff with much needed time throughout the year to address unanticipated challenges created by the COVID-19 pandemic. Our pilot year for making snow days, remote learning days, provides continuity of programming, opportunity for the reinforcement of previously learned skills, social-emotional check-ins during inclement weather, and establishes a fixed “last day of school” for students—Friday, June 11, 2021. Thank you for your continued support throughout these difficult times. Sincerely, Matthew D. Cyr VCS Superintendent & Principal

Grade 7 science class enjoying every last minute of Maine's fall weather!

Friday Trivia: How many worms can a four year old fit in his hand? Answer: 14 worms (plus one grub)

New Online Music Community for VCS Students Dear VCS Musicians, One of the things I miss most during COVID is the ability to share music making with friends. Safety guidelines from the Maine Center for Disease Control as well as the Maine Department of Education are very strict and, as a public school, we have to follow them. These guidelines include spacing students apart 14 feet with masks on or 60 feet without masks(!) when singing or playing a wind instrument and not mixing different groups of students. Even keyboard, guitar, bass, and percussion students would need to be at least 6 feet apart and there could be no cross-grade mixing of students. Mr. Cyr, your other teachers, and I have had many discussions about how we can keep the spirit of our music program alive while being safe. We have decided that the “Community” part of our school name is a good focus to start. In order to do that, we have created a Google Classroom page on which students can submit videos of themselves singing, playing an instrument, or talking about a favorite song or musician. There is also the opportunity for students to leave positive comments on videos and to start discussions about various music topics. Think of it as “Quarantine Karaoke” for VCS students! Because we are using the Google Classroom platform, submitted videos are approved by teachers before sharing and any unhelpful comments can be deleted by a teacher. Student will be receiving an invitation to join the VCS Online Music Learning Community through their school email account. Students not interested in participating on the page can simply ignore the invitation. Directions on how to submit videos are on the page itself. Feel free to contact me marell@veaziecs.org, if you have any questions or ideas about how to make the experience even better. I know that many of you are not seeing me as often as you had in previous years. Please know that I still care about each of you and that my goal is to help you to become as successful as possible. That has not changed. Sincerely, Mr. Arell

TOMORROW IS SPIRIT DAY AT VEAZIE COMMUNITY SCHOOL!!! In-Person and Remote students alike are encouraged to wear a VCS shirt or anything RED! GO VIKINGS!

Veazie Community School has lost power, internet and phones. All staff and students are safe. We are serving lunch shortly and will stick with our regular dismissal schedule. If you need to contact the school, please email tlindsey@veaziecs.org

Grade 7 decided to take advantage of the good weather and take our classrooms outside!! Students ate lunch, explored, played nature bingo, and continued learning all about cells and the differences between prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells!!

VCS Families, please take a moment to read the recently updated MAAP document guiding how and when students are to return to school following any form of illness. Also, please do not forget to complete your daily health screening using our RESCO app. Directions for downloading and installing this can be found on our school website: www.veaziecs.org Have a great weekend!

Welcome to Veazie Community School Specials! We are proud to share what will become a growing collection of resources and asynchronous activities developed by our very own Specials Teachers. Check back often! https://sites.google.com/veaziecs.org/vcsspecials

After School Music Lessons Hello VCS families! Veazie Community School has the opportunity to offer after school music lessons with Mr. Arell through Zoom. These sessions will be combinations of 1 on 1 instruction and small groups and made available to all students in grades 4 - 8. Before we begin assembling a schedule, we wanted to find out how many students would be interested in participating in this program. This survey is not a signup form or commitment letter, it is just a tool to give us a number estimate: https://docs.google.com/forms/...​ ​ Any questions, please contact Mr. Arell at marell@veaziecs.org​​

September 17, 2020 4:00PM EST COVID-19 MEMO #17 STUDENT CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE (ONLINE/REMOTE INSTRUCTION) Confidentiality Notice for Zoom, Google Classroom, Google Meet, Seesaw, and Other Online Platforms used by Veazie Community School for Remote Learning Dear VCS Parents and Caregivers, In order to best meet the needs of our students during the COVID-19 pandemic, our teachers are using various resources and platforms to offer instruction and support. We also use these platforms for our meetings involving parents, including IEP meetings. Veazie Community School takes privacy and security of student information seriously. In order to help ensure everyone’s privacy, students, parents, and staff must not: *Share passwords for any audio/video meetings or class gatherings with anyone outside of the established classroom; *Permit unknown persons to enter or participate in any audio/video meetings or class gatherings; and/or *Record or take pictures of any audio/video meetings or class gathering The virtual classroom will be treated like the regular classroom. To the extent any member of your household observes or participates in the classroom, including your student, they will be held to the same standards of and expectations for behavior that would apply inside the classroom (in the school building). If you have questions about what these expectations are, please contact VCS Superintendent/Principal, Matthew Cyr. During classroom instruction, audio and video recordings and photography are not allowed. The same applies to our remote learning instruction. You may not make audio or video recordings of remote learning instruction, or take photographs during instruction that include any staff members or other students. If you receive such recordings or photographs from a source other than VCS, delta them and do not post or forward—should this happen, please notify Mr. Cyr immediately. Note that students who record, distribute, or otherwise misuse any video recording, may be subject to disciplinary action. Please contact me if you have any questions or concerns. Sincerely, Matthew D. Cyr VCS Superintendent & Principal

September 11, 2020 3:00PM EST COVID-19 MEMO #16 VCS UPDATES & REMINDERS Dear VCS Parents and Caregivers, This memo serves as a reminder that beginning next week, (Sept. 14), we are moving to our normal 2:35 dismissal, or end of day for both in-person and remote learners. Penobscot County continues to be in a ‘Green’ Health Advisory so our current delivery of instruction will continue. I would like to use this time to thank and commend VCS staff for embracing this incredible challenge. I also want to publicly praise all of our families and students for supporting our new safety protocols and scheduling. There have been some bumps in the road during these first couple of weeks, but that was absolutely expected, and we are making adaptations and changes when necessary. I would like to offer some important reminders for our families: Health Screening: It is very important that families complete the RESCO COVID-19 online/app-based health screening prior to leaving the home each morning. It only takes a few moments to complete. If you have lost your child’s COVID ID number or are having trouble with the download, please contact our office manager, Tiffani Lindsey (tlindsey@veaziecs.org 947-6573) and she will walk you through the steps. You should also visit the school website: www.veaziecs.org as it contains step-by-step instructions. Masks Required: All students must come to school each day with at least three clean and properly fitting masks in a labeled bag (ziplock style is fine). The following mask types/styles are not acceptable: gaiters, fleece, single layer mask, materials that are see-through when stretched, and masks with breathing ports on the side. VCS Website: Please visit the Veazie Community School website to read details of all of our plans: www.veaziecs.org Pick-up & Drop-off: We continue to observe and modify pick-up and drop-off procedures. Morning drop-off seems to be getting smoother each day. When possible, parents should remain in their vehicles, exercise patience, and follow the flow of drop-off traffic. This way students can safely be unloaded in front of the building without having to walk through the parking lot or driveway. For afternoon pick-up, we have relocated all buses to a separate location for purposes of safety and reducing traffic congestion. Similar morning procedures, it is safest if parents remain in their vehicles and drive through the pick-up circles so that we can call out students and load them into your vehicles. Unlike years’ past, we are not going to be releasing pick-ups and walkers at the same time. We do not have staff available to screen students in the morning until 7:50…if possible, please plan your arrival for after that time. We are trying to avoid having students being dropped off and lining up without supervision. Indoor Temperatures: As stated in our reopening plan, we have adjusted our HVAC controllers so that we are pulling in 100% outside air, 24/7. This efficiently and safely removes indoor air and replaces it with outside air. As crisp fall temperatures begin to take effect, this will cool off our building. While we are trying to balance safety and comfort, we are asking that all students come to school with a sweatshirt or light jacket to put on if they are chilly—especially in the morning. As the daytime temps get colder, we will begin using heat exchange systems to heat the outside air. Free Breakfast & Lunch for Everyone! Thanks to the efforts of our kitchen manager, Betsy Brooks, and our business manager, Lisa Swift, we are now participating in the USDA COVID Relief meal program. This means that from now through the end of December, all VCS students can receive free breakfast and/or lunch. These meals are also available for remote learners, but parents will need to pick-up the meals here at VCS. Contact Betsy Brooks with questions, or to be placed on the remote order list: bbrooks@veaziecs.org Yellow and Red Health Advisories: While we are presently in a Green health advisory, I am urging all families to have a back-up plan ready to go in a moment’s notice should we be forced to shift to a Yellow or Red advisory. In a Yellow advisory, Grades 3-8 will maintain the same schedule as they do under Green. In a Yellow advisory, PK - 2 will shift to being in-person on Monday/Tuesday, and remote on Wed/Th/Fri. In a Red advisory, all students will shift to remote only. Zoom Etiquette: This is a reminder that school rules still apply to our remote students. We strongly encourage families to have a safe learning location for students during remote days. Thank you all for your continued support. Have a great weekend! Sincerely, Matthew D. Cyr VCS Superintendent & Principal

Dear VCS Families, We are excited to share news that Veazie Community School has been accepted to participate in the USDA school breakfast/lunch meal program under current COVID-19 guidelines. Our participation means that all VCS students qualify to receive a free breakfast and lunch—remote learners too! We are not able to deliver meals as we did last spring and are presently organizing a meal pickup procedure for our remote learners. We are requesting that interested families contact Betsy Brooks, VCS Food Service Director by phone or email to be added to our list. Once we know how many people are requesting meals, we will communicate scheduled pickup times and starting date for this wonderful opportunity. Please reach contact Betsy Brooks asap to be added to this list: bbrooks@veaziecs.org 947-6573 ext. 209 Please note that we still need 100% of our families to complete the Free/Reduced Lunch application as this important document directly impacts State and Federal school funding levels.--Thank you! Have a good afternoon! -Mr. Cyr

The Maine DOE just announced that Penobscot County remains 'Green' in the health advisory system. Veazie Community School will be proceeding with next week's schedule as planned. Please visit our website for details: www.veaziecs.org

Veazie Community School Families. Please take a moment to read today's school reopening reminder with new information about possible changes in Penobscot County Health Advisories . Here is a link to the notice: https://5il.co/kh08

VCS Families. Get a head start on your back-to-school paperwork and complete the Free & Reduced Lunch form online. All families must complete this form regardless of eligibility. https://www.nlappscloud.com/Welcome.aspx?api=b5e2055a07ad32dacf1c26fcc208baef#loaded

BEGINNING OF YEAR PACKETS - The most important information and forms just went out in the mail to all families. To save on postage, less pressing documents will come home with children on their first day of in-person learning. (Remote-only learners were mailed everything.) Please note, there was an error on the cover sheet. It says the Free/Reduced Lunch form was mailed. It is actually coming home from school instead.

VCS Middle School Update: To start the school year, students in grades 6-8 will be learning remotely Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, and will learn in-person at VCS Thursday and Friday. We suggest that prior to the first day of school, Wednesday, September 2nd, that parents work with their child to create a comfortable home learning space. Having the suggested supplies in that area will help you to be prepared for your virtual classes (click the link below to see suggested supplies for the home). At school, students will not have access to lockers. Please only bring necessary materials that will fit into a single backpack, that can easily be kept under a seat or desk. Please contact your homeroom or middle school teachers with any questions you may still have. Suggested Home Supplies List: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1xON5mXW_fP5Uk6EzffJ3OyOnUQmMhdy-ZIGFcjZCIjc/edit?usp=sharing

Please find our parent Q & A page: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Yy2m3vSj53BegLM8kw6S-o97Y_CRtkIU5HdX8eKimNM/edit?usp=sharing Reminder: We will have a virtual open house on Wednesday, August 26 at 6:30p.m. Please email our office manager, Tiffani Lindsey (tlindsey@veaziecs.org) to receive your zoom meeting ID and password for this meeting. This open house is for parents only. We will go over details of our plan including pickup/dropoff and our health screening app.

Some important details for parents to know regarding Veazie Community School pick-up and drop-off procedures. We hope this helps you to prepare: *Normal drop-off times will be 7:50 - 8:15am (school day starts at 8:15) *Normal dismissal time will be 2:30pm (1:30pm for the first two weeks of school) *Early dismissal time (for parents making this selection) is 12:10pm MUCH more information will be forthcoming....thank you for your patience.