Wednesday, December 16, 2020

The "New" Snow Day

 

December  16, 2020

 

Dear Families,

 

Winter is upon us and I wanted to take a moment to share some information that you may find helpful in the coming days and weeks. 

 

Winter Recess

The goal is to get outdoors as much as possible! If the “feels like” temperature is 10 degrees or higher, we will be having outdoor recess. We are requesting that students wear warm jackets, hats, and gloves for outdoor play. All students should bring boots to school to play in the snowy fields. There is nothing worse than wet feet. Our hope is to add an option for students to sled at recess. It is recommended that K-2 students bring and wear snow pants as well to keep warm and dry.  If financial resources are strained and limit your ability to purchase warm winter gear for your child, (coat, snow pants, boots, hats, & mittens), please contact our school social worker, Jaime Tardif, directly at 222-1168 or via email at jaime.tardif@gorhamschools.org for assistance and available resources. 

 

The new “Snow Day”

For this year only, a “snow day” will be a remote learning school day for all staff and students. This day may be determined by Heather Perry the night before or in the morning of inclement weather when it is not safe to travel to campus. Families can expect to receive communication from their child’s classroom teacher on the evening before or the morning of a “snow day.”  This communication will include what your child will work on while at home during a “snow day.”

 

Students that experience a “snow day” on their normal at-home learning day will follow their regular schedule and complete the typical assignments shared by their teachers and, if applicable, service providers. Students that experience a “snow day” on a day when they should be learning on-campus will follow the learning plan and schedule shared by their teachers. Please note that this day will be as close as possible to the expectations for at-home learning during the instructional week. 

 

Teachers have sent home an emergency “snow day” packet that should be utilized if your family is experiencing a power outage and is not able to access information or activities that may have been shared through your child’s Google Classroom or SeeSaw platform. This is also the time when the bucket of shared materials may be accessed to support learning at home. 


Although this new “snow day” includes a continuation of learning, our hope is that you will still find time to enjoy the day. Be sure to build a snowman, go for a wintery walk, drink hot cocoa, and snuggle with a good book. Academic activities should take no longer than 45 minutes for Kindergarten; 60 minutes for Grades 1-2; 90 minutes for Grade 3-5.

 

As always, please feel free to reach out to me at any time with questions and feedback. I am available through email at becky.fortier@gorhamschools.org and by phone at 222-1050.


Take care and be well,

Becky Fortier

Great Falls Principal


Translation is available. Please contact Cecely Conrad at cecely.conrad@gorhamschools.org or 207-222-1370.

Доступен перевод. Пожалуйста, свяжитесь с Cecely Conrad по телефону cecely.conrad@gorhamschools.org или же 207-222-1370.

الترجمة متاحة. يرجى الاتصال بـ "Cecely Conrad" على cecely.conrad@gorhamschools.org أو 207-222-1370.

ការបកប្រែមាន។ សូមទាក់ទង Cecely Conrad តាម cecely.conrad@gorhamschools.org ឬ 207-222-1370.

Traduction disponible. Veuillez contacter Cecely Conrad au cecely.conrad@gorhamschools.org ou 207-222-1370.

提供翻译。 请通过cecely.conrad@gorhamschools.org或207-222-1370与“ Cecely Conrad”联系。




Winter Letter from the Principal


December  11, 2020

Dear Great Falls Families,


It is hard to believe that we will be starting week 15 of on-campus learning. I continue to be so proud of our staff, students, and families for their efforts to keep school happy and safe. 


Make a Mask Project: Even though this year is definitely different, kindness still counts at Great Falls! All K-5 students will be making their mark on a mask during art class. The Make a Mask Project will take the place of our annual Empty Bowl Project for this year only. It is our hope to exemplify compassion and kindness by raising money for the Gorham Food Pantry. The Gorham Food Pantry has served the needs of those impacted by food insecurity in Gorham for over 25 years. Great Falls annually makes a substantial contribution to their efforts. Families are asked to purchase their child’s mask for a donation of your choice to the Gorham Food Pantry. We set a goal to raise $1,500 for the Gorham Food Pantry. At this time, we have raised over $700. We can do it, Great Falls! 


Planned Vacations Out of State: Just a reminder that if your family chooses to travel to a state not approved by Maine, your child will need to quarantine or produce a negative COVID-19 test to return to campus. Your child’s days out of school due to voluntary travel and the quarantine or the wait for test results because of travel will be considered absent from school. Please understand that it is not possible to recreate the face to face learning that will be missed in these circumstances. Teachers will do their best to send work home that the students would have been completing on their “in school” days but oftentimes students are missing the presentations and discussions and not physical work. Independent reinforcement activities will continue to be provided for “home learning days'' according to their A or B grouping.


Hydration: Because of our Covid 19 protocols, the water fountains are not available to be used this school year.  Please be sure your child has a water bottle (labeled with their name) at school each day.  Bottles can be filled and refilled at school.  Students are allowed to remove their masks to drink water throughout the day and adults do encourage students to drink regularly.   


NEW!!! Daily Health Survey: As COVID cases are increasing we want to make sure that all of our students and staff are safe. Beginning on Monday, December 14th we are going to ensure that health surveys are completed prior to students entering their designated classroom upon arrival.  I want to remind you that the health survey needs to be filled out and submitted prior to 8:00 am each morning that your student is attending school.  The survey opens at 5:30 am so as soon as your student is awake and you are able to check them for symptoms, please fill it out and submit. If surveys are not completed, students will be asked to wait supervised by staff in our cafeteria until the health survey is returned. Thank you for helping to keep our school safe and open. 


K-12 Parent Open Forum: Heather Perry is offering a Q & A Forum around COVID 19 and our schools, our hybrid model, and what we anticipate for the winter and spring. The Q & A Forum will be held on Tuesday, Dec. 15 starting at 6:00 pm via the following zoom link.  This forum will take the place of our regularly scheduled Parent Connection Meeting this month. 

Monday,

December 14th

Tuesday, 

December 15th

Wednesday, 

December 16th

Thursday, 

December 17th

Friday, 

December 18th

A Day


B Day


A Day

B Day

At-Home Learning Day

Monday,

December 21st

Tuesday, 

December 22nd

Wednesday, 

December 23rd

Thursday, 

December 24th

Friday, 

December 25th

A Day


B Day


Happy Holidays!

As always, please feel free to reach out to me at any time with questions and feedback. I am available through email at becky.fortier@gorhamschools.org and by phone at 222-1050.


Take care and be well,

Becky Fortier, Great Falls Principal


Friday, December 4, 2020

December Letter from the Principal



Dear Great Falls Families,

Happy December! I hope you had a wonderful November break. We are excited to be heading into our 14th week of on-campus learning and continue to be proud of our students and staff for their ongoing efforts to stay safe while remaining positive and happy at school. 

Make a Mask Project: Even though this year is definitely different, kindness still counts at Great Falls! All K-5 students will be making their mark on a mask during art class. The Make a Mask Project will take the place of our annual Empty Bowl Project for this year only. It is our hope to exemplify compassion and kindness by raising money for the Gorham Food Pantry. The Gorham Food Pantry has served the needs of those impacted by food insecurity in Gorham for over 25 years. Great Falls annually makes a substantial contribution to their efforts. Families will be asked to purchase their child’s mask for a donation of your choice to the Gorham Food Pantry. 

Planned Vacations Out of State: Just a reminder that if your family chooses to travel to a state not approved by Maine, your child will need to quarantine or produce a negative COVID-19 test to return to campus. Your child’s days out of school due to voluntary travel and the quarantine or the wait for test results because of travel will be considered absent from school. Please understand that it is not possible to recreate the face to face learning that will be missed in these circumstances. Teachers will do their best to send work home that the students would have been completing on their “in school” days but oftentimes students are missing the presentations and discussions and not physical work. Independent reinforcement activities will continue to be provided for “home learning days'' according to their A or B grouping.

Report Cards: At the K-5 level, teachers have identified the performance indicators in all content areas and are using assessments aligned to these indicators. Teachers are using Jump Rope, an online standards-based grade book, to track student progress to the performance indicators. To learn more about Jump Rope, check out the online resource found at K-5 Parent Jumprope Information The 1st-trimester report cards are scheduled to be emailed to parents on Friday, December 4th. Students that have an IEP or PLP will be receiving a printed document of progress to go home on their next on-campus day of either Monday, December 7th or Tuesday, December 8th. 

December Calendar:

Monday,

December 7th

Tuesday, 

December 8th

Wednesday, 

December 9th

Thursday, 

December 10th

Friday, 

December 11th

A Day


B Day


A Day

B Day

At-Home Learning Day

Monday,

December 14th

Tuesday, 

December 15th

Wednesday, 

December 16th

Thursday, 

December 17th

Friday, 

December 18th

A Day


B Day


A Day

B Day

At-Home Learning Day

Monday,

December 21st

Tuesday, 

December 22nd

Wednesday, 

December 23rd

Thursday, 

December 24th

Friday, 

December 25th

A Day


B Day


Happy Holidays!


As always, please feel free to reach out to me at any time with questions and feedback.

I am available through email at becky.fortier@gorhamschools.org and by phone at 222-1050.

Take care and be well,

Becky Fortier, Great Falls Principal


Thursday, October 29, 2020

November Update from the Principal

Dear Great Falls Families,


I hope you enjoyed your parent/student/teacher conference and feel as though you have a better understanding of what your child is learning, how they are demonstrating their learning and the goals your child has to be successful in the learning yet to come. Fall conferences are a wonderful time to talk about learning expectations and how your child will grow throughout the school year. Thank you for participating in this process!


At the K-5 level, teachers have already identified the performance indicators in all content areas and are now using assessments aligned to these indicators. Teachers are using Jump Rope, an online standards-based grade book, to track student progress to the performance indicators. The 1st-trimester report cards are scheduled to be emailed to parents on Friday, December 4th. 


It is hard to believe that the end of October is here and we will be heading into the month of November. I am including an overview of November. Please pay close attention to next week as Tuesday is the at-home learning day swapped with Friday as our school is serving as a voting station. 


Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

2


“A” Day

3

At-Home Learning Day

4


“A” Day

5


“B” Day

6


“B” Day

9

Mismatch Monday

Show off your silly side! 😻 Wear your wacky mismatched socks🧦 to school for all to see!


“A” Day

10

T-Shirt Tuesday

Show your team pride 📣 and wear your favorite t-shirt from Gorham or from any team you support!👏


“B” Day

11

No School

12

Totally Tubular Sock Thursday

Show off your silly side!🧦 Wear your wacky socks to school for all to see!🙌


“B” Day

13

Favorite Friday

Show your team pride and wear your favorite t-shirt 🙌from Gorham or from any team you support!📣


“A” Day

16


“A” Day

17


“B” Day

18

 

“A” Day

19


“B” Day

20

At-Home Learning Day


23


“A” Day

24


“B” Day

25


No School

26

27

Trimester #1 Ends

30

Trimester #2 Begins


“A” Day






Heather Perry has shared her information regarding the “new” snow day in her letter found HERE. As always, please feel free to reach out to me at any time with questions and feedback.  


Becky Fortier, Great Falls Principal