August 10, 2020
Dear Great Falls Families,
On Thursday, August 6th, the Gorham School Committee approved the Pandemic Response Plan and the opening of the school plan in the yellow model for the K-5 schools. This school year will certainly look and feel different but our hope is that by working together you will feel more comfortable with the plan and procedures we will have in place at Great Falls to provide a safe, meaningful, and productive year for all of our students.
We will conduct our Kindergarten screening appointments on Monday, August 31st as planned. Notification of the kindergarten teacher placements will occur through email on Thursday, September 3rd. K-5 students will begin on Tuesday, September 8th in the yellow model which means a mix (hybrid model) of in-person instruction and at-home learning. We have communicated with families the A and B assignments for on-campus learning with “A” attending on Mondays and Wednesdays and “B” attending on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Fridays will be designated for virtual student support, intervention, and/or enrichment as needed along with staff development. Please review the K-5 Instructional Reopening Plan for more specific information.
Heather Perry sent out a very important parent blog post and survey that will allow you to indicate your preference to participate in either the on-campus learning model or the virtual learning model. Along with your schooling preference, you will be asked to indicate your transportation needs. Please be sure to complete this survey as it will help us to best plan for your child.
When we open school on September 8th, we will follow the 6 requirements for safely opening school as indicated on the Maine Department of Education website at https://www.maine.gov/doe/home.
In the very near future you will be receiving a video from Mrs. Etienne and I that will outline “A Day in the Life of a Great Falls Student” in the yellow model. We will walk you through all of the procedures following the 6 MDOE safety requirements that we will utilize for on-campus learning. In the meantime, we will share that face-coverings (masks) will be one of the required safety measures. In order to prepare for wearing masks, we would encourage your child to practice wearing a face-covering for periods of time each day between now and the start of school. This will allow your child to feel more comfortable when school begins.
In order to best plan for your daily schedule, the following times will be used for the 2020-2021 school year:
To help with your back to school shopping, we are including the grade level supply lists below. Please remember that purchasing any of the items listed is optional. Great Falls will make sure that all students have the supplies they need to fully participate in their on-campus educational programming.
For more information please review the Gorham School Department Pandemic Operations Plan. Thank you for your ongoing support and partnership. Please be sure to check out the Great Falls News frequently for important information.
Monday, August 31st - Kindergarten Screening
Thursday, September 3rd - Kindergarten Placement Letters Emailed
Tuesday, September 8th - First Day of School - “B” Schedule
Wednesday, September 9th - First Day of School - “A” Schedule
Take care and be well.
Becky Fortier and Deanna Etienne
Great Falls Administrators
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