The agenda for the September 9, 2021 RSU 12 Board of Director's meeting can be found here, https://www.svrsu.org/browse/253750
Palermo Consolidated School: Panther News 9/7/2021
SCHOOL NEWS:
** The Boys and Girls Club has just started childcare for before and after school, vacation time and during the summer. Please call the school for more information.
** Each morning we send the students out for recess. Please make sure they have warm clothes to keep them warm. Please remember to send your student to school with sneakers for Physical Education day.... They need to run and be able to safely do the their activities.
** Please assess your student for signs related to Covid everyday. People with COVID-19 have had a wide range of symptoms reported – ranging from mild symptoms to severe illness. Symptoms may appear 2-14 days after exposure to the virus. Anyone can have mild to severe symptoms.
SPORTS NEWS:
Middle School Soccer - Grades 6th, 7th and 8th Soccer Practice will start today (Tuesday). Kids will be bussed over to the field when school is dismissed. Practice everyday this week
On game days there will be a bus planning to stay and bus kids back to Palermo School. We will be asking parents to let us know if this bus is needed each game.
CALENDAR OF EVENTS:
Oct 8th - No School - Inservice Day
Oct 11th - No School - Indigenous Peoples' Day
Oct 12th - Picture Day
From The Principal's Desk:
Covid 19 has reared its ugly head for the start of the school year. It is very important to keep an eye on symptoms and inform us with information related to symptoms or test results. The protocols are a bit different this year and we will do our best to keep you informed.
Our school is fully masked during the school day which means that quarantines from school will occur in only a few exceptions. We will be watching these issues closely and will contact parents when there are close contact concerns.
-Mrs. Oliphant
Palermo Consolidated School is pleased to support Chris Bannigan in his efforts to raise awareness and funds. See below for more information.
The Jackson Laboratory is partnering with a UK-based organization called Hope for Hasti. Hasti is a 9-year old with Cornelia de Lange Syndrome, a rare developmental and cognitive disorder. Her father, Chris Brannigan, is walking from Bar Harbor, ME to Camp Lejeune, NC to raise awareness and funds to develop a gene therapy for this childhood disorder. He is going by foot (literally barefoot) and is planning to camp overnight at locations where he can stay for free, in order to lower costs and direct all funds toward his research goal.
Chris will be staying at Palermo School on Saturday. We will be accepting any donations throughout the coming weeks to support his fundraising efforts.
Please visit his website for more information. https://www.hopeforhasti.org/
SCHOOL NEWS:
Please assess your student for signs related to Covid every day. People with COVID-19 have had a wide range of symptoms reported – ranging from mild symptoms to severe illness. Symptoms may appear 2-14 days after exposure to the virus. Anyone can have mild to severe symptoms.
** The Boys and Girls Club has just started childcare for before and after school, vacation time and during the summer. Please call the school for more information.
SPORTS NEWS:
Middle School Soccer - Typically, Palermo soccer is a co-ed team for 6th thru 8th graders - sometimes 5th graders play when we do not have enough from the other grades. Sign-ups will be this week - have your student sign the sheet located on the doors of the middle school building.
CALENDAR OF EVENTS:
Sept 1st - Early Release at 1:30 (Every Wednesday is early release)
Sept 3rd - NO SCHOOL
Sept 6 - Labor Day - No School
From The Principal's Desk:
Welcome back to our weekly newsletter. We hope this helps keep you informed of events happening at school. Most teachers also send home a newsletter with academics and events happening in the classroom. Please check our Palermo Consolidated School website and our facebook page for our weekly letters.
-Mrs. Oliphant
We did our bus drivers meeting this morning and we are just trying to fine tune the bus schedule. If you are going to be dropping off and/or picking up your kiddo/s, can you please let me know as soon as possible by email ahelm@svrsu.org so that I can notify the bus drivers? I don't necessarily need to know if you are just picking up but definitely if you are dropping off so that our bus drivers don't have to go out of their way. Thank you so much!!
Dear Palermo Parents;
I hope you are enjoying a wonderful summer. The school year is fast approaching and I am so delighted to start our school year! Our first day of school is Tuesday, August 31st. I look forward to seeing the students with their positive energy and dedication to learning. All signs point to starting the year with a few regulations related to Covid 19. The Palermo School Board voted to require masks for all students and staff while inside the building. We all will be working hard to keep everyone healthy and have another productive school year. Our skilled and devoted staff are already planning and preparing for your child(ren)s return.
New Staff
Each year brings positive change and new staff. We are delighted to welcome Courtney Desmarais, our new third grade teacher. Courtney brings a solid skillset and a gentle, sensitive approach to meeting children’s academic and emotional needs. Also, we welcome two new staff in our special education department. Holly Morgan has been hired to fill our special education teacher position. Holly is a skillful teacher with a great deal of expertise in the field of teaching students with learning disabilities and other special needs. Tracy Dowling has just been hired as an ed tech and is going to be working with Ms. Morgan. Welcome Courtney, Holly and Tracy!
Important Things to Know:
Last year brought many changes to the operation of our school and we had a lot of protocols for students, staff and parents. I want to make sure that you are aware of the latest protocols approved by the Palermo School Board members.
Covid 19 Protocols:
Masks must be worn by students and staff while inside the building.
Masks and assigned seating are required on the bus.
We will be limiting visitors inside the building. If you must be inside the buildings, masks must be worn at all times.
Parents will need to communicate with the school staff regarding any illnesses so we can continue to monitor direct contact and possible quarantine requirements.
We will be following CDC guidelines for any student or staff who have symptoms related to Covid19 or are exposed to someone with Covid19. Details explaining these guidelines will be sent home soon.
Open House: This year we will hold an Open House on August 30th from 5-6pm. This will be an opportunity for students to come meet their teacher and see their classroom.
Bus Schedules: Students will need to wear masks while riding the bus.
Bus Schedules will be ready on August 21st. We will post them on our webpage, facebook, or call the school.
** Please note: Friday Sept. 3rd- no school. Every Wednesday is an early dismissal at 1:30.
Parent Drop off and pick up: Parent drop off and pick up will continue to be at the back gym door. Drop off will be from 7:45 to 8:00, pick up will be at 2:30. Please contact the school if you will be dropping off your kiddo/s in the morning so that we can let your bus driver know he doesn’t need to stop at your house.
Breakfast: Breakfast is free to all students this year. We will be serving breakfast in the classroom at 8:00.
Lunch: Lunch is also free to all students this year. Students will be asked to sit six apart while eating.
Please go to the link that was sent to you to apply for Free or Reduced breakfast/lunch even though breakfast and lunch will be free. Schools with a certain percentage of free and reduced kiddos qualify for many different subsidies. We need ALL parents to complete this form (online or paper copy) to help us qualify for programs. We appreciate your help with this.
Recess- Our recess schedule is going to include a morning recess for all students from 7:45 to 8:00 and a 20 minute mid-day recess near lunch time. Students are not required to wear a mask outside.
Please, contact me if you have any questions. I will continue to communicate with you when there are any changes throughout the year.
Warmest regards,
Stephanie Oliphant
The agenda and documents for the RSU 12 Board of Director's Meeting for Tuesday, August 17, 2021 can be found here, https://www.svrsu.org/browse/244858
Please consider completing a Meal Benefit Application. It helps our schools and may provide you and your family some benefits as well. You can complete the application online at http://svrsu.schoollunchapp.com or download a paper copy of the application from https://www.maine.gov/doe/schools/nutrition/studenteligibility. If you have any questions, please reach out to RSU 12 Director of Student Nutrition Services, Mike Flynn, at mflynn@svrsu.org. Thank you!
I am attaching a link for the Free and Reduced Lunch application. There will be no fees for meals again this year but we are offered many state subsidies based on the amount of free and reduced kiddos we have so we strongly encourage you to fill out this application to help our school qualify!! Thank you so much for your help with this!
https://www.nlappscloud.com/Welcome.aspx?api=8cf2525842d540a405ed016b6e6ce7f1#loaded
7th Grade supply list:
✤ Minimum of one box of pencils
✤ Pens of various colors
✤ College-ruled binder refill paper
✤ Highlighters (3-4 different colors)
✤ 1 inch binder
✤ Dividers for binder (preferably with pockets)
✤ Earbuds/headphones
✤ Pencil Box to store supplies (Optional)
✤ Refillable water bottle
✤ An independent reading book :)
EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES AT PALERMO SCHOOL
We are looking for enthusiastic and energetic individuals who loves working with children to join our team!
Child Care Director and Child Care Assistant at Palermo Elementary School
These are Monday-Friday, before and after school position with school vacations and summer hours also. This program is operated through,
the Boys & Girls Club and all state policies, procedures and practices are followed.
Please email or call Stephanie Oliphant for a job description and resume address. 993-2352 or soliphant@ svrsu.org
Hello Palermo Parents!!
We will be sending information out to parents soon in regards to class lists and school protocols. There have not been any decisions yet on mask protocols, visitors in the building, and social distancing because things are changing so fast. We will let you know as soon as things are decided!!
Just in case anyone in 5th and 6th grade missed the email from Miss Glidden and Mr. Hamel, I thought I would post their list of items suggested for this year. If you are not able to obtain any of these items please know that we will have extras.
✂️ Materials List: 📐
*water bottle
*three-subject notebook
*1 inch binder
*pencil box or storage bag
*pens/pencils/erasers
*highlighter
*earbuds or headphones
(for use with computers)
*Optional:
-small pencil sharpener
-basic calculator
Chelsea Elementary School has a job opening for a teacher of middle school mathematics. Please find information here, https://www.servingschools.com/job/kcw3nz/teacher-grades-6-8-math/chelsea/me
Chelsea Elementary School is looking to hire a grades 6-8 science teacher. Please find the information here,
https://www.servingschools.com/job/hnssx7/teacher-grades-6-8-science/chelsea/me
Hi Everyone, Because we have 2 daycares in Palermo that are going to be closing, we are looking into an option of daycare through the school again. With that being said, in order to make this happen, we will need at the very least 10 kiddos to entertain them even considering the program. It is a before and after school program until 5:30 everyday. The daycare will be open every day, including vacations and MOST snow days. There is a fee but I am not sure of those fees at this time. If you are at all interested in this, please respond to this email. The phone at the school is still not working. You can call 207-993-2352 and leave a message and I will see that on my email and I can respond to you by email. Thanks so much!
Eligible school administrative units, including RSU 12, have an opportunity to apply to Maine's Department of Education for American Rescue Plan Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ARP ESSER) funds, and RSU 12 needs your input. Please visit our webpage to provide feedback to help us with our application. Thank you!
https://www.svrsu.org/page/arp-esser
Please see this important message from the Maine Department of Education and consider completing a Meal benefit Application. It helps our schools and may provide you and your family some benefits as well. You can complete the application online at http://svrsu.schoollunchapp.com or download a paper copy of the application from https://www.maine.gov/doe/schools/nutrition/studenteligibility. Thank you!
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Call to Action for Maine Parents: Complete the Meal Benefit at School This Year - Even if School Meals are Free
Maine needs all parents and caregivers to take action this school year––by taking the time to complete the confidential Meal Benefit Application through your local school, even if school meals are already free for all students. Families, schools, communities, and our state can greatly benefit from the data that is gathered from the application, and this application is important for a number of reasons.
Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, when school meals became complementary, there has been a significant drop in Meal Benefit Application returns––meaning less families are filling out the application.
The family income data provided by the application informs key funding for school resources. This includes school meal reimbursements, funding for Title I programs, funding and resources for after school programs, funding provided to schools from the Maine State Legislature for essential programs and services at school, funding for special education, teacher loan forgiveness, and much, much more!
Federal and state government use the aggregate data from the application to distribute education funding to schools across the county and state of Maine. In other words, if there is no data to inform the needs of the community, it could result in less education funding for your local district and for Maine.
By completing the Meal Benefit Application, you are directly investing in your child’s education and the children and families in your community.
Specific programs that are funded by the data collected from Meal Benefit Application:
Title 1 schools
Elementary & Secondary Education Act (ESEA)
Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA)
Essential Programs and Services (EPS) funding allocated directly to Maine Schools through the Maine Department of Education (State funding)
Before/After School Programs
Summer School Programs
Special academic programming, and grant opportunities initiated by the Maine Department of Education (DOE)
Teacher student loan forgiveness
How can I complete the Meal Benefit Application? The application is available through your local school administrative unit (SAU) school nutrition program and it is completely confidential. Most SAUs have the application available to be completed online. Follow this link (https://www.nlappscloud.com/) to access your SAU’s online application (if your school district is not listed, please contact them directly). A printed version of the application is also required to be available––it will often be part of beginning of year paperwork that comes home with your child.
This past school year has certainly had its challenges due to the Covid-19 pandemic. We are thrilled that, despite these challenges, all Maine children have had the opportunity to access free healthy school meals on a daily basis. We would like to extend our gratitude to Maine parents and caregivers who have participated in their SAUs’ meal programs. We know that with the continued support of Maine’s incredible families, we can ensure the best for our children.
As you may know, Governor Mills ended Maine's State of Civil Emergency on June 30. As of this date, masks are no longer required in schools, and RSU 12 will not require them for students participating in summer programming. Masks continue to be recommended for those who have not been vaccinated. Anyone who chooses to wear a mask may do so. In addition, RSU 12 will continue to encourage social distancing wherever possible. We hope everyone has a safe and healthy summer!
School Nutrition Staff Go Above and Beyond at Whitefield Elementary
https://mainedoenews.net/2021/06/18/school-nutrition-staff-go-above-and-beyond-at-whitefield-elementary/
