News

MSAD 15 Back-to-school update

To: MSAD 15 Families
From: Craig King, Superintendent

Date: September 16, 2020
Re: Back-to-School Update

We have completed seven days of school under our new structure. Under the circumstances, it has been very successful. This initial success did not come by chance. Our teachers and support staff did a great deal of work to prepare. Our students have been very mature and attentive in adapting to the changes. Our parents have gone out of their way to be supportive of the schools. Thank you all for your efforts.

Please allow me to elaborate on a few updates and reminders:

Bus Routes As in any school year, we have had a number of problems with some individual routes. Our bus drivers have found solutions to most of these glitches. If you have a serious bus route issue, feel free to contact Ms. Shane or Ms. Bowden at the bus garage.

Face Masks We have had excellent adherence to this requirement.

Neck Gaiters and Exhalation Masks We are moving these from the “strongly discouraged” category to the “not allowed” category for health reasons. We will not fully implement this requirement until October 1, 2020. We have issued two masks that meet regulations to each student in the school district. If for some reason this change is problematic for your family, please contact your building principal.

School Meals Our nutrition program has been going very well. We started with slow numbers; however, more students are taking advantage of this program every day. We will be adding breakfast service at the high school next week. As a reminder, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has announced we will be able to offer all students free meals through December 30, 2020. If you have any questions about our nutrition program, feel free to reach out to Ms. Ordway, building principal, or building assistant principal.

Technology Technology is playing a stronger role than ever in our educational programming. We want to make sure everyone has what they need. If you are having difficulty accessing instruction through technology, please contact your building principal, assistant principal, or Ms. Szente.

Adult Education We are still offering extensive programming. Feel free to learn more: https://msad15.org/adult-education/

Daily Health Checks Please remember parents must conduct daily health assessments of each child before boarding the school bus or entering a school building. By sending your child to school, you are indicating that you are conducting the health assessment that determines it is safe to send your child to school. A copy of the health assessment can be found at: https://msad15.org/covid-19-pre-screening-tool-for-school-attendance/

Co-Curricular Activities
Athletics: Our fall athletic plan can be found at:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1W7z0w4JCHwBd1w34ohghvGuzTLpwfa7R/view

Social, Civic, and Performing Arts Mr. Finn and Mr. Benoit are meeting with individual advisors to plan activities for this year. The plan is to begin these activities the first week of October.

Once again, thank you to all teachers, students, support staff, and families for getting our unconventional school year off to a great start.