Scarborough High School
February 5, 2021
Dear Students and Families
We have made it into the second semester! A big round of applause to everyone for their efforts to make this so! It’s also nice to see students coming and going in the afternoons to get to their rehearsals or practices - We are so glad activities are happening again! Teachers and students are working so hard, and so are our human resources department, custodians, bus drivers, food service workers, nurses, and maintenance staff! They are adapting every day to meet the needs of the schools. We can’t say enough about all the work going on to make this year a success. Bravo!
As we slip into February, our Student Services department is working on the process and timeline for course registration for next year. The Program of Studies is being finalized for 2020-21. The Leadership Council, working with all the phases and school departments, has begun to build the budget for next year. Also, we are looking ahead to the spring and the many activities for all of our high school students, but especially our seniors and graduation activities. So, it may be winter, but SHS is looking ahead to the spring.
Grade 9 Vision Testing
As mandated by Maine State Law, we will be screening all 9th grade students for vision this month. We ask that students who use glasses and/or contact lenses be sure to please bring them to the screening. This will help to ensure that the findings of the visual exam are accurate.
- Cohort A Students: The clinic will be having vision testing on Monday February 8, 2021 for students in Grade 9 Cohort A.
- Cohort B Students: The clinic will be having vision testing on Thursday February 11, 2021 for students in Grade 9 Cohort B.
- Cohort C Students**: We are offering time for you to bring your student in for this screening if you are interested. The two dates that are available for screening are February 10th and February 24th. Please do not feel obligated to participate in this screening. If you do not respond to set up a time, we will document this as a declination of a vision exam.
**Cohort C families: You may contact the clinic 730-5016 to set up a time for screening. Please contact us if you have questions or concerns.
Red/White Schedule: Feb 8 - Mar 5
For organizational purposes, here’s the month’s schedule:
Feb 8 - Feb 12
- Monday, February 8: RED 1 Day, Cohort A in person - Cohorts B & C remote
- Tuesday, February 9: WHITE 1 Day, Cohort A in person - Cohorts B & C remote
- Wednesday, February 10: WHITE 1 Day, Cohorts A B, and C remote
- Thursday, February 11: RED 1 Day, Cohort B in person - Cohorts A & C remote
- Friday, February 12: WHITE 1 Day, Cohort B in person - Cohorts A & C remote
Feb 15 - Feb 19
- Monday, February 15 - 19: HOLIDAY (President’s Day) and Vacation
Feb 22 - Feb 26
- Monday, February 22: RED 2 Day, Cohort A in person - Cohorts B & C remote
- Tuesday, February 23: WHITE 2 Day, Cohort A in person - Cohorts B & C remote
- Wednesday, February 24: RED 2 DAY, Cohorts A, B, & C remote
- Thursday, February 25: RED 2 DAY, Cohort B in person - Cohorts A & C remote
- Friday, February 26: WHITE 2 DAY, Cohort B in person - Cohorts A & C remote
Mar 1 - Mar 5
- Monday, March 1: RED 1 Day, Cohort A in person - Cohorts B & C remote
- Tuesday, March 2: WHITE 1 Day, Cohort A in person - Cohorts B & C remote
- Wednesday, March 3: WHITE 2 Day - Cohorts A, B, and C remote
- Thursday, March 4: RED 1 Day, Cohort B in person - Cohorts A & C remote
- Friday, March 5: WHITE 1 Day, Cohort B in person - Cohorts A & C remote
February Holiday and Vacation Week
There will be no school the week of February 15 - 19. Monday is Presidents’ Day and a holiday. We are on vacation all week. Back to school Monday, February 22!
Travel Regulations
As a reminder, anyone who travels out of state, with the exception of New Hampshire, or Vermont, must quarantine for 10 days or receive a negative COVID-19 test with a sample taken less than 72 hours from arrival in Maine, or once you return to Maine, quarantining while awaiting test results, per the Keep Maine Healthy Plan. New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut are no longer on the exempt list for travel. At this time the only exempt states from this regulation are New Hampshire and Vermont.
If a student at SHS takes a COVID-19 test, results must be provided to the Health Services Staff prior to returning to school or school related activities.
Program of Studies
Last night (Feb 4 2021), the School Board approved the Program of Studies for the 2020-21 school year. It will be added to the High School web page on Monday, February 8. Please feel free to begin to review our offerings for next year.
Parent Meeting for Third Quarter
The quarter three virtual Parent Meeting will be held on Wednesday, March 3, 6:00 - 7:00 PM. A link to join the meeting and an agenda will be distributed closer to the meeting date.
Report Cards: Hard Copy Mailed Home
If you would like to have a hard copy of your student’s report card mailed home instead of looking at PowerSchool to see the grades, please contact Vickie Sutyak at vsutyak@scarboroughschools.org or call her at 730-5020 to make that request. If you would like one mailed home every quarter let her know that and you can go on the permanent list.
Special COVID Message
We would like to remind everyone that in this COVID environment, while cases in our nation, state, and local community continue to rise, we are working very hard to keep our schools as safe as possible. We need your help.
We realize that it is not possible to keep this illness completely out of our school but we certainly can limit the extent and speed of its spread. This is why we need your help. Contact tracing is the process we use to identify possible routes of transmission.
In order for us to identify routes of transmission, we must rely on information provided to us by the people that come into our school - teachers, staff, students, and parents. This is where your help is greatly needed. By providing the school with timely information related to COVID illness within your family we can identify possible transmission routes. This information can be used to either inform others that they have been exposed, or to inform you that you may have been exposed and may need to quarantine. We want to emphasize that information provided to the school is safeguarded as private, confidential information and no negative consequences will result from providing the school with this information.
In the current situation, knowledge is our greatest asset. We gain this knowledge through your timely communication about COVID illness you may be experiencing. Knowledge provides us with the ability to keep everyone informed and limit the spread of this virus. We are all in this together and by each of us doing our part, we can help keep our schools safe.
Joe Davis DAT, LAT, ATC
Head Athletic Trainer, Scarborough High School
Cohort C Students: Material Pickup
Teachers are working hard to get materials organized and ready for pick up weekly. However, there are a great deal of materials that are not ever getting picked up in Admin I. Fully remote students need to get these materials to be successful in their classes. Please make sure to develop a plan to pick up these materials regularly! Thank you!
Laptop Reminder
While students do not have the use of lockers right now, we still would like to remind students to be sure to take their laptop home daily. If we were suddenly asked to be fully remote, everyone will need their technology for school participation. Please make sure your chromebook goes home with you daily. (Don’t forget your charger!)
Tech Support for Staff and Students
Due to a shortage of tech support staff, for now we will not have a full-time Tech Support person in the building. Students, if you have a problem, please contact techsupport@scarboroughschools.org, and someone will respond as soon as possible.
Staff, if you have a problem, please do a Technology HelpDesk ticket located on the Staff Intranet page.
Scarborough High School Digital COVID-19 Time Capsule
Our High School Learning Commons is embarking an interesting project! Read all about it! If anyone would like to contribute to the time capsule, please contact Deirdre Dupree at ddupree@scarboroughschools.org.
Living though a global pandemic has changed our lives in ways we never could have imagined even one year ago. Everything, from big milestone events like graduations and birthdays to little everyday things like how we eat lunch and shop in stores, has been impacted by COVID-19.
One day soon (hopefully!), our lives will return to normal. This moment in time will pass and memories will fade. Our own perspectives may also shift over time. Future generations of students and staff at Scarborough High School may not have personally experienced life during the pandemic. We are living through a remarkable time in history that deserves to be memorialized.
Every one of us has unique and valuable experiences. Please share your writing, photography, music, art, recipes, new twists on celebrations, even your own personal face mask style! We will be collecting digital submissions for the SHS Digital Time Capsule throughout the year.
The following questions are meant to guide your submissions. Choose any of the following questions for your contribution.
- What did you discover about yourself during this time of COVID-19?
- What did you get better at during this time of COVID-19?
- What has been the hardest part of living during COVID-19 for you?
- What makes you feel proud about yourself or your world during COVID-19?
- What new hobbies or activities did you enjoy during COVID-19?
- What have you been thankful for during COVID-19?
- What method are you finding helps you best connect with others during COVID-19?
Please Note..
If a student at SHS takes a COVID-19 test, results must be provided to the Health Services Staff prior to returning to school or school related activities.
Please remember to:
- Pre-screen before coming to school
- Wash or sanitize your hands often
- Keep your distance
- Wear your mask properly
Be safe and be well! Happy Valentine’s Day and have a good vacation week!
Building Leadership Team
Jacob Brown, Assistant Principal
Susan Ketch, Principal
Michael LeGage, Director of Athletics and Activities
Nathan Theriault, Assistant Principal