Scarborough Public Schools
Weekly Newsletter -October 16, 2020
Student Breakfast and Lunches at No Cost Extended through June 30, 2021
The USDA has extended the date for no-cost breakfast and lunches. Originally set to expire on December 31, 2020, the waiver extensions will allow schools continue to leverage SFSP/SSO federal food service programs to provide no cost meals options to all children through June 30, 2021. The waiver extensions allow school nutrition teams across the state to continue to prepare and package food for all students, whether in person or remote, and to set up food delivery service with school transportation teams as needed to ensure families have safe options for receiving food during the COVID-19 pandemic.
To place all of your orders, go to https://scarboroughschools.nutrislice.com . You can also reach out to food@scarboroughschools.org if you need support in having remote meal packs delivered.
From The Superintendent
Dear Greater Scarborough Schools Community,
I would like to acknowledge that the start of this week was special as we joined in celebrating Indigenous People's Day. As a school district we are committed to not only building relationships composed of trust, respect and reciprocity with Indigenous People, but to ensure we honor the sovereignty of native American Tribes and people.
The end of this week was also very special as I am happy to report that Scarborough Schools was on the television news Friday morning. Todd Jepson SPS Facilities Director was on the morning news echoing the important work that has taken place with outfitting all of our schools with Plexiglass Shields. The news story also acknowledged how Maine Properties - Southern Maine Remodeling from Scarborough - installed each of these shields within our buildings. We are forever grateful for how they waived the installation costs and appreciate their generosity.
Our amazing students continue to be the shining light for all of us. From all accounts they were eager for the start of school and truly want to be here. Shoulder to shoulder in keeping with the Red Storm Spirit they have dutifully followed our procedures and pathways that the staff have put in place. Their seriousness of maintaining a healthy person has been nothing short of remarkable.
As John F Kennedy once stated “The Chinese use two brush strokes to write the word crisis. One brush stroke stands for danger; the other for opportunity. In a crisis be aware of danger but recognize the opportunity.” Our students and adult members of our school community have taken these words and diligently put them into action given their great work with social distancing, wearing masks, and washing hands. This is a true testament to our students that together we continue to focus on the important goal which is to be healthy.
Your Red Storm fan,
Sanford Prince IV
Curriculum Updates
Getting Ready for i-Ready: This year for grades K-9 we will continue to use two important online tools beginning in some schools next week. i-Ready is an online program for reading and mathematics for grades K-9 that will help us determine your child’s strengths and areas for growth, personalize their learning, and monitor their progress throughout the school year. i-Ready allows us to meet your child where they are. The two tools we will be using this year are the i-Ready Diagnostic and the i-Ready Instruction.
- i-Ready Diagnostic is an adaptive assessment that adjusts its questions to suit your child’s needs. Each item a student receives is based on their answer to the previous question. For example, a series of correct answers will result in slightly harder questions, while a series of incorrect answers will yield slightly easier ones. The purpose of this is not to give your child a score or grade but to determine how to best support their learning. It is not a placement test. Our teachers use the information to help them identify where to target their instruction. We plan to implement the assessment at least twice this year to monitor student progress. This assessment can be taken at school or at home.
- i-Ready Instruction provides students with lessons based on their individual strengths and areas for growth as a result of the assessment. These lessons are interactive and provide strategic supports to keep your child engaged as they learn. Teachers can also adjust the lessons if necessary. We plan to have students use this online instruction tool throughout the year to support their growth in both reading and mathematics.
More specific information will be sent via your child’s school and teacher. Thank you for your continued support and for being a partner in your child’s learning! You can learn more about i-Ready by visiting i-ReadyCentral.com/FamilyCenter.
A site worth bookmarking: DOE Parent Resources
In case you missed it: Important Family Letter regarding Google Meet
Save the date and time for a live webinar: On November 4 from 6:00pm - 7:30pm we are leveraging our federal funds this fall to assist our families by offering live, interactive webinars with Lynn Lyons on the topic of anxiety. She will be providing strategies families can use to help manage the many uncertainties of our current environment. Please save the date and time of November 4 from 6:00pm - 7:30pm for the parent and community event titled, “NOW What? Helping Children (and Parents) Manage Emotionally During Uncertain Times” presented by Lynn Lyons. More information will be provided in the coming weeks. Our staff will also have an opportunity to learn from Lynn via live webinars scheduled through the fall.
Upcoming SPS Events - Mark Your Calendar!
- October 22 - Virtual Parent -Teacher Conferences - Scarborough High School
- November 3 - Election Day - No School for High School Students
- November 4 - 6:00-7:30pm - Live, interactive webinar - "NOW What? Helping Children (and Parents) Manage Emotionally During Uncertain Times"
- November 5 - 7:00pm - School Board Meeting - Council Chambers A & B, Town Hall
- NOvember 11 - Veterans' Day - No School
Don't Forget... Face Coverings for All
- Per the Governor's Order, face coverings (cloth facemasks) must be worn in all publicly accessible areas of schools and everywhere on school grounds (parking lots, playgrounds, walkways, entryways, etc.) This is true for students and staff, and also applies to any other visitors as well. We appreciate everyone's support in following these directives.
Health & Safety
Please make sure you review the UPDATED Student Health Self Assessment questions EVERY DAY before sending your child off to school. Updated guidance from the state has REMOVED a few less common symptoms from the list, including stomach pain, rash, swelling, and red eyes.
TOGETHER, we can make our schools as safe as possible!
Links to Our Schools
Services & Information
Spec. Services | Alison Marchese, amarchese@scarboroughschools.org
Food Services | Peter Esposito, pesposito@scarboroughschools.org
Athletics & Activities | Mike LeGage, mlegage@scarboroughschools.org
Curriculum I Monique Culbertson, mculbertson@scarboroughschools.org
Community Services | Todd Souza, tsouza@scarboroughmaine.org
Tech Support
For technology assistance with SPS student laptops, please send a message to techsupport@scarboroughschools.org and someone from Technology will be in touch to assist you.
Scarborough Schools
Website: www.scarboroughschools.org
Location: 259 U.S. Route 1, Scarborough, ME 04074, USA
Phone: (207) 730-4100
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/scarbmeschools/
Twitter: @scarbmeschools