Dear Parents, Guardians, and Staff,

During the month of February, our district will again be participating in the Read to ME Challenge and need your help! In today’s fast-paced, technologically driven world, it is not uncommon to overlook the impact that reading to children has in building their language and supporting reading and writing achievement. The more reading encounters children have with caring adults, the greater the probability that they will build the literacy skills needed for later success. Therefore, we are asking parents, friends, and family members to read to/with a child for at least 15 minutes. Snap a photo or short video (15-30 seconds) and post with your challenge to others to read aloud for 15 minutes to a child they know. Use hashtags #ReadtoME or #ReadaloudME and tag others. We can’t wait to see your photos and videos!

It has been wonderful to be able to offer our school facilities in Biddeford and Saco as convenient locations for our students and community members to access COVID vaccines and booster doses. Through a partnership with Northern Light Health, we were able to provide 52 COVID vaccine/booster doses or Flu vaccines at the clinic held in Saco this past Wednesday. You may also schedule an appointment or attend a walk-in at various other clinics in our area through one of these links: MaineHealth, Northern Light Health, CVS, or Walgreens.

I encourage families to read through the rest of the newsletter containing information on Drive-Thru COVID Testing, local events, and positive stories regarding our students and schools. We continue to ask families to please be vigilant in monitoring any symptoms of COVID (linked here) and if your child is not feeling well, they should stay home until COVID can be ruled out. Please also continue to report any positive results via the Google Forms below or call the school directly. Thank you for doing your part to keep our school community healthy and safe.

Stay Well,

Jeremy Ray

Superintendent of Schools

In 2020, Biddeford formed a Unified Sports Club under the guidance of the Maine Principals’ Association and the Special Olympics of Maine. After missing a season, they are back! Unified Sports partners students with developmental disabilities with students without developmental disabilities to help promote physical activity, teamwork, sportsmanship, and social inclusion.

Biddeford High School (BHS) resumed their Unified Basketball games last week with over 15 students, three coaches, and a cheering squad! BHS Principal Martha Jacques encouraged parents and students to come support the team and watch a game stating, “we promise you will leave with a big smile and warm heart.”

We can’t wait to see our athletes compete, but most of all, enjoy themselves. Please join us in celebrating these fantastic athletes by attending a future game listed on the BHS Athletics page or mobile app.

NOTE: Spectators are required to wear a mask at all times.

* Pictures courtesy of Maureen Grandmaison Photography

Come out and enjoy the many activities, including the BHS Marching Band and BIS Singers performing on stage on Saturday, February 5th between 12-3 PM. Click below for a full schedule of events.

York County Emergency Management, Biddeford Emergency Management, and the Maine CDC have teamed up to create a drive-thru COVID testing location at Five Points Shopping Center (420 Alfred Street) in Biddeford. The testing location is open Monday – Friday from 10 AM to 4 PM. This testing site will provide saliva-based PCR COVID testing. To book an appointment, visit https://shieldt3portal.pointnclick.com and sign up for an account (reference the agency code “BiddefordComm”). Please see the below graphics for full instructions.