Scarborough Middle School
Family Newsletter for 5-21-2021
Hello Scarborough Middle School Families,
As you may have seen in the district newsletter last week, students will be turning in their laptops during the final week of the 2020-2021 school year.
Cohort A students will turn in laptops on their last in-person day on June 15. There will not be remote instruction on June 16, 17, and 18.
Cohort B students will turn in laptops on June 17 and their last in-person day will be June 18th. Students will only log in for CREW on June 14 and 15. There will not be remote instruction.
Cohort C families should return laptops to the middle school on June 18 anytime between 12:00 to 2:30.
Cohort D students may follow their individualized schedules through June 18.
ESY or Summer Academy students will keep their current device.
Staff will be planning special activities for Cohort A students for June 14 and 15 and Cohort B students for June 16, 17 and 18. Both Wednesday, June 16 and Friday, June 18 are half days for students. Remote staff will also be planning activities for the Cohort C students.
Please take a close look at this week’s Friday Family News. There are lots of important pieces of information included this week.
As a reminder, next Wednesday (May 26) is a Cohort A day.
Respectfully,
Kathy Tirrell, Principal
David Currier, Assistant Principal
TECH SUPPORT
State Required Testing (MEA Reading and Math and MEA Science)
The SPS Curriculum and Assessment Office made several appeals to Maine's Department of Education seeking a waiver from the state testing requirement for this year. The third and final appeal was made directly to the Commissioner of Education in March and was denied.
While we continue to seek to maximize our time this spring for our students to engage in learning activities, we must move forward with the state assessment requirements. As the assessments are new, the accountability and reporting will look different (they will not be publicly reported as they have been in the past, per DOE communication as they currently are seeking a federal waiver for accountability). Please know that in any case, we will not be using any of the state MEA data to make instructional or program decisions in this first year. In fact, the MEA Science is an “operational field test” and as such the data cannot be used to inform Science achievement for either individual students or groups.
What About Opting Out of MEA Testing?
While there is no opt out option, if parents/guardians feel that taking the MEA tests are not in the best interest of their child, they can contact Vicki Lemelin by email at vlemelin@scarboroughschools.org to request that their child not take the state tests. We will make alternative arrangements for these students on the dates of the MEA testing.
SMS MEA Testing Dates:
MEA Math & Reading
June 1: Math for remote and in-person students
June 3 :ELA for remote and in-person students
MEA 8th Grade Science
- June 8 & 10: This test can only be given in person so Cohort C students will be given the option to come in to take it.
Thank you to all who volunteered for the SMS Fall School Planning Committee! We held our first meeting on Wednesday, May 12th. The slide desk and minutes from this meeting are linked in below.
Upcoming Meetings:
Organizing of students: May 26th
Transportation and other logistics: June 2nd
Develop recommendations: June 9th
We are offering school located vaccine clinics for our students aged 12+ to provide the COVID-19 vaccine. Like our partners, Northern Light Health, we believe that the opportunity for the vaccine should be available to all. These clinics are open to all students (12 years and older), staff, and children of staff (12 years and older).
The dates/times of the clinics are as follows:
To secure a vaccine for your child and access the online consent form, please email Northern Light Health at HCHCovid@northernlight.org whereas they have required forms. Email must include:
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Scarborough Schools in the subject line
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The body of the email should include the name(s) and number of student(s).
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Parent/Guardian name and contact information.
Northern Light will send you an electronic consent form, which includes screening questions, and also will provide a copy of the Pfizer information sheet (a fact sheet on the vaccine for you to review). They will need you (parent/guardian only) to complete this form. The deadline to return the consent form is Monday, May 24th by 2:00 p.m. If the registration form is not completed in advance, your child will not be vaccinated. If you have insurance please complete that section (although the vaccine is free there are administration fees that insurance covers). As with the flu vaccine clinics we sponsor, Northern Light will not turn away those without insurance. If you are unable to complete an online form for any reason, please contact your school nurse to have a paper form sent home.
In order for Northern Light to secure enough doses of the vaccine for the clinics, they must have your email address by Monday, May 24th at 8:00 a.m. Once you receive the consent form, it must be completed and returned by Monday, May 24th at 2:00 p.m.
You may also visit Northern Lights website, for links to the consent form and information sheets which are also available in multiple languages.
We have worked with Northern Light Health for our flu vaccine clinics and welcome the opportunity to provide this service to you and your family. For any questions, please contact your child’s school nurse.
Thank you,
Scarborough Health Services
If CDC Guidelines will allow, Scarborough Middle School is planning to hold an in-person 8th Grade Celebration Ceremony on Friday, June 11 at 6pm in the Scarborough High School Alumni Gym. The event will also be livestreamed for those unable to attend in-person.
Seating will be VERY limited due to the CDC social distancing requirements between masked adults. Our goal is to provide each 8th Grade student with 2 non-transferable tickets (8th Grade students do not need their own ticket.) The purpose of the survey is to help us determine a count of students who would participate in-person.
Families of 8th Grade students, please take a minute to complete the survey as it is a very important piece to our planning process. Thank you!
8th Grade Student Pictures Needed
We are asking students to submit three (3) photos for use in our 8th Grade Celebration:
One (1) individual closeup photo. In the traditional ceremony students’ names are read as they cross the stage to accept their Certificate of Recognition. While we are planning for an in-person event, we also must be prepared if CDC guidelines change and the Celebration is in video form. This picture would be shown when a student's name is read. If a picture is not submitted, we will use this year’s yearbook picture.
Two (2) FUN photos that will be included in the slideshow portion of Celebration which is set to music. This can be a photo of something your student enjoys doing or a group photo. IF they would like to include a peer, it must be a SMS 8th grade student, and they must check with the other student to ensure they also want that as their picture. If you do submit a group picture, please include the names of the other student(s) in the group photo in the "Picture Description" section.
Pictures are due by Monday, May 24th.
6th Grade Drive in Movie Night - Tuesday, June 1, 2021
7th Grade Drive in Movie Night - Monday, June 7th, 2021
8th Grade Movie Night - Monday, June 14th, 2021
Here is your Student Advocacy Google Classroom for May. This month's theme highlights all things Wellness. There are a number of videos and resources highlighting the importance of self-care.
The 2020/2021 school year has been a year like no other. The end of a school year can be stressful in regular times. Our hope is that everyone finishes this year strong. We, in Student Advocacy, hope that you find some suggestions and resources to help you end the year in a stress free manner.
As always, we are here to help.
Michelle Grant
migrant@scarboroughschools.org
730-4815
Melissa Jones
730-4818
In-Person Wednesday Schedule:
- Wednesday, May 26 - Cohort A in person
- Wednesday, June 2 - Cohort B in person
- Wednesday, June 9 - Cohort A in person
- Wednesday, June 16 - Cohort B in person
Memorial Day - No School
- Monday, May 31
End of School Year Drive in Dates
- 6th Grade Drive in Night - Tuesday, June 1
- 7th Grade Drive in Night - Monday, June 7
- 8th Grade Drive in Night - Monday, June 14
8th Grade Celebration
- Friday, June 11, 2021- 6pm
Last Day of School - June 18th
Scarborough Middle School
Email: msoffice@scarboroughschools.org
Website: https://sites.google.com/a/scarboroughschools.org/sms/
Location: 21 Quentin Drive, Scarborough, ME, USA
Phone: (207) 730-4800
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/scarbmeschools/
Twitter: @scarbmeschools