Our new playground is now complimented with a beautiful outdoor pavilion to help us sustain outdoor learning experiences throughout the winter. Our large tent will soon be taken down, cleaned and stored until spring. This pandemic has taught us to embrace the outdoors!
Veazie Fire Chief Metcalf (aka Firefighter Pete) made a zoom appearance today in grade 3. It is always nice to see a familiar face, even if on a screen.
Code Club is starting back up for students in grades 3 - 8! Sign-up below:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeuWlci9MVutnvjw8MEKWHWKMNe8x48TZf4R61LXTx06egAvA/viewform?usp=sf_link
The Primary Wing is having a Fall Festival this week. Each day is a special dress up day. There will even be a book character costume parade on Thursday at 1:00. (This was originally planned for Friday but due to the weather it was switched.) Feel free to come check out our costumes and wave to us on our route.
October 22, 2020
3:00PM EST
COVID-19 MEMO #19
PARENT SURVEY, HOLIDAY SEASON, SCHEDULES, SCHOOL PICTURES
Dear VCS Parents and Caregivers,
We are now 34 days into what will more than likely be the most memorable school year of our generation. We continue to operate in a growth mindset looking for ways to improve our ability to balance safety and learning during this pandemic. Protocols are consistently reviewed on a scheduled basis by a collaborative planning team we call HYFLEX. The HYFLEX team uses a pragmatic approach to analyze ongoing concerns of students, staff and families. At this point in time, we are seeking feedback from our families. Specifically, we want to know what is working well, what areas can be improved upon, and also allow for general feedback. Please take a moment to complete this brief survey: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdXiUA6cB2Qs9dtqUAthCiXNXROC5rQ_zs8lPexkas97be6hw/viewform?usp=sf_link
School Pictures:
We have worked out a safety plan with Lifetouch Photography and will have school pictures taken in a couple weeks. Grades PK - 5 will have their pictures taken on November 3. The Middle School will have their pictures taken on November 5. Please note that we will not be able to offer picture retakes this year. As in the past, there is no obligation for parents to purchase picture packages, but we will photograph all students for our yearbook. Remote students who want a school picture taken must do so on one of these two days (November 3 or 5). Please contact our office manager to schedule a picture time: tlindsey@veaziecs.org If students miss their picture day, we will accept personal photos for the school yearbook (this will be revisited later in the spring).
Holiday Travel:
We are approaching the holiday season, and this could mean travel for some of our families. We are respectfully asking all families to plan ahead and to be considerate of our Governor’s orders in regards to travel outside of Maine. Some of your planning might include necessary quarantining or testing measures when returning from certain states. Maine’s requirements and state exemptions list can be found here:
https://www.maine.gov/dhhs/mecdc/infectious-disease/epi/airborne/coronavirus/travel.shtml
FREE Breakfast & Lunch for ALL STUDENTS!
The USDA is extending a critical food program through the entire school year. As a result, all VCS students are eligible to receive a free school breakfast and lunch—even on days they are remote! Please contact our kitchen manager, Betsy Brooks if you would like to learn details on pickup times and dates for remote learning days. bbrooks@veaziecs.org
Snow Days will be Remote Days:
This is a reminder that this year we are piloting a new protocol—Snow days will be Remote Learning Days for all students. Snow Day Packets will be sent home at the end of this week, or early next week. Please put these in a safe place. We are also finalizing a web-resource for VCS Snow Day Learning which can be found on our website. Here is a direct link: https://sites.google.com/veaziecs.org/vcssnowday We want to remind parents that student participation on snow days is not an option. Students not completing expected work within three days of returning from a snow day will be marked as absent.
Parent/Teacher Conferences:
Teachers are currently reaching out to schedule remote Parent/Teacher Conferences. Please contact your child’s teacher if you have questions. Most conferences will be scheduled on November 9 & 10.
School Calendar:
Please remember we have revised our school calendar to include early release days for necessary planning time for our teachers. Our next early release will be November 18. A copy of our revised school year calendar can be found on our website: https://core-docs.s3.amazonaws.com/documents/asset/uploaded_file/954313/FY21_School_Calendar-REVISED.pdf
Symptom Screening:
I want to commend all of our families for following Maine CDC and Maine DOE symptom screening protocols. I also want to thank families for complying with all guidelines when a child presents symptoms whether that means keeping them home, taking them to a doctor, or having a COVID-19 test. Each and every one of you plays an important role in keeping our school and community safe. Please do not forget to use our RESCO screening app. If you have trouble with the app, try deleting the app and downloading it again. Directions for doing so are on our website. You can also contact our office manager, Tiffani Lindsey if you need further support tlindsey@veaziecs.org. We continue to follow Maine DOE and CDC screening guidelines which can be found here: https://www.maine.gov/doe/sites/maine.gov.doe/files/inline-files/Pre-Screening%20Tool_11.pdf
I want you all to know that you are doing a fantastic job at supporting your child’s learning. We are starting to see many silver linings as a result of our response to the COVID-19 pandemic including our ability to pilot snow days going remote, eating lunch outdoors, and focusing our energies on the goodness in our world—which includes your amazing children. Thank you for your continued support. Have a wonderful weekend!
Sincerely,
Matthew D. Cyr
VCS Superintendent & Principal
Wear Red Tomorrow at VCS!
We are preparing student lunches for parents to pickup here at school today. Please email Ms. Lindsey, our office manager if your child would like a lunch: tlindsey@veaziecs.org. Lunches can be picked up here at VCS between 11 and 12 today at the main entrance.
Firefighter Pete and his son have been in to teach us about fire safety. He met with PreK, First, Kindergarten and PreK - 2 Remote Students this week. Next week he will meet with grades 2-5. He even did a magic trick! Thank you for coming, Firefighter Pete and for keeping us safe.
Power and internet has been restored. Remote instruction will officially resume at 10:30. Thank you for your patience. We still do not know what happened, but were told it was widespread. Have a great day!
Veazie Community School has unexpectedly lost power. We are all safe and on backup generator. We are trying to get more information on the cause. In-person instruction will remain on schedule. We will notify families when we are able to resume remote instruction. Thank you for your patience.
The VCS Student Council needs your help!
Grade 2 is learning about Animal adaptations and habitats. On Wednesday they designed bird houses and learned how get sunflower seeds from our school garden! Second grade thought the birds would be happy!
Our PreK students are prepared to learn outside this year--RAIN OR SHINE!
October 5, 2020
7:15PM EST
COVID-19 MEMO #18
REVISED SCHOOL CALENDAR (EARLY RELEASE DAYS & SNOW DAYS)
Dear VCS Parents and Caregivers,
The Veazie School Committee voted unanimously this evening to adjust the school calendar as follows:
8 Early Release days will be added to the school calendar (all Wednesdays): October 21, November 18, December 9, January 13, February 3, March 10, March 31, May 12:
*Students will be dismissed at 12:10 (we will send a bag lunch home with students who request it).
*VCS staff will remain at school and use this valuable time for Planning, Doing, Checking, and Adjusting our in-person and remote learning plans.
Snow Days Will Become Remote Learning Days:
*Remote Snow Days will not be made up in June.
*Pilot year (the School Committee will evaluate pros and cons at the end of the year before deciding to continue in future years).
*Snow Packets and remote learning options will be sent home at a later date.
*A modified Zoom check-in schedule may be used to allow for teacher/student communication.
*Student Accountability— students will be recorded as absent if completed work is not submitted within 3 school days after returning from a snow day closure.
The addition of 8-early release days provides VCS staff with much needed time throughout the year to address unanticipated challenges created by the COVID-19 pandemic. Our pilot year for making snow days, remote learning days, provides continuity of programming, opportunity for the reinforcement of previously learned skills, social-emotional check-ins during inclement weather, and establishes a fixed “last day of school” for students—Friday, June 11, 2021.
Thank you for your continued support throughout these difficult times.
Sincerely,
Matthew D. Cyr
VCS Superintendent & Principal
Grade 7 science class enjoying every last minute of Maine's fall weather!
Friday Trivia:
How many worms can a four year old fit in his hand?
Answer:
14 worms (plus one grub)
New Online Music Community for VCS Students
Dear VCS Musicians,
One of the things I miss most during COVID is the ability to share music making with friends. Safety guidelines from the Maine Center for Disease Control as well as the Maine Department of Education are very strict and, as a public school, we have to follow them. These guidelines include spacing students apart 14 feet with masks on or 60 feet without masks(!) when singing or playing a wind instrument and not mixing different groups of students. Even keyboard, guitar, bass, and percussion students would need to be at least 6 feet apart and there could be no cross-grade mixing of students.
Mr. Cyr, your other teachers, and I have had many discussions about how we can keep the spirit of our music program alive while being safe. We have decided that the “Community” part of our school name is a good focus to start. In order to do that, we have created a Google Classroom page on which students can submit videos of themselves singing, playing an instrument, or talking about a favorite song or musician. There is also the opportunity for students to leave positive comments on videos and to start discussions about various music topics. Think of it as “Quarantine Karaoke” for VCS students! Because we are using the Google Classroom platform, submitted videos are approved by teachers before sharing and any unhelpful comments can be deleted by a teacher.
Student will be receiving an invitation to join the VCS Online Music Learning Community through their school email account. Students not interested in participating on the page can simply ignore the invitation. Directions on how to submit videos are on the page itself.
Feel free to contact me marell@veaziecs.org, if you have any questions or ideas about how to make the experience even better. I know that many of you are not seeing me as often as you had in previous years. Please know that I still care about each of you and that my goal is to help you to become as successful as possible. That has not changed.
Sincerely,
Mr. Arell
TOMORROW IS SPIRIT DAY AT VEAZIE COMMUNITY SCHOOL!!! In-Person and Remote students alike are encouraged to wear a VCS shirt or anything RED! GO VIKINGS!
Veazie Community School has lost power, internet and phones. All staff and students are safe. We are serving lunch shortly and will stick with our regular dismissal schedule. If you need to contact the school, please email tlindsey@veaziecs.org
Grade 7 decided to take advantage of the good weather and take our classrooms outside!! Students ate lunch, explored, played nature bingo, and continued learning all about cells and the differences between prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells!!
