Hello! I can't wait to see all of you on September 1st!
Here is a link to your supply list.
Enjoy the rest of your summer break, and here is the latest info I have for you:
Dear Families, Students, and Staff of the Yarmouth Schools:
I sincerely hope you are all enjoying a fantastic summer and experiencing some of the normalcy we hope to regain as we continue to fight through the COVID-19 pandemic. I look forward to the days when I can send you notices that don’t contain information about our pandemic response planning (and I really look forward to the days when I’m not involved in pandemic response planning at all!). However, those days are not here, yet, and so I am writing today to provide you with a brief update as we prepare to reopen schools in the fall.
As I shared during the spring, it is our intent that:
1. Schools will reopen for in-person learning for all students on September 1, 2021 (see linked academic calendar).
2. In-person learning will take place for all students each school day, including Wednesdays.
3. There will be no remote option and no hybrid model provided.
4. We will return to our normal, pre-COVID school day schedule:
a. High School and Middle School
8:00 a.m. – 2:45 p.m.
b. Elementary School and Rowe School
8:40 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.
(NOTE: Bus schedules will be posted by mid-August and we will send notice of the posting.)
5. While we do know that masks will be required of all persons on school buses for the foreseeable future, we are awaiting further information before making determinations regarding physical distancing and mask-wearing in school buildings or on school grounds. If it is determined that such measures must be taken, we will communicate that by the end of August. (NOTE: It is still too early to make a final determination on these points, though recommendations have been made by the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC), Maine CDC, Maine Department of Education (MDOE) and the American Academy of Pediatrics(AAP).
6. State-recommended, optional pool testing of students and staff (with personal option) will likely be implemented at all schools to allow for relaxed distancing guidelines and fewer quarantines when positive cases of COVID-19 are detected.(NOTE: This will be optional for all students and staff, and we will provide more specific information as the school year approaches. You may read more about this program here.)
7. We will continue to limit visitors to the schools and minimize large group gatherings while attempting to provide as much opportunity as possible for interactions between families and the school. Each school will provide parents with information regarding Open House, Parent-Teacher Conferences and other events as they are finalized.
8. We will provide student activities and athletics programming following MDOE and Maine Principals’ Association guidelines (with facemasks required while on buses).
9. We will not be requiring students or staff to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, though it is strongly encouraged for all who are eligible. Vaccination is our best defense against the spread of this disease while hoping for a return to normal interactions with others.
This is the information I am able to share at this point. Our leadership team will continue reviewing data and advisories from various sources at the state and federal level, meeting with medical advisors and sharing plans with the School Committee. I will keep you apprised as further decisions are made.
A final point to share today is that while we may not all agree on the finer points of our plan (most notably, whether or not masks are required indoors at schools), I ask that we all recognize how far we have come in this fight against COVID-19, and how awesome it is that we are preparing for a return to a normal, five-day per week, regular length school-day schedule. I remain grateful that our community responded as it did last year, that we were able to return to a partially regular school schedule in the spring with minimal conflict, and that we experienced relatively few cases of COVID-19 in our schools. I am confident we will continue to make decisions in the best interests of student, staff, and community well-being, and I encourage you to continue to assist us in those efforts.
Enjoy August, and I’ll be in touch soon.
Sincerely,
Andrew Dolloff, Ph.D.
Superintendent of Schools
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