From the Superintendent
As you know, last week was the first snow day of the school year. Though it's great to see snow on the ground so early in the season, I want to make sure you are aware of the limitations in this year's school calendar with respect to weather-related cancellations.
Most school years include an allowance of three days for weather cancellations that can be made up at the end of the school year in June. However, due to starting after Labor Day and the two-week break in December, this year's calendar only allows for two traditional cancellations. Beginning with the third weather day and beyond, it will revert to a remote learning day, which we have not encountered for at least a couple of years now. In order to be prepared for this potential scenario, please note the following procedures that apply to all schools/grade spans:
- All school buildings are closed for the day and all on-site school-related events and activities are cancelled for the day/afternoon/evening of the closure.
- All students will have access to concurrent learning activities. Concurrent learning is when there are live instruction/direction/class meetings for students provided by the teacher for at least part of the school day. Each school will provide more specific details prior to the first remote learning day.
- Students are considered to be ‘in attendance’ when they have virtually attended the required concurrent learning activities (instruction, check-ins) offered by the teacher.
- Remote learning days for this purpose will follow this abbreviated schedule:
- Grades 6-12: 7:50 AM-11:35 AM
- Grades PK-5: 8:50 AM-12:35 PM
In the rare event of questionable conditions when a remote learning day cannot occur for whatever reason (broad power outages, etc), the school district reserves the ability to revert to a traditional weather cancellation day if needed, even after the first two traditional weather days have been used already. If this occurs, please keep in mind that the school year would then extend beyond the June 19 Juneteenth holiday and would require that additional school days be added, as applicable, to the week of June 22. As we know that late June is not the most productive learning time, efforts will be made to avoid this if at all possible, but I wanted to be up front that this could occur.
Regards,
Jeff Porter
Fifth graders in Mrs. Gervais' and Mrs. Rothbart's classes are spreading holiday cheer by decorating coffee cup sleeves for a local cafe.
Notices from the Office of the Superintendent
Name Our School!
Wow! We are just a week in and we already have over 1,000 votes cast so far! Keep them coming, the deadline is FRIDAY!
Find out more about each selection then cast your vote on the website: https://www.msad51.org/apps/form/Nameourschool
Superintendent's Report
In case you missed the latest Superintendent's report at Thursday's Board meeting. 
Stay Connected
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Find all the ways MSAD #51 shares information.
MSAD #51 Board of Directors Information
All meetings will take place at 6:00 pm in the Gyger Room at Greely High School. For those of you unfamiliar with that room, the Gyger Room can be accessed from the GHS parking lot (the side without the electronic sign).
December 18- Regular Meeting
Remember you can watch our meetings on YouTube LIVE (http://bit.ly/msad51livevideo)
Join Us for a Community Workshop on Pre-K Planning
The School Board invites families, staff, and community members to a special workshop focused on the future of our district’s Pre-K program on January 15 at 6:00 PM in the Gyger Room at Greely High School. We want to thank the 285 respondents to the recent Pre-K survey and our next step in this process is to hold a public information workshop.
In 2019, MSAD #51 added a Pre-K program when the state required the district to support four-year-olds on IEPs. An Individualized Education Program (IEP) is a plan outlining the special education services and supports necessary for a child to learn and grow. Our Pre-K program currently serves 32 four-year-olds, half of whom are on IEPs.
In 2024, the state legislature expanded the requirement "to provide early childhood special education services to preschool aged children with disabilities" to include three-year-olds. This will go into effect in the fall of 2027 for our district. There are a number of different models that may be used by the district to meet the need to serve these learners. This creates an important opportunity to examine our programs and select a model that can best meet the needs of all learners and our community.
During this workshop, we will review our current Pre-K offerings, outline the new state requirements vs. expectations, and explore several program models under consideration for the coming years. Community preschool providers currently serve many of the community's 3- and 4-year-olds, including those with IEPs; their insight is essential for understanding community capacity and maintaining a sustainable early-childhood system in our community.
We hope you’ll join us to learn more, ask questions, and share your perspectives. Your input will help shape a Pre-K model; our goal is to reflect our community’s values and support our youngest learners. We invite local preschool providers to share their insights and experiences. Their perspectives, combined with feedback from families and community members, will help us build an approach that is collaborative, sustainable, and responsive to student needs.
All are welcome, and we look forward to hearing from you.
Committee meetings this week:
December 9 - Curriculum Committee
December 12 -Finance
Links
Meeting Dates, Agendas & Minutes
Board of Directors Meeting Videos
Community Notices
Community Notices are not affiliated with MSAD #51. Please contact the organization directly with any questions. Here is a full listing of Community Notices.
Community Bingo Night
Useful Links
Greely Center for the Arts Events
If you would like something included in our weekly newsletter, please send a brief write up with title along with a JPEG or PNG image of your flyer (if applicable) to Melissa Porter for approval. The deadline each week is Wednesday. Any requests received after Wednesday will be reviewed for possible submission in the following week's newsletter. All approved submissions will be posted on the district's website.
Not all items in this email are MSAD #51 sponsored programs. If you need more information, please contact the group or organization that is sponsoring the event.
357 Tuttle Road, PO Box 6A, Cumberland, ME 04021
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