Update

April 9, 2021

Dear Staff, Students, and Families,

This letter is a notification of new cases and an update to the status of the schools within our district. None of the following cases listed by school necessitated contact tracing at individual buildings due to the move to remote or the students have not attended in person learning during the contagious period prior to receiving test results.

Over the course of this week we have had 6 positive cases at Maranacook High School, 5 positive cases at Manchester Elementary, 3 positive cases at Maranacook Middle School, and 1 positive case at Wayne Elementary School.  This is a total of 15 student cases this week as of 11:00 am Friday morning.  These new cases as well as the previous week cases continue to have an impact on our ability to keep our schools open to in person learning.  Due to the continued  surge in cases, in consultation with administrators and our school nurses  and out of an abundance of caution we are going to extend remote learning to include the middle school next week.  What follows is information on our schools:

  • Maranacook Community Middle School will be remote all of next week April 12th thru April 15th.

  • Reminder Manchester Elementary and Maranacook Community high schools are also remote all of next week.

  • The tentative date for return to in person learning for these schools is Monday, April 26th.

  • Any student/families that need food service please reach out to Jen Hall, Food Service Director. She can be reached through email at: Jen_Hall@maranacook.org, work phone at (207) 685 - 4923 ext. 1085 or cell phone at (207) 242-0814. Individual arrangements will be made to best facilitate the families needs. Please reach out at your earliest convenience.

  • Readfield Elementary School will return to in person learning on Monday, April 12th and run as scheduled thru Thursday, April 15th.

  • Mt. Vernon and Wayne Elementary Schools will run as in person next week as scheduled. 

We are continuing to ask all families to continue to use the Ruvna Covid Screening app even during this remote learning period of time and to contact the school nurses should you fail the screener.  In this latest round of cases the primary symptoms have been headache, sore throat, cough and runny nose(congestion) - all symptoms that can be associated with a common cold.  With the spread of highly contagious variants it is VERY important to identify symptoms and seek guidance.  We want to keep all of our students and staff healthy and safe.  We urge everyone to err on the side of caution over the course of the month of April to help curb any future spread of COVID-19. Call a health care provider if symptoms start. It is important that you call a healthcare facility before you show up in person. Stay home if you are sick.

If you are planning to travel during the spring vacation please review this letter by clicking here.

COVID-19 is a respiratory illness that ranges from mild to severe. It can be more severe in adults 60 years and older and in those with underlying conditions. The virus mainly spreads when an infected person coughs or sneezes and an uninfected person breathes in the virus. Signs and symptoms include:

  • fever or chills                                                                           • new loss of taste or smell

  • cough                                                                                           • sore throat

  • shortness of breath or difficulty breathing        • congestion or runny nose 

  • fatigue                                                                                          • nausea or vomiting

  • muscle or body aches                                                      • diarrhea

  • headache

Maine CDC recommends prevention measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19. These measures include proper hand washing with soap and warm water, which is especially important after using the bathroom, before eating, and after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing. When soap and water is not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60 percent alcohol. Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands and avoid close contact with people who are sick. Cover your cough or sneeze into a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash. Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces using a regular household cleaning spray or wipe.

Questions can be directed to the appropriate building principals or the school nurses by calling the schools directly. For general COVID-19 questions, dial 211 (or 1-866-811-5695). You can also text your ZIP code to 898-211 or email info@211maine.org. Call a health care provider for questions about your symptoms. More information can be found at www.maine.gov/dhhs/coronavirus or www.cdc.gov/coronavirus.

Sincerely,

James Charette

Superintendent of Schools