RSU 29

Please remember if your February break includes travel outside of Maine, NH, or VT - your children will need to quarantine for 10 days upon your return or until a negative test result. Please contact your child(ren)'s school to make arrangements for remote work. Thank you for helping us keep our kids safe!

Upcoming Date: February 10th - Early Release - 11:30 February Break - 15th- 19th

RSU 29 willl have a 1 hr delay this morning. There will be no AM Pre-K and no Region 2 classes.

RSU 29 No School Today February 2nd, 2021 Due to Weather

January 26, 2021 Dear Parents and Staff, This letter is to inform you that a worker for the Houlton Recreation Department has been deemed a positive case for COVID – 19. This has impacted some of our students in RSU 29 as they have been now identified as close contacts. Recreation Department personnel have notified the students and staff considered close contacts to the person who has tested positive and who must quarantine for ten days from last contact. A follow up letter from the school district was also sent to those identified individuals to give them information regarding when they can return to school. If you have not been contacted, your son or daughter is not considered a close contact and will not be required to quarantine. All of our schools remain open at this time. The Recreation Department personnel and RSU 29 officials have been in contact with the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDS) and are following the protocols and procedures outlined to follow when a case of Coronavirus impacts a school setting. At this time, no positive cases have been identified as originating at our schools. Many recent studies have shown that schools are one of the safest places for our students to be. It can not be stressed enough however, that we all continue to practice appropriate precautions such as wearing face coverings and practicing social distancing outside of our schools as well. We continue to work closely with the CDC, Department of Education, and our local health care partners. As always, please monitor yourself/your student for signs and symptoms. Call a health care provider if symptoms start. It is important that you call a health care facility before you show up in person. Stay home if you are sick. 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, cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, fatigue, muscle or body aches, headache, new loss of taste or smell, sore throat, congestion or runny nose, nausea or vomiting, or diarrhea. Please keep in mind that many things can cause respiratory illness, so students and staff should be up-to-date on influenza and routine vaccinations. For school specific questions please contact Holly Hodgkins, School Nurse, at (207) 731-7866. 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, Ellen Halliday Superintendent of Schools RSU 29

Reminder: Upcoming Early Release Days Wednesday, January 27th - 11:30 am Wednesday, February 10th - 11:30 am

Remember tomorrow is a Teacher Workshop Day. This day was added to the calendar.

The RSU 29 winter sports season has begun. While it will be nothing like our regular seasons, we are hopeful that our student athletes will be able to participate as COVID-19 circumstances allow. No spectators are allowed at our games-per state guidelines. The District is working with WHOU to live stream RSU 29 athletic events. WAGM may also be carrying some of our games. Updates on live streaming as well as other updates during the season will be posted on the RSU 29 Facebook page. You can visit https://whoufm.com/broadcast-schedule/ and https://www.wagmtv.com/page/basketball-schedule/ for more information. We appreciate the public’s support in cooperating with these orders. Should you have any questions, please call the Houlton Middle-High School office at (207) 532-6551.

January 11, 2021 Dear Parents and Staff, This letter is to inform you that 1 individual associated with Houlton Southside School has been deemed a positive case for COVID – 19. Members of the RSU 29 Health Services Department, as well as school representatives from Houlton Southside, have notified the students and staff who are considered close contacts to the person who has tested positive and who must quarantine for ten days from last contact. If you have not been contacted, your son or daughter is not considered a close contact and will not be required to quarantine. Houlton Southside School will continue to be in session. RSU 29 officials are in contact with the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDS) and are following the protocols and procedures outlined for schools to follow when a case of Coronavirus impacts a school setting. At this time, no positive cases have been identified as originating at our schools. Many recent studies have shown that schools are one of the safest places for our students to be. It can not be stressed enough however, that we all continue to practice appropriate precautions such as wearing face coverings and practicing social distancing outside of our schools as well. We continue to work closely with the CDC, Department of Education, and our local health care partners. As always, please monitor yourself/your student for signs and symptoms. Call a health care provider if symptoms start. It is important that you call a health care facility before you show up in person. Stay home if you are sick. 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, cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, fatigue, muscle or body aches, headache, new loss of taste or smell, sore throat, congestion or runny nose, nausea or vomiting, or diarrhea. Please keep in mind that many things can cause respiratory illness, so students and staff should be up-to-date on influenza and routine vaccinations. For school specific questions please contact Holly Hodgkins, School Nurse, at (207) 731-7866. 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, Ellen Halliday Superintendent of Schools RSU 29

January 15th - No School - Teacher Workshop Day January 18th - No School - Martin Luther King Day January 27th - Early Release Day - 11:30am