Dear Noble Community;
Last evening, August 19, 2021 the MSAD #60 Board of Directors met for their August meeting. This correspondence is to relay information from the meeting as it relates to the 2021-2022 school year. Here is some general information:
Noble Schools will open with in-person learning 5 days a week.
The first day of school for students is September 1, 2021. All schools will send out information on the timing of the school day, student arrival and pick up, and the Wednesday late arrival/early dismissal times. The district is reverting back to the “traditional” late start/early release model we used up until the 2020-2021 school year.
All students will be back to their home based schools. Here is a reminder of the schools/grade levels by town;
Berwick: Hussey School Kindergarten to Grade 3, Knowlton School Grades 4 & 5
Lebanon: Hanson School Kindergarten to Grade 3, Lebanon Elementary Grades 4 & 5
North Berwick: North Berwick Elementary School Kindergarten to Grade 5
Noble Middle School: Grades 6 & 7
Noble High School: Grades 8-12
These Mitigation Strategies will be in place for the fall:
Daily At Home Symptom Screening- this will be sent out prior to September 1, 2021
Hand Hygiene
Physical Distancing to the extent possible/Cohorting/Assigned Seating
Staying at home when sick/ getting tested
Contact Tracing/Isolation/Quarantine
Ventilation-regular replacement of air filters in the mechanical systems in schools, increased airflow in classrooms
Increased cleaning based on CDC guidelines
Transportation-the CDC currently mandates face masks/coverings while riding the bus to/from school
School Nutrition-following all best practices and protocols for hygiene and safety
Minimizing visitors in the school setting
MSAD #60 strongly agrees with the Centers for Disease Control that the best instructional environment for students to learn is in-person, in the school setting. We do, however, recognize that there may be students who are unable to access in-person learning due to health conditions. We will provide a remote program for those families who have requested and provided medical documentation that identifies the necessity of remote learning due to COVID-19. Please contact the building administrator in your child’s school for further direction.
Please be aware that after a very lengthy and lively deliberation, the board voted for universal masking in the elementary schools and Noble Middle School and optional masking for Noble High School.
Last year we were very fortunate to have a great deal of parent and family cooperation as we navigated a tenuous school year with COVID-19. In our efforts to communicate and keep everyone updated, the district will continue to send positive case information through the district-wide communication system. We appreciate everyone’s efforts as we move ahead to opening schools in September.
Sincerely,
Audra Beauvais