March 27, 2020
RSU 26 School Community,
We are 8 days into remote learning and what an amazing journey this has been already! BIG thanks and appreciation to all teachers, support staff, administrators, students and parents for the progress made during this time. It’s hard to believe it has only been 8 days since we started this! Please know that we understand this is a time of much uncertainty and anxiety…our goal with providing academic instruction in a remote framework is to provide support, connections and a sense of normalcy for students, as well as to try to ensure learning gains are maintained through this time period. I do not know how long we will continue in this current structure, but our goal is to provide remote instruction for as long as necessary this school year. We will update everyone as we know more in regards to the status of our currently scheduled date of return of April 27th. As a reminder, we will be taking the week off from remote learning during the week of vacation April 20-24.
Below are some updates and reminders about supports and services in place in RSU 26. Thank you for your kind understanding and patience during this time.
Kind regards,
Meredith Higgins
RSU 26 Superintendent
The RSU 26 Central Office is closed to visitors, but we are still here for you! Our offices have temporarily moved to the OMS/OHS Library, giving us the best way to comply with social distancing protocol. If you have paperwork for us, please leave it in the box located in the outside lobby of the Library. Contact us by calling 866-7110, or emailing rcyr@rsu26.org.
Karen Martin, the RSU 26 School Nurse, will have virtual office hours from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm, Monday – Friday. You may reach her by email at kmartin@rsu26.org, or through a Google Meets invitation. Mrs. Martin is happy to discuss medical questions you may have about your children or provide you with suggestions for resources. You are also welcome to email her your phone number, and she will call you.
School counselors will continue to be available for students during the regular school hours through email, google phone, google meets, Zoom, etc. They will set up “appointments” with students as well as answer questions, concerns, etc throughout the day. Additionally, they are available to connect students and parents/guardians with support services in the community or through our Acadia staff as necessary.
Reminder – In the interest of serving all needs in the safest and most efficient manner, we are providing three options for accessing breakfast and lunch meals during this time. These meals are available to ANY child in grades PK-12 at no cost.
- On-site pickup of meals is available for all students in grades PK-12 at Asa Adams Elementary School from 8:00 am – 12 pm, Monday-Friday. The food pickup at Asa Adams will be at the front door. Staff will be set up just inside the front doors to provide the meal(s) to you. If you do not see staff in the lobby, just push the buzzer, and the office will notify food service staff of your arrival. Thank you for understanding our desire to maintain a safe environment in our schools for our essential staff who remain working on site. For this option, we are able to provide up to a 5-day supply of food at one time*.
- Remote-site pickup of meals – we have a food pick-up site at the American Legion Hall located at 156 Park Street in Orono from 9am to 12pm Monday-Friday. This site will be available to all children age 18 and under, but we have to limit the amount of meals we are able to provide to a 3-day supply at one time due to federal regulations*. We encourage families who live in this area to access this site for your food needs, but it is available to all as an additional option.
- Delivery of meals to homes – this option is available for all students in grades PK-12, but must be pre-arranged to be placed on the route for meal delivery. Contact your child’s school office to be added to the list. For the most part, deliveries will be via school bus with our staff bringing the meal(s) to your door. We won’t stay to greet you, but will knock on the door to indicate our arrival, leave the food on the doorstep and then leave. We are able to provide this delivery Monday – Friday from 9 am to 12 pm, depending on the route. For this option, we are able to provide up to a 5-day supply of food at one time*.
* If you would like multiple meals at one time, we need to know ahead of time. Please contact us to arrange for this by either emailing Ben Jacobson at bjacobson@rus26.org or by calling your school office.
For some of our students who live outside of Orono, be sure to contact us about your needs. We will make sure your needs are met for food during this time.
We understand as this situation develops, your needs may change. We will continue to provide this service for all as long as possible. Please don’t hesitate to access these supports or reach out to us for delivery at any point in the future. We will keep you informed of any updates to this program. If you have any questions, a specific food need, or have a donation please contact Ben Jacobson at bjacobson@rsu26.org or Sam Runco at srunco@rsu26.org. School Office Phone Numbers: Asa Adams: 866-2151, Orono Middle School: 866-2350, Orono High School: 866-4916, Superintendent’s Office: 866-7110.
