Believe it or not, it's that time of year again & it’s time to start thinking about winter and the impact winter weather has on our daily lives. Over the past few years, school districts across the state and country have moved away from traditional snow days and have adopted remote learning days. I want to assure you that MSAD 35 will continue to have traditional snow days. Allowing students the opportunity to enjoy the thrill of a snow day, to go out and enjoy the snow, is something that I believe they need and look forward to.
I wanted to share the process that MSAD 35 will be using when assessing driving conditions during winter weather. There are a number of variables that must be considered as the weather in South Eliot may be very different than on Rodier Road in South Berwick. As a result, MSAD 35 has worked together with the Town of Eliot and the Town of South Berwick Emergency Management Directors, as well as each community’s Chief of Police, Fire Chief and Public Works Director, to create clear emergency protocols in the event of a severe weather event or an unanticipated emergency. These protocols provide clear collaborative communication between the towns, the State of Maine, and the school district. I will gather as much information as possible to make an informed decision regarding our school’s opening, closing, or having a delayed start time, and then will communicate that information by 5:45 am with members of our school district.
Over the past 10 years, some families have questioned why the phone calls to cancel school are so early in the morning; the reality is that our school buses begin their morning routine as early as 5:50 am, with the first students being picked up at approximately 6:20 am. Some children are required to walk to their bus stops, up to ½ mile, and will be leaving their homes by 6:00 am. Below you will see listed the various outlets where MSAD 35 will post information in the event of a change in our school’s daily status.
● Posting on the District’s website front page:www.rsu35.org
● Notification by TV channels WCSH- Channel 6, WMTW Channel 8 & WGME-TV Channel 13
● Phone message and email via Thrillshare
It is also important to note that weather conditions can range across our district and there may be times that as a parent, you decide to keep your child home when school is open. I want to assure you that the District will support your decision, as we believe that if you, as a parent, do not feel it is safe to have your child attend school, you should keep your child home. In these cases, the absence would be considered “excused” and any work that was missed may be made up in a reasonable period of time. I also want to provide some clarity for two scenarios that have caused some confusion in the past that could occur due to inclement weather:
Two-Hour Delay – A two-hour delay will result in all schools moving their start times back 2 hours. Bus pickup times will be 2 hours later than normal. For example, if the bus normally picks up your child at 6:30 am, during a two-hour delay they would be picked up at approximately 8:30 am.
Two-Hour Delay on a Delayed Start Thursday – A two-hour delay on an Early Release/Delayed Start Thursday will result in all schools starting two hours later than a non-delayed start school day. For example, Marshwood Middle School typically starts at 7:30 am, but if a 2-hour delay were needed, school would start at 9:30. The Elementary School would still release at the Thursday early release time.
Providing a safe environment for our students and staff is our priority. Thank you for your continued support!
