From the Superintendent
Last week, I presented the Annual Report for School Year 2023-24 to the Board. This report includes an array of data points and comparisons, along with events and highlights that shaped the previous year. The premise of the annual report is that schools and school districts are complex organizations and that no one data source tells the story or predicts the overall health of an organization. A healthy district relies on multiple indicators for determining student success given that it is a snapshot of student and staff progress and experiences at one point in time. The data indicators included in this report provide more detail about the accomplishments and challenges facing the district, its students, and staff, while serving as a tool for reviewing long-term trending and determining improvement efforts.
Two new features are embedded in the report this year: a comprehensive visual Data Dashboard, complete with graphs and charts that span the last decade, along with a We Are Greely video presentation of various student experiences during the 23-24 year.
Check out some upgrades to our district website msad51.org that have been made recently. We have added a couple of new categories to navigate, along with enhanced "hoverability" under these categories for easier usability.
Regards,
Jeff Porter
Awesome job Rangers!
Congrats to the Boys' and Girls' Soccer teams on their State Championship victories! Way to go, Rangers!
Our Greely Rangers football team is heading to the State Championship on Saturday, November 16th!
Notices from the Office of the Superintendent
Superintendent's Report
Click Here to view the latest Superintendent's Report.
Curriculum Corner
Dear MSAD #51 families,
Do you ever wonder what happens during professional development (PD) time? The not-so-simple answer is that many different things happen, depending on the gradespan, time of year, and the professional learning needs of staff. For the purposes of highlighting one way that we use our PD time, here is what staff worked on last week.
On Wednesday, various content teams met across grade levels to discuss matters of importance to their work. For example, our K-12 math specialists met with math teachers to review longitudinal iReady and Maine Through Year data across the grades. The specialists led teachers through a collaborative protocol to examine our data, make predictions, surface questions, and understand our current achievement levels as a district. It is important to understand where we are to make informed decisions about where to go next. This structured time together to examine where we are is invaluable to our teachers, as it informs how they approach instruction in their classrooms. Other groups, including K-5 literacy leaders, the Instructional Support department, the Modern Language department, and more content groups met to discuss curriculum alignment, consultation and collaboration approaches, and instructional practice.
This is just a snapshot of how we use our PD time. Hopefully it illustrates the importance of our work together. It really does shape the learning experience we can provide for our students across the grades.
The Importance of Good Attendance
Did you know that “students who miss 2-4 days of school per month are considered chronically absent, and students who miss 5+ days of school per month are considered severely chronically absent? When children and teens regularly attend school in person, they’re more likely to develop their whole selves—personally, socially, academically, and emotionally. They’re routinely able to connect with friends and adults, collaborate and problem-solve, make decisions, think critically, be creative, and engage in hands-on learning. In other words, showing up matters!” (Thompson-Kuhn, et al, 2024)
The good news is that despite some ongoing illness among students in our schools this fall, our average daily attendance is right around 95%. That is excellent, and we appreciate your efforts to send your children to school ready to learn each day. We are committed to continued monitoring and communication about attendance patterns in our schools this year and will let you know through newsletter updates how we are doing. We still have some work to do with our chronic absenteeism rate, which as of November 4 sits at 11.8% for the district. While some of this can be explained by the high levels of illness this fall, we are certainly paying attention to this number. We believe that the rate will decrease as the number of total school days increases, and we welcome your help in achieving our goal of a chronic absenteeism rate below 5% for this school year. Thank you for all you do and for your continued partnership!
Sincerely,
Mar-E Trebilcock, Director of Academic Services
Thompson-Kuhn, et al. (2024). Back to the classroom: How to overcome chronic absenteeism and encourage parents to send kids to school consistently (H. Lushin, Ed.). The Ad Council Research Institute. Retrieved November 7, 2024, from https://ad-council.
Pertussis (whooping cough) cases
There has recently been an increase in the cases of Pertussis (whooping cough) throughout the district. Specifically the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention (Maine CDC) has opened a pertussis outbreak investigation due to multiple cases of pertussis at Greely High School. Pertussis is an infection caused by bacteria. It affects the airways and spreads easily from person to person by coughing or sneezing. Pertussis usually begins with symptoms of a common cold (sore throat, runny nose, mild cough), and often develops into a severe cough. The severe cough leads to coughing fits and/or vomiting. The cough is often worse at night. Early symptoms can last 1-2 weeks. Symptoms usually begin 5-10 days after exposure but can take up to 3 weeks. People infected with pertussis are most contagious for 2 weeks after the cough begins.
Anyone can get pertussis, including people who have had the pertussis vaccine. Pertussis can cause serious and sometimes deadly complications for babies, especially those who have not received all recommended pertussis vaccines.
What you should do:
If you or your child has a severe cough (including uncontrollable coughing fits, coughing to the point of gagging, vomiting after coughing, or difficulty breathing):
- Make an appointment with a health care provider. Tell them about the possible exposure so they can test for pertussis.
- Stay home and/or keep your child home from school and activities, such as sports or play groups, until you receive test results.
If a health care provider diagnosed you or your child with pertussis:
- Stay home and/or keep your child home from school and activities, such as sports or play groups, until your child has completed 5 days of antibiotic treatment.
- All household and high-risk close contacts (including infants younger than 12 months, pregnant women, and people with weakened immune systems) should be treated with antibiotics to prevent pertussis infection.
Anyone with symptoms of pertussis infection should stay home until they complete antibiotic treatment. Those without symptoms do not need to stay home while completing treatment.
If you or your child does not have symptoms, you/they do not need to be tested or excluded from activities. However, you should monitor for symptoms and seek care if you/they become sick with the symptoms described above.
Encourage your child to practice good hygiene to prevent the spread of disease:
- Cover nose and mouth when coughing or sneezing.
- Wash hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds or use hand sanitizer.
Please make sure your family’s vaccinations are up to date. Older children and adults, including pregnant women, should get a pertussis booster shot called “Tdap” to help protect themselves and babies around them. Contact a health care provider to schedule a vaccination appointment or call the Maine Immunization Program at 1-800-867-4775 to find a vaccine provider near you.
You can find more information about pertussis at www.maine.gov/dhhs/pertussis. If you have any questions or concerns, please email your school nurse, call your healthcare provider directly, or call Maine CDC at 1-800-821-5821.
The current cases at MSAD #51 are as follows:
- GHS: 0
- GMS: 0
- MIW: 1
Mabel I. Wilson School
Christina Givans: [email protected]
Alex Higgins: [email protected]
Greely Middle School
Lora Rolfe:[email protected]
Meaghan Riemer: [email protected]
Greely High School
Erica Sarapas: [email protected] 
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MSAD #51 Board of Directors Information
All meetings will take place at 6:00 pm in the Gyger Room at Greely High School. For those of you unfamiliar with that room, the Gyger Room can be accessed from the GHS parking lot (the side without the electronic sign).
November 21 - Regular Meeting
Remember you can watch our meetings on YouTube LIVE (http://bit.ly/msad51livevideo
Links
Meeting Dates, Agendas & Minutes
Board of Directors Meeting Videos
Community Partners
Our Community Partners are strong supporters of various areas of the school. Without them, our students would not have many of the wonderful opportunities and experiences that they receive.
Parent U Presents: Project iGuardian
Wednesday November 13 at 6:00 PM in the GHS Gyger Room
Homeland Security Special Agent Chris Fitzpatrick will educate and inform parents on how to protect their children from the risks they face in the online environment. This FREE presentation is for adults only. Register today, as space is limited! 
Useful Links
Greely Center for the Arts Events
If you would like something included in our weekly newsletter, please send a brief write up with title along with a JPEG or PNG image of your flyer (if applicable) to Melissa Porter for approval. The deadline each week is Wednesday. Any requests received after Wednesday will be reviewed for possible submission in the following week's newsletter. All approved submissions will be posted on the district's website.
Not all items in this email are MSAD #51 sponsored programs. If you need more information, please contact the group or organization that is sponsoring the event.
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