SCHOOL UNION NO



CHERRYFIELD SCHOOL DEPARTMENT

Robert J. Riley, Superintendent of Schools

P.O. Box 58, Cherryfield, ME 04622

Tel. (207)546-7770

May 11, 2020 

Dear Parents and Guardians,

Unfortunately, the time has come for us to make the call that most every other school district in the state has done. We will not be returning to school for the remainder of this school year!  I realize that this is not a surprise to anyone. I am sure that everyone expected this and were wondering why I would wait so long to make this call. As I said in many letters to you in the past, I was raised a devout fan of the Boston Red Sox and lived by the credo, “Hope springs eternal”!

So this announcement begs several questions as we approach the end of the school year. I will try to answer as many questions as I can think of here, but feel free to email me with any other questions you may have.

When will school “officially” end?

Right now, the official student last day of school would be June 17. We are still working on the details of what these last few weeks of school will look like for our students. We will keep you informed as we develop our plan. We should have something to you by Wednesday or Thursday.

What about my child’s school computer?

We are developing a plan, as I write, to create a schedule for picking up the devices at each students’ home. Again, we will have this to you later this week.

Will we have an 8th grade Graduation Ceremony?

Another question that we are working on. Currently, we are limited to public gathering of 10, or less through the month of May and limited to gatherings of 50, or less through June 30. It is my understanding that the Celebration is usually attended by a whole lot more than that! We may want to wait a bit to see if those limits get modified, but if they are not, we’ll have to come up with some way to honor our 8th graders. Keep watching here for details.

My Child is supposed to start Kindergarten or Pre-Kindergarten, will there be a screening this spring?

In the next few days, if your child is eligible for K or PK, you will be receiving a letter in the mail that will allow you to indicate whether you plan on sending your child to school. There are also other questions that you will need to answer that will help us prepare for your child starting school. When you receive this letter, if you could complete the questions and fully as possible and return it in the self-addressed stamped envelope, it helps us with our planning.

What about starting school in September?

This is another “wait and see” answer. Hoping for school to open on time in September is not a plan. I would like to start a committee to review our options and to help create a plan for reopening school. This committee would have a couple of School Committee members, School Administration, Teachers, Parents, community business leaders and even a couple of students as members. If you are interested in joining this committee as a parent, please send me an email at briley@ indicating your interest.

Will there be a Summer School this summer?

At this point in time, I do not think we’ll be able to hold a Summer School. Last year, the Summer School was funded through a federal grant from the US Department of Education. We did not qualify for that grant this year. We are still looking at the results of the grant, but I don’t think there is much hope the USDOE will change their decision. So the short answer is no, no summer school this year.

If we do go back to school in September, will there be after school activities like sports and clubs?

Again, this will be a wait and see proposition. Much will depend upon our success as a state and country in slowing the spread of the virus. One concern I have right now is the fact that students who participate in school sports must have a recent physical from their family doctor. I wonder if doctors will be able to perform physicals if we remain at this level. Again, another question that doesn’t have a direct answer, but we will keep you informed as we get closer to that time.

Will my child be promoted to the next grade level, or held back?

First, whether to promote or retain a student is a decision that is made with the school AND the parent. This is such an impactful decision; it really needs to be done jointly. Let me tell you that your child will not be behind his/her classmates or peers from other schools because of the virus closure. Every student in the state of Maine is in the same place. What we know about our kids is that they are incredibly resilient. They are able to adapt very quickly to changes in their world. Our job will be to support them as they, and we, work together to create the “new normal” for school going forward. Anything that they feel they may be behind in, will be quickly discovered and addressed by our teachers and the students. They will get what they need!

My child just completed the 8th grade, how will s/he know what to do on the first day of school at Narraguagus High School?

We are working with the administration of Narraguagus High School to make sure that our 8th graders get their schedules and know where to go on that first day. There may be an orientation day sometime this summer, we will fill you in on the details as soon as we get them.

As I said, you may have lots of other questions, and I wish that I could anticipate them all, but please, if you have any question, any question at all, please send me an email and I will try to get you a good answer.

In the meantime, please know that we know that you are doing incredible things with your kids to help them get through these unprecedented times. You are all Rock Stars for doing what you’re doing! Please keep the faith, keep loving your children and #Go Lions! 

Sincerely,

Bob Riley

Superintendent

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