Dear Airline Families, 8/6/2020
This letter is being sent to outline the Airline Community School’s plan for the start of the school year. Now that we have received the county reopening categorization from the state of Maine in conjunction with the Maine Department of Education’s Framework for Returning to Classroom Instruction, we can move forward with our plans for the 2020-2021 school year.
We will begin the school year with a hybrid model where students who choose to attend school onsite will be at school two days a week while working remotely every other day. Students will be at school on Mondays and Thursdays except for the two fall holiday weeks which will then be Tuesdays (9/8 & 10/13) and Thursdays. Schooling will be taking place each day of the regular school calendar beginning with Tuesday, September 8. The PreK program will start Thursday, October 1. As we progress through the year, we hope to be able to have more in school days.
Students whose families do not feel comfortable having them return to any in-person learning will remain in a remote learning model with support from the school. These students will complete equivalent work; however, remote support during At-School Days will not be the same as when the entire school is in a remote learning model. Classroom teachers will be setting up schedules for all students every day.
Using a hybrid model allows us to implement the guidelines from the CDC safely in an effort to reduce the need to transition between remote learning, hybrid learning, and in school learning during the school year. It also allows the teachers to work with all their students together more often. Minimizing the transitions between levels will reduce the disruption to in person instruction.
CSD 8’s plan follows the Maine CDC and DOE guidelines regarding symptom screening, social distancing, wearing face coverings, emphasizing hand hygiene, and using PPE throughout the district in order to keep everyone safe. Student and staff safety is our highest priority. You will be receiving additional information from your building administrator and classroom teacher(s). That information will include what entrances to go through and other building specific details. In planning for the 2020-2021 school year, our goal is to have as many students as possible come to school for instruction as safely as we can.
Sincerely,
James Stoneton II, AOS 47 Superintendent of Schools