Sanford School Department

Equity, Inclusion, Respect and the acceptance of Diversity are important for a positive climate and culture in the Sanford School Department. We have established a resources page to help all of us with the challenging, but necessary, work of being free of discrimination and bias. We plan to add resources but in the meantime check out what we have established. The link can be found here: https://www.sanford.org/diversity-equity-and-inclusion

Wishing all the dads a Happy Father's Day!

Happy Friday! A reminder to be sure to complete the staff survey regarding the reopening of school before the end of the day. The link can be found here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1w-RHGG7vMNnlfpk7SI8iP_7516C_aLVjgLljwxhvLnA/edit?usp=sharing

A reminder to complete a quick survey to provide feedback on our school reopening plans in the fall. We have already received over 1,000 responses. If you have not completed the survey yet, it can be found at this link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1PN1qA4fp1i69Jp9DcFIMP3zjfwEfievySkN4VyDZK2Y/edit?usp=sharing

Congratulations to the class of 2020. Come out and celebrate our recent graduates. The motorcade leaves the Sanford High School entrance at 7:00 PM and makes its way down Main Street to Springvale. Be sure to practice social distancing.

Yearbooks will be distributed at SJHS today from 12:30-3:00pm and Friday, June 12th 8:00am-11:30am. They can still be purchased for $25 on these days. Please send any questions to rwhite@sanford.org!

Parents and Guardians: We are currently finishing an unprecedented school year. We appreciate all you have done to support your children through this experience. We are reaching out to get feedback to guide our reopening plans in the fall. Please take a moment to tell us about your child's recent distance learning experience, how you are feeling about the fall, and what you need so we can provide your children with the best possible educational experience in September. The link to this quick survey is: https://forms.gle/9RNbBF7YFNMjziNL7

Good Afternoon. A message to the Sanford community can be found at this link: https://core-docs.s3.amazonaws.com/documents/asset/uploaded_file/741615/Letter_to_Sanford_Community.pdf

One more reminder to SJHS parents and students. Today from 9:00-12:00 is the final turn-in time for technology. This is for anyone in grades 5 through 8 @ the junior high. Thank you parents, students, and staff volunteers for your help with this!

Attention Sanford Junior High families! Device drop-off/Item pick-up options for grades 5th through 7th will run tomorrow 6/2 @ the Junior High from 1:00-4:30, 6/3 from 9:00-12:00, and 6/4 from 9:00-12:00. Any 8th graders needing to turn in devices may use these times also.

This message is a just a reminder that our 8th grade Celebration is this afternoon from 1:30 to 3:00 at Sanford Junior High. Please enter through the junior high their driveway entrance. I hope students will be able to be driven, or are able to walk or ride their bikes to receive their gift bags from our PTA. Collection of laptops, chargers, band instruments and any other school item can also occur at this time. If you are unable to attend, collection of laptops and all other school items is occurring Tuesday June 8th at Sanford High School from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. PTA gift bags can also be picked up at that time. We hope to see you this afternoon."

7th grade STEM students collaborate on the design of solar powered cars.

Happy Memorial Day! Remembering and honoring our heroes who served and fought for our freedom. Thank you.

Hope all is well. Happy Friday! Another successful week of distance learning. A letter to families regarding the end-of-the-school year can be found at this link: https://5il.co/g5ji Have a great weekend.

Happy Mother's Day to all the wonderful moms who love, support, teach and mentor every day. Thank you for all you do for your families and communities -especially during these challenging times.

Today is School Lunch Hero Day. Thank you to our food service workers who are working hard to prepare meals for our students during distance learning. Below is a link to see their impressive work in action: https://youtu.be/EbRbVGAnX0U

Letter from Superintendent Nelson Sanford School Department Extending Distance Learning for the Remainder of the 2019-2020 School Year Wednesday, April 29, 2020 Good Evening, During her press conference yesterday, Governor Janet Mills extended Maine’s Stay-at-Home Order through May 31, 2020. For Sanford’s public schools, this means that “distance learning” will remain in place for the remainder of the school year. Classrooms will remain closed, with the expectation of reopening in the fall as conditions permit. As you may have seen, Governor Mills provided details of a four-stage phase-in “post-COVID19” model that placed the re-opening of schools in the final stage (no earlier than September 2020 dependent on the success of stages one, two and three). This four-stage plan also included limits on group gatherings and criteria for re-opening businesses. Still to be determined is whether summer school programs, athletics, end-of-year celebrations and the use of school facilities for various summer school programs will be allowed this summer. I will continue to carefully monitor the situation and we will communicate information as it becomes available and decisions are made regarding specific end-of-the-year activities (graduation, kindergarten screening, award ceremonies, etc.). Thank you for your patience as our school leadership teams continue to explore the various options and best ways to recognize students as we close out this school year. It may mean holding scaled back or virtual celebrations, or, in some unfortunate cases, canceling an event entirely. Safety will continue to guide these decisions and we will abide by the Governor’s plan to ensure the safety of our students, staff and community members. I am aware of the tremendous burden that distance learning has put on our students, staff and families. Historically, it is challenging to maintain student engagement as summer draws near so I have asked our teachers to adjust their schedules and not assign any new learning after Memorial Day. The last week of May and first week of June will be focused on allowing time for students to submit outstanding assignments, practice and review key concepts and areas of weakness, return books and technology and to retrieve personal belongings; your child’s school administrative team will communicate information regarding these schedules and processes separately. Please know that our primary focus remains the health and personal well-being of our students, staff and community members – and also the academic progress of our students. Student academic achievement is crucial as we prepare to return to the classrooms next fall. We do not want our students falling too far behind grade level expectations and benchmarks. I encourage everyone to continue their amazing efforts during this unusual time and I challenge everyone to finish the 2019-2020 school year strong.

"Max Cote is an extremely hard working 5th grader who has been doing an AMAZING job throughout our distance learning. He worked very hard on a letter expressing his gratitude for his family and for all that they have done for him. Max is a great role model and a great example of how hard our kids are working in the face of adversity."

Another week of distance learning down and another great job. Thank you! Enjoy the long weekend. Unplug and unwind. Spend time outside and with family. A reminder that meals will be delivered next week Tuesday thru Thursday. Stay safe, healthy and practice social distancing.

Good afternoon, Important letter regarding elementary student placement for fall 2020 https://5il.co/f5rv