Newsletter for Grade 8

With the warm weather here our students are going outside for recess. With the new guidance from the CDC and the Maine Department of Education, students are allowed to remove their masks during recess time. Lanyards are available from Tiger Time teachers if a student would like one to hang their mask on so they don't lose their mask when they are outside.

On Friday, June 4th students will no longer be taking home laptops. Remote students can return their laptops to Tiger Gym on June 9th or June 11th from 8:30 - 2:30pm. Please contact Mrs. McCaskey if you have any questions.

During this holiday weekend, I hope you are able to spend time outside with your families. Monday, May 31st is Memorial Day so there will be no school. Below this message, you will see a video in honor of Memorial Day: a tribute to those who gave the ultimate sacrifice for our country.

Sincerely,

Mrs. Jennifer Vitiello

Assistant Principal, BMS

Remote Flex Days Now In-Person Instruction

• Wednesday, June 2nd Early Release Day with 12:20pm dismissal for grade 8.

• Wednesday, June 9th Full Day In-person

School Budget Election:

• Tuesday, June 8th from 7am-8pm at BHS Tiger Gym

COVID Vaccine Clinic - Second Dose:

• Wednesday, June 9th - see full parent letter below
  

BMS Promotion & Awards Ceremony - June 10th:

• 9:30am - 1:30pm Grade 8 at Waterhouse Field - Students Only for Awards Ceremony, lunch and promotion practice

• 6:00pm - Promotion Night at Waterhouse Field - Students and Families

On May 24th, the Governor’s Moving Maine Forward Plan and recent announcement regarding CDC’s new guidance go into effect lifting restrictions on capacity limits, physical distancing, and masking for those fully vaccinated. Although all of the new guidance does not apply to schools, the Maine DOE has released updated Public Health Guidance and Standard Operating Procedures. Below are the items that impact our programming the most:

• Indoor masking protocols for students and staff will remain in place.

• Eating and drinking still requires 6' distancing for all

• Outdoor masking and physical distancing protocols will no longer be in effect (students may take their mask off during recess and outdoor classes).

• Adult distancing requirements have been removed.

• Distancing related to music went from 14’ to 6’.

• Those who are vaccinated and asymptomatic do not need to quarantine if deemed close contacts and those participating in pooled testing* and are asymptomatic do not need to quarantine for any school-related events if they are deemed close contacts (school sports, extracurricular activities, and school functions). The quarantine exemption does not apply to community-based activities (i.e. club sports).

* We will evaluate the requirements of Pooled PCR Testing (see page 4) and determine its feasibility for the return to school this fall.

The Southern Maine Oral Surgery office reached out to the Biddeford community to see if any art teachers would like to display student artwork in their office. After Team Sugarloaf completed their oil pastel animal eyes, their projects were perfect for the display. In the animal eye drawing project, 8th grade students were introduced to color. After spending weeks studying value and completing pencil drawings, students jumped into color theory and completed many practice studies prior to finishing their animal eye drawings. The detail in the student work comes from a close up composition and their effort to portray animal eyes with each student's unique artistic touch.

The artwork on the far left is by Hayth Murphy (in case). Second piece of artwork is Charlotte Lewis (left) and Isabella Miranda (right). Third piece of artwork from the top- Jacob Golden (top left), Hannah DeCapua (top right), Beldomisa Mendes (middle left), Jayden Johnson (middle right), Kaden Langevin (bottom left), and Eva Aranovitch (bottom right). On the right side is artwork by Alex Pineau (left) and Cam Pelletier (right). See close up photos below.

Due to Biddeford School Budget Election on Tuesday, June 8th in BHS Tiger Gym, all vaccine second doses will now occur on Wednesday, June 9th (see chart in this Parent Letter). As this day is now an in-person school day for grade 5-12 students, we have coordinated BMS and BHS students to have their second dose while in school, if desired. If parents prefer to accompany their child, they may attend the BHS clinic with them.

If your child missed the original clinic, you may schedule an appointment or attend a walk-in at various other clinics in our area through one of these links: MaineHealth Clinics, Northern Light Health Clinics, CVS, or Walgreens. If you would like more information, have concerns, or are still evaluating if your child (12+) will receive the COVID vaccine, please review this Fact Sheet for Youth Under 18.

The topic for the essay contest was What Family Means To Me. BMS 8th grade students submitted their essays and the winners were announced last week.

Congratulations to:

• 1st Place: Keyarrah McCurry
• 2nd Place: Eva Aranovich
• 3rd Place: Mark Patterson

Biddeford Schools is thrilled to announce our new app for mobile phones! You can choose which schools are relevant to your household and as your child moves to a different school, the format remains the same for ease of access (and don’t forget to follow the main district news). Stay up-to-date with access to real-time sports scores, the daily cafeteria menu, news from administrators, student stories, and even emergency notifications. You can download the app for free on both Google Play or the Apple App Store.

Download for Android: https://bit.ly/3fu8z4q

Download for iPhone: https://apple.co/2QFUBST

Email: hmccaskey@biddefordschools.me
Website: https://sites.google.com/biddefordschools.me/bms/bms-home?authuser=0
Location: 18 Maplewood Avenue, Biddeford, ME 04005, USA
Phone: (207)391-6850
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/biddefordmiddleschool/