Dear Lurgio Families,
The building has been buzzing this week! Our staff is working diligently to prepare for the new school year. I am not sure that any of us can predict what the school year will bring, but we are excited to have students back in the building and enthusiastic to embark on a new period of academic curiosity and growth.
Whether you have chosen in-person, hybrid learning or a fully remote instructional program, we have developed important Parent Guides to help you support your children. This Hybrid Learning Parent Guide has been available as part of the overall District Reopening Plan that was approved by the School Board on July 27. This Remote Instruction Parent Guide will soon be added to the District Plan document, but we wanted to make sure that it was available to our Remote families as soon as possible. Thank you for your patience as we revised that plan with teacher input this week.
Whatever instructional model your family has chosen, we are eager to be able to once again actively engage with all our Lurgio students. This time of year brings a palpable excitement, both for meeting new seventh grade students and for seeing how much our eighth graders have grown since last spring. In that regard at least, this year is no different. There are some things even a pandemic can’t change!
We look forward to next Thursday!
Be well and stay safe.
Best,
Ed Joyce
Important Dates
InfoSnap Registration/Placement
Thank you for filling out your registration information for the 2020-2021 school year via InfoSnap. Typically, doing this would allow you to access the PowerSchool portal and give you the ability to view your student’s schedule and Pod placement. At the moment, PowerSchool information is not available to view because student placement and schedules are not complete. If you were able to see this information due to a glitch, please understand that it is not accurate and will likely change. We appreciate your patience and understanding as we develop schedules that are accurate and meet the needs of both our remote and hybrid students. We will send an email on Monday once the placements are available.
Outdoor Learning Spaces
We are excited to announce that we anticipate the delivery of the tents for our outdoor learning spaces at Lurgio on Monday. To get these ready for students next week, we need volunteers to help us with assembly. Please reach out to Mrs. Gauthier (gauthierk@sau25.net) if you are available next week (day/evening) to help. We have heard from a few volunteers, but we would like to have more.
Health Office News
Welcome back Lurgio students and families! We're looking forward to seeing everyone!! As a reminder, incoming 7th graders need to have a documented TDap vaccine prior to the start of the school year. Please submit a physical as well.
If your child requires daily prescription medication, please contact the nurse directly to arrange an appointment for drop off.
The nurse will be accepting PRN medications (epi pen, Benadryl, inhalers, lactaid, etc) on Monday, 8/24 and Tuesday, 8/25 from 10:30am-2pm. I will be outside the main entrance during these times to accept medication under the following circumstances only:
Medication is properly labeled with valid expiration dates
MD orders are provided for this school year
Completed and signed (by MD) Allergy Action Plans and valid MD orders must accompany all Epi pens, or they will not be accepted
OTC forms are available online or can be signed at the time of drop off
Health forms can be found at the district website under health services. Please feel free to contact the nurse with any questions or concerns: Evelyn Chessie and Karen Freedman (603) 310-9100 ext. 34415
Guidance Corner
Welcome back! Our guidance department is excited to see what this unique year will have to offer. Some of our families have chosen remote as an option for learning this year while others have opted for hybrid. As a guidance team, we are thrilled that families were able to figure out what best worked for them. Regardless of the modality, the guidance team looks forward to supporting all our students and their families.
District leaders, administrators, teachers, counselors, and community members have done a great deal of work in developing a system that works for everyone. It has certainly been a community effort. As a guidance team, it’s encouraging to see how well people can come together for the common good knowing the importance of being supportive of all the various needs of our families and students.
In the beginning, it will take some time to get used to the new routine. These changes often present with some challenges and there may be some hiccups along the way. It’s important to know that many will feel a bit overwhelmed to start, but the guidance department at Lurgio is ready to answer any questions or troubleshoot problems that may arise. Remember that in uncertain times, there will be some uncertainty and it’s important to seek support from people around you as we all navigate this path together.
We hope you were all able to enjoy your summer and got to spend time with loved ones. We look forward to working with you this year and making new memories along the way.
Kitchen News
Please see the Food Service Plan for more information about breakfast and lunch service for the coming school year. Contact Emily Murphy, Director of School Nutrition, with any questions you may have.
Supply Lists
Based on the need to limit shared supplies, our general school supply list might look a bit different this year. It is important to note that lockers will not be used in our current hybrid schedule format and students will need to carry important items in their school bags for regular use during the school day. Some items may be left at home and used for distance learning days or brought in to school as needed.
As always, if your family needs assistance in providing school supplies, please contact our Guidance Office and we will make sure that your student has what they need to start the school year.
Cardigan - Incoming 8th Graders
Based on current health considerations, we need to modify the 2020 Cardigan Trip. Typically, our 8th grade students hike and camp on Mount Cardigan for three days and two nights. Because tent-camping is not currently an option given social distancing due to COVID-19 precautions, we will not be able to have an overnight trip this fall.
While we are all disappointed that we cannot provide the full Cardigan trip in 2020, we want to still engage our 8th graders in the outdoor experience and team building that is the hallmark of this great tradition. In order to do this safety, we are planning four separate extended day hikes during the week of October 5 as follows:
8-North - Monday, October 5
8-West - Tuesday, October 6
8-South - Wednesday, October 7
8-East - Thursday, October 8
By staggering the trip and only doing a day hike, we hope to provide students with a safe experience while still keeping the same Cardigan ethos that has been maintained for over forty years.
More details will follow as we approach the beginning of October, but please understand that this plan is fluid. We will make adjustments as appropriate if health considerations become more stringent in the fall.
RAL Fall 2020 Athletics
Please see this communication from earlier this week regarding fall athletics at Lurgio Middle School. Information about specific sports sign-ups will be sent to families next week.
Chromebooks
Due to issues with inventory this year, we do not currently have chromebooks to sell. As of now, we anticipate new chromebooks arriving in October. We apologize for the inconvenience. To place your name on a waitlist for a chromebook, or to give us your program selection, please complete the following form.
If you purchased your own chromebook, we will contact you early next week with more information to assist you in enrolling the device prior to the start of school.
If you have any chromebook related questions, please feel free to contact Donna Dennis (dennisd@sau25.net).
