Federal Funds
UPDATE FOR SCHOOL OPENING FALL 2021 (AUGUST 25, 2021)
Dear Whiting Village School Parent or Caregiver,
The Maine Department of Education and CDC have issued new guidance since the school board met at the beginning of the month. Under this guidance, schools that have an enforced masking requirement while indoors for all staff and students and maintain 3 foot distancing do not have to quarantine all close contacts, which in our school is everyone, for 10 days if exposed to a student our staff who becomes ill with or tests positive for Covid-19. Without the mask requirement, all close contacts would have to quarantine, which also means remote learning day. Therefore, at a school board meeting held today, August 25, 2021, the board vote to require mask wearing for all staff and students for the time being. They will revisit this issue as needed throughout the year.
★ Masks: The use of masks by staff and children is strongly recommended by the Maine CDC. The Whiting School Board of Directors voted to require mask wearing of all students and staff while indoors and on the bus, which is a federal requirement. The school has a sufficient supply of disposable and reusable masks for staff and students. You may wish to supply some of your own acceptable masks for your child.
★ Parent Drop-Off- There will be a hand sanitizing station outside of the school door. Parents and children will be asked to wait outside until a staff member lets your child in. Pickup will be a similar process, and children will be sent out to their parents. If there is any change in the usual person picking up your child, please make sure you let us know as early as possible. Non-students and adults are asked to wait outside unless allowed by staff.
★ Daily Health Check- Before drop-off or putting your child on the bus, please check to ensure your child is well. If the child’s temperature is above 100 degrees, they will not be allowed to attend school. Children should be fever free without medication for 24 hours prior to returning to the school.
★ If a case of Covid-19 arises in the school population, we will follow the guidance from the school nurse and Maine CDC in effect at that time.
★ Physical Distancing- The children will be broken down into smaller groups during class time activities as much as is practical. This may mean that class activities may be completed in separate groups, or class sizes will be reduced. Classroom furniture will be arranged to provide as much distancing as appropriate.
★ Sanitizing and Disinfecting- To keep everyone as safe as possible, we will continue our increased efforts to keep our facility disinfected.
★ Hand Washing- Children and staff will continue to wash hands more frequently throughout the day to reduce the transmission of germs.
We are committed to protecting the health of our children, staff, and families by taking the everyday preventative measures listed above. However, it is also important for families to monitor their own health for any symptoms. We ask that you assist us in our efforts to prevent the spread of illness by continuing to practice proper hand washing at home and that you notify us immediately should your child, or someone in the household, become ill with Covid-like symptoms, especially a fever over 100.0 ℉ . We will continue to follow these guidelines diligently to help stop the spread of Covid-19. The CDC website will continue to be monitored closely for any additional guidelines and precautions. Should you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to us. We thank you for your partnership during this time and will continue to update you as we receive new information.
Scott Johnson, Principal
Whiting Village School
Most recent date of review: January 8, 2024
Whiting School Department is requesting input from the public on the following plan for using the most recent grant funds available from the federal government to address the impact of covid-19 on children's health, safety and education (ARP ESSER III):
Whiting Village School is applying for $95,276.68 of these funds. We will use $64,231.68 to provide staffing for making up gaps in student learning due to the pandemic. The remaining $31,045.00 will be used to improve the access to and from the building for students and supplies by extending and paving the parking area and driveway.
If you wish to comment on this plan, please feel free to contact Scott Johnson at 207-733-4617 or wvprincipal@whitingvillage.org with your input. We greatly appreciate your response to this plan.