March 13, 2020

 

Good afternoon Parents, Guardians, family and friends in the community of Georgetown.


During a disease outbreak or pandemic, such as with COVID-19, I recognize that some people may feel worried or fearful.  It can be hard to decipher whether or not you are hearing facts or rumors.  To help with these concerns, all information that is reported by myself or the Superintendent of AOS98, Dr. Keith Laser, will come from trusted sources such as the Maine Department of Education, Maine CDC, the US CDC or the Maine Emergency Management Agency.  I encourage everyone in the community to use the link below for guidance and facts related to COVID-19.

https://www.maine.gov/dhhs/mecdc/infectious-disease/epi/airborne/coronavirus.shtml

 

Unfortunately, given the fluidity of this situation and the speed at which decisions beyond the local control of schools are being made, it is difficult to predict each and every preventative measure that will be taken.

For now, we will continue to encourage the follow universal precautions:

1.     Wash hands often with soap or use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer

2.     Cover coughs and sneezes with a tissue and dispose of in a trash can immediately

3.     Stay home if you are sick. 

Our custodial staff has been regularly conducting thorough sanitation throughout the building and frequently wipes down surfaces.

I have been in communication with our bus company, Bath Bus Service, and they have increased their implementation of these practices, including daily wiping, and weekly deep cleans. We will continue to monitor the decisions made at RSU1 and BIW as we know our buses transport passengers other than those in our school.

As we stand today, we are keenly aware of school closures in our state and the possibility of needing to close GCS. If school is closed, we will not require students to maintain remote access with teachers, however, our staff will be meeting next week to reach a consensus about how we may communicate with home if out of school for an extended amount of time, and how we may or may not proceed with scheduled events and after school extracurricular activities. 

By now, you've probably seen or at least heard about empty aisles in the grocery store. We've seen significant closures nation-wide, and the impact is real. It's times like this when we all need to embody both patience and kindness to one another, in efforts of support. 

"Unexpected kindness is the most powerful, least costly, and most underrated agent of human change" ~Bob Kerrey.

Stay Healthy,

 

Chris Baribeau, Principal