Maine's Department of Health and Human Services has received approval from Food and Nutrition Services to partner with the Maine Department of Education to provide a Pandemic EBT (P-EBT) benefit to school-aged children who normally receive free or reduced breakfast and lunch at Maine schools. This benefit will help to replace the value of school meals while students are learning remotely. Families currently receiving SNAP or TANF and have a child aged five through eighteen will receive a P-EBT benefit on their Pine Tree card in May. Families who are not receiving SNAP or TANF and have a child who is eligible for free or reduced school lunch can request the P-EBT benefit by calling 1-855-797-4357. Some household information will be requested by a phone agent who will then verify eligibility with the Maine Department of Education. Families who have not yet been found eligible for free or reduced lunch can apply through their local school district at the following link. www.myschoolapps.com Separate P-EBT cards will be issued for eligible families who do not already have a Pine Tree card.
Please call our office if you cannot access the online application and we will mail you a paper copy. (207)247-3221 x2257
School Lunch Hero Day! Friday, May 1st!
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1pO6UlS3wMZi6TaWQBa1p6oBWwPKIDhxC
Please follow the link for the latest update from the Continuous Leaning Communication team.
https://sites.google.com/rsu57.org/remote-learning-announcements/home#h.kpa54l4folaj
Get ready for schoolwide adventures next week, MMS! Our entire MMS family will be learning together as we tour the great, wide world. We can’t wait to “see” you on Tuesday, the 21st!
When it’s your math teacher’s birthday, you make birthday hats...and calculate the lateral area of the cones! #hbdmrslestage
...so very much! Visit tinyurl.com/We-Miss-you-MMS to see! Thank you to Ms. Landez and Mrs. Magill for organizing and creating this labor of love. #togetherapart #mustangnation #MMSrocks
Check out the latest issue of the Waterboro Reporter (waterbororeporter.com) for a front page article on virtual learning by MMS' own, Mr. Michael Bryant!
Activities / Athletics Update- At this time there is nothing new to report in terms of the spring sports season at MHS and MMS. For now the statement from the MPA of a 4/27 return stands and I will keep everyone updated if that changes. Stay tuned for updates!
In addition to the two open meal sites at Line Elementary and Massabesic Middle School, we will be implementing a free meal delivery service via specific bus routes starting on Monday, March 23rd. These bus routes have been set up to bring food to the areas in our communities with the highest need. In order to keep the meals as safe as possible and to allow time for staff to safely prepare the meals, we will be doing two deliveries per day. One delivery in the morning for breakfast and one delivery in the afternoon for lunch. The bus routes will run Monday through Friday. Please visit the RSU 57 website or app to access the route map and approximate delivery times. Students will have the option to receive breakfast and lunch each day and on Fridays they will receive two additional meals for the weekend.
Our focus is to get meals closer to the students in our district that desperately need them. If your student is in need of meals and you cannot access the daily bus routes or the open meal sites please call 207-247-3221 x2257 and we will do our very best to assist you.
The meals available through our two meal sites as well as our specific area bus routes are available to all children 18 and under, free of charge. We want to be able to offer all children in our district the nutrition they need during this closure. In order to continue doing so, we do ask that only families that are in high need receive these meals. We will continue this service as long as our food supply and staffing needs can meet the demand.
Nutrition Update
Students, we miss you already and will see you online tomorrow, March 18th! Check your school email and RSU57.org for details. Thank you to our entire staff for their hard work and dedication. We are tremendously grateful.
From an email this morning:
Dear MMS families,
I hope this finds you well—in every sense of the word. It has been a busy week for everyone as circumstances continue to evolve in our state and beyond. There is an impressive amount of work that has happened across our district as we prepare to resume school virtually on Wednesday, 3/18. Our staff has risen to every challenge presented to them and, as always, I am immensely proud to be a part of our staff and community.
If you need to retrieve your student's device, please call the main office (247-6121) to schedule a pick-up on Monday or Tuesday. Please also contact the office if this presents any difficulty. Be aware that district filters are not in place on home Wifi networks. We ask that you monitor your student's device as you would with any other technology, and remind them it is for learning purposes only.
With that said, we would rather students connect digitally than in person right now, and we will create opportunities for them to do so while at home. Please encourage healthy habits and social distancing. Know we are here to support you and your family throughout this time. We will soon have our whole team of teachers, support staff, school counselors, and even district nurses available for virtual access. Please don't hesitate to reach out, as more information is to come through the district office.
As always, we thank you for your support of our school and each other.
Best,
Kelly Grantham
--
Kelly Grantham
Principal
Massabesic Middle School
(207) 247-6121
Spectrum Signup: Spectrum is now offering free/low cost Internet service for 60 days to qualified homes. Any household that currently qualifies for free or reduced lunch and is a first time subscriber to Spectrum can complete an application at http://bit.ly/57spectrumsignup.
In an effort to support the children and families in our community, the RSU 57 School Nutrition Department will be offering free meals to all children ages 18 and under starting on Monday, March 16th through the duration of the school closure.
Meals will be pre-packaged, grab n' go and will be available at the following locations:
Line Elementary School - 818 Water Street, West Newfield, ME 04095
Massabesic Middle School - 134 Old Alfred Road, East Waterboro, ME 04030
Hours of pickup will be Monday - Friday from 7:00am - 9:00am and 11:00am - 1:00pm.
Please note: This is open to ALL children, ages 18 and under from any community.
To help eliminate unnecessary travel for families, children have the option to receive breakfast and lunch for each day and can take up to 3 days' worth of meals per pickup. Pickup will occur at the front doors of each location. Please remain in your car upon arrival. Staff will be present to assist you.
Please know that our department is following strict sanitation guidelines to ensure the safety of our community.
**If you or your family cannot access either site during the pickup hours, please contact Cathy at the School Nutrition Office at (207) 247-3221, ext. 2257.
We will update this information as needed. Thank you.
Internet Access Opportunity: Please see the news story linked below from News 13 about access to free wifi through Spectrum for families with school-age children. We will pass updates as we receive them.
http://bit.ly/news13spectrum
Please check the News section of the website for a link to a survey to help us prepare for a possible closing due to a COVID-19 pandemic.
This is a reminder that Wednesday, March 11th, is an early release day. MHS and MMS will be dismissed at 11:45am and elementary schools will be dismissed at 1:00pm.
This is a reminder that Wednesday, March 11th, is an early release day. MHS and MMS will be dismissed at 11:45am and elementary schools will be dismissed at 1:00pm.