Reminder: School Pfizer Vaccination Clinics this Week

This is a reminder to Valley Unified students, parents, families and staff that voluntary school-based Pfizer COVID-19 vaccination clinics are scheduled this week on Thursday, February 3 for schools in MSAD #33 and the Madawaska School Department and on Friday, February 4 for schools in MSAD #27.  For more information on specific times and locations, click here or on the image below.

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SJVTC 2022-2023 Program of Studies

As the first semester of the 2021-2022 school year draws to a close at Valley Unified schools, and with the second semester set to begin on January 31, now is the perfect time for 10th graders from Madawaska High School, Wisdom High School in St. Agatha, and Community High School in Fort Kent to be thinking about enrolling in one of the 10 trade/technical and professional programs of study at the St. John Valley Technology Center (SJVTC) for the 2022-2023 school year.

Students and their parents/guardians are invited to explore the various learning opportunities available at the SJVTC - the Career and Technical Education arm of the three Valley Unified high schools - by reviewing our 2022-2023 Program of Studies at bit.ly/3tUjHPn or by clicking on the image below.

For more information about any of the programs at the SJVTC or how to enroll in them, students and parents/guardians should contact their high school Guidance Counselor.

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Valley Unified Continues Collaborating with Contractors to Address Local Need for Trained Carpenters

The Valley Unified Education Service Center continues its collaboration with area building contractors to address the local need for trained carpenters.

After a successful Fall, 2021 training cohort, the Valley Unified Community Outreach office and Continuing Education program, the director of the St. John Valley Technology Center, and a Community Development Block Grant manager from Northern Maine Development Commission are teaming with Curtis Saucier of Home Solutions in Fort Kent to deliver a second Upper St. John Valley Carpentry Training Program on Saturday mornings from 9 AM to 12 Noon, beginning Saturday, March 5 and ending Saturday, May 21, 2022.

To review preliminary information about this workforce development opportunity, go to bit.ly/33IGUtj or click on the image below.

For more detailed information:

1. local contractors who want to get involved should contact Curtis Saucier at 207-231-0624;

2. area adults interested in participating should contact Valley Unified Continuing Education at either 834-3536 or 728-6314; and 

3. high school students interested in taking part should contact Kevin Lavoie, Director of the St. John Valley Technology Center, at 543-6606.

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Maine CDC and DOE Announce Revisions to School COVID-19 SOP

On January 12, the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Maine Department of Eduction (DOE) announced further revisions to the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for responding to COVID-19 in schools.  One section of the SOP addresses contact tracing.

To access information about how our schools will now conduct contact tracing, go to bit.ly/3GCTrwg or click on the image below.

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Revised 2021-2022 School Year Calendar

We have previously notified you about several changes to the current school year calendar.  Now, we want to provide students, parents/guardians and staff members with an updated calendar that reflects the following changes from the original:

1. A teacher workshop was moved to December 17, 2021, which would have required the last student day to be extended to the week of June 20.
2. The last student day has been eliminated, so that our school calendar now has 175 student days, not 176 as originally planned.  (175 student days are required by State Law.)
3. The last student day is still planned for Friday, June 17, 2022.
4. In the event that we have a storm day between now and March 10, the teacher workshop day planned for Friday, March 11 will become a storm makeup day, as indicated in orange on the new calendar. 
5. In the event that we have more than one storm day to make up, please know that Monday, June 20 is a holiday (Juneteenth observed), and therefore, all additional storm make up days would have to be scheduled after June 20.

To access the revised school calendar, go to bit.ly/3reeij1 or click on the link below.

Please destroy all previous versions of this year’s calendar and use this one. 

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Valley Unified Guidelines for Use of COVID-19 Home Tests

Maine's updated Standard Operating Procedures for identifying COVID-10 cases in PreK - 12 schools indicate that schools may now accept the results of at-home tests as part of this process.

To review the Valley Unified procedures for use of at-home tests, click here or on the image below.

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Updated Information and Reminder Concerning Upcoming Voluntary Vaccination Clinics

For updated information and a detailed reminder concerning the times and locations of the upcoming voluntary school-based Pfizer COVID-19 vaccination clinics in Valley Unified schools, please go to bit.ly/3tbTNWO or click on the image below.

The US Food and Drug Administration recently authorized COVID-19 boosters for use with 12-15 year olds. Clinics will be held this month on January 13 and 14. Parents/guardians should contact their local school by 12 noon on January 12 to register their children.

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New School Guidance for COVID-19 Cases

As we enter the new calendar year, all schools across Maine, including our Valley Unified school districts, have new guidance to follow specific to how to respond to positive COVID-19 cases, which include those individuals who are identified as close contacts.  The new information can be found here.

Here are some of the biggest changes, which go into effect immediately, and do not count for any positive COVID-19 cases or close contacts identified before December 30, 2021:  

1. Maine will now observe the US CDC's Guidelines for a positive COVID-19 individual, which is now 5 days as long as the individual no longer has symptoms after 5 days.  The 5 day isolation should be followed by 5 additional days of wearing a properly fitted mask.
2. Close contacts to a positive COVID-19 individual must also quarantine for 5 days from last COVID-19 exposure from school and school activities and then wear a mask for an additional 5 days unless at least one of the following conditions applies:
   • The close contact (staff or student) is boosted; or 
   • The close contact is a fully vaccinated 16-17 year old student who has not yet received their booster shot; or
   • The close contact (staff or student) is not eligible for a booster but is fully vaccinated; or  
   • The close contact (staff or student) completed their second mRNA dose within 6 months (or completed their J&J vaccine within two months); or 
   • The close contact (staff or student) participates in school pooled testing; or 
   • The school is enforcing a mandatory masking policy. 
3. Exposures that occur in outdoor settings (including contact in sports) or on a school bus do not constitute a close contact and, thus, do not require quarantine, regardless of vaccination status.
4. The pooled testing exemption now includes close contacts that occur outside of school events.
5. The definition for school outbreak has changed, and is no longer 3 or more positives from separate households.  When a school reports 15% absenteeism, Maine CDC will follow up with the school to obtain additional information and determine if the absenteeism report meets outbreak status.

Given the above changes, we fully expect that there will be far fewer required quarantines moving forward, especially when more staff and students become fully vaccinated and boosted, participate in pooled testing, and continue with universal masking.  

 

Over the next several weeks, it will be very important to listen to the guidance provided to you by the school nurse in the event that a staff member or student tests positive for COVID-19, or if an individual is a close contact.  We will also review our procedures on how to handle at home COVID-19 tests and report back on that guidance shortly. 

 

Thank you for your continued support and for understanding that our schools are required to follow the Maine CDC guidance when responding to COVID-19 or any other infectious disease.   We wish you all a new and improved 2022!

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