I'm sure most of you remember, just about a year ago, we packed up our classrooms and had a mass distribution of books, Chromebooks and hotspots. That was a very emotional day for all of us! What a ride we have been on since last March! Our journey continues, even though we have been fortunate to have our first staff vaccination clinic on Thursday. Although our staff feels a sense of relief, we will not be happy until all of our students, parents and community members can feel safe from the virus. To that end, we cannot let our guard down at school. Masks, pods, and cleaning procedures, and weekly testing MUST continue. So, it is important for our students and staff to not take their foot off the gas after all we have done to keep everyone safe. Today though, we are all hopeful for warmer temperatures, more outside learning and an in-person graduation!!

The Water Company is installing a new water main on Payne Rd. and High Street. This multi-phase process will impact all of us at different times. In the coming weeks, they will open the road to lay the pipe, then there will be a period of testing and inspection, followed by temporary paving, and finally next Fall, permanent paving. So, we will be on a another logistical journey together with frequent emails and plans. We have assigned new parking areas for teachers and students, will not be able to park on the street during the height of the project, and will have to modify our already unique drop off and pick up routine. The Police and Water Company will be developing temporary traffic patterns for various parts of the project. At times, High Street may become a one way with those returning to town needing to do so via Pilot Hill. The BI times and our emails will be a good source of information. However, it will require flexibly and patience, the theme we are all too familiar with this school year.

In the lower elementary grades the concept one hundred is a very important

in a child's math development. The ability to manipulate numbers easily within a hundred is the foundational skill that allows all other math skills to be built. This is one reason why we make a big deal of the 100th day of school, and work on activities to celebrate that day. This year, grade two even wrote birthday cards to our Island friend Don McCluskey to wish him a happy 100th birthday! Below are some photos of projects that students did to represent 100 .

 

Additionally, we decided to see how many of those 100 days we were successful in having the entire school present, not distance learning. We believe we actually have been successfully in person for 74 of those days, with 26 days being taught remotely. We are pretty proud of that number, considering some schools have not been lucky enough to be able to be in person.