Regional School Unit No. 56

Dear Champions of Education, In light of the tragic shootings in Lewiston, the Maine Department of Education (DOE) has pulled together some initial resources for talking to children about violence and shootings and supporting one another. The Maine DOE will be providing additional resources as we learn more. Talking to Children Provide a short statement of fact: Violence took place in our community and many people were hurt. Students are safe here. You are safe. There are people here who can help you. Early elementary school children need brief, simple information that should be balanced with reassurances that their school and homes are safe and that adults are there to protect them. Give simple examples of school safety like reminding children about exterior doors being locked, child monitoring efforts on the playground, and emergency drills practiced during the school day. Upper elementary and early middle school children will be more vocal in asking questions about whether they truly are safe and what is being done at their school. They may need assistance processing the incident. Discuss efforts of school and community leaders to ensure their safety. Upper middle school and high school students will have strong and varying opinions about the causes of violence in society. They will share concrete suggestions about how to prevent tragedies in society. Emphasize the role that students have in maintaining safe communities and schools, communicating any personal safety concerns to school administrators and parents/guardians, and accessing support for emotional needs. Mental Health First Aid Monitor and assess impact: Students and colleagues will be affected in different ways. We do not know how this event has affected people – directly and/or indirectly. Continue to assess impact of the event on those around you. Be mindful of self-regulation to assist youth in maintaining a level of safety and connection. If you are an educator in need of additional support, The FrontLine WarmLine is also available from 8am to 8pm, 7 days a week by calling 207-221-8196 or texting 898-211. If you or someone you know is in crisis, call 988. More Resources: https://mailchi.mp/maine/cu5lemq6y0-1326812?e=7089ed9b06

Our schools will be closed in RSU 56 today, Thursday, October 26 due to the tragedy in Lewiston. We realize that some in our RSU 56 community have loved ones affected by this horrible event, including first responders and those caring for the injured. You are in our thoughts and prayers.

Good Evening! Tonight's School board meeting is being live streamed tonight at 6:30pm - https://www.youtube.com/live/Mhjf0CacXuY?si=xhraPdhqgY07EklU

Do you (or someone you know) have unstable housing? Is your housing unstable? Check out this video for critical information about how your local school can help! https://youtu.be/Pm07O7aEGUs?si=xI55ncfCakhhBk0E

Here is the link to tonights RSU56 School Board meeting: https://www.youtube.com/live/KtoiNwG5Jmk?feature=shared

RSU 56 Board Meeting 2023-09-26 https://www.youtube.com/live/gazaeO8EgJE?feature=shared

RSU 56 Board Meeting 2023-09-12 https://www.youtube.com/live/VqLURZ3NxdQ?feature=shared

Dirigo Elementary School = Attention Grade 3 Parents & Guardians, the field trip to the Oxford Fair Education Day tomorrow 9/13/23 has been cancelled. This is due to the expected heavy rain. Students should plan to come to school at the regular Wednesday time.

RSU 56 Board Meeting - June 13th, 2023 https://www.youtube.com/live/CLHS7Z9hIPY?feature=share

Good Morning! We are currently experiencing an outage for our Phone provider, so our incoming phone lines are not working. If you need to get a message to us, you can email the following people: Central Office: tcox@rsu56.org Dirigo High School: acalden@rsu56.org Dirigo Middle School: lsanborn@rsu56.org Dirigo Elementary School: paverill@rsu56.org

Here is the link for the DHS Graduation Ceremony for the Class of 2023. The ceremony starts at 6PM and the link will go live around 5:30pm. https://youtube.com/live/eNdYvcUIJuY?feature=share

2023 DHS Final Assembly Photo Gallery: https://photos.app.goo.gl/d46G4baijW5cARWY8

2023 Candlelight Photo Gallery: https://photos.app.goo.gl/zBtWRLW6CQRwFT749

Good Morning - The Class of 2023 Final Assembly will start at 11:45 today, and the live stream will be live around 11:30am. https://youtube.com/live/_hZ3ozUnOTs?feature=share

The Class of 2023 Candlelight Ceremony will be live streamed tonight on Youtube at the following address. The event starts at 7:30 and the link will be live around 7PM. https://youtube.com/live/83EWwnQVro4?feature=share

Our Speech and Debate team left this morning to head to Kentucky to participate in the National Tournament! Best of luck, and GO COUGARS!

RSU 56 Budget Meeting https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FT4f6VrTR_0

Meeting Reminder: The Annual RSU 56 Budget Meeting is on Tuesday, May 23, 2023, at 6:30 pm. The budget documents can be found on our website at the following address: https://www.rsu56.org/page/budget-23-24

The RSU56 Civil Rights Committee will meet tonight in the TWKDMS art room from 4:30-5:30 to finalize the presentation and recommendations which will be delivered to the board at the final meeting of the year.

Plan ahead for summer school: DHS Summer School is for Credit Recovery only. Students only need to attend until such time as their Credit Recovery is completed. Students who have to retake a class will need to do so during the regular school year. DHS Summer School will run 9am - 1pm on the following dates: June 20 - 23 June 26 - 29 July 10 - 13 (Only if needed, intent is to be completed in the first two weeks.)