This is Dave Murphy, MSAD 44 Superintendent of Schools and this is my Friday Update for May 7, 2021. I am pleased to inform you that Oxford County has now been upgraded to green again due to the reduced number of cases that have been reported in our area.
I also wanted to let you know that thanks to the Western Maine Health vaccination clinic and the efforts of our district nurse, Chris Cole, all of our students aged 16 and above will be able to receive the Pfizer COVID vaccine right at school on May 25th. There will be no cost to our families for this opportunity. This vaccine requires 2 doses, which must be at least 21 days apart in order for students to be considered fully vaccinated. The second dose will be administered on June 15th.
There is also the possibility of the State approving the vaccine for use with 12 -15 year olds within the next week or so. If you have a child in this age bracket and would like them to receive the vaccine, please complete and return the consent forms, which will be sent to you in the mail in the coming days. If the vaccine is not approved by the scheduled first clinic date of May 25th, your child will need to be scheduled for at a later time.
A signed consent form will be required for your student to participate. These forms will be mailed to you and will also be posted on our district web site at www.sad44.org. Please be sure the form is returned to the school nurse's office no later than Wednesday, May 19th so we can be sure to have an accurate count of the number of doses needed for the following week.
We hope you will be able to take advantage of this opportunity as we strive to continue to keep our schools and community safe.
I am pleased to inform you that the MKA program will be taking place this summer and the enrollment paperwork can be accessed online or picked up at either elementary
school office. The Summer Quest program will also be operational this year and more information about that 4-week program will be sent home with students on Monday.
On a separate note, I wanted to let you know that the district will be holding a virtual public meeting to provide an overview of the proposed 2021-2022 School budget, which was recently approved by the School Board. It will be going to voters as part of the June 8th referendum and reflects an increase of just over 2.08%. This public hearing will be held remotely and no votes will be taken that evening. The link to that meeting, along with other information related to the proposed budget, will be posted on the district web page on or before May 19.
Finally, I also wanted to let you know that the district is in the process of upgrading its website and instant alert system. We anticipate having that up and running at some point in the very near future.
Best wishes for a terrific weekend!
Dr. David Murphy