April 5, 2020
Hello GAHS students,
I hope you all are doing well, are healthy, and enjoyed the weekend. Now that we have our first week of remote/distance school under our belts, I want to share some information with you as we head into week #2. First I want to say that overall we had a good first week! As new and different as it is, a majority of you have successfully transitioned to our new way of teaching and learning. Although Maine schools are currently closed until May 4, I anticipate that we will finish the school year using the current remote/distance format.
This may seem obvious to some, but I will say it anyway. It is important for all of you to know that as of March 27, the assignments and assessments your teachers are giving you count towards your semester grade. In order to earn the credits for your second semester classes, you need to set aside time each day during the week to work on and complete your assignments and assessments and get them turned into your teachers.
We realize that for many of you, your days are very different. Some of you are working more than you normally would and some of you are taking care of family members. To accommodate this, your teachers are providing instruction using a combination of live Google Meet sessions, recorded videos, posting documents in their Google Classrooms, and working with students during their “Office Hours.” They are truly making a huge effort to help all of you be successful and earn credit for your second semester classes. Yes we are starting out slow in order to make sure everyone is on board, but we are moving forward and will be picking up the pace in the weeks to come. If you, or if you know of classmates that did not participate last week, please start and tell them to start. If you are struggling and/or know of classmates who are struggling and need help, tell your advisor so that we can do what we can to help.
I want to let seniors know that we have not given up on graduation happening. It may look different, but know that it is an event that is as important to us as it is to all of you. I also want seniors to know that I received approval from the School Board last Thursday night to close class rank at the end of the first semester. This will help prevent the switch to remote/distance learning from having a negative impact on any of you. For seniors that have classes they need to finish in credit recovery in order to graduate, Mrs. Folsom plans to start the program April 9. For seniors who need help with college and scholarship applications, Mrs. Folsom and Mrs. Pelton are available via email and Google Meet sessions during the week. After April vacation, Mrs. Worthley, a former GAHS school counselor, will be substituting for Mrs. Pelton while she is on maternity leave.
Please take care of yourselves, your families, and your friends. Be kind to others, practice social distancing, and do your part to help prevent the spread of the Covid-19 virus.
Chad Kempton
Principal
Gardiner Area High School