Augusta Public Schools

AUGUSTA SCHOOL DEPARTMENT 

AUGUSTA SCHOOLS POLICY SURVEYS 

PRE-K REGISTRATION AND SCREENING 

Augusta Pre-K registration is open to children who will be four years old on or before October 15, 2020.  Parents need to call Gilbert Elementary School, 626-2491, to request registration materials.  Screenings will be held in August – dates to be determined. 

KINDERGARTEN REGISTRATION AND SCREENING 

Augusta Kindergarten registration is open to children who will be five years old on or before October 15, 2020.  Parents or guardians should register their children in the neighborhood where they live.  Parents need to call their neighborhood school to request registration materials. Screenings will be held in August – dates to be determined. 

Please be aware that policy JCA:  Assignment of Students to Schools and Classes states:  the Augusta Board of Education has the legal authority to determine which school a student will attend.  Due to fluctuations in enrollments, there may be situations where the Superintendent will transfer students to a less crowded school or classroom in order to ensure that students have the best possible education. 

A parent who is dissatisfied with the Superintendent’s decision may, within five days of receipt of the Superintendent’s decision, appeal in writing to the Board.  The Board will hear the appeal at its next regular meeting. 

SCHOOL                             TELEPHONE
Hussey Elementary              626-2461
Farrington Elementary         626-2480
Lincoln Elementary              626-2483
Gilbert Elementary               626-2491

Graduation June 14th at 4:00pm-Livestream Link 
 
 Class Day Monday, June 8th at 6:00pm-Livestream Link 
               
8th Grade Promotion Friday, June 5, 2020 at 6:00pm-Livestream Link

ASD CONTINUITY OF LEARNING PLANNING GUIDE

COVID-19 Emergency Food Programs in Augusta

April 11, 2020
Dear Students, Parents and Educators,
     I hope this communication finds you warm, safe and healthy.  In addition to the changes in everyday life as a result of the Covid 19 pandemic and the “stay at home” order, the snow storm has made life more difficult for many of you.  Staying at home without heat, lights, television and the internet has made an unpredictable situation even less manageable.  It is likely that some of you will not receive this communication until power and connectivity is restored.
     As many of you know, the Commissioner of Education with the support of the Governor and guidance from the Maine CDC, announced that classroom/group instruction has been canceled for the remainder of the school year.  That does not mean the Augusta School Department is closed.  Food will still be provided to students and educators will be providing support to students and families.
     In addition, the administrative team has been designing a guide that engages students in learning that supports and builds on skills already taught.  The guide includes answers to many questions that have been asked and will continue to be revised as time passes and input is received.  The administrative team is also discussing plans to transition students back into the approved curriculum when classroom/group instruction resumes in the fall.
     The School Board has a special Zoom meeting scheduled for Wednesday evening, April 15, 2020, at 6:00 PM to determine if the guide has Board approval.  You can find the guide attached to the School Board agenda posted on the School Department’s website.
     Although it is not stated in the guide, many of the area superintendents are asking their School Boards to change the last day of school for students to Friday June 5^th.  Educators will need professional development time to review the recently concluded school year and to plan for the opening of the 2020/2021 school year.  I will be asking the School Board to consider the same request.
James Anastasio
Superintendent of School

RESOURCES FOR STUDENTS TO MAINTAIN AND EXTEND LEARNING

Dear Students and Parents,
I hope this finds you healthy and in good spirits.  We all are experiencing something beyond anything experienced previously.  So much is unknown and many of the supports that we have taken for granted are not there at this time.  Food, water, and yes toilet paper are more difficult to find and are often being dispensed or limited in ways that we couldn’t imagine just a few weeks ago.  Education falls into that same category.  Providing distance learning for a day or two for a snow storm is much easier than building required learning opportunities for all students without the often overlooked support of trained educators to support their learning.  Duplicating that practice without face-to-face interaction would be extremely difficult and in some cases impossible.  It would lead to frustration for many students, parents and teachers.  We are in a departure from what we all take for granted as the usual educational process. 

Feeding into that frustration by providing required school work without the necessary supports in place to help parents and students accomplish new learning doesn’t make sense.  It does make sense to provide resources that will guide you in maintaining and extending learning if that is your desire.  As a life-long educator, I definitely believe that learning should continue.  To support learning, we have posted above an educational resource catalogue that will provide suggested resources divided by grade level for elementary students and by department for Cony.  Resources submitted by teachers and administrators will be posted in this location on the school department’s website.  
Stay safe and healthy,

James N. Anastasio
Superintendent of Schools

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