The response of individuals during a difficult time says a lot about a community as a whole. When the time came for us to pivot as a whole district in favor of caution and safety, we met each other with kindness, understanding and flexibility. Thank you all for your continued support and commitment to the health and safety of our school community. It feels important to stress that our school closure was not requested by the CDC. It was a preventative measure that was decided on by our school administration.

We have just been informed by the CDC that they are not considering this a positive case. But since our school physician and the physician of the affected staff member are considering it a positive case, we are continuing to respond to it as such. This means that there are no CDC requirements of quarantine or testing for anyone, though we encourage everyone to call your physician if you have symptoms or concerns. If your student had worked with the affected staff member, our school nurse (Tracey Donagan, tdonagan@harpswellcoastalacademy.org) will be reaching out to you tomorrow (Thursday) to inform you of this and talk through any questions you might have.

Remote learning will start tomorrow, Thursday, September 16th and continue until the end of the school day on Friday, September 25th. In-person learning will resume on Monday, September 28th. During this time we will be shortening the school day for both divisions and will be completing our fall NWEA testing remotely.

All remote classes at both campuses will start at 9:00am each day. Your student’s Google Calendar is the place to start if you are looking for a time and a Zoom link to class. If you or your student are unfamiliar with Google Calendar, here is a link to a quick introduction.

Here’s some additional information:

Division 1

• After crew at 9:00, there are three academic classes.
• Each class is 45 minutes long with a 15 minute screen break in between.
• The day is over at 12:30.
• NWEA remote testing starts Monday

Division 2/3

• NWEA remote testing starts Thursday and Friday of this week.
• Next week, students have two classes a morning after crew, and each class will meet once over the week.

Region 10

• Region 10 students will NOT be attending Region 10 in person until Monday, September
• They should continue on their remote learning plans for Region 10 and join their HCA classes remotely. For accessing Region 10 classes, students should contact their Region 10 instructors.

Remote NWEA Testing

• We will be completing our district wide Fall NWEA testing remotely within the next week, which is a State requirement for us as a charter school.
• Here is a link to a document with helpful information: NWEA Remote Testing for Parents

Food Distribution

• Nicole Walker is organizing to have Groceries available to any families. Items will include frozen and dry goods. No prepared meals.
• Drive Through Food Pick up will take place Friday and Wednesday from 12- 2 at Division 2/3 campus.
• If you are unable to get to the school please let us know and a delivery will be arranged.

Internet Access & Technology

• For any internet access or technology needs, please be in touch with Mae Applegate – mapplegate@harpswellcoastalacademy.org, (207) 833-3229 x601. We can lend out hotspots to support internet access as needed.

We are looking forward to returning to in-person learning with a renewed appreciation for each other and commitment to safety on both campuses.

Many thanks,
Scott & Mae

Scott Barksdale, Head of School
sbarksdale@harpswellcoastalacademy.org
(207) 833-3229 x103

Mae Applegate, Dean of Studies & Students
mapplegate@harpswellcoastalacademy.org
(207) 833-3229 x601