September 14, 2021

Dear GHS Community:

On Monday, we became aware of two cases of COVID-19 at GHS in the 9th grade class.  Students/staff may have been exposed on 9/10 or 9/11.  Please refer to the guidelines from DHHS that are provided in this letter and monitor your child accordingly.  We do not do contact tracing this year, but please monitor for symptoms and follow the guidance below..

COVID-19 is most commonly spread through respiratory droplets when an infected person talks, coughs, sneezes or sings.  The symptoms of the COVID-19 are:

• Fever/chills (measured 100.4F)
• Cough
• Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
• Sore throat
• Runny nose or nasal congestion
• Muscle or body aches
• Fatigue
• Headache
• New loss of taste or smell
• Nausea or vomiting

The current recommendation from NH Department of Health and Human Services for people who may be exposed to COVID-19 in the school setting is to:

• For 14 days from the last day of exposure:
• Monitor for COVID-19 symptoms and
• Wear a mask in indoor public settings and
• Consider testing 3-5 days following the last day of exposure

If your child develops symptoms please isolate them at home and seek testing for COVID-19.  Symptomatic students or staff can be allowed to return to school when one of the following two conditions is met:

• Person receives an FDA-approved COVID-19 test that is negative, AND the person’s symptoms are improving and they are fever-free fat at least 24 hours off any fever-reducing medications.  Approved tests include:
• A PCR-based molecular test
• Antigen testing conducted within an appropriate number of days since symptom onset
• Person has met CDC criteria for ending of home isolation (i.e. if person is not tested, they are managed assuming they have COVID-19).

Our school is working closely with the New Hampshire (NH) Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) to follow the guidance they have provided for this situation and will provide updates should their recommendation change.

Because COVID-19 is most commonly spread through respiratory droplets, we should all take the following precautions to prevent the spread of the disease:

• Get vaccinated, for those who are eligible.
• Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds or use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol if soap and water are not available.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, or mouth with unwashed hands.
• Stay home and seek testing if you have a fever or are not feeling well.

To learn more about COVID-19, please check these trusted resources:

• New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services: https://www.covid19.nh.gov/welcome  
• United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html 

Should you have any questions or concerns, please contact the SAU at 636-1437 or the GHS at 636-1619.

Sincerely,

Dr. Ronna F. Cadarette

Superintendent of Schools

Community Update

September 8, 2021

Dear SAU 58 Families:

We have thoroughly enjoyed welcoming all staff and students back to school for the 2021-22 school year.  With one week completed, we are settling into daily routines.  I want to offer a few friendly reminders.  Safety is our number one priority for physical, social, and emotional health.  Our School Boards continue to support masks as being optional with the following exceptions:

1. Mandatory on all school buses per the Center for Disease Control. This is the same for all public school districts throughout the state of New Hampshire.  Please see this link.  You must provide your child with a clean mask daily, and they need to keep the mask on their person for their ride home.  The bus company cannot provide new masks.  If you do not wish to follow this CDC mandate, you should seek alternative transportation to and from school.

2. When students are unable to remain three feet apart for longer than 15 minutes (or 15 minutes cumulative) for centers or laboratory work, for example, they must wear a mask.

3. If we experience a 5% positivity rate of the total population in any building, you will be notified and we will transition immediately to mandatory mask use. 

Thank you for your patience, continued support, and partnership to keep our students in-person in a clean, safe, and healthy environment to the best of our ability.  We will continue to have layers of mitigation in place, and we are making plans to welcome families back into our buildings for upcoming Open Houses.  There are still many wonderful, new backpacks available at your local schools for students and siblings in need compliments of NHDOE and SEA.   As always, please call the SAU with any questions.  #roarandsoar

In health,

Dr. Ronna Cadarette

Superintendent

SAU #58 Plan for the LEA’s Use of ARP ESSER Funds

The American Rescue Plan Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ARP ESSER) Fund, authorized under the American Rescue Plan (ARP) Act of 2021, provides substantial funds to States to support the Nation’s schools in safely reopening and sustaining safe operations of schools while meeting the academic, social, emotional, and mental health needs of students resulting from the coronavirus pandemic of 2019 COVID-19.

We are sharing our plans per the guidelines of all federally-required information in a format to meet the federal requirements that, within 90 days of receiving ARP ESSER funds, the LEA allocation (90% of NH’s total allocation), an LEA shall publish an LEA ARP ESSER Plan, which is often called a school district’s use of funds plan.

For further context, please reference ARPA (https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/1319/text) or the Interim Final Requirements of  ARP ESSER in which the US Department of Education established these requirements (http://www.goveinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2021-04-22/pdf/2021-08359.pdf)

The allocations for SAU 58 are as follows:  

Stark: $2,876.39

Stratford: $342,339.66

Northumberland: $$953,128.51

The spreadsheet indicates our plan for use of federal funds under ESSER III.  Please provide feedback on our Back to School Survey at https://forms.gle/8zzqYkQhCkEM2EAr8

Goals:

• Building air quality, disinfection, and safety
• Food delivery 
• Student guidance and wellness services 
• Class size reduction
• Technology tools, software, and infrastructure

 Click here for more details