Franklin Middle School

(Sorry for the long message, there's a lot to get out!) Good Morning Franklin Middle School Families We are delighted to announce that 5-DAY IN-PERSON INSTRUCTION will resume on Monday, April 19, for those who choose, while offering the same high quality learning to those who opt for fully remote participation. Our safety protocols will remain in place, with face coverings being mandatory unless 6-foot distancing can be maintained. Masks breaks will continue in our daily schedule mid-morning, mid-day, and afternoon. Breakfast and lunch will continue to be taken in classrooms with additional space added to the hallways to accomodate the additionsl students. Whenever possible, we will eat outdoors. Students in Grades 4-6 enter the building at the lower level through the doors at the end of their sections. Grades 7-8 enter via the door by the music room or the far end of the Gym depending on their sections. If it is will child’s first in-person day Monday, please have them use the Main Entrance so we can escort them to classrooms. Because of the added traffic we will be expanding our pick-up and drop-off locations. During the hours 7:10-7:25, in addition to the upper lot, drivers can enter the campus by the Community Center and drop of at the lower level or basketball courts depending on the grade. Please don't pull in, it's unsafe to back up and please be aware of bus traffic. Only buses are allowed at the entrance 7-7:25 At the end of the day, 1:30, drivers can either wait at the upper lot or line up along the soccer field until buses leave. The staff is ready! (I'm pretty sure you all are too!) As always, if you need anything, email, call the school, or my cell 387-1642 (I do go to bed early!) Needless to say, it will be DANCING FRIDAY for all of us all week! Thank you ALL and our Incredible Staff for your kind friendship, patience, and unwavering support during this unprecedented experience! Mr. Trafton and Mr. D

Dear Franklin Families, I am writing to you today to update you on some outcomes from the School Board meeting last night. We are all set to welcome back our students 5 days a week for in-person learning if they have signed up for it. We will continue to provide for our fully remote learners as well until the end of the school year. I have received some questions regarding the Governor's decision to lift the statewide mask mandate yesterday. The plan approved by the Board last night requires us to continue to follow the Center for Disease Control (CDC) and Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) guidelines which we have followed all year. Masks will be worn at all times that 6 foot distancing cannot be maintained. This includes buses, classrooms, recess, etc. Masks breaks will be provided at least 3 times per day and individually as needed. I have attached the approved plan for your review. With the upcoming vacation, I wanted to update you on the latest travel guidance. There is no longer any travel quarantine required for any travel within the United States. There are some requirements for international travel based on vaccination status. I ask that if you are travelling out of the country that you contact us so we can provide the proper guidance in regard to quarantine. I look forward to welcoming our students back to school on Monday. Please reach out to me if you have any questions. Sincerely, Dan LeGallo SAU 18 Superintendent

Good Morning FMS Families Franklin Parks and Rec is sponsoring Kayak Planters throughout the city! Please call 934-2118 to reserve yours while they last! Also I have declared tomorrow PAJAMA DAY for all students! (Oh, yeah, so you don't forget, tomorrow Wednesday April 14 is a Fully Remote Day) Have a great day! D

Good Afternoon Franklin Families. This is a reminder that we will be fully remote in the Franklin School District tomorrow, Wednesday, April 14th due to staff second dose vaccinations that were administered today. Thank you for your continued support of all of our staff members. Sincerely, Dan LeGallo SAU 18 Superintendent

Dear Franklin Families, I have been notified today of a second middle school student testing positive over the weekend. This case was expected due to prior contact tracing. We are all set for in-person learning tomorrow for Cohort A students. Sincerely, Dan LeGallo SAU 18 Superintendent

Good Morning Franklin Families, I am reaching out to you with some updates for this coming week. First, we had two reported positive student cases over the weekend, one fully remote student at the middle school and one student at the high school. Contact tracing and notifications have been completed. I wanted to remind you that more than 60 staff members will be receiving their second dose vaccinations tomorrow and we will be going fully remote on Wednesday to allow for those who have any lingering side effects. Please feel free to reach out to me if you have any questions. Sincerely, Dan LeGallo SAU 18 Superintendent

Good Evening Franklin Families, I am reaching out to report that we have had 2 students at the middle school and 2 students at the high school test positive for Covid-19. The two middle school cases were expected based on prior contact tracing and no additional contact tracing was necessary due to the students being in quarantine. The two high school students have not been on campus recently so no close contacts were identified. We are all set for in-person learning at both schools tomorrow. Sincerely, Dan LeGallo SAU 18 Superintendent

Portrait of a Franklin Graduate is looking for parent feedback on its draft portrait. Our first parent focus group session is Monday, April 19, from 3:30-4:00. Register here. Can't make that date, but want to give input, let us know when you're available on this form. We'll be holding sessions through the end of May.

Good Morning FMS Families The Franklin Mayor's Drug Task Force is announcing a Drug Take Back Day on Saturday April 24th from 10-2 at the Franklin CVS. Thank you sponsors! Have a great remote Wednesday! Mr. D

Good Afternoon Franklin Families, This is a reminder that all 3 schools will be fully remote tomorrow, Wednesday, April 7th due to second dose staff vaccinations that were administered today. Meals will be delivered during the morning middle/high school bus run and the middle school will be serving hot meals at the cafeteria window until 12:00. We appreciate your continued support of our staff wellness.

Good Afternoon Franklin Families, I have been informed of a student testing positive at Franklin Middle School today. Contact tracing was minimal and will be completed this afternoon. We are all set to open for in-person learning for Cohort A students tomorrow morning. Sincerely, Dan LeGallo SAU 18 Superintendent dlegallo@gm.sau18.org

Good Afternoon Franklin Families, I am reaching out to inform you that 2 elementary school students have tested positive today for Covid-19. Contact tracing will be completed by this afternoon and we will be all set to open for in-person learning tomorrow for Cohort A students. A reminder that we will be fully remote in the district this Wednesday because of staff 2nd dose vaccinations tomorrow. Please let me know if you have any questions. Sincerely, Dan LeGallo SAU 18 Superintendent

Dear Franklin Families, I am reaching out to you today with a couple of updates. We had two reported student cases over the weekend, one at Franklin Middle School and one at Franklin High School. Contact tracing and notifications have been completed. I also wanted to inform you of the Governor's Order #89 requiring schools to open 5 days per week for in-person learning for families that want it by April 19th. We have accelerated our planning to meet this timeline. Additionally, we still will be offering fully remote learning to families that select this option. In order to accommodate students attending 5 days per week, students will have 3 ft. distancing in the classroom, masks will be worn at all times in the classrooms with scheduled mask breaks throughout the day, buses will run with up to 2 students per seat, and lunches will be served with 6 ft. social distancing. We have been collecting information from you regarding your student attending in-person or remotely since last week. If you would like to change your student's status from in-person to remote or remote to in-person based on this new information, please contact the school office. Please let me know if you have any questions, Sincerely, Dan LeGallo SAU 18 Superintendent

Good Evening Franklin Families, I have been notified of 2 positive student cases at the elementary school today. Contact tracing and notifications have been completed. I hope that everyone has a safe and healthy weekend. Sincerely, Dan LeGallo SAU 18 Superintendent

Good Evening Franklin Families, I am reaching out to inform you that a student at Franklin High School tested positive for Covid 19 today. Contact tracing and notifications will be completed this evening and we will be open for Cohort B students tomorrow morning. Sincerely, Dan LeGallo SAU 18 Superintendent

Good Morning Franklin Families, I am writing to you today to update you on our staff vaccination efforts. We have scheduled 2nd dose vaccinations for our staff on Tuesday, April 6th and Tuesday, April 13. We will have 60 plus staff members receiving vaccinations on each of these days. Several districts have run into issues with staff calling out sick the day after the administration of the second dose due to experiencing symptoms. This has led to either last minute closure of the schools or pivoting to remote status in the early morning hour before school starts. In order to avoid the confusion of this scenario, I am notifying you in advance that we will be fully remote at all 3 schools on Wednesday, April 7th and Wednesday, April 14th. The days will run similar to our remote Mondays with as many as our staff as possible providing on-line instruction. Staff that are unable to provide on-line instruction due to illness will provide assignments to students for the day. I wanted to give you advance notice of this so you could make the necessary arrangements for your students on those days. I appreciate your understanding as we work to complete the vaccination of our staff members. Sincerely, Dan LeGallo Superintendent dlegallo@gm.sau18.org

Good Afternoon Franklin Families, We have completed all contact tracing and notifications from our last positive case at Franklin High School. After consultation with the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) and the Department of Education (DOE) , we are all set to open Franklin High School tomorrow morning for Cohort A students. I appreciate your patience and support as we worked through this process and look forward to the students returning to the high school tomorrow morning. Sincerely, Dan LeGallo SAU 18 Superintendent

Good Morning Franklin Families, I am reaching out to you to let you know that we had 2 positive staff cases and 1 positive student case at Franklin High School over the weekend. We continue to contact trace and make notifications. In the contact tracing process this weekend, the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) has identified a "cluster" at Franklin High School. A cluster is defined as 3 or more cases connected to the school setting. In our case, they have identified 3 of our cases to be connected to the school setting. In consultation with DHHS and the Department of Education we will be going fully remote on Tuesday at Franklin High School so we can be thorough and complete the contact tracing on these cases. I will continue to monitor the situation in conjunction with DHHS and the Department of Education and let you know tomorrow afternoon where we are for Wednesday at the high school. Please remember to be vigilant in our mitigation strategies, social distancing, wearing of masks, and frequent handwashing. Sincerely, Dan LeGallo SAU 18 Superintendent

Dear Franklin Families, I am reaching out to let you know that contact tracing and notifications have been completed from our cases at Franklin High School including the student case from today. I hope this brings you a bit of comfort heading into the weekend. I will continue to keep you updated as we head into next week. I hope you have a safe and healthy weekend. Sincerely, Dan LeGallo SAU 18 Superintendent

Good Afternoon Franklin Families, I am reaching out to inform you we have had a Franklin High School student test positive today for Covid-19. We are initiating our contact tracing and notification protocols. We continue to communicate with Public Health regarding our recent cases and I will let you know if they make any recommendations to us regarding school at the high school next week. As you know, we are already remote on Monday in the district. I will update you when the contact tracing is completed and I have more information from Public Health. Sincerely, Dan LeGallo SAU 18 Superintendent