February 18, 2022
February 21 - February 25
No school due to February Break

Click here for the Brunswick School Department calendar.
2022 - 2023 School Calendar
Please note that the first student day of the 2022-23 school year will be before Labor Day, tentatively on August 29.  Work on the Brunswick School Department 2022-23 school calendar is ongoing, and the School Board anticipates formal calendar adoption in  April. 
Health & Safety Updates
COVID-19 Cases
Between February 11 and February 17, there were 19 new COVID-19 cases in the Brunswick School Department:
Cumulative statistics on all COVID-19 cases during the 2021-22 school year are available on the COVID-19 Dashboard. The data above and on the Dashboard are as accurate as possible but they are constantly evolving.
School Absences
The following information is provided as an indicator of health in the schools.
Please note:
  1. Staff absences have been filtered to only include those due to sickness.
  2. Staff average absentee percentages are not provided because these absences include all staff assigned to a building regardless of function, job category, or schedule.
Pooled COVID-19 Testing
You can still register your children for pooled testing. The directions can be found here.
Additional Home COVID-19 Tests Available
The Maine DHHS is making more home tests available through Project ACT.  All Maine households are eligible to receive 5 COVID home tests.  Commissioner Lambrew suggested Maine homes could use these before students returned to school after February vacation to identify COVID-positive individuals so that they could stay home and isolate instead of returning to school.
SOP Changes
On February 16, Maine CDC Director Dr. Shah announced that the Maine Standard Operating Procedure (SOP), the document which guides schools’ responses to COVID-19, is changing to “uncouple” masking from contact tracing in schools. The SOP has required schools to contact trace and quarantine close contacts if they do not have universal masking. The rapid transmission of the Omicron variant has rendered contact tracing ineffective. Effective immediately, those two practices are no longer connected.

Dr. Shah also said that many COVID metrics were favorable. These included hospitalization rates, COVID infection rates, and wastewater monitoring rates. Next week’s February vacation may affect these metrics, but we are optimistic. Beginning the week of February 28, the Maine CDC will begin scrutinizing those metrics and hopes to be able to revise certain practices including masking in schools. Until then, the Maine CDC recommends school districts maintain current practices including universal masking.
Reporting Positive COVID-19 Test Results
Please remember to notify your school nurse when your student tests positive for COVID. This is important because schools need to monitor those who are COVID-positive and must notify the Maine CDC of positive test results. Also, individuals who test positive must be excluded from pooled testing for 90 days. Otherwise, they will cause their pools to be positive when there is no one in the pool who is actively positive. This causes unnecessary stress and work for those who are in the pools or who are monitoring the pools.

To help streamline the notification process, we have developed school-specific forms to complete when your/your child tests positive for COVID. Links to the forms are on the school webpages. Simply click the REPORT POSITIVE COVID-19 TEST RESULTS on your school’s webpage.

Links to each form can also be found on the district webpage and below:
Social Media 101
Brunswick School Department is proud to sponsor Social Media 101 with Kristi Bush. To attend, or to receive a recording though zoom, please enter your email address here.
BHS World Studies: Silk Road Trade Simulation
This week the BHS library transformed into the Silk Road and students participated in a Silk Road Trade Simulation. Students traveled between 18 ancient cities to collect 16 different goods (gold, silk, gems, tea, etc.) while facing various desert conditions and answering trivia questions.
Employee Spotlight
Ashley LaCroix
PreK - 2nd Grade Technology Integrator, Kate Furbish
Elementary School

Ashley grew up in Benton, ME. She attended the University of Maine at Farmington for her Bachelors Degree and then continued on to Southern New Hampshire University for her Masters Degree. Ashley has a significant other, Derek, and together they have a cat named Stacey.

What makes you proud to work in Brunswick? #BSDProud
The strong focus on what is best for students! #BSDProud

What do you like to do outside of work for fun?
Garden (when there is no snow), play board and video games, read, start craft projects that I never finish.

If you could meet anyone, living or dead, who would you meet?
Amanda Gorman - her poetry and bravery to do that is inspiring!
Employment Opportunities
WE'RE HIRING! Click the link below to view current employment opportunities within the Brunswick School Department.
Brunswick School Department | https://www.brunswicksd.org/