Dear South Portland families and staff members,
I’m writing today to share some information and a few updates:
Winter approaches
With winter soon upon us, I wanted to share a couple of weather-related items with you.
First, I thought you might want to know how the district approaches our decisions about snow days. Between November and early April, I watch the ten-day forecast very closely. If there is a storm on the horizon, I will typically begin looking at multiple forecasts three or so days prior to the weather event. On the morning of an ice or snow day, here’s the protocol:
4:20 a.m.: Superintendent’s alarm goes off
4:30 a.m.: The district’s consulting meteorologist calls with a hyperlocal forecast for road conditions throughout the day. Following that call, I review at least four different forecasts online.
4:45 a.m.: The Cumberland County superintendents text group begins to get busy. We exchange information on how conditions are looking in our respective communities.
4:55 a.m.: I consult with key operational staff from the district and the City.
5:10 a.m.: If the weather patterns are clear, I am typically able to make a decision about a snow day or delayed start by this time. Sometimes – because we are often on a snow/ice/rain line – I need to delay the decision slightly.
5:15 a.m.: I begin the process of communicating a snow day or delayed start through text message, email, and the local TV stations (WMTW, WGME, WCSH).
The process of calling a snow day involves a great deal of consideration, and we make the best decision we can with the information that we have early in the morning. We realize that snow days are an inconvenience to families, but we must keep in mind the safety of students on buses and walking to school, our young high school drivers, and our staff members commuting to work.
Please note that we will continue to use a two-hour delayed start as an option this winter. (We have used a one-hour delay in exceptional circumstances in the past, but this is unlikely to be used for weather conditions.)
Remote school days
At the end of last year, our leadership team reviewed the effectiveness of remote school days and input from parents. While we note that many families liked the remote days, others had concerns about the loss of instructional time, particularly for our youngest learners. Because of this disparate impact of remote days, we will use remote days for weather reasons only if necessitated by a severe winter. Here’s how we will approach this year’s calendar:
Snow Day #1: Built into the calendar. No additional day must be added in June.
Snow Day #2: Built into the calendar. No additional day must be added in June.
Snow Day #3: Make-up day on Monday, June 16, 2025.
Snow Day #4: Make-up day on Tuesday, June 17.
Snow Day #5: Make-up day on Wednesday, June 18.
We will consider the possibility of remote school days after the fifth snow day if the winter necessitates it.
November is Native American Heritage Month
We encourage you to check out the resources below celebrating the history, heritage and contributions of the indigenous people of North America:
Library of Congress’ National American Indian Heritage Month website
Thanksgiving support
Please note this link for Thanksgiving-related assistance to families in the area.
Season of Giving
I encourage you also to take note of these opportunities to provide donations or volunteer during the Season of Giving.
I hope that you have a great week!
Sincerely,
Tim Matheney, Superintendent of Schools