“Statistically, students are six months to a year behind where they normally would be due to COVID and the impact it has had on schools and student learning,” Lucy Preston, Wiscasset School Department math interventionist, told the school committee Jan. 10. Chairman Jason Putnam said, “This isn’t unique to Wiscasset. The loss of skills due to COVID is nationwide.”

The loss of skills is due in part to the difficulty of teaching and learning remotely and the time students are out of school due to illness, which continues to be a problem, Preston said. Wiscasset Elementary School Principal Kathleen Pastore confirmed later in the meeting, student absences continue to negatively impact learning.

Preston presented to the School Committee on WES’s WIN (What I Need) block, a program she and Literacy Specialist Jill Kehoe have begun implementing  to address the loss of skills. Preston said the WIN block is a time when “teachers personalize instruction to further meet the unique needs of students. It can be a period of reinforcement, support or enrichment.”

She said she and Kehoe used data from students’ fall NWEA (Northwest Evaluation Association) test scores and classroom teachers’ recommendations to determine strengths and weaknesses in students’ learning. The students were then grouped accordingly and will receive instruction in areas of need. 

WIN block instruction is in addition to instruction students receive with their classroom teachers; it takes place from 1:55 until 2:25 every day except Wednesday, Preston explained. Currently, WES is addressing the needs for students in grades three through five for math; the hope is to eventually add a WIN block for English language arts.

The Dec. 23 storm damaged a telephone pole behind Wiscasset Middle High School causing a partial loss of power to the building, John Merry, director of facilities and transportation, told the committee. The “boilers wouldn’t run and the blowers on the heaters weren’t working,” Merry said. “I’d like to give a shout out to wastewater Superintendent Rob Lalli,” who loaned Merry a generator which provided enough power to “enable the boiler to circulate water,” avoiding frozen pipes. Interim Superintendent of Schools Robert “Bob” England Jr. expressed his gratitude to both Merry and Head Custodian Dan Lincoln for working into the early hours of Christmas Eve Day to avoid potential disaster.

WMHS Principal Charles Lomonte said that on Friday, Feb. 3, the Maine Integrated Youth Health Survey (MIYHS) will be conducted for all middle and high school students. According to Maine.gov, “The purpose of the MIYHS is to assess the health status of Maine youth, as well as the positive and negative attitudes and behaviors that influence healthy development.”

Winter Carnival for the high school is tentatively scheduled for the week of February 13-17.

The committee announced the June retirement of educational technician III Mary Bailey, WMHS special education teacher Brion Controvillas and school nurse Marilyn Sprague. The committee accepted the resignation of occupational therapist Josie Reese and approved hiring Jerimiah Golding, alternative educator at the high school.