Bruce Scally has a lot going on. As Wiscasset Middle School’s interim principal for this year before consolidation, the Wiscasset man who once taught in Wiscasset has all the usual day-to-day work of any principal, right down to seeing students off to their buses at the end of the school day.

But he is also doing all he can to help the staff prepare to break apart; grades seven and eight move to Wiscasset High School in the fall, when fifth and sixth graders start sharing the middle school building with the grades coming over from Wiscasset Primary School.

He’s also updating his resume. His time in the slot runs out June 30, but more days could be added if the department needs him longer to help with the transition, he said. Wiscasset Primary Principal Mona Schlein will serve as principal at the middle school building; Wiscasset High Principal Cheri Towle will manage grades seven through 12.

The move to a two-school, two-principal department was a strong possibility when Scally took the interim post in August 2014, so the fact it bore out has come as no surprise to him.

“My eyes were wide open,” he said.

And it’s not his first temp gig. Last school year, he took over as interim principal at Stearns Junior-Senior High School in Millinocket when its principal resigned.

At Wiscasset Middle, the husband of Wiscasset High guidance secretary Margaret Scally has been making sure staff members have time to meet with the other schools’ staff members who they will work with next year. He’s cognizant of the anxiety that can come with change for his fellow educators.

“For seventh and eighth grade (staff), it’s a physical transition,” he said. “They’re leaving this building and many have been here a while. And the others are staying in their home, staying in this building, but learning to adjust, and working hard at developing a relationship with another staff.”

At the same time, it’s been important for everyone to keep in mind they are still in this school year as Wiscasset Middle School and need to finish the year out well, for the students’ sake, he said.

The staff has stepped up to the two-fold challenge and been successful in it.

“This is a ‘we’ project,” Scally said.

The school’s head teacher, special education teacher Tricia Campbell, appreciates Scally’s team approach to management, including his weekly check-ins with a group she said he refers to as a principal’s advisory board. “I find him very, very approachable .... He stepped into an incredibly challenging position, because you have both staff and community members feeling anxious, and to be able to share your concerns, I think is imperative,” Campbell said.

Also helping keep the school cohesive this year has been Scally’s start of a practice of bringing the entire school together for Monday morning meetings. The sessions include the pledge of allegiance, a moment of silence, teacher shout-outs and, at the end, the Wiscasset fight song.

The school has also been working on forming new partnerships with the community. The new Wiscasset Alliance for Youth Services has met twice and has broken into subcommittees on recreational opportunities for local youth and opportunities for on-site health services, Scally said.

The school’s social worker Rachel Bennett, social service agencies, private organizations in Lincoln County and the Wiscasset Community Center are among those taking part in the group effort to support children in and outside school.

“People are willing to put in the time and do what’s best for the kids,” he said.

Scally has been enjoying his time at Wiscasset Middle. “I’ll miss coming here,” he said. “I can’t say enough about the staff, the parents and the kids. They are a true asset to the town.”