August 2024
Westbrook School Department
Dear Friends,
Welcome to the 2024-25 School Year! We are very excited to begin the new year.
Summer has been a productive time with summer learning programs, summer meal programs, construction and maintenance projects, and hiring of new staff. We also ratified a new contract for teachers and our community validated the FY25 school budget. Thank you to our amazing staff at the Administrative Offices, school and district administrators, custodians, drivers, and staff who worked throughout the summer.
We look forward to seeing everyone at Back to School Open Houses! See the schedule below. Please consider volunteering at our schools this year. Applications for volunteering are on our website. Volunteers must apply and be approved once during each grade-span (K-4, 5-8, and 9-12.) Also, please consider working as a substitute. We are hiring subs for all teaching and ed tech positions, including designated building subs, as well as custodians, drivers, school nutrition, and administrative assistants. Click HERE to be directed to the application process.
Our first days of school are "Transition Days." Only grades 1 & 2, 5 & 6, and 9 & 10 attend on Wednesday, August 28. Only grades 3 & 4, 7 & 8, and 11 & 12 attend on Thursday, August 29. Transition days provide our students and staff with time for orientation. This includes: reviewing school and classroom norms and procedures, building community, reviewing class syllabi, expectations, assignments, and routines, and practicing safety procedures. In addition, our Kindergarteners practice riding the bus and have a school visit on August 29. All students, including Kindergarten, attend on Tuesday, September 3 and PreK begins on Wednesday, September 4. This gradual start also helps students ease into their back to school routines. We find that this gradual start to the school year helps students better acclimate to their new school, classroom, or schedule and that the first full week of school is more productive. Schools are closed on Friday, August 30 - Monday, September 2 in recognition of Labor Day.
We have lots in store for the new school year including new English Language Arts and Literacy instructional programs in grades K-8, several new courses at WHS, and a new communications system that will support school-home dialogue. Some "coming attractions" include a review of our Special Education programs which serve over a quarter of our students, the development of a Humanities Diploma Endorsement for WHS, and community conversations about student achievement and attendance.
A number of outstanding educators have joined our school community for the new school year. We welcome them to Westbrook! We also welcome our Kindergarteners, the Class of 2037, and students who have recently moved into our community. We're glad you are here! Please join me in sending lots of encouragement and support to the Class of 2025 as they begin their Senior year. We look forward to celebrating your graduation with you and your families on June 7, 2025!
Take care, and be strong!
Peter Lancia, Ph. D., Superintendent of Schools
IMPORTANT BACK TO SCHOOL DATES
Visit the Back to School Page of our website for lots of additional information about the start of the new school year.
Summer School
Thank you to our students, families, and staff who made Summer School programs a great success. Attendance was strong this year as we supported students with extended year services, tutoring, credit and course completion, and school readiness programs.
Economic Indicator Form
We are fortunate that students throughout the State of Maine eat for free in our public schools. We still need all families to complete the Economic Indicator Form which helps to determine federal and state funding for public schools. Please click HERE to complete the form. For assistance, contact School Nutrition Director Mary Emerson at 207-591-6054 or email emersonm@westbrookschools.org
WHS Blue Blazes Marching Band Camp
The WHS Marching Band fall season has begun with the annual summertime Band Camp in August. Students have already been hard at work learning music and practicing drills in the WHS parking lot. After just a few days, they already look and sound AMAZING!
Farm and Sea to School
This summer, a team of Westbrook Educators attended the Maine Farm and Sea to School Institute which promotes connections between school nutrition and the general curriculum, particularly how food is produced, harvested, and marketed to schools as part of the School Nutrition program. Westbrook has been a leader in the state with its gardening programs at Saccarappa, WMS, and WHS. We are pleased to continue developing ways to bring healthy, local food to our students and for them to incorporate food science into their everyday learning.
Measure What Matters
Westbrook High School was pleased to host the first in a series of community meetings sponsored by the Maine Department of Education on August 13. The meetings are part of the Department of Educations's Measure What Matters initiative. The purpose is to talk about hopes for the future of education in Maine. As our culture changes and adapts to new technologies, our schools must continue to evolve as innovative, engaging places where people learn in new ways. There are meetings scheduled in every county. Further conversations and action steps will follow these meetings. Thank you to the 50 people who attended the meeting in Westbrook, including Commissioner Pender Makin.
Kindergarten Practice Bus Rides
Kindergarten students and parents are invited to practice riding the school bus and visit their new schools on Thursday, August 29. Buses will come to bus stops one hour later than their scheduled time to pick up students and parents, bring them to school for a visit with their new teachers, principal, and school staff, and then bring them back to their bus stop. For more information, contact your school office.
WE ARE STILL HIRING BUS DRIVERS, VAN DRIVERS, SPARE DRIVERS, AND BUS AIDES.
PLEASE VISIT OUR HIRING PAGE TO APPLY.
Bus Routes
Regular bus routes have been published on the school department Back to School section of the website. Please contact Transportation Director Melissa Foye at 207-854-0807 or foyem@westbrookschools.org if you have questions. Some routes and bus stops have changed. Please check to make sure you know your child's bus stop and scheduled pick up and drop off times.
BACK TO SCHOOL OPEN HOUSE SCHEDULES
Summer Facilities Projects
Our maintenance team has been busy all summer with a number of capital improvement projects along with thoroughly cleaning our schools. Thank you to Director of Maintenance and Facilities Tony Lombardo and his team for making our schools shine this summer! Projects included:
a major plumbing project and bathroom installation at Congin School
roof repairs at Westbrook High School
painting at Canal School
grounds work at our playgrounds
floor stripping, cleaning, and waxing
paving projects across the district
We have also submitted applications for State Construction Funds for two major projects in Westbrook. The Department of Education opened a new round of applications for state funding this spring.
First, we have proposed a renovation and addition to Westbrook High School that would include updating and expanding current spaces including general, special education, and multilingual classrooms, the auditorium, bathrooms, science labs, and spaces for art and music as well as expanding to provide a new main entrance, driveway, and parking, the main office and student services suite, an expanded school clinic and accessible space for Greater Portland Health, a new library, cafeteria, and kitchen, and other public indoor and outdoor spaces. It would include an updated power supply, new windows and doors, HVAC system, and technology platform to support the building's current and future needs.
Second we have proposed a renovation and expansion at Congin School which would update existing space and provide space for future grade level and special education classrooms, expanded space for preK classrooms, a new cafeteria, library, and office suite, an expanded playground, and improved heating and cooling systems.
Both projects will be evaluated by the Department of Education and will include site visits. An announcement will be made next June about whether or not we will receive state funding for these projects. There is no commitment of local funds to these major projects.
Welcome New Staff
Our staff is the best! Click HERE for a list of new employees and those in new positions. Welcome, good luck in your new positions, and thank you for being in the Westbrook Schools!
FY25 Budget Validated
Thank you to everyone who voted in the July 16 second Budget Validation Vote. We hope that everyone who became involved will continue to do so. The School Committee and Administration will continue to provide transparency and information about our budget and school finances. The Finance Committee meets on the first Wednesday of every month at 5pm at the Administrative Offices and the School Committee meets on the second Wednesday at 7pm in WHS Room 114 and broadcasts on channel 2, Zoom, and Facebook Live. Stay connected to your schools!
Teacher Contract Ratified
The Westbrook Education Association and the Westbrook School Committee ratified a new Collective Bargaining Agreement for teachers on Wednesday, August 13. It provides competitive wages, benefits, and working conditions for our teachers which will help to attract and retain employees, allowing us to provide the very best educators for our students. Thank you to the members of the negotiating teams who have been holding negotiation meetings since last Winter. A copy of the new contract will be posted to our website.
WPD and WFD Emergency Drill at Congin
The Westbrook Police and Fire Departments held a full scale emergency drill in June to practice their response to an active shooter situation. The drill took place at Congin School. Area police, fire, EMT, and other emergency responders, along with school staff, participated in or observed the drill. A debriefing followed the drill. Drills are an important part of safety practices in our schools and community. We are proud of our longstanding partnership with WPD and WFD.
WE'RE HIRING
There are still several open positions for the 2024-25 school year! Please visit the Employment section of our website for more information and a link to the application process.
We are also hiring for SUBSTITUTES for all teaching and Ed Tech positions as well as designated building substitutes and spare drivers, custodians, school nutrition workers, and administrative assistants. Please apply today! Spread the word - be part of the Westbrook School Department!
EARLY RELEASE WEDNESDAYS BEGIN ON SEPTEMBER 4.
All students are dismissed one hour before the regular end of the school day every Wednesday.
You Have a Story to Tell
As we launch the new school year, we will focus around a theme of storytelling. Stories are the foundation of culture. We tell the stories of our lives and experiences through spoken and written words, images and sounds, and personal and collective actions. The ways we communicate information, ideas, and opinions help us to celebrate accomplishments, address challenges, and collaborate on goals for progress. Throughout the year we will tell the stories of our schools and invite you to tell them with us. Together we form the Westbrook Schools. We have a story to tell, and what a magnificent story it is!
