March 2024 volume 10 number 7
Westbrook School Department
Dear Friends,
Last month, I published the annual State of the Schools report. It is filled with lots of information about our schools, PK through adult education, including data, descriptions of programs, successes, and challenges. I hope that it helps to tell the stories of our dynamic school community. It is available on our website.
This newsletter, along with our website, tells stories about our amazing students and staff. Another way that we tell our stories is through the annual school budget development process. As we develop the FY25 budget, we are centered around three themes: instruction, employees, and facilities, all of which impact students who are at the very center of our schools. We have published a number of documents and videos on the school department website to provide information about the proposed budget. There have been several public meetings for the Finance Committee and School Committee to review the budget, and there are more to come. Dates and times are published on the website. I hope that you will be involved in the budget development process. Meetings are open to the public, participatory, and held in person at WHS room 114, on Zoom, and on Facebook. If you cannot attend meetings, you may share your thoughts with your School Committee representatives or me at any time. The budget we create should truly be a collaborative one, focused on supporting all students, increasing achievement and opportunity, and fulfilling our one promise: the best education for all, for life.
Take care, and be strong.
Dr. Peter Lancia, Superintendent of Schools
Jazz Legend Wynton Marsalis Visits WHS
On Thursday, February 15, legendary jazz musician Wynton Marsalis visited Westbrook High School. Music Director Suzanne Proulx contacted Mr. Marsalis who was in Portland for a show at Merrill Auditorium and asked if he could come by WHS to listen to our Jazz Bands play. What a surprise when he called her himself to arrange his visit! Mr. Marsalis was able to visit and met with the ensembles for about 90 minutes, telling stories, giving advice, and providing feedback and coaching on their playing. It was a true master class. What an honor to perform for, and with, Wynton Marsalis! His stories about persistence and his advice about music and life will long be remembered by our students. It was a great day for our staff too! They were thrilled to meet and learn from one of the world's greatest jazz musicians. Thank you to Sue Proulx making his visit possible.
Congin Den Ambassadors
Congin School's Den Ambassadors made a presentation to the School Committee in recognition of School Committee Appreciation Month. After discussing leadership, hey created word clouds about the work that School Committee members do, printed and framed them, and presented one to each member at their meeting on February 15. What a generous and thoughtful gift! Chair Suzanne Salisbury, who has served on the School Committee since 2007, noted that this was by far the best moment of her long tenure. Congin's Den Ambassadors are school leaders who model the school's values and help create a kind, welcoming community. Thank you to Principal Marc Bisson who launched the Den Ambassadors this year and meets with the students regularly. We are all very proud of them!
CAREER AND TECHNOLOGY EDUCATION (CTE) MONTH
February was Maine CTE Month. We are fortunate to have one of the finest career and technical education centers in the state here in Westbrook. Hosting students from Westbrook, Gorham, Scarborough, Bonny Eagle, and Windham High School (and a few other area high schools) students enroll in 17 programs, including cosmetology, electricity, culinary arts, and business. All programs lead to trade certifications and many also earn college credits.
Recently, WRVC Director Todd Fields, a CTE educator and leader for 35 years, represented Westbrook at an event in Augusta's Hall of Flags which celebrated CTE and showcased the variety of rich programs we offer here and across the state.
Unified Basketball at Westbrook High School
The WHS Unified Basketball Team capped off an undefeated season on March 5 in front of a capacity crowd at our own Warren Centennial Gym. The team was undefeated in terms of its win/loss record, but the more important is their undefeated spirit. No team, or any collection of people for that matter, exudes more positivity and support for one another than our Unified program. As a special celebration for the last game of the season, the entire WHS staff attended and formed a path for players to enter, cheering them on. Thank you to coaches Allison Carmichael and Mike Russell who supported their players and student mentors in so many ways. Congratulations to everyone involved with WHS Unified on another spectacular season!
FY25 Budget Development
We encourage the public to be involved in the process of budget development! Dr. Lancia presented the FY25 Budget proposal on March 6. The proposed budget totals $51,949,800.54 and represents an 8.89% increase over FY24. The budget focuses on three themes: Instruction and Learning for All Students, Supporting our Employees, and Facilities. It addresses increasingly complex needs in special education and multilingual programs, including funds for out of district program tuition, as well as continuing achievement and opportunity gaps among many learners. It proposes an intervention teacher at WMS, an intervention teacher at WHS, a multilingual program Ed Tech III at WMS, and 7 Ed Techs in special education. It includes several reserve accounts, including one that provides funding for potential increases in wages through contract negotiations with support staff, teachers, and employees with working agreements, as their contracts are ending at the end of this year. It also provides funds for the potential increased cost of employee insurance benefits and the newly adopted Maine Family Leave program that we are required to provide. The budget continues our successful capital improvement plan that addresses preventative maintenance and overdue projects as well as a reserve for unexpected facility needs. An overview of the proposal, a video, and copies of the full budget and each cost center is available on our website. Public meetings to review the budget are held in person at WHS Room 114, on Zoom and Facebook, and channel 2. The following are the remaining dates of upcoming budget meetings. Information about the FY25 Budget proposal can be found on the website by clicking the "Budget" button.
Wednesday March 20 Finance Committee Budget Review, 5pm
Wednesday, March 27 School Committee Public Budget Hearing and 1st reading, 5pm
Wednesday, April 3 School Committee Budget 2nd Reading, 6pm
We hope you will be part of the budget development process!
Teaching and Learning in Westbrook
What are the revisions to our Literacy Instruction?
Last fall, we began reviewing our English Language Arts instructional practices in light of evolving research in literacy and language development. This involved several round table dialogues, a Comprehensive Needs Assessment review of achievement data and practice, and rounds of analysis which identified themes for revision. This work has been shared through the Educational Programs Committee. Based on the feedback and analysis, a number of themes were identified: the need for increased foundational skills including phonics, phonemic awareness, and word study in all grades K-8; a renewal of the district's literacy framework and our use of reading and writing workshop models; revised programming in targeted support classes; a redefinition of our continuum of learning; and the need for professional development for staff in literacy instruction. Through a grant from the Maine Department of Education, we will be providing new, evidence based materials for foundational skill instruction, professional development through a summer course in early literacy, training in vocabulary development, spelling, and other targeted needs, and instructional coaching throughout the upcoming school year. We will also work to be better aligned across the district so that we can eliminate instructional gaps that may exist. These revisions will improve our students experience with literacy development and will lead to higher achievement.
Equity and Opportunity in our Schools
The Westbrook School Department provides interpreter services. If you would like to request an interpreter for a meeting or require translation of a school form or document, call the administrative Offices at 207-854-0800. After you are connected, please say the requested language and provide your name and telephone number. A staff person will return your call with an interpreter.
Every year, we recognize Black History Month in February and Women's History Month in March. While American history is a tapestry of experiences of many different cultures and people, it is important to recognize how specific people and events in history. Check out the amazing books on display and available in our school libraries. At WMS, students created posters and displays of Black Americans and at WHS, 9th graders researched, created displays, and gave oral presentations about events in Black History. Our students did great work!
WORLD READING MONTH
To celebrate World Reading Month (an expansion of Read Across America), our schools have been holding special reading themed days, including a "Day of Reading" at Congin and hosting guest readers and authors. One special author coming to WMS is one of our retired teachers, Val Bennett, who has published her first book Lidu's Awakening. She will be reading at the school and signing copies at the end of the month. March is a great time to reread favorite books and discover new ones! Like movies or TV series, books are meant to be reread and enjoyed over and over. Children's and adolescent literature is better than ever! From graphic novels to information books, classic stories to new adventures, there are books for every reader. We encourage families to read together. Reading at home supports reading at school. This includes reading books aloud, discussing books read independently, and reading books together as an "at home book club."
Let's all celebrate the love of reading all month long!
WELCOME CLASS of 2037!
Kindergarten Registration Continues! Our Family Information Meetings were very well attended. Parents and children enjoyed tours of our schools, met our staff, heard an overview of the Kindergarten program, and received lots of informatioin about registration. Screening Appointments will be held on March 28 and 29 at each elementary school. Please contact your child's future school to make an appointment. Families who wish to register incoming kindergarteners may do so on our website. Students who will turn 5 years old on or before October 15, 2024 are able to register for school. We look forward to meeting the Class of 2037!
Westbrook School Department / Opportunity Alliance Pre-K
We are pleased to announce there are openings in The Opportunity Alliance Westbrook Head Start / Public Pre-Kindergarten! Applications will be received until April 15, 2024.
Enroll today! Call: (207) 553-5811. Interpreter services are available.
https://www.opportunityalliance.org/centerbased-westbrook-public-prekhead-start
We now have two classrooms at Congin Elementary school:
The program is FREE.
Your child must be 4 years old by October 15
You must be a resident of Westbrook.
Your family must meet Head Start income eligibility requirements.
We employ High Quality Teachers.
Breakfast, Lunch & Snacks are provided
YOUTH ART MONTH
Congratulations to the following students selected by their art teachers to participate in the 2024 Youth Art Month Exhibition at The Portland Museum of Art! The works will be on view on the Lower Ground Floor of the PMA through March 31, 2024, and digitally on the PMA’s website. WSD Awardees: Canal Elementary School Isabella M., grade 4; Congin Elementary School Seren D., grade 4; Saccarappa Elementary School Abbas A., grade 4; Westbrook Middle School Daphne M., grade 8; Westbrook High School Juliana A., grade 9, Poni M., grade 10, and Quintin E., grade 12.
CDC REVISES COVID GUIDELINES
It's hard to believe that it has been four years since we first experienced the global COVID 19 pandemic. Our world has certainly changed and our lives have been impacted in so many ways. On March 2, the national CDC announced new guidance for managing COVID 19, and we will follow their guidance. There is no longer a 5 day quarantine when a person has a positive COVID diagnosis. When a person has a respiratory virus, including COVID 19, RSV, or the flu, they should stay home until they have been fever free without medication for 24 hours and their symptoms are improving. Please contact your school nurses if you have questions or concerns.
IMPROV COMEDY CLASS at WESTBROOK ADULT EDUCATION
Warm up this Winter with some laughter! In this class, we will introduce, learn and practice some basics of improv comedy. If you like "Who's Line Is It Anyway", stand up comedy and/or just laughing, this is the class for you! Laughing is easy and good for you! No experience is needed. Let's face it, you've been laughing your whole life!
The class runs March 11 - April 1.
Sign up here: https://westbrook.maineadulted.org/course/?post_type=coursestorm_class&coursestorm_search_term=improv
CONGRATULATIONS
Congratulations to WHS senior Gavin T. and sophomore Jasmine S.! Gavin won the Maine State Wrestling Championship in the 175 lb. division! In doing so, Gavin qualified for the New England Championship in Providence, RI. He has put together an impressive career on the mat, over 100 victories, so this is a fitting way to cap off his run. Joining Gavin, Jasmine finished 2nd in Maine (as a sophomore!) in her class, which was enough to punch her ticket to the New England Championship. Good luck in Rhode Island, Gavin and Jasmine!
Thank you Saccarappa Student Council
Saccarappa's third and fourth-grade Student Council has been collecting socks for the last few months. With help from the amazing Saccarappa School community, the students collected over 200 pairs of socks! All of the socks were sorted by size, packaged, and delivered to classrooms for use as needed. Extra socks were given to Nurse Maria.
REMINDER- THERE IS NO SCHOOL FOR STUDENTS ON FRIDAY, MARCH 15.
It is a Professional Learning Day for school staff.
