November 2024 volume 11 number 4
Westbrook School Department
Dear Friends,
We were pleased to see so many families at School/Family Conferences over the last few weeks. We hope that you found them helpful in understanding your child's progress and setting goals for future learning. We look at growth as the major sign of progress. Whether a child is exceeding expectations or is not on target, we are pleased to see strong growth over time. In school, we look at several forms of achievement data, including NWEA and the Maine Through Year Assessment, reading and phonics assessments, IXL assessments in reading and math, and course grades. Students are all complex learners so we want to look at as many forms of data to document learning and plan for growth. Please stay connected with your child's teachers throughout the year.
There are many great things happening in our schools, many of which are noted in this newsletter. Please share the newsletter with your families, friends, and neighbors so that they can learn more about our students, staff, and schools. We have a lot to be proud of in the Westbrook Schools!
Last week I sent out a community survey asking for input into the 2025-26 school budget development. So far we have had a great return! If you have not done so, please complete the survey and add you voice. Simply scan the QR code below.
Take care,
Dr. Peter Lancia, Superintendent of Schools
Artists Working Together
Students in our elementary gifted and talented art classes visited Westbrook High School. They visited the third floor studio, gallery, and classroom spaces, met with teachers and students, and made art together. What a great way to build aspirations and to see the kind of art they will study and create when they get to high school!
Congratulations WHS Blue Blazes Marching Band
Congratulations to our phenomenal WHS Blue Blazes Marching Band and Color Guard who placed third in the national US Band Competition in Pennsylvania over the weekend. WHS was also honored with first place in both music and percussion. What an amazing accomplishment for our students! Thank you to director Kyle Smith, the marching band and color guard coaches, and the Westbrook Music Department who provide outstanding music education beginning in Kindergarten.
FIRE PREVENTION MONTH
October was Fire Prevention Month. A huge thank you to the Westbrook Fire Department for coming to our elementary schools for assemblies and teaching our students about fire safety.
Firefighting Program at WRVC
In the field of firefighting, a "Class A practice burn" denotes a controlled fire utilized for training that focuses on burning common solid combustibles such as wood or paper, which are typical household materials. Conversely, a "Class B practice burn" deals with flammable liquids, including gasoline or oil, necessitating different extinguishing methods because of the unique characteristics of these fuels. Our firefighting students have been practicing putting out both Class A and B fires. The students have also been learning about the importance of protecting their lungs by wearing a self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA), especially when toxic chemicals are involved. The students were very cautious and safe during these burns, especially when working with diesel fuel.
We are also pleased to say that in collaboration with the Westbrook Fire Department, WRVC has been awarded a federal grant to fund the construction of a firefighter training facility that will be used by our firefighting students, the Westbrook Fire Department, and area fire departments. It will be constructed near the public safety building on Capt. Bill Hartley Avenue. Thank you to Maine's congressional delegation for supporting this grant and to Westbrook Fire Chief Steve Sloan and WRVC instructor Lt. John Brooks for developing the proposal and advocating for it.
Fresh Food for All at WMS
Thank you to our friends from The Locker Project and their partners who provide fresh food for our students to take home at our school every week. Pictured below are volunteers at WMS who distributed food and helped stock The Falcon's Nest food and clothes closet.
Saccarappa Garden Club wins a Blue Ribon
Saccarappa's Garden Club is off to a successful start this fall as it prepares for another thriving garden this school year. Saccarappa received first place in the school garden category at the Cumberland County Fair. This is the club's eleventh first-place ribbon. Nice work students, staff, and volunteers, and especially retired kindergarten teacher Guyla Woodbrey, who tend our garden with love. Congratulations, Garden Club!
Author Kelly Starling Lyons Visit
Author Kelly Starling Lyons was in Westbrook last week. She met with students at each elementary school and talked about how she became an author and the inspiration behind her books. She read her stories aloud and our students were excited to meet her. She also was featured at a community event Friday evening at WPAC where she shared her stories. Ms. Starling Lyons is a co creator of The Brown Bookshelf and numerous children's books that feature characters of color. Thank you to instructional coaches Kellie Hooper Bressler and Julie Riordan for organizing this special event.
Students from Westbrook High School will be competing on Maine Public's High School Quiz Show: Maine! Our Blue Blazes team was selected to compete along with only 15 other schools from across the state. It is a single elimination bracket style tournament. The first round match was on Wednesday, November 13, at Lewiston Public Broadcasting. The contests will be filmed November through January and aired on Maine Public (channel 10) beginning in March. Go Blazes!
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.
Also, Reach My Teach, the Westbrook Schools website, and this newsletter may be read in multiple languages. Simply select your preferred language in settings and content will be translated.
Multicultural Dinner at WHS
Westbrook High School hosted its annual Multicultural Dinner with food representing the many cultural traditions in our schools. Thank you to school counselor Deb Baggs who led the event and organized volunteers. What a delicious feast that celebrates our vibrant community!
Teaching and Learning in Westbrook
How do we recognize and teach about Wabanaki culture?
Westbrook has a long Wabanaki history. We celebrate the people who lived on the land that is now called Westbrook in many ways, especially during November which is Indigenous Heritage Month. We are proud to be one of the only school districts to have adopted a Land Acknowledgement Statement which is read aloud during public meetings in recognition of our Wabanaki history.
We understand, honor, and acknowledge that the city of Westbrook and the Westbrook Schools are located on Wabanaki lands and waters. We acknowledge that Wabanaki people have belonged to this land for countless generations and thousands of years, and that their presence continues in Maine to this day.
In addition, we are developing a through-line in our social studies curriculum to teach Wabanaki history across the grade levels. Thank you to instructional coach Brianna Morrill and a team of social studies teachers who have begun to develop and pilot this work. This work is still in development... stay tuned!
Just a reminder
Schools will be closed on November 27, 28, and 29.
Happy Thanksgiving!
