Principal’s Memo – April 11, 2024
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April 11, 2024
Happy Vacation everyone,
The memo comes a day early due to the upcoming vacation, and there will be no memo next week. The next memo will be on Friday, April 26th. As we look ahead to after vacation, there are not many school days between now and May. That means that the end of the school year is just around the corner. Please pay careful attention to the upcoming dates at the end of this memo as we have many things that happen at the end of the year, and they tend to sneak up on us. Thank you, and have a great vacation.
Middle School Dance RESCHEDULED
Last week’s middle school dance that had to be canceled due to the snow
Maine Through Year Assessment
Teachers and staff are working to establish our schedule for the spring administration of the Maine Through Year required state assessment. We will be administering this assessment over the first few weeks of May. Each grade level team of teachers will set aside time to assess students. The test is an adaptive online assessment that creates a personalized experience for each student. While administering this Assessment is mandated by the DOE, it is also a great tool to measure student progress and growth. It helps assist teachers in identifying students who may be at risk for not reaching grade-level benchmarks so interventions can be provided early and often. The assessment also can help identify students who are surpassing grade-level benchmarks so enrichment opportunities can be provided to further the learning that is already occurring. This is a very useful tool for helping us to ensure that all students get the specific learning support they need so all students can be successful. The DOE also requires us to assess students in grades 5 and 8 in science. If you have any questions please reach out to myself or your child’s classroom teacher.
Yearbook
Yearbooks can now be purchased using this link: https://www.treering.com/purchase?PassCode=1016348252954617 When you purchase an LMS yearbook, you can design 2 custom pages for FREE, but this must be completed by April 15th.
Vision & Hearing Screenings
We are in the process of completing our State Requirements for vision and hearing screenings. Vision and hearing screenings are necessary to help identify concerns that can affect a student’s progress at school. You will be notified and asked to follow up with your child’s primary care physician and/or specialist if further action is needed. Hearing screenings will be conducted on 3rd and 5th graders. Vision screenings will be conducted on our 3rd, 5th, and 7th graders. Please reach out to our school nurse at kgagnon@rsu23.org if your child has had a comprehensive vision or hearing exam with a specialist in the last 12 months or if you would not like your child to be screened.
Pre-K and Kindergarten pre-registration for Jameson Elementary
Pre-K and New Kindergarten registration for the 2024-25 school year is open on the RSU 23 website.
Food Pantry Information
If your family would like to receive weekly food bags sent home with your child, please contact our School Counselor, Judy Milligan at jmilligan@rsu23.org or by calling 934-4848. We have received a contract with The Good Shepherd Food Bank with a sponsor of Youth Full Maine to provide food for our pantry. We receive food from these organizations every other week. We also receive donations from the Old Orchard Beach Food Pantry and private citizens in our community. The food we receive varies with each delivery however all food is nonperishable. You are also welcome to pick up the food yourself by letting Mrs. Milligan know that you need a food bag left either at the front office or left outside for a no-contact pick-up. A bag can be packed for you any day just by asking.
Student Medication Procedure
Students may require medications for various reasons throughout the school day, this includes over the counter medications, prescribed medications and emergency medications. Per school policy all medications at school need parent permission, doctors orders and to be administered by the nurse or trained personnel. Medications are stored in the nurse’s office and the student’s parent shall deliver medication needed for school. The intent of this policy is to promote safe administration of medications to students and a safe environment for all our students.
Family Vacation Forms
During the school year some families take vacations and ask that we excuse their children from school days. This is not a problem, however, we do have forms to sign off on in order to help students understand the expectations of making up missed work. The forms can be found in the main office. Thanks for your help!
A reminder of a few upcoming dates:
- Friday 4/12-Friday 4/19 – April Break
- Wednesday 5/1 – Early release day
- Thursday 5/16 – RSU 23 School Board Meeting
- Monday 5/27 – Memorial Day – No School
- Friday 6/7 – Grade 8 Promotion
- Monday 6/10 – Last day of school
Have a great vacation,
Matt Foster