Westbrook School Department

The Secure Status at Congin School has been lifted and all regular activities are resuming. Students and staff were kept safely in school while police investigated a report of gunshots in the woods behind the school. Police searched the area around the school and concluded that the it was safe. Thank you to our students, staff, and Westbrook Police for your outstanding and swift response.

Congin School is currently in a secure status because of a potential situation in the woods behind the school. All students and staff are safe inside the school. Westbrook Police are on site and investigating. We will send more information as soon we can.

Thursday, Nov. 9 will be a half day of school for School/Family Conferences. Dismissal will be: WMS at 10:15am, WHS at 10:25am, Elementary Schools at 11:30am. There is no school on Friday, Nov. 10 in recognition of Veterans' Day.

Today, our Culinary Arts students made the Rotarians many frighteningly scrumptious treats for the annual Rotary Halloween Luncheon! The "roasted cauliflower brains" and the "zombie fingers" were nothing to be afraid of... they were yummy! For the grand finale, the pumpkin-shaped cake oozed out candy corn and mini pumpkins! Spooktacular!!!

I am writing to let you know that we are planning to reopen all schools in Westbrook on Monday, October 30 with a regular schedule. We will do so with a heightened sense of awareness and security and, as an added precaution, the Westbrook Police Department will provide additional presence at our schools. We are ready to support all of our students with counselors, social workers, and student services staff throughout the day. I will let you know if developments over the weekend cause our plans to change. Otherwise, Monday will be a day of school. Please continue to keep the people of Lewiston, the victims and their families in your thoughts and prayers. As a Westbrook community, we will support and comfort our children and each other over the days and weeks ahead as our hearts begin to heal. Take care and be strong.

Schools in Westbrook will be CLOSED again today, Friday, October 27. This is out of an abundance of caution as law enforcement agencies continue to investigate and search for the person responsible for the tragedy in Lewiston. A number of our staff also live in the Lewiston area and continue to be sheltered in place. Please keep everyone impacted by this tragedy in your thoughts and prayers. I will be in touch over the weekend as we all hope to return to school on Monday. Take care and be strong.

While we would like to quickly return to normalcy, it is still too early to definitively say whether or not we will be able to be at school tomorrow. The search for the suspect in the Lewiston tragedy continues but there have been promising developments this evening. If the suspect is not apprehended by morning, schools will be closed again on Friday. If the suspect has been found or is in custody by morning, schools will be open on Friday. I will send a communication early tomorrow morning to let you know if school will be closed or open. Either way, please know that we are here to support our students, families, and staff as we all heal from this horrific event. Please see your email, our website, and our Facebook page for more information. Take care and be strong.

Quick update: We continue to monitor the search that is underway for the suspect in the Lewiston tragedy. I have been in contact with WPD and other area schools throughout the day. It is too early to say if we will be in school on Friday. I hope to make that decision this evening and will send another message later.

Dear friends, My heart is breaking over the tragic events in Lewiston last evening. I’m sure we are all struggling to make sense of such a horrible tragedy so close to home. Please join me in keeping the people of Lewiston in your thoughts and prayers. Our hearts go out to the victims and those who were injured, their families and friends, and others impacted by this traumatic event, including members of our own community. Because the person of interest has not been apprehended as of this morning and out of an abundance of caution, all schools in Westbrook will be CLOSED on Thursday, October 26. There will be no before or after school activities at this time and Central Office will be closed. Violence of this nature is difficult for anyone to understand. Children may be especially shaken by this event and may have questions and concerns. I encourage you to talk with your children about their thoughts and feelings and about school safety. Please reassure them that their schools are secure places where they are cared for every day. The Maine Department of Education has provided some suggestions for supporting children: Preschool and early elementary school children need brief, simple information that should be balanced with reassurances that their schools and homes are safe and that adults are there to protect them. Concrete examples of safety, like having locked doors and adult supervision, can provide comfort. Upper elementary and early middle school children will be more vocal in asking questions about whether they truly are safe and what is being done at their schools and communities. They may need assistance processing the incident. Discuss efforts of their schools, police, and community to ensure their safety. Upper middle school and high school students will have strong and varying opinions about the causes of violence in society. They will share concrete suggestions about how to prevent tragedies in society. Emphasize the role that students have in maintaining safe communities and schools, communicating any personal safety concerns to parents/guardians/trusted adults, school administrators, and police officers, and accessing support for emotional needs. Additionally, online resources from The National Child Traumatic Stress Network and the National Association of School Psychologists may be helpful. If you or someone you know is in crisis, call 988. Please reach out to me, your school principals, and student service providers if we can help in supporting your children and your families. Additional police officers will be present at our schools on Thursday as well. We are fortunate to be part of the Westbrook community where we pull together and take care of each other, especially in times of crisis and tragedy. Take care, and stay strong. Peter Lancia Superintendent of Schools

Dear friends, Please know that the Westbrook Schools are aware of the horrific events in Lewiston this evening. I have been in communication with the Westbrook Police all evening and will continue to monitor the situation. The suspect is still at large, armed, and dangerous. I will provide more information in the morning if this tragedy will impact school and how we will be ready to support students and staff in the coming days Take care, and please join me in keeping the people of Lewiston in your thoughts and prayers. Peter Lancia, Superintendent of Schools

Reminder: Community Conversation about School Safety, Tuesday, October 24 at 6pm at Westbrook Middle School Cafeteria. Please come!

You 'n' Me Nursery School is having its first day of school with our "Littles"!!! We are so excited to bring our "Bigs" and "Littles" together for a year filled with learning adventures and special memories. Our "Bigs" are juniors and seniors from local sending high schools who have enrolled in the Early Childhood Occupations Education (ECOE) program. Our "Littles" are pre-school-aged children who brighten WRVC and blossom as learners and little people during their time with us. Many thanks to Mrs. Bruns and Mrs. Linscott for your leadership and guidance in making You 'N' Me Nursery School a joy-filled place to safely teach, learn, and grow.

Save the date: There will be a Community Conversation about School Safety and Security on Tuesday, October 24, 2023 at 6pm at the Westbrook Middle School cafeteria. We hope to see you there!

WRVC is beyond proud of the Medical Occupations program for creating grab bags filled with candy, small toys, stickers, and other goodies that will be sold at the Spirit Halloween stores as a fundraiser to support the Barbara Bush Children's Hospital. Students and staff from other WRVC programs also volunteered to help make these grab bags alongside the Med Occ students and teachers. This year's goal is to make 10,000 bags!!! The students have almost hit this goal, which is beyond impressive. We wanted to thank the Spirit Halloween company for selling the bags as well as the Barbara Bush Children's Hospital team for their efforts in supplying the goodies and delivering the boxes to Spirit Halloween. To all who helped in this project, we deeply thank you for leading with a compassionate heart.

Reminder: There is NO SCHOOL on Friday, October 6 for staff Professional Development and on Monday, October 9 in recognition of Indigenous Peoples' Day.

Dear friends, This afternoon, we were informed of a situation in the area that could have affected the safety of WHS and WRVC. Out of an abundance of caution, WHS and WRVC were placed in a “secure lockout,” which means that doors were locked, students remained in classrooms, and nobody was allowed to enter or leave the building. WPD resolved the situation within about 10 minutes. All students and staff were safe. Thank you once again to our WHS and WRVC students and staff, our School Resource Officers, and our partners at the Westbrook Police Department for ensuring our safety every day. Take care, and stay strong. Peter Lancia Superintendent of Schools

Dear families, As you may be aware, there was an incident at Westbrook High School this morning. School administrators were notified that a student was in possession of a weapon. With the assistance of the School Resource Officer, the student was brought to the office and the unloaded weapon was secured. Westbrook Police were onsite within minutes and the situation was resolved. As is our protocol, the school was placed in a lockout, meaning all classrooms were closed, locked, and secured. All students and staff were safe and resumed their regular school day. Resources were made available to students who needed support in processing this difficult event. We commend the responsible students who alerted administrators to the situation as well as the administration, faculty, and staff at WHS and WPD. Events like this are unsettling for everyone involved, those at WHS and throughout the community. Please reach out to your school counselors and principals if you or your children need support in processing this event or school violence in general. It is important to talk about incidents, reassure children that schools are generally very safe places, validate their feelings, offer age-appropriate information, and correct misinformation. The National Association of School Psychologists has a great resource for families and educators that may be helpful. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Q05UMKVaM1DsHp69cJ0vP96CIlbXMy04/view?usp=drive_link Take care and be strong. Dr. Peter Lancia Superintendent of Schools

Reminder: Tomorrow, September 6 is our first Early Release Wednesday. Students in all grades will be dismissed one hour before their usual dismissal time. We will follow the Wednesday schedule for the remainder of the school year.

Welcome to our Kindergarten Students, the WHS Class of 2036!

Thanks for a great first week of school! There is NO SCHOOL on Friday, Sept. 1 and Monday, Sept. 4. Happy Labor Day! See you on Tuesday, Sept. 5 when Kindergarteners start school!