A big congratulations to last week's Falcon Feather raffle winners! Pictured here is David Sean, Maurice Doucette, Maddy Clark, Addyson Pelletier, and Elijah McLoy. Not pictured is Ariana Stilphen, Maravilha Luzingu, Daphne McCannell, and Amelia Martin-Redman. These are just a few of our students who help to make our school great every day!
Help us help animals in need. We will be running our annual Fundraiser for Finn's Friends this March and we would love your support. Checkout the wish list and drop items off by March 18th. Thanks for helping our animal friends at the ARLGP.
Join us for Maine MAriner's game and support a good cause! Westbrook Middle School Night at Maine Mariners Hockey is coming up on Friday, April 12th. Please join us by buying tickets in our reserved WMS section. See you there!
https://fevo-enterprise.com/event/FalconsNestApril12th
Here are some of the posters lining the WMS walls in honor of Black artists and inventors. We are celebrating Black History Month!
Here are our weekly PBIS raffle winners. Pictured are Jaxon, Desire, Kenny, Izzy, and Callum. Not pictured are Ashley, Amelia, and Bella. Congrats to all of our winners this week and thanks for making our school a great place to be!
On Friday, we had our first school-wide PBIS (Positive Behavior Intervention and Supports) raffle drawing for students! Pictured are our winners. They were recognized for things such as being respectful in the hallway, helping set up cones at recess, and being respectful at lunch. For prizes students chose to make a TikTok with teachers, use Mr. Chatto's chair for the day, have lunch with friends, and spend extra time with Finn. Congratulations to Maria, Kimber, Peniel, Maddy, Deannica, Reese, Madeleine, and Aden!
The Gulf of Maine Research Institute is here today to share information about local seafood. They made roasted vegetables with haddock served over rice. It was a hit with our fifth graders!
We will have another two hour delayed start of school in Westbrook today. This will give crews time to plow and treat streets, sidewalks, and school lots. As you know, a two hour delay means that schools will open two hours after the regular time and buses will pick up students about two hours after their usual time. There are no before school activities and there will be no PreK classes. Be safe today!
Roads are very icy this morning but they are being treated and expected to improve. Because of this, we will have a two hour delayed start of school in Westbrook today, January 25. That means that schools will open two hours after their scheduled times and buses will pick up students about two hours after their usual time. There are no before school activities and PreK classes are canceled. Please be careful walking and driving this morning!
I’d like to get everyone home before the height of the storm today, so we will be closing early. Dismissal at WHS and WMS will be at 11:30am. Dismissal at Canal, Congin, and Saccarappa will be at 12:20pm. There will be no PreK classes today and there will be no after school activities or practices. Be safe in the storm!
Check out this free after school activity for your WMS student!
Because power has not yet been restored at Saccarappa School, there is NO SCHOOL today at Saccarappa. At all other schools, we will have a 2 hour delayed start. That means that schools will open two hours after their regular opening and buses will pick up students 2 hours later than their usual times. This will give crews time to address road conditions and power outages, and extra time to get to work and school. There are no PK classes. Breakfast will be available when students arrive.
Have you heard about "Fresh Food Fridays," an outreach of The Locker Project? Launched at WMS in September, this initiative offers free produce to all students who choose to partake. Every other week, Lauren from the Locker Project arrives with a van packed full of fresh, delicious fruit, vegetables and breads for students to take home to their families. Falcon Academy student volunteers help unload, set up and host the distribution tables. Last Friday, about 250 students left for the weekend toting green bags bursting with apples, cucumbers, grapes, squash and more. Thank you, Locker Project, for helping our students be healthy, happy and ready to learn!
WMS would like to thank all the participants in this past Saturday's Craft Fair! It was a HUGE success with so many talented crafters, a diverse selection of handmade items and some great concessions to boot. Special thanks to the WMS PTO who took the idea and ran with it. Look for a repeat next year!
The WMS Falcon's Nest is a program that helps to meet students' needs for food, snacks and clothing. Our Falcon Academy staff and students and our Student Council are working hard to meet the needs of all our students and we could use some help. Please consider donating to the snack drive we have going on now through the winter break. Students with full stomachs can concentrate better at school. Thank you in advance for your help! (here is the link to the Amazon Wishlist: https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/1M5A8PUZZAAYL?ref_=wl_share)
Don't miss out on Westbrook Middle School's first PTO-sponsored Craft Fair! We have dozens of craftspeople coming to share their wares.
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.
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.
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
