MSAD #51 Superintendent's Blog

On January 4, the Board of Directors unanimously approved three substantial changes to the district's 2015-18 Strategic Plan that are listed below. As the Strategic Plan is a "living document," the Board has the discretion to amend the plan as needed. a.   Defer Pre Kindergarten planning until the 2016-17 year (Objective 1.2).   The reasoning behind this change is that an unanticipated space issue has occurred since last year when the Strategic Plan was being developed.  First, 20 more students are enrolled at MIW this year than last, which was unexpected.  Second, our space needs for a newly developed special education program changed and thus moved to the space that was being considered for PreK.  The only feasible option at this point would be to lease a portable classroom to be placed on the grounds of MIW. The facilities committee has discussed this and opted not to consider this option at this time, preferring to defer PreK plans until after the ...

Happy New Year! Be The Change In an effort to bring more students together in positive ways, we are partnering with RSU 5 to bring the "Challenge Day" project to GHS on January 12 and 13.  This project is part of the Be The Change  national movement meant to support positive change for high schoolers. This project will hopefully become an annual event for all sophomores that promotes the development of empathy and understanding between students around personal struggles.   This nationally recognized program and professional facilitators focuses on breaking down walls between students and has been an effective tool in combatting bullying.  Many thanks school coordinator Jayme Jones for her work on organizing these days.  Also thanks to Ashley Caswell for handling all of the external logistics with the Be The Change organization. Every Child Succeeds Act In late December, President Obama signed into law the long-awaited replacement for the No Child ...