MSAD #51 Superintendent's Blog

We received RFQs from 8 architectural firms interested in working on a concept design for the Performing Arts Center .  A subcommittee of the facilities committee has narrowed the list to 4 firms that will be interviewed in the near future as part of the selection process.  Once an architect is hired, a building committee will be formed to begin development of a concept design. The finance committee approved up to $135,000 in funds under Policy DJ to support minor renovations at MIW that will take place over the summer to reconfigure internal space and create additional classrooms, small group areas, and offices.  The district has been working with architect Steve Blatt's office to design these spaces and is interviewing two local contractors for the project. The district budget meeting will be held this Thursday, May 19 @ 7pm at GHS.  Registration begins at 6:30pm. This meeting is open to all registered voters in Cumberland and North Yarmouth. Th...

The  FY 17 budget  was approved 8-0 on May 2 by the MSAD #51 Board of Directors.  The budget stands at $34,959,382 with a variance of $1,182,543, or a 3.50% increase over the current year.  The tax impact reflects a 1.1% increase in both towns.  For the owner of a $350,000 home in Cumberland, it means an increase of $70/ year and for the owner of a similar home in North Yarmouth it equals an increase of $66.50/year. Please help!   We have had several recent reports of drivers passing school buses with their flashing lights loading or unloading children.  This is a significant safety concern that continues to provide a challenge to our students and bus drivers.  Please pass the word about the importance of stopping a safe distance from all school buses with their red lights on. I had an opportunity to visit 10 classrooms across the district last week.  In each one of them, I was struck by the engagement of our students and the talent ...

Congratulations to the five finalists for MSAD #51   Employee of the Year:   Carrie Begley, Grade 4 Teacher, GMS 4-5 Leanne Brainard , Kitchen Manager, MIW Sallie Hunter, Grade 4 Teacher, GMS 4-5 Peter Scott, Social Worker, GHS   Daphne Sprague, Educational Technician, GMS 4-5   There were 43 nominations for Employee of the Year, all of them written by staff members on behalf of other staff members.  One of the five finalists will become the 2016 MSAD #51 Employee of the Year and will be named at the annual Staff Recognition program at Val Halla on May 18.   Many thanks to the nominating committee, led by Ashley Caswell, Director of Development and Community Resources; Board members Bethany Hanley and Mike Brown; Finance, Operations & HR Director Scott Poulin; and Chris Bolduc, Cumberland's Assistant Town Manager. Here are some recent highlights of activities related to the Strategic Plan : Held a final meeting with all 1st Year teache...

The MSAD #51 Board of Directors voted April 11 to begin the process for building a Performing Arts Center (PAC).  This first step allows the district to advertise for and hire an architect to work with a building committee to develop a concept design for the PAC. This concept design requires the approval of the Board, when completed, and the subsequent vote of the Board to move to a referendum if they choose to do so.  A possible referendum date would be November 2016, if approved. The Board also voted to move forward with an energy project at Mabel I. Wilson School. This project will seek to mitigate heating and cooling issues at the 20-year-old school over the next year.   Susie Robbins , currently Interim Principal at MIW and assistant principal before that, was approved as the permanent principal of the school Monday night.  The position of assistant principal will be advertised shortly and a process to fill the position will be developed. Google...

1.   The sophomore class experienced Challenge Day last week, a national program that is  created to build connection and empathy, and to fulfill a vision that every child lives in a world where they feel safe, loved, and celebrated. Challenge Day is more than a one-day program. Our programs go beyond traditional anti-bullying efforts, building empathy and igniting a movement of compassion and positive change, known as the  Be the Change movemen t .    Many thanks to Challenge Day facilitators Katie and Sea Lloyd for offering such a worthwhile experience for our students.  Thanks also to our 25 adult participants, all staff members, parents, and community members connected to GHS.  And final thanks goes to GHS Asst. Principal Jayme Jones, who worked many hours to develop a schedule and recruit volunteers to assist; and Director of Development & Community Resources Ashley Caswell, who worked behind the scenes with the Challenge Day organizati...

1.   We are all very proud of our outstanding students and staff.  Here are a few of the many recognitions and honors that have been awarded recently: GHS junior Jack Saffian wins 2nd place in the state for his essay on special needs, sponsored by the Maine Developmental Disabilities Council.  GHS and GMS Civil Rights teams and the Unified Basketball team worked together on a project bringing awareness to both schools about sensitivity towards students with special needs in a day-long "Spread the Word to End the Word" campaign. Civil Rights Team "Spreads the Word" GHS students Evan McCarthy and Charlotte Benoit win the Western Maine student athlete awards. Evan McCarthy, GHS Principal Dan McKeone & Charlotte Benoit GMS student Christopher Martucci qualified for the state-level National Geography Bee. The National Honor Society welcomed 41 inductees this year at a candlelight ceremony.  Many thanks to advisor Jason Curry, Katie Dexte...

1. As our district continues to evolve as a support for students in the area of technology, I would like to share a morning of technology training at GHS before vacation that was led by our own teachers. Topics included interfacing instruction with photoshop, Pear Drive scanning, iMovie, Notability for the iPad, YouTube, Google Classroom and 3-D printing.  Many thanks to these teachers who led sessions for their colleagues:  Gregory Greenleaf, Jen Michaelis, Don Legere, Wes Franklin, Heather Perkinson, Jeff Masterson, Erin Pollock, Kelvin Hasch, and Susan Inman.  Our school-based technology teams continue to provide support to their colleagues in each of our four schools, and the model of interfacing our library/media centers with technology has taken root under the leadership of district technology director Dirk Van Curan. 2. Also on the topic of technology, parents and students at the annual incoming freshman orientation night were provided information about the distr...