Welcome to the Ames and Weymouth Schools

We are gearing up for the new school year. We are now officially a member of Regional School Unit #20. The region is comprised of 9 elementary schools, 2 middle schools and 2 high schools. We are very excited about the new challenges this consolidation will bring to us. Mr. Wessels and Miss Pat have been working diligently throughout the summer to clean and refurbish each building. Teachers have been thinking about you all summer and now they are readying their classrooms in anticipation of a new school year.

There are very few changes at our schools this year. Teaching staff at Weymouth School includes head teacher Susan Olson, and Marci Zaniboni as teachers of our all day kindergarten classrooms. Niki Hopkins and Ilona DuBois make up the first grade teaching team. Sarah Nelson and Jackie Curtis collaborate as the second grade teaching team. Bonnie Maguire is our literacy teacher supporting students in grades K-2. Kathy Knight is an Ed tech supporting special education students at the K-2 grade levels working with special education teacher Connie Tuller. Kay Dodd continues to serve as our wonderful administrative assistant and Christine Skillings is our happy cook as she prepares healthy meals for us all.

Teaching staff at Ames School includes head teacher and Special Education teacher, Sharon Morse. Karen Craig-Foley and Claudia Luchetti make up our third grade teaching team. Maureen Ladd and Kris Federle continue as our fourth grade teaching team. Amanda Wall and Patty Johnson make up our fifth grade teaching team. Linda Trask is the literacy teacher serving Title l students. Ed techs Cheryl Mallard and Sue Black will be supporting students with special needs. Secretary Kathy Wadsworth cheerfully meets and greets everyone as she covers the front office/library at Ames School. Rhonda Kinney continues to provide healthy meals for us all. Judy Cookson is our school nurse. Maureen Ferriter is our guidance counselor. She and Judy serve 4 elementary buildings. They will be in each building approximately one day a week. Art teacher Samantha Hunt Maheu, physical education teacher Jenny Woodbury and music/band teacher Amy Gardner will continue to work with all of our students. Nick Arthers will be working with Ms. Woodbury during part of the school year as he completes his student teaching through Husson University. Louise Bakely is new to us but not new to the district as she serves students with speech and language needs at Weymouth and Ames School. Soo Shershow, with the support of Rene Mehuren, serves students needing occupational therapy at both schools. Chris Brinn will support all of us as the new computer "tech guy". Our new ELP ~ Extended Learning Program teacher is Cynthia Sproul. She will be working with selected students in grades 3-5.

Ames School will continue to house our Pre-K/4 year old program. The program is in conjunction with Waldo County Pre-School Services/Broadreach and the Head Start Program. Bridget Morse and Mary-Kate Moody are the dynamic teaching force in the classroom. Jackie Overlock is the ed tech. Classes will start September 14^th and 15^th with half of the class attending each of these days. School for the whole class will begin on September 16^th. Regular classes will run Monday through Thursday, full day, serving breakfast and lunch. We continue to be excited about the opportunities this program brings to our pre-school population.

Whats' new this year? Our region has been lucky to receive a 21^st Century Grant allowing us to provide an after school program for some of our students. The goal of the program is to provide additional academic support for students that may be struggling in literacy or math. Bruce Geffkin and Jim Roberts will be working with classroom teacher tutors to provide homework help, tutoring and multi-cultural activities 4 days a week after school from 3:15~5:15. We are so excited about this opportunity for some of our neediest students in grades 1 ~ 5. More information will follow. Please notice our new signs outside each building. A big thank you to Samantha Hunt Maheu and last years' fifth graders for the beautiful gifts.

The staff at both schools works hard to create caring and civil environments where students work and learn. We have high expectations for all of our students and ourselves. Creating caring and responsible students has become our top priority along with a strong academic focus. We have found that establishing a few important rules for school and bus safety have been imperative in creating positive school and bus environments. We ask all students to:

It is important for students to realize that their day begins when they step onto the bus and ends when they step off the bus. We want their whole day to be a success, including the ride to and from school. It is our expectation that all students follow these standards as well as our motto "Be a Buddy, Not a Bully" in order to ensure quality educational experiences for themselves and others. Our Units' Code of Conduct Handbook (new version this year) is a framework for establishing behavior and citizenship standards. We recognize the importance of supporting students in their efforts to meet these standards. We ask all parents to read and discuss the Code of Conduct with your child and then initial the parent checklist confirming that you and your child have read and understand the material. Please pay careful attention to the sections on school dress (Rule 4) and personal property (Rule 5). We all play an important role as models in our schools. It is important to students that their parents and teachers model the rules in the Code of Conduct Handbook. We thank you in advance for supporting our efforts to create quality schools with safe environments where much learning can take place.

We also use the Student Problem-Solving Sheet (pink slip) and the Bullying Rubric as ways to communicate with parents. These forms allow students to share with their parents what the problem was and how the student will go about solving it/making a plan so that it doesnÕt occur again. It allows students to take responsibility for an action and then make a plan to fix it. These forms are not part of the studentÕs official record. They are meant as a way of communicating with parents. Parents are asked to sign them and return them to school with their child on the following day. If you have questions, please call your childs' teacher or myself.

School begins at 8:45 in both schools. Buses begin arriving at 8:30. Parents should not drop off their student before 8:30 as teachers are preparing for the day and are not always in their classrooms to supervise students. School is dismissed at 3:05. All students need to follow their regular after school routines unless a note is sent in telling of a change in schedule. Students will be put on the bus for home/follow their regular dismissal routine without a note telling us to do otherwise. There is a sign in/out book at the office door (Weymouth) and in the library (Ames). Parents need to come into the building to sign students in/out to let us know when children arrive and are dismissed. Please call the absence hot line and let us know if your child will be absent for the day. We will call you if we have not been notified of an absence so that we may confirm that all children are accounted for. We also have a sign in sheet for visitors and visitor badges to wear when visiting the building. Please check into the office or library to pick up a visitor's badge before proceeding throughout the rest of the building.

Tuesday, September 1^st (9:30-2:30) is an open house day for our kindergarten students and their parents. Kindergarten students will start school on Wednesday, September 2^nd. Kindergarteners and their parents are invited to visit their new classroom and ask any questions they may have about school and the new routines students will be practicing. We anticipate that many students may struggle with tiredness as they acclimate to school routines, especially our kindergarten students. Please monitor their activity levels and please feel free to pick them up early or keep them home from school if they get over tired. Please speak to your childs' teacher if you have any questions or concerns.

Parent Information Night is on Wednesday, September 9^th. Ames School will hold their informational meetings from 5:00 ~5:45. Weymouth meetings will be held from 6:00 ~6:45. This is an opportunity for parents to come to school and listen to a short presentation by their childs' teachers about the upcoming school year. Teachers will talk about schedules, routines and grade level standards/expectations. It is a time for parents to ask questions and get answers. This will be a "parents only "night as it will be in the presentation format. Open House is scheduled for October 7^th from 5:30 - 6:30 at Ames and 6:00- 7:00 at Weymouth. Students are invited and encouraged to attend. This is an opportunity to visit the school and see the schoolwork that your child has been involved in during the first month of school. It is not a time to conference with the teacher. Please make an appointment to meet with the teacher privately if you would like to discuss your childs' progress in depth.

Hot lunch is available daily for $2.25 (40¢ for reduced). Juice, white and chocolate milk are 50¢. Breakfast is also available for $1.25 (30¢ for reduced). Lunch money should always be sent in on Mondays in envelopes labeled with students' name and the dates that students will need lunch or drink for the week and/or breakfast as well as the lunch choice. You may also pay by the month. Every student will be receiving a free/reduced lunch application. If you feel you may qualify, please fill out and return to school by September 4^th.

Car traffic can get very congested before and after school. Please be aware of bus traffic and their need to get close to the school to pick up and drop off students safely. At the Weymouth building, buses will loop at the lower end of the building. Cars may drive up and park on the right side of the building in the designated parking area. It is against fire code to park next to the building. Please park your car in the parking area away from the building. The playground side of the building is off limits to all vehicle traffic. It will be important not to clog the lower end of the school with cars, as it will impede bus flow as they pick up and drop off students. Buses at the Ames School pull up next to the building. Please park vehicles on the circle side of the parking lot away from the building. Parents should continue to escort their children in and out of the buildings to provide safer conditions for students as they are entering and exiting the school. Drivers, please be reminded to drive slowly when moving through the parking lots. There is much traffic through the driveway and other drivers may not see small children. Always walk your child into the school.

We ask parents in both schools to wait near the office/library if you arrive at school before dismissal time. Your presence at the classroom door can be distracting as students are finishing up their work for the day and often receiving homework assignments. We encourage you not to ask for your child to be dismissed early as the closing of the day is filled with lots of last minute teaching and organizing and early dismissal often interrupts the flow for students and teacher.

I am eager to work with each of your families to create a positive and safe educational experience for all children. I also want it to be a positive experience for families. I am always available to meet with you to help solve problems and share successes. It is my goal to create a strong educational family including students, parents and school staff in order to meet the needs of the whole child in the school setting. Please call me to set up an appointment or stop me in the hallway anytime. I continue to strive toward creating a quality learning community where everyone feels welcome.