Upcoming Dates
- Friday, January 26 ~Spirit Day: Pajama Day
- Monday, January 29 ~ Grade 5 Puberty Education lessons begin; parent information from 1/18 included again below
- Wednesday, February 7 ~ PTA Zoom Meeting at 6:30 PM
- Wednesday, February 14 ~ Early Release at 1:45 PM
- February 19 - February 23 ~ No School for Winter Break
Third and Fourth Grade Music Concerts, 6 PM in the Wentworth cafe:
- Green LC - March 4
- Purple LC - March 5
- Red LC - March 7
- Blue LC - March 13
See below for more information about these lovely evenings of music!
Remote Learning on Snow Days
Dear Wentworth School Families,
Your child should have received their remote learning Snow Day "Just in Case" packet on Monday 1/22. If you need an additional packet for a second household or any additional supplies, please reach out to your child's teacher.
If you are confused about this message, please link back to the previous two Family News messages for more information about our snow day plans. Here is a direct link to last week for your convenience.
**Attention Fifth Grade Families**
Winter 2024
Dear Families of Students in Fifth Grade:
The purpose of this letter is to inform you about upcoming health topics in fifth grade puberty education for your child. Our Puberty Education Instructors are one of our school nurses, Anne Ornstein, and one of our health and physical education teachers, Keith Kitchin. This letter will provide an overview of the schedule, curriculum, and plans for Puberty Classes this year.
Puberty Education takes place as part of the grade 5 PE/Health curriculum. Classes will begin January 29 and continue through February 16, 2024, students watch the video Always Changing and Growing Up | Co-Ed Puberty Education Video. We have linked it in this letter so you know exactly what your child will see and discuss. If you choose to begin the conversation at home, here are some additional resources you may find helpful.
In the second class, which will take place the week of February 5, Mrs. Ornstein and Mr. Kitchin will play a fun “Truth or Myth” game with the students, reviewing the important points from the video. Students will also have a lesson from the Safer, Smarter Kids curriculum titled Body Boundaries. We previously held an Information Night about this new curriculum, and you can access the presentation slides and a video from SARSSM here. You will also receive a Home-School connection letter, summarizing the lesson during the second week of Puberty Class.
Finally, in week three, the students split up into two groups based on sex assigned at birth. The female students work with Mrs. Ornstein and the male students work with Mr. Kitchin to discuss topics specific to their anatomy. Mrs. Ornstein introduces (or reviews) feminine hygiene products and Mr. Kitchin reviews key points of the male anatomy and body changes, answers questions and plays a Kahoot game with the males. If your child identifies differently on the gender spectrum, we can create a customized plan - please reach out to us to talk through what will work best for your child.
Thank you for your support as we move into the Puberty Education Unit for our fifth graders. Should you elect to have your child excluded from this three-week program, please notify the Health Office at aornstein@scarboroughschools.org in advance so alternative arrangements can be made for your child. Likewise, if you have any questions please reach out to us. We appreciate your partnership in this important work.
Respectfully,
Kelli Crosby
Principal
Panorama SEL Surveys to Gather Students' Perceptions of Their SEL Skills
Dear Wentworth Families,
Students are important partners as we work to improve our schools. Our focus on supporting our students with the lifelong skills necessary for success within and beyond our schools is referred to as social, emotional learning or SEL for short. We have used Panorama Survey tools to gather feedback over the past few years and make changes for our students in grades 3-12. This winter we plan to survey students on their perceptions of their skills and competencies. This short online survey will take less than 30 minutes to complete. It will be scheduled to be completed during the school day. The survey will take place between January 29 and February 9.
We are asking that all of our students participate in the survey, as their feedback provides invaluable insights into their experiences and how we can improve and adapt our district to their needs. If a student doesn’t feel like they have enough information to answer a question, they will be able to skip the item altogether. If a student is uncomfortable taking the survey, they do not need to take it. Only the staff on your child’s educational team, which may include their classroom teacher, principal, guidance counselor, social worker, or district leadership, may have access to individual student responses.
We are partnering with a third-party vendor to support us in administering these surveys. To learn more go to Panorama Education. The survey content will ask students to self-reflect on their perceptions of their experiences at school. The survey topics include:
Self-Management: How well students manage their emotions, thoughts, and behaviors in different situations.
Social Awareness: How well students consider the perspectives of others and empathize with them.
Self-Efficacy: How much students believe they can succeed in achieving academic outcomes.
Emotion Regulation: How well students regulate their emotions
Growth Mindset: Student perceptions of whether they have the potential to change those factors that are central to their performance in school.
Supportive Relationships: How supported students feel through their relationships with friends, family, and adults at school.
These surveys are optional. If you do not wish your child to take part in the survey, please let your child's teacher and principal know by January 26, 2024.
Scarborough Public Schools values our partnership with you as we work together to prepare our students for success beyond Scarborough Public Schools. We value input from our students – and we want to hear from your child or children! If you have any questions about the survey, please don’t hesitate to contact us.
23-24 Wentworth School Yearbook Orders
SCHOOL ORDER DEADLINE APRIL 11, 2024
ONLINE DEADLINE APRIL 22, 2024
Wentworth Yearbooks are on sale now. Order forms are available in the main office. You can complete the order form with payment and return to your student’s homeroom teacher or you can order online at ybpay.com and enter the Yearbook ID Code: 11561924. Yearbooks are $16.00 and checks are made payable to Wentworth School.
Bus Driver Appreciation
The PTA is looking for gift card donations or monetary donations in order to give our bus drivers an amazing Bus Driver Appreciation event! On Tuesday, February 13th, we will be showing our love and support of the incredible bus drivers we have in our school community. In collaboration with the primary PTA, we are asking for donations in order to give each driver a special treat. $5 gift cards, cash or check made out to Wentworth PTA can be sent to school or Venmo us @Wentworth-PTA
Contact Us
*please update dismissal plans before 1:30 PM*
Email: kcrosby@scarboroughschools.org
Website: https://sites.google.com/a/scarboroughschools.org/wentworth/
Location: 20 Quentin Drive, Scarborough, ME, USA
Phone: (207)730-4600