MASSABESIC HIGH SCHOOL

RSU 57 & Massabesic High School

"Preparing students for success in an ever-changing world."

Hello Mustang Nation,

My apologies that this newsletter is so late in its publication. I have been out of the office with an illness that has befallen my entire household - I hope that you and yours can be spared the virus making their way through our communities!

***Please note that Semester 1 ends on Friday, January 24 and we will conduct a Finals Week from Tuesday, January 21-24. Finals week begins on Tuesday, January 21 is a GREEN DAY (see schedule below)

***Semester 2 begins on Monday, January 27 as a Green Day. A full schedule of the Finals Week is located below in the newsletter.

As a reminder, our upcoming week will follow the Green/White color rotation schedule below:

Monday 01/13 - GREEN

Tuesday 01/14 - WHITE

Wednesday 01/15 - GREEN

Thursday 01/16 - WHITE

Friday 01/17 - GREEN

Take care,

-Mr. Thurlow

Winter illnesses are upon us! As a reminder, your child must be kept home for 24 hours from the last episode of vomiting and/or diarrhea and must be 24 hours fever-free without the use of fever-reducing medication (IE: Tylenol or Ibuprofen). This is VERY important especially this time of year where illnesses are spreading like wildfire and it is RSU 57 district policy. Your child will be sent home if it is reported to the Nurse or found that they are outside of these parameters or are at school ill. If you have any questions regarding whether your child should return to school or stay home, please do not hesitate to reach out to Nurse Kayla!

Senior Isabelle Guillemette was recently recognized for her accomplishments in the Cumberland County 4-H organization for 2023-2024. Isabelle earned awards for Outstanding Achievement at the county level for Excellence in Visual Arts, Excellence in Quiz Bowl, Excellence in Dairy, Excellence in Community Service, Excellence in Agriculture, Excellence in Personal Development, Excellence in Veterinary Science, Leadership, & Lamp of Knowledge. Truly outstanding from one of MHS's finest! Congratulations Isabelle!

Where: St. Joseph’s College, Standish, ME

When: May 15-18, 2025

Cost: Free – but families are responsible for transportation to and from the event.

Who is eligible? One sophomore from every public and private high school in Maine.

What is it? Since 1980, Maine Youth Leadership (MYL) has worked with Maine youth to seek out, recognize, and develop their leadership skills. Each year, more than 120 high school sophomores from all across Maine participate in this energetic event that this year will occur on the St. Joseph’s College campus. Throughout the event, students will have access to the beautiful facilities on campus, living in the dormitories and eating in the cafeteria - as well as socializing with peers from across Maine. For more information, check out the MYL website:https://www.maineyouthleadership.org/

What do I do if I am a sophomore at MHS who is interested in this opportunity? You need to complete the application below. One sophomore ambassador and an alternate (in case the ambassador cannot attend) will be chosen to represent MHS at the 2025 Leadership Seminar. Applications must be returned to Mrs. Curtis in the guidance office by Friday, January 17, 2025. Applicants will be notified by 01/24/25, if they are chosen to represent MHS at this event and will then need to complete the registration paperwork with parent/guardian assistance by 01/31/25.

Parsons Memorial Library (located at 27 Saco Rd. in Alfred) is sponsoring another activity night for area teens! Check out the flyer below:

Dear Champions of Education,

The Maine Department of Education (DOE) is encouraging school administrative units (SAUs) to share the Maine Family Engagement Survey with parents and caregivers. This survey was developed by the Consortium for Engaging Families Across Maine (CEFAM), which works directly with the Maine DOE, communities, and key partner organizations — including the Maine Parent Federation and the Maine Community Action Partnership — to implement educational excellence, culturally-responsive family engagement, and equity.

CEFAM was established by the Mid-Atlantic Equity Consortium (MAEC) through a five-year Statewide Family Engagement Centers (SFEC) program grant. The Maine DOE has been collaborating with MAEC since the start of this grant in late 2021. SFEC grants provide financial support to organizations that offer technical assistance and training to state educational agencies in the implementation and enhancement of systemic and effective family engagement policies, programs, and activities.

As with many grants, SFEC requires receiving organizations to gather robust and comprehensive feedback. To do so, CEFAM has developed the Maine Family Engagement Survey and is working to administer it to parents and caregivers throughout the state by February 1, 2025. To make sharing of the survey simple, MAEC has provided suggested letters in six languages that can be downloaded to share with families.

Details about the survey:

• 5-10 minutes to complete
• Available in English, Spanish, French, Brazilian Portuguese, Somali, and Arabic
• Open to ALL Maine parents and caregivers

MAEC will review, develop, and share a report of the aggregate data as soon as the goal of 1,000 survey responses is reached. Feedback from parents and caregivers will be used to improve the programs and services that support Maine children’s success in school. Parents and caregivers have extremely busy lives, so as a thank you for their input, parents and caregivers who participate in the survey will be entered to win a $50 gift card!

The Maine DOE appreciates any feedback about how CEFAM can best advocate for family engagement success. You may provide additional insight by emailing CEFAM@maec.org. Thank you in advance for helping to identify the needs of families across Maine.

Sent December 20, 2024

Monday, January 13 - SRTC Applications Open

Monday, January 20 - Martin Luther King Jr. Day (School Closed)

Tuesday, January 22 - Early Release Day

Tuesday, January 21 - Friday, January 24: Finals Week

Monday, January 26 - Start of Semester 2

Tuesday, January 27 - Friday, February 7: Add/Drop for S2

Saturday, February 8 - Winter Ball

February 17 - 21: Winter Break (School Closed)

You are always welcome to call our Maine Office at (207) 247-3141, schedule a meeting, or email members of our administrative team members directly (emails listed below):