09.20.24 - Community Newsletter
Fiancée
Dear Parents,
As we embark on a new school year filled with opportunities for growth and learning, one of the most powerful tools you can give your child is a consistent, healthy sleep routine. Let's explore why sleep is crucial for academic success and how you can help your child develop good sleep habits.
The Impact of Sleep on Academic Performance
1. Enhanced Learning and Memory
Adequate sleep allows your child's brain to consolidate information learned during the day. This means:
- Better retention of classroom material
- Improved problem-solving skills
- Enhanced creativity and critical thinking
2. Increased Focus and Attention
Well-rested children are more likely to:
- Stay alert during lessons
- Participate actively in class discussions
- Complete homework more efficiently
3. Emotional Regulation and Social Skills
Proper sleep contributes to:
- Better mood management
- Reduced irritability and emotional outbursts
- Improved social interactions with peers and teachers
4. Physical Health and Development
Quality sleep is essential for:
- Proper growth and development
- A stronger immune system
- Better overall health, leading to fewer sick days
Practical Tips for Improving Your Child's Sleep Routine
- Establish a Consistent Bedtime:
- Set a fixed bedtime and wake-up time, even on weekends.
- Gradually adjust bedtime earlier if needed, by 15 minutes every few days.
- Create a Relaxing Bedtime Routine:
- Start 30-60 minutes before bedtime.
- Include calming activities like reading, gentle stretching, or quiet conversation.
- Optimize the Sleep Environment:
- Ensure the bedroom is cool, quiet, and dark.
- Make the setting comfortable.
- Limit Screen Time:
- Establish a "screen curfew" at least an hour before bedtime.
- Keep devices out of the bedroom overnight.
- Monitor Diet and Exercise:
- Avoid caffeine and large meals close to bedtime.
- Encourage regular physical activity.
- Lead by Example:
- Demonstrate good sleep habits yourself.
- Create a family culture that values and prioritizes sleep.
- Address Anxiety and Stress:
- Discuss school concerns openly.
- Teach simple relaxation techniques like deep breathing.
- Be Consistent and Patient:
- Stick to the routine, even when it's challenging.
- Remember that forming new habits takes time.
The Bottom Line
By prioritizing your child's sleep, you're setting them up for academic success and overall well-being. A well-rested child is more likely to enjoy school, engage in learning, and reach their full potential.
Remember, every child is unique, so be prepared to adjust these strategies to fit your family's needs. If sleep issues persist, don't hesitate to consult with your pediatrician.
Here's to a year of sweet dreams and even sweeter success!
References:
Mindell, J. A., & Williamson, A. A. (2017). Benefits of a bedtime routine in young children: Sleep, development, and wellbeing.
Mayo Clinic Health System Staff. (2023). Sleep: Essential for children.
C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital National Poll on Children’s Health (2024). Getting Young Children to Bed: Sweet Dreams or Nightmare?
We are happy to welcome visitors to the Brunswick Superintendent's Office at our new location on 20 Barrows St., and there is ample parking. During school hours we ask that you refrain from parking in the bus lane that runs in front of the building closest to the canopy in front of the building.
Directly across from the building, there are regular parking spots as well as handicapped spaces. There is also a larger parking lot just off Columbia Ave. with plenty of spaces available. Remember to utilize the crosswalks when crossing the bus lane!
From Stacy Frizzle-Edgerton: They’ve flown the nest!
September is a month of transitions, summer turning into fall, baby birds leaving the nest and kids returning to school. We’ve experienced these trends at both my house and the People Plus Center, although this year the transitions have seemed a little more difficult.
At the end of last month, I drove my 19-year-old daughter Juliet back to college in Virginia. Her big sister Daphne rode along to help with the driving, so she and Juliet got a couple days of really good sister time before we left Virginia. I was of course sad about leaving Juliet, so it was really lovely on the way back for me to have so much time with my 24-year-old. Daphne helped to soften the blow of sending her youngest sister back to college.
We’ve been empty nesters since January 2023, so the adjustment to Juliet leaving shouldn’t be difficult this year. Right?!? Especially as I know she is on her life path and is right where she should be, yet I don’t think it has really quite sunk in that she’s not just upstairs in her bedroom! I suspect that in a week or so when the silence in the house is deafening, my feelings of having an empty nest will take flight.
Her departure has been compounded by the fact that when I got back from Virginia, we moved the Teen Center Program out of the People Plus building and into Coffin School. So ALL the kids in my life are gone. Which means that all of you who use the People Plus Center are empty nesters too – right along with me!
All those kids that used to be upstairs every afternoon, that came to the ice cream social last month, that played basketball outside all the time, that raised veggies in the herb garden, and parked themselves outside the building over the weekend to use the wi-fi — all those kids will be at Coffin School and not in our building anymore. And again, I know this is the best thing for them and we are going to serve so many more children, yet it makes me sad that I’ll no longer hear their pounding feet and squeals of laughter above my office. And I will miss them!
And just like with my own children taking flight, the transition for the Teen Center to a new space has been a long time coming. We have spent years looking at different options, trying to figure out where they could go with easy school access, a larger space, bathrooms, and an outside recreational area. And we finally found it!
Thanks to the generosity of Phil Potenziano, the Brunswick School Department superintendent, as well as the support of both the junior high and the high school principals, AND the school board — we have been given permission to move into two classrooms in the former Coffin School. It abuts Brunswick Junior High School, so it will be fantastic for the kids!
And, hopefully, that huge accomplishment will overshadow the empty-nester melancholy that the staff and I will have.
Because we know the kids are going to love it! And that’s what really matters in the long run. Leaving their second-floor space at the Center may be a little challenging for our longtime regular attendees; however, there will be so many new kids attending the program at Coffin School who have never seen the Teen Center anywhere else, that I think it’s going to feel like home in just a few short weeks. Soon enough, they’ll be pounding down the hallway from the junior high, throwing down their backpacks, grabbing snacks, chatting with friends and asking “What are we having for dinner”? It’s been that way for 19 years and we don’t see that changing anytime soon.
I was talking to Jordan Cardone-Ruwet, our former, 18-year Teen Center Coordinator and I think she feels a little melancholy, too. She remembers moving into this building in 2010 and now 14 years later, we are moving again. “Each time it gets a little better and I can’t wait to see what the next decade holds for the expansion of the Teen Center program”, said Jordan.
It all started as a little idea that the board of People Plus adopted at a time when the organization had no space to share and no money to use for the kids. And 19 years later, it’s still going strong and is on the cusp of a new era.
I guess that’s what happens when you push the baby birds out of the nest and challenge them to fly. They usually soar high into the sky.
Stacy Frizzle-Edgerton is executive editor of People Plus in Brunswick. (This article originally appeared in the Times Record)
Miss the Drug Take Back Day in April? Don't want to wait for the next Drug Take Back Day in October? Cleaning out your cabinets?
The Brunswick Police Department has a Drug/Prescription Drop Box in their lobby that is accessible for dropping off expired and unused medications. Medicine take back options are the best way to safely dispose of unused or expired prescription and nonprescription (for example, over the counter) medicines.
Before disposing of prescription medicines, be sure to remove all personal information on pill bottle labels and medicine packaging. All of your medicines dropped off at the take back locations will be destroyed.
These collection sites safely and securely gather and dispose of your unused or expired medicines, including those that contain controlled substances and pet medications.
COVID-19/Respiratory Virus Protocol
In 2024-25, the Brunswick School Department will again be following the USCDC COVID-19/ Respiratory Virus Protocol. The protocol specifies that anyone who is sick with any respiratory illness should stay home and away from others for 24 hours, until their symptoms are improving, and until they do not have a fever. The full protocol can be found at brunswicksd.org/page/covid-19-response.
Flu/COVID Clinic
BSD will not be holding community Flu/COVID-19 clinics this year. Flu and COVID-19 vaccinations are readily available. The district will provide information on locations offering these vaccines as we learn of them.
Caitlin Bilodeau
Educational Technician at Kate Furbish School
Caitlin grew up in Auburn, ME and graduated from Edward Little High School. She is engaged and has two kids.
What do you like to do outside of work for fun?
I love to go to the ocean with my family, and love being outside in nature with my kids.
What makes you proud to work in Brunswick? #BSDProud
I am so proud to be part of such an inclusive community that prioritizes the best interest for all children.
Favorite line from a movie?
Just keep swimming, just keep swimming
If you could meet anyone, living or dead, who would you meet?
Taylor Swift
What is something you learned in the last week?
I learned that stepping outside of my comfort zone could lead me to great opportunities in life.
Open Employment Positions:
- First Team Girls Soccer Coach - Brunswick High School
- Special Education Resource Room Teacher - Kate Furbish
- Long Term Substitute Ed Tech - Kate Furbish
- Long Term Substitute Ed Tech - Junior High
- Long Term Substitute Ed Tech -Brunswick High School
- Long Term Substitute 1st Grade - Kate Furbish
- Long Term Substitute for Resource Room - Junior High
- Self Contained Behavior Ed Tech - Brunswick High School
- Self Contained Behavior Ed Tech - Harriet Beecher
- Special Education Ed Tech - Kate Furbish
- School Psychologist - District
- Mechanic
- School Bus Drivers
- Apprentice/Ed Tech I & Bus Aide
- Bus Aides
- Substitute Teachers, Bus Drivers, Van Drivers, & Custodians
- ...And MORE!
We're hiring for multiple positions. Visit our website to view
all current employment opportunities!
If you are currently not receiving the Community Newsletter
and would like to, email Billie Jo Wallace to be added to our distribution list!
You can view previous newsletters on our website!
If you are currently not receiving the Community Newsletter and would like to, or if you would like to unsubscribe from the newsletter email Billie Jo Wallace at bwallace@brunswicksd.org