MASSABESIC HIGH SCHOOL

RSU 57 & Massabesic High School

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

Hello Mustang Nation,

We have no passed through two weeks in our school year and two weeks in the new academic schedule. I continue to be impressed by our student population and their efforts to learn the new schedule and adapt to small tweaks that have been made to make the days run smoothly.

Safety Drills: We have also conducted several safety drills since the beginning of the year and a few unexpected safety procedures (Hold In Place) which allowed our students and staff to demonstrate their understanding and compliance with our safety protocols in real situations. Many thanks to our students and staff for their focus and respect during these real situations.

Warmer Weather: We have a great week of weather ahead with slightly warmer than normal temperatures in the early going - as students like to remind me each September and each June, we do not have air conditioning at MHS, therefore proper hydration and dressing in cooler/light materials will be important in this coming week.

USM Visiting: Representatives from USM will be on campus on Tuesday, Sept. 17 at 10:15 to meet with interested students - please see Mrs. Proctor in the Guidance Office for more information.

Update on Student Performance with Cell Phone/Technology Policy: As a reminder, this is NOT A NEW POLICY, however we have renewed our efforts to help students differentiate between times when their focus should be on their academics and engagement with staff, and times when their focus can be elsewhere. In the first two weeks of school we have observed the majority of our student population obeying this policy. As of Friday, September 13 we had 37 our ~900 students in the school who had violated the policy and had received their first warning and their first recorded offense. Of those 37, 7 students had violated the policy for a second time. And of those 7, 2 students recorded their third violation of the policy and were placed on technology restrictions. I believe these numbers in the early go are solid indication that our student population understands the expectations and has the ability to consistently meet those expectations. As a reminder, I strongly believe that this policy reflects and respects the following components that are vital to effective and positive school operation:

Finally, the list of offenses and consequences are listed below:

• Teacher Intervention

• 1st Offense - Warning, the student puts device(s) away, teacher contacts home and confirms response from the parent by email or telephone call and documents.

• 2nd Offense - Device(s) confiscated, given back at end of the period, teacher contacts home and confirms response from the parent by email or telephone call and documents.

• Office Intervention

• 3rd Offense - Device(s) confiscated, teacher emails office administrator, the device(s) sent to the office, a parent contacted, the student picks up the device(s) at the end of the day

• After the third offense, consequences may include: device(s) confiscated, parents required to pick up the phone, parent conference and discussion/action plan regarding future discipline which may include detention, device(s) turned into office at beginning of day/picked up after school, loss of device(s) privilege, and/or further discipline including full technology/device(s) restriction.

As a reminder, our upcoming week will follow the GREEN & WHITE day schedule below:

Monday 9/16 - WHITE

Tuesday 9/17 - GREEN

Wednesday 9/18 - WHITE

Thursday 9/19 - GREEN

Friday 9/120 - WHITE

Take care,

-Mr. Thurlow

Mr. Labbe, our Coach of Culture & Accountability, and many intterested students have begun a campaign this school year of 'blasting joy' all over our campus. They began today with an unexpected and unnanounced 'JOY BLAST' for Mr. Poulin. Please check out the awesome video below. The next logical question, of course, is who will get the next blast of joy in their day?!?! Stay tuned!

Do you plan to apply to a 4-year college? Does the college you plan to apply to require the SAT? If any of your colleges' admission requirements include the SAT, now is the time to register for the test. How do you check on your college's admissions requirements? Admissions requirements can be found on each college's admissions webpage - and these requirements can slightly vary from college to college.

SAT Test Registration Information

Students register themselves for the SAT test at https://satsuite.collegeboard.org/sat and the cost is $68.

If the student qualifies for an SAT fee waiver, the attached form needs to be signed by the parent/guardian and returned to Ms. Deborah Curtis in the guidance office.

IMPORTANT: Students interested in taking the SAT should read the information on the SAT website.

https://bluebook.collegeboard.org/students/download-bluebook

The SAT is now digital and some of the information on how to prepare for the SAT test has changed.

Colby Dyer, Class of 2025, was sworn into the United Stated Coast Guard on Tuesday, September 10, 2024. Colby has enlisted in the USCG through the delayed entry program. After graduation he will head off to boot camp. Parents Kelly & Dale Dyer shared "His Dad and I are very proud of him for choosing his own path into this branch. How awesome to have both of our sons who graduated from Massabesic to serve our country." Awesome, indeed! (Caleb Dyer, Class of 2023, serves in the U.S. Navy)

Attention Students & Parents/Guardians,

School pictures are ready! To order, log in to your account on mylifetouch.com or create an account using your student's student ID number. All families can also log on and order a FREE Digital SmileSafe card. More about the Smilesafe program here.

Picture makeups are scheduled for Tuesday, October 15.

The letter is linked below, provided in PDF format, and in photos as well.

The 2024 Shaker Hill Apple Festival is looking for volunteers! They are looking for the following dates and times:

Thursday, September 19th from 1 PM to 7 PM to help set up the festival. The volunteering does not have to start promptly at 1 PM, students can arrive later if needed for transportation.

Friday, September 20th from 1 PM to 7 PM to help set up the festival. The volunteering does not have to start promptly at 1 PM, students can arrive later if needed for transportation.

Saturday, September 21st from 10 AM to 4 PM to help support throughout the event.

Sunday, September 22nd from 10 AM to 3 PM to help support throughout the event or students can arrive at 3 PM to 7 PM to help break down and clean up from the festival.

If you are interested, please contact Jeannette Montgomery at jamontgomery@live.com or call Bonnie Leslie at 207-324-1137, ext. 109.

Dear Families,

We’re going all around the world in 2026 and you’re invited! We are traveling on a WWII specific tour as well as a Peru tour!

We’re excited to tell you more about the trips we’re planning with EF Tours, our educational travel partner. We will have a meeting on September 17th at 5:30 pm in the MHS Auditorium. Please be sure to register for this info session to be considered for this opportunity: https://bit.ly/4dD2y0P

February Vacation 2026 - WWII to England and France Enrollment Page

April Vacation 2026:Peru: Land of the Inca Enrollment Page

In this info session, we’ll talk about:

• How this opportunity will benefit your student
• What we’ll see and do on our trip
• Everything that’s included in this experience
• How your child can earn academic credit
• How we’re keeping this safe and affordable
• How to enroll on this trip (before it fills up!) during EF’s risk-free enrollment period

When: September 17th at 5:30 pm

Where: MHS Auditorium

There are limited spots on these trips, so we would love to have you attend this meeting to learn more about this exciting opportunity!

Thanks,

Katherine Carroll

katherinecarroll@rsu57.org

Calling All Businesses, Industries, & Community Partners!

Massabesic High School is hosting an Annual Career Fair on October 23, 2024, from 7:30-11:30 am in the school’s gymnasium.

Our goal is to inspire the youth in our community to be Career and College ready. It is important for students to explore different career fields in a variety of interest areas or even explore options they have not yet considered. The Annual Career Fair enables students to connect with local companies and helps spread the word about your company and job openings.

We cordially invite you to be a part of this great event. If you are able to join us, you will be responsible for running a booth and discussing with students your workday and the skills and education needed to be successful in your particular career field. If you have any flyers or job postings available, ‌this would be a great opportunity to bring them.

If you are interested in representing your business, please complete the form linked here.

Please feel free to email Marianne Stephenson if you have any questions mariannestephenson@rsu57.org.

• Student Parking Stickers now available! Students can see Mrs. Renaud Tuesday - Friday of next week, 7:30 - 1:30, in the High School Main Office to get your sticker.

• Please bring the completed parking form document with you.

• Any student who gets their sticker during this week prior to school will be entered into a raffle - Grand Prize $25.00 Applebee's gift card

Registration for MHS Athletics is now open.

Please visit ParentVUE at:

https://me-wat-psv.edupoint.com/Home_PXP2.aspx

then click on Online Registration in upper right corner, and then select 2024-25 Athletics Registration

Tuesday, September 17 - Culture Club Informational Meeting @ 5:30 pm

Monday, September 23 - Saturday, September 28 - Homecoming Week

Saturday, September 28 - Homecoming Dance

Tuesday, October 15 - Picture Retake Day

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):