Whittier Wire

June 1, 2024

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Upcoming Events:

June 3: Grade 8 Step-Up Day
June 5: Band & Chorus Concert
June 12: Grade 8 Field Trip
June 12: Grade 7 Community Day
June 13: Grade 8 Promotion Ceremony 6:00pm
June 14: Last Day

RSU 16 Calendar

RSU 16 Budget Validation Referendum

June 11, 2024

Polls open 8AM - 8PM

Town Voting Locations

The Book Fair is open through Monday!

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Grade 8 Field Trip

On Wednesday, June 12th our 8th grade is headed to Camp Connor in Poland to celebrate the end of the year. The permission slip didn't make it home on Friday; students will receive them on Monday.

How to get involved:

Volunteer - Come join us at Camp Connor! We need help assisting in activities and passing out snacks. We have a great group of students - this will be a fun day! To sign up reach out to Kelly Adams at kadams@rsu16.org.

Donate Snacks and Refreshments - We are looking for prepackaged snacks and refreshments to supplement the lunch which will be provided. No homemade goods, please. Items may be dropped off at the office anytime up until June 12th.

Thank you for your support - we appreciate your help and participation!

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Grade 8 Promotion Ceremony

The Grade 8 Promotion Celebration will take place on Thursday, June 13th at 6:00pm on the PRHS football field.

The program is an opportunity to recognize our students before they move on to high school. Students will enter the field with their Roundtable groups. There will be some brief remarks from student representatives and staff, and all students will receive certificates. We will close out the program with final remarks from a student and then ice cream will be available at the snack shack. The program is usually about an hour long.

Students will be seated on the field. Please make sure they arrive by 5:45pm. Families will sit in the bleachers. Many also choose to stand along the outside of the fence.

Students may choose to dress up or wear casual clothing. We understand that some students do not feel comfortable participating in this sort of ceremony. It is certainly up to you and your family if you wish to have them participate, but it is very low key and has been a very nice time together in the past.

If it rains, we will likely move the program to the high school gym.

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Mrs. Shanning: MidKnight FireSlayer Cook-off

The MidKnight FireSlayers completed their last class at the station and are now anxiously preparing for the 10th annual MidKnight FireSlayer Cook-off! Our theme this year is "Nacho Average Cook-Off"! Judges will be served a main dish and a dessert both with this theme in mind. The MidKnight FireSlayers will be broken into groups (Dessert, Main Dish, Decor, and Food Presentation) and partnered with staff from the department and Mrs. Shanning and Mrs. Wight as they work together to create these culinary masterpieces. They will compete against 3 Whittier Staff Members and top notch cooks, Mrs. Goss, Ms. Adler, and Mrs. Patenaude (a.k.a: Team Old School). The competition is intense! Which team will win the coveted "Golden Spoon"? Can the MidKnight FireSlayers maintain their title?

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Get Everyone Outside Initiative

Whittier has received the materials purchased with our Mini-Grant from the Maine Environmental Education Association (MEEA). The materials were purchased to create mobile outdoor classrooms for all subject areas. Teachers can sign out materials for a class and move class instruction outdoors to support teachers in incorporating more outdoor learning opportunities for students at our school as part of our district-wide G.E.O. ("Get Everyone Outdoors") initiative. We are excited about the opportunity to take our learning outdoors!

Ms. Adler: Writing Class

Ms. Adler's 8th grade Writing classes are completing Narrative Poems for their Poetry Unit Summative Assessment. These poems are being written with the rising 7th grade students in mind, and focus on the spirit and culture of Whittier Middle School. Here are two that will be posted on Step-Up Day. Be sure to ask your students about their summative poem! They are pretty awesome!

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Mrs. Martin: From the Counselor's Corner

On this final day of Mental Health Awareness month, I would like to focus on dealing with CHANGE. As the end of the school year approaches, Whittier students are navigating a lot of changes. You may notice your children appearing more irritable, nervous, on edge, and/or complaining more than usual. Emotional outbursts may be more frequent. This is typical with many teens who are anticipating change. How can you respond?

Listen without judgment. Let them express freely and validate that change can lead to all kinds of emotions. It is okay to feel what they feel!
Reassure them that the unsettled feelings are temporary. After they walk through the change they will likely find balance again.
Let them know you will plan with them and do all that you can do to support them as they transition.
Remind them of past successful transitions and how they met the challenge.
Consider sharing Abraham Maslow's quote: In any given moment we have two options: to step forward into growth or step back into safety.

Please don't hesitate to be in touch if I can help in any way to support your child as the school year winds down.

Thank you!