PHIPPSBURG EXPLORER'S LOG

ISSUE 25 MARCH 13, 2025

CLICK HERE to visit the PES WEBSITE

UPCOMING EVENTS

March

14 - NO SCHOOL for students/Professional Development Day

17 - St. Patrick's Day/Wear Green Day🍀

Gr. 2-5 Homework Club 3-4PM Mondays at PES

18 - SALTY Program Visits Gr. 4

19 - LAST DAY OF Gr. 1-5 Kids Theater Club 8-9:20AM

Great Start Activities 8:15AM-9:20AM

20 - Trimester Awards Assembly 2:30PM, PES Report Cards Go Home

21 - PTA PES Family 80's Neon Dance 6-7:30PM in the gym

24 - PK, K, & 1 Field Trip to Kinderconcert at MHS

24-28 - Scholastic Book Fair

27 - Parent Teacher Conferences/HALF DAY (NO SWIM), Bagged Lunch, & BOOK FAIR!

28 - HALF DAY, Grab n Go Bagged Lunch

A NOTE FROM THE PRINCIPAL

Greetings PES families,

I hope this week’s newsletter finds you all well. We had some nice spring time weather this week. On the playground, we were able to set up some of our tree cookies into fun pathways for jumping, leaping, and playing “the floor is lava.” Below are some celebrations and reminders.

Warm regards,

Nina Willette, Principal

Celebrations! 🎉

Community Readers! 📚 Last week, we had several community members visit PES to read to students in their classroom. Thank you to Mr. Nick, Dr. Manuel, Mrs. Brockett, Officer Marco and Mrs. Karasopoulos. Students at PES are well accustomed to read aloud time, and were excellent audience members for their guest readers. Thank you for creating a wonderful reading memory for all of our students.

Artist in Residency! 🎶 This week, fifth, fourth, third and second graders had the opportunity to participate in a live learning lab with Sayon Camara, a drummer and singer, who taught us about traditional West African music and storytelling, from his home village Kouya Sidia in Guinea. This event was made possible by generous community donations. Thank you to Mrs. Reed for bringing this experience to Phippsburg School.

Reminders! 📣

Remember to sign up for parent teacher conferences. This is a great time to connect with your student’s teacher and learn more about how you can support your student/s at home. It is also a great opportunity to spend time in our school and learn about all the amazing things students are working on.

We are quickly transitioning into spring weather, which means fluctuations in temperatures. Please make sure students come to school in the proper gear. While there is no snow on the playground, students may feel more comfortable in a warmer layer of snow pants. This is also a great time to send in rain gear for students, if they have it. A pair of rain paints can save clothing outside and come in handy on a day that playground equipment may be wet. Hats, gloves and mittens are encouraged for those cooler windy days.

School Attendance! 🗓️

We would like to take a moment to emphasize the crucial role that school attendance plays in your child's success. Research shows that regular attendance is directly correlated with achievements in reading, math, and social-emotional development. The more consistent our students are in attending school, the better they perform academically and socially. Regular school attendance also has a direct impact on the classroom environment.

Here are a few tips to help ensure your child arrives at school on time each day:

Establish a Routine: Set a consistent bedtime and morning routine to help your child wake up refreshed and ready for the day.
Prepare the Night Before: Pack lunches, set out clothes, and organize schoolwork the evening before to reduce morning stress.
Communicate: Talk with your child about the importance of being at school and how it helps them learn and grow.
Healthy Habits: Encourage healthy habits at home, such as cleanliness, eating well, and drinking plenty of water.
Staying Home: Don’t let your child/ren stay home unless they are truly sick. If your child is feeling anxious or stressed, contact the school for support.

Thank you for your continued support in fostering a positive learning environment for our students. Together, we can make a significant difference in their educational journey.

Best regards,

PES Staff

FEED THE TEACHERS!

Feed the teachers! Calling all parents and community members! As we gear up for parent-teacher conferences, we’d love your help in providing meals for our amazing teachers on March 27th.

P/T Conferences-Sign Up

JUMP ROPE FOR HEART

Kids Heart Challenge donations are due tomorrow! Please remember to make your final online donations. We’re having a blast getting healthier and helping kids with special hearts! Phippsburg Elementary School - Kids Heart Challenge or download the AHA Schools App!

School Choice Application

Parents choosing to send their children to a non-community school must complete this application for the 2025- 2026 school year and return it to the Superintendent’s Office, 34 Wing Farm Parkway, Bath, ME 04530. The deadline for applications is May 1st; decisions will be made in June. Decisions will be made on a first come, first served basis, pending availability of grade level slots. A separate application must be completed for each child.

1. An application is necessary for all students wishing to attend a school in RSU 1 other than the school in your town of residence.

2. Once a student is accepted at a school, the student must remain enrolled for the school year.

3. Continued placement is affirmed for subsequent years unless parents submit a new application.

4. School choice transportation is the responsibility of the parent/guardian.

PTA NEWS

The PTA is hosting a PES Family 80's Neon Dance Friday,

March 21st, in the school gym from 6-7:30PM. Wear your favorite neon 80's outfits! This event is open to Pre-K through 5th graders. All children must be accompanied by an adult. Light refreshments provided at this FREE event. Dance flyer is included in this week's Thursday folders, along with a supplies drive note.

Hannaford Helps Schools!

We are partnering with Hannaford Grocery Stores for the Hannaford Helps Schools program, running from March 16 to June 7! Through this program, shoppers will earn 3 School Dollars for every 4 participating products purchased. At checkout, customers will receive a School Dollar printout they can redeem online to donate to any school in this program.

To redeem School Dollars, all shoppers need to do is enter the unique printout code and store number on the Hannaford Helps Schools program website and select their school. Each School Dollar printout has a QR code that will bring shoppers directly to this link, ensuring that redeeming School Dollars is as easy as possible.

COMMUNITY OFFERINGS

In accordance with School Board policy, the following promotional announcements have been included at the request of the sponsoring organization because they may be of interest to students and their families. These activities are not sponsored by the school, and inclusion of these announcements does not constitute endorsement of the organizations or activities by the school.

PHIPPSBURG REC NEWS

Jen's Wooden Wonders 3-D DIY Sign

Saturday, March 29th, 3-6pm, at the Phippsburg Elementary School gym. Come paint and decorate a wooden door hanger for yourself or a gift; supplies are provided. The price is $40 per person for Phippsburg residents; $50 for non-residents, and we need a minimum of 15 people to hold the class. Participants register on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/18zY9pzCZT/?mibextid=wwXIfr. If you don’t have Facebook, or FMI, contact Amber Mixon at ambermixon54@gmail.com.

Chair Yoga

Tuesdays, March 25th, April 1, 8, 15, (skip 4/22), and April 29, 2025 from 5:30-6:30pm, cost: $75/person for Non-residents; $50/resident. Join us for a 5-week chair yoga class, focusing on stretching and breathing with Nicola Eden in the gym at the Phippsburg Elementary School. Wear comfortable exercise clothes, bring a water bottle, and chairs will be provided. Please make checks payable to: Phippsburg Recreation. Please sign up by calling or texting Tammy Doran at 607-2483 by March 18th. We have our minimum of 5 participants to hold this class.

EASTER EGG HUNT FOR PHIPPSBURG CHILDREN

The Phippsburg Recreation Committee is hosting a FREE Easter Egg Hunt and other fun activities at the school Saturday, April 19th, for children ages 0-12 years old. The fun will start with a craft at 10AM and the egg hunt begins at 11AM. Please text your name and number of children planning to attend, so we can plan quantities of eggs/prizes: Tammy at 207-607-2483 or

Amber M. at 207-522-7593. Remember to bring your own basket and all children must be accompanied by an adult. See below for details.