Wentworth School Family News

This month students are voting with RESPECT Tokens to decide if October's Spirit Day will be Black and Orange Day or Costume Day on Friday, October 25.

Friday, October 4 - Club Registration Opens at 6 AM - see below for more information

Wednesday, October 9 from 5-6 PM - PTA Meeting in the Wentworth Learning Commons: join us! **Rescheduled with apologies from Wednesday, October 2**

Friday, October 11 - No School for Students: Staff Professional Development Day

Monday, October 14 - No School recognizing Indigenous Peoples' Day

Wednesday, October 16 - October Early Release at 1:45

2024-2025 Scarborough Public Schools Calendar

Reach out with any questions, and let us know how we can help.

Wentworth students love the opportunity to participate in Clubs, and this year the selection is better than ever! We have 695 slots open, enough for all of our students to participate in a Club activity. In an effort to make the sign-up process more equitable and increase accessibility for all students, we added a new feature to improve our Club sign-ups called Special Circumstances Pre-Registration. Pre-registration was opened 9/26-10/3 and is now closed. If you pre-registered due to a special circumstance, we will be in touch soon if more information is required.

Here is a reminder of the timeline that was also shared last week:

24-25 Club Sign Up Timeline

• Thursday, September 26: Club Catalog published in Family News. A pre-enrollment form is included for families with special circumstances.
• Thursday, October 3: catalog rerun in Family News with a reminder that Club sign-ups will begin the next day. Pre-enrollment for families with special circumstances closes at 3:00 PM.
• Friday, October 4: sign-ups open via Family ID/Arbiter at 6 AM (first come, first served based on space and availability; waitlist available as needed).
• Friday, October 18: Club sign-ups close at 6 AM
• Clubs begin the week of October 29, 2024

We ask that students sign up for one session for each club they are interested in. As space allows, we will communicate openings to additional sessions for interested students. You can sign up for a different club each session if you want to and if space allows. If you are a new user of Arbiter, you can create an account ahead of time at: https://account.students.arbitersports.com/signup.

May the odds be ever in your favor! Just a joke - it's going to be great! We love Club Season!

Please check in with your Wentworth student about if they need an extra snack or two to keep them satisfied throughout the day. We are finding an increasing number of students who are accessing the clinic, cafeteria, teachers and friends for a snack to have at snack time.

Some students forget to pack a snack, some students eat all of their snack at lunch and don't have one for their afternoon snack time, some students just don't like what they have and would prefer to see what else is available! If a student has an afterschool activity, including aftercare, please pack an extra snack. If your family is facing food insecurity or need some assistance, please email Brenda Franklin in Food Services completely confidentially to discuss how we can help. Her email is bfranklin@scarboroughschools.org

Whatever the reason, we want to make sure no one is hungry at school. Thanks for checking in with your child, and let us know if we can help.

Two things have been coming up recently and we need your help:

1. Please, park in the parking lot if you need to enter school. I know it is a bit of a walk from the parking lot, but the bus loop is our fire lane. When parents and visitors park in the bus lane, even just to "run in quickly" it causes a safety issue. We had an unexpected alarm recently (there was no emergency, it was a false alarm) and the fire engines had to navigate several cars in the bus loop picking up for early dismissals. Please park in the lot if you are entering school for any reason.

2. If you need to get a message to your child, please contact the office and/or your child's teacher. We are working hard to support a cell phone/smartwatch free school day with our students, and the biggest challenge we are navigating is...sorry...parents. If a student is tempted to peek at their cellphone in their locker, or access a watch as a smart device and not as a watch, it is more than 9 out of 10 times because "my mom/dad texted me to not take the bus, I am a pick up now." The very biggest help you can be is to communicate with your child ahead of time. Please plan ahead whenever possible and tell them the day before, and then remind them in the morning. If you must change plans, please contact the office and/or your child's teacher. We need to know the plan anyway.

We appreciate your support!

Consider celebrating National Walk and Bike to School Day on October 9th by walking or biking to school! You can walk or bike the whole way or a part of the way, everything counts. If you typically drive to drop off or pick up at school, you can use the parking lot at the Rock Church and walk to school from there. The route is approximately half a mile and should take approximately 15 minutes. Check-in with your neighbors and friends - it's even more fun in a group. If you are walking, take the opportunity to remind your student of safe walking and biking skills and if you choose to drive, please be extra aware of people on foot.

This national initiative encourages independence, physical activity, safety, and environmental awareness by fostering healthy habits, reducing traffic, and decreasing pollution. This is a grassroots effort, not supervised by or affiliated with Wentworth or Scarborough Public Schools, and participation is at your own risk and at the discretion of parents and caregivers. This initiative also highlights the need for safe routes through our neighborhoods and to our schools and strengthens community connections. Walking and biking promote fun and movement before the school day even starts. Don't be afraid to get creative: walking, skipping, jogging, biking, scooters, skateboard, roller blades (don't forget other shoes!), wheelchair, a unicycle all count.

National Walk and Bike to School Day is Wednesday, October 9, 2024, but you can walk any day!

Walking to school improves physical health, boosts mental well-being, fosters independence, and

strengthens community connections. It also encourages outdoor time, enhancing kids' mood and

focus through the school day.

¿Hablas español? ¿Sabías que es fácil caminar hasta Wentworth, la Escuela Secundaria y la

Escuela Preparatoria utilizando las aceras a lo largo de Gorham Road?

El Día Nacional de Caminar y Andar en Bicicleta a la Escuela es el miércoles 9 de octubre de

2024, ¡pero puedes caminar cualquier día!

Caminar a la escuela mejora la salud física, refuerza el bienestar mental, fomenta la

independencia y fortalece las conexiones comunitarias. Además, anima a los niños a pasar tiempo

al aire libre, mejorando su estado de ánimo y enfoque durante el día escolar.

Fala português? Você sabia que é fácil caminhar até a Wentworth, a Escola Secundária e o

Ensino Médio utilizando as calçadas ao longo da Gorham Road?

O Dia Nacional de Caminhar e Pedalar para a Escola é na quarta-feira, 9 de outubro de 2024,

mas você pode caminhar em qualquer dia!

Caminhar para a escola melhora a saúde física, aumenta o bem-estar mental, promove a

independência e fortalece as conexões comunitárias. Também incentiva o tempo ao ar livre,

melhorando o humor e o foco das crianças ao longo do dia escolar.

Parles-tu français? Saviez-vous qu'il est facile de se rendre à pied à Wentworth, au collège et au

lycée en utilisant les trottoirs le long de Gorham Road ?

La Journée nationale de la marche et du vélo pour aller à l'école a lieu le mercredi 9 octobre

2024, mais vous pouvez marcher tous les jours !

Marcher pour aller à l'école améliore la santé physique, renforce le bien-être mental, favorise

l'indépendance et renforce les liens communautaires. Cela encourage également les enfants à

passer du temps à l'extérieur, améliorant leur humeur et leur concentration tout au long de la

journée scolaire.

The Wentworth PTA is proudly sponsoring a drink and snack bar for the first staff day of the school year, Friday Oct. 11th. Please consider donating so we can provide all kinds of great goodies! Venmo:@Wentworth-PTA

Our apologies for having to reschedule the October PTA meeting from October 2 to October 9. Please join us from 5-6 PM in the Wentworth Learning Commons next Wednesday - and we will really be there this time!

Wentworth will be having an influenza vaccination clinic on Wednesday 10/23/24 We will be partnering with Northern Light Home Care & Hospice to provide this clinic to our students.

Please click on the link below and complete the consent form by Wednesday 10/16/24. You must

complete all starred fields. Although the vaccine is provided at no charge, there is a cost to administer the vaccine. We appreciate it if you include accurate insurance information. There is no out of pocket cost and those without insurance will be vaccinated with the appropriate form completed. Children presenting with an incomplete form will not receive their vaccine.

Sign up for Wentworth School Flu Clinic HERE

✓ You will be notified if there is a change in the planned dates of school flu clinics.

✓ The Vaccine Information Sheets are included in the link after the consent form. Please take a

minute to read these.

✓ If you need a translated form or are unable to complete an electronic form, please let the school

nurse know and we will send a paper form home.

All clinics will have injectable vaccines. In addition, FluMist (nasal spray) may be available at some

clinics. We cannot guarantee it for all clinics. Unless you clearly mark which type of vaccine you

prefer, and there is no contraindication to either type of vaccine, the nurse at the clinic will determine which type of vaccine to use for your child.

For information about flu and the vaccine go to www.maineflu.gov or copy and paste this link to your browser:

https://www.maine.gov/doe/vaccine/toolkit/sections/2.2%20SLVC%202014-2015FactSheet.pdf

For questions about the flu vaccine, call Maine Center for Disease Control & Prevention (Maine CDC) at 1-800-867-4775, Monday through Friday, 9 am – 5 pm.

For questions about the vaccine clinics at our school, please call the school health office at 207-730-4610.

Thank you,

Kelli Crosby

Principal

Please be sure to complete the Health Screen & Permission form on the link above!

Email: kcrosby@scarboroughschools.org
Website: www.wentworth.scarboroughschools.org
Location: 20 Quentin Drive, Scarborough, ME, USA
Phone: (207)730-4600