September is Here!
September 15, 2023
Dear Families,
These first few weeks of school have been exciting here at Park Avenue!
We have welcomed over 80 new students to our school so far this year! New friendships are blossoming, old friendships have picked up where they left off, and students are doing well connecting with their new teachers.
Some highlights we have shared together in our first few weeks of school:
Our Open House was well attended and we were so excited to have family and students back in our school!
We welcomed 25 new Pre K friends to Mrs. Finnegan’s class!
Students in 5th and 6th grade had a presentation from the Band teachers, and interested students began lessons this week!
Our orchard is busy with classes visiting for a snack and to enjoy the story walk!
Our school playground had some updates with freshly painted lines on the surface!
Today students and staff celebrated “Dot Day” - our school is looking bright!
We are always looking for opportunities to invite parents and family members into our school community as volunteers. If you are interested, please reach out to your child’s classroom teacher, or contact the office to get a form.
Our first “Parent Meet & Greet Night” with PTO will be held on Tuesday, September 26th @ 5:30-6:30. We are looking forward to welcoming our Park Avenue families to engage in our school community in new ways this year!
As always, please feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns, or to make a connection. I always enjoy connecting with our Park Avenue families.
Stephanie Marris
Park Avenue, Principal
Monday, September 4th
No School - Labor Day
Tuesday, September 5th
First Day of School for Pre K!
Wednesday, September 6th
Full Day Wednesday → Dismissal @ 3:00
School Committee Meeting @ 6:00 - Auburn Hall
Wednesday, September 13th
Early Release Wednesday → Dismissal @ 1:00
Wednesday, September 20th
Early Release Wednesday → Dismissal @ 1:00
School Committee Meeting @ 6:00 - Auburn Hall
Tuesday, September 26th
Parent Meet & Greet with the Park Avenue PTO
@ 5:30 in the school library
Wednesday, September 27th
Early Release Wednesday → Dismissal @ 1:00
A Message from Mrs. Cindy Smith, Our School Counselor!
Dear Park Avenue Families,
I would like to take this opportunity to introduce myself! My name is Cindy Smith and I am the Park Avenue Elementary School Counselor. I am so excited to be part of this school family; already it is so apparent how close-knit and welcoming this community is, I feel very lucky to be part of it!
I have 23 years of combined classroom teaching and school counseling experience at the elementary level. This will be my 8th year as a school counselor in Auburn and previously I was a school counselor at Montello Elementary School in Lewiston. What I love most about the elementary level is the genuine curiosity students have in their learning and the world around them, as well as the opportunity for early intervention and support that can have a lifetime positive impact on a child.
As a School Counselor, my primary responsibility is to promote the academic, career, and social/emotional development of all students. Many times I get puzzled looks when I say I provide career development at the elementary level, but it is never too early for children to be exposed to the opportunities their futures will hold! I look forward to offering support to the Park Avenue students, staff, families, and community. I will be collaborating with teachers and staff, and consulting with community organizations to benefit and meet the needs of all students.
You may have noticed above that I put in bold and underlined the word, “all” students. Sometimes when the term “counselor” is heard, some may perceive that a counselor may only work with a select few students in a 1:1 counseling capacity, but that is not the case! School Counseling programs reach and meet the needs of all students in a school including those listed above. If you ever have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to call (207)333-6657 or email me csmith@auburnschl.edu at any time.
I am so excited to work with your children and get to know you throughout the school year!
All the best,
Cindy Smith
School Counselor
The Auburn School Department is hiring!
-Additionally, we have several openings for ed techs and tutors!
Mrs. Fecteau's class wrote a book!
Second Grade Teaching Staff!
Nutrition Information from the Auburn School Department
Greetings Students & Families!
I want to welcome you to the 2023-2024 school year! On behalf of our School Nutrition Program we are excited to be back to work providing meals for our students.
First, we are happy to affirm that all students in all schools through various state and federal programs will have access to (1) breakfast and (1) lunch available at NO COST. Because of the programs we offer our meals through traditional Free & Reduced Lunch Applications are NO LONGER required and the link to Nutri-link has been removed from our website. Families instead are requested to complete the Economic Status Form and submit to their school. This document can be accessed in PowerSchool. However, any meals (lacking fruit or vegetable) or items outside of our meal pattern will continue to be an a La Carte charge to your student’s account or will require cash. We do not allow students to accrue negative charges to reduce the financial burden on the school district. Funds can be added and monitored to student accounts through MySchoolBucks.
Breakfast and Lunch menus continue to be accessible through our digital interactive platform Mealviewer which can be accessed from our Nutrition webpage.
We are working diligently behind the scenes to do our part to support our local community while serving our students. We’ve again pledged to participate in the State of Maine’s Harvest of the Month Program at all schools highlighting one select local product at least twice a month at a minimum. In September we will be serving Fresh Corn on the Cob and Cherry Tomatoes from Blackie’s Farm. These items will be identified each month on our menus. We’ve partnered with the only pizza dough made with 100% Maine grains The Good Crust which we plan to offer at the new ELHS. In addition, last year we became involved in a Kendall Grant with the ambitious goal to develop a Marinara sauce using predominately Maine grown tomatoes which I’m excited to say we will be offering this school year.
Follow us on Facebook at Auburn School Department_Nutrition to see all of the deliciousness we’re cooking up and for all updates on menu changes and meal service. Lastly, we are hiring! Join our fun, dedicated and energetic team with a schedule that fits the school day!
Please do not hesitate to contact us with questions.
Sincerely,
Chris Piercey
School Nutrition Director
cpiercey@auburnschl.edu, 333-6658 ext. 2984
Health and Wellness Policy
Park Avenue Elementary School
Email: smarris@auburnschl.edu
Website: https://auburnschlpark.ss20.sharpschool.com/
Location: 161 Park Avenue, Auburn, ME, USA
Phone: (207) 333 - 6657
Facebook: facebook.com/Parkaveelementary