Wentworth School Family News

Monday, March 3 - 12:00 PM Volunteer Training Join Zoom Meeting

Wednesday, March 5 - Early Release at 1:45 PM

Spring Music Concerts for 3rd & 4th Grade Music Students - 6:00 PM on the Wentworth Stage

• Green Learning Community: TBD - will communicate ASAP
• Tuesday, 3/11: Purple Learning Community
• Wednesday, 3/12: Blue Learning Community

Friday, March 14 - No School for Students: Staff Only PD Day

Monday, March 10 - Conference Sign Ups begin in Conference Manager (see below)

March 25 - April 4 - Spring Conferences

2024-2025 Scarborough Public Schools Calendar

Welcoming our students to school brings us joy each and every day, but following a day like yesterday, this morning was extra special. Thank you for your continued trust; we love our Wentworth students and I know with my whole heart that Wentworth teachers are exactly the people you want caring for your kids in your absence. They are unbelievable humans - professional, compassionate, smart, and highly effective. We deeply appreciate the many warm gestures of support we have received from so many today - thank you!

Here is a link to my communication yesterday including the Press Conference event summary. The purpose of this communication is to share about our transition back to school today, provide some additional context that we have come to know, and look ahead with optimism.

We have enjoyed a “Fabulous Friday” at Wentworth, and I wanted to share some of the re-entry steps we have taken with kids. They were warmly greeted upon entry, as always, and once all buses had arrived I made an early announcement. Here is a summary of my announcement:

I am so proud of our entire school community, and you should feel proud of yourself too! We are so happy you are here today. You might have some feelings and questions about yesterday. Our school is safe - multiple professionals checked and double checked everything and Wentworth is a healthy school.

You may have heard some rumors and stories about what happened. The facts are that any students who were feeling sick at the concert rehearsal were seen by doctors to make sure they were healthy. Everyone felt better quickly, and all the tests showed that nothing in our school was making people feel sick. We are finding out more information about why students began to feel sick at the rehearsal. If there are more facts to share, we will update you and your families.

For now, let’s respect the students’ privacy who were not feeling well and allow them to get back to learning and having fun at school without asking them lots of questions. It’s also important that each of us are careful to not spread stories that are probably not true. It can feel fun and powerful to believe you have interesting tidbits to share, but it is not helpful and can be harmful because that is how rumors spread.

If you have questions or big feelings that you want to talk about, let’s work together to make sure you know who your trusted adults are. Your classroom community can make a plan in morning meeting, and you can always talk to your teacher.

Student advocates have followed up with individuals and classrooms throughout the day. Their contact information is included at the bottom of this message if you feel your child could use some additional support. For some classes the vibe was “back to business” and a focus on academics and for some it was more low-key, with all teachers making these decisions based on what they know about their students’ needs. I feel confident our students are moving forward positively, and are happy to be back on routine.

I understand that parents have some lingering questions. I will reiterate that our first responders and town officials were swift, professional, and thorough in their response. It has been widely shared and we have been reassured that the physical symptoms students were feeling were not as a result of exposure to gas or an air quality issue. While this news certainly brings some comfort, I know many are left wondering, then what exactly did cause 10 students to experience physical symptoms? Following several debrief meetings with multiple departments, perspectives, reviewing available video, interviews and a close examination of the timeline, here are the facts that I am able to confidently share. I am sharing this detail in full transparency, not to invite additional scrutiny, but to hopefully resolve any lingering concerns about safety at school.

113 third and fourth grade students from the Green Learning Community transitioned to the Wentworth stage beginning at 9:20 AM for their concert rehearsal. Students had all just finished breakfast, bathroom, and water break prior to the rehearsal, and were accompanied by their homeroom teachers, who sat in the “audience” at nearby cafeteria tables. The rehearsal was led by two music teachers, and in total there were more than 10 adults supporting the students during rehearsal. There was a mixture of excitement and nerves among the students in anticipation of the upcoming event and their first time gathering as a large group for rehearsal.

Students were organized in their places on the risers (built for 150 students) and rehearsal began at 9:25 AM. The stage lights were on, replicating what the concert lighting would be. The temperature in the cafeteria was 69 degrees Fahrenheit. The stage lights may have added a couple degrees on the stage, and are certainly brighter than students are accustomed to. It was a new experience, and by all accounts the first two songs sounded fantastic!

At 9:42, 18 minutes into the rehearsal, a student on the first riser fell forward and appeared to have lost consciousness. Teachers immediately rendered aid, the student was quickly alert, walking and responsive and was escorted to the clinic for care. One of the music teachers went onto the stage to reassure students that their peer was being cared for, and rehearsal resumed.

At 9:49 a different student began to complain of respiratory and/or panic-like symptoms; teachers offered support and the student walked with a staff member to the clinic. At 9:52 a third student sat down, complaining of not feeling well. The nurse came to the stage to bring that student to the clinic, all students sat on the risers for a break, and it was suggested to anyone wearing sweatshirts or second layers should remove them if they were feeling hot. Some students did.

At 9:57 classes began to leave the cafeteria. On the way back to the Green Learning Community several more students begin to complain of physical symptoms, 10 students in all, and were dropped at the clinic as they passed it on the way to their classrooms. Both nurses and additional staff were in the clinic supporting students who are complaining of symptoms ranging from dizziness, shortness of breath, and nausea. Students were on the stage for less than 35 minutes in total.

The cafeteria, stage and gym were cleared, a hold in place was called, and school personnel began investigating any potential cause for the students’ symptoms. We take the safety and well-being of every student very seriously, and it was certainly of concern that multiple students were not feeling well. Though no odor or evidence of any potential leak or hazard was ever detected by any Wentworth staff member, in an abundance of caution a 911 call was placed and school was evacuated. From there, all of our safety and accounting protocols were enacted and followed and first responders/EMT made decisions about next steps for care for students. As reported yesterday, anyone transported for additional care was treated, cleared and released with symptoms resolved in short order. We are so grateful!

The symptoms students experienced were very real and accompanied by big feelings. Students expressed they were concerned for peer(s) who were not feeling well, nervous that they too could begin to feel unwell, excited yet unsure about the concert, and stretching their comfort zones by performing in a large group on a bright stage. We will continue to work with any student needing additional or ongoing support to navigate emotions and move forward positively. The image below was shared in the concert brochure earlier this week (which went off famously!) and emphasizes what children learn by performing in a concert. Though this rehearsal did not go as expected, we will persevere thoughtfully, guided by the theme of the concert titled “Positive! A Celebration of Thinking Good Thoughts.”

Our priority was, and always will be, ensuring the safety of our students. We will continue to review and refine our protocols to ensure that we are always prepared for any situation. Thank you for your trust and patience throughout this incident.

Respectfully,

Kelli Crosby

Principal

Social Workers:

Allison Layton alayton@scarboroughschools.org

Alex Schroder aschroder@scarboroughschools.org

Judi DeMucci jdemucci@scarboroughschools.org

School Counselors:

Rachel Gulezian rgulezian@scarboroughschools.org

Danielle Martel dmartel@scarboroughschools.org

Dear Wentworth Families,

While you are welcome to request to meet with a teacher regarding your child’s progress at any time throughout the year, Wentworth designates time as a school in the fall and spring to offer formal conferences. This year, Spring Conferences will be held between March 25 - April 4. We find these conferences to be valuable, and an opportunity to learn more about your child’s progress in addition to their work and teachers’ individual communications that occur throughout the year. We look forward to meeting with you.

Wentworth School uses Conference Manager by SchoolSoft to schedule conferences. We ask that you please coordinate between parents/guardians the date/time that works best for both of you to meet together. Instructions are included below for how to create an account (or use an account you have already created) to log on to Conference Manager scheduling system where you may select dates and times that are convenient for you and your family. Registration for conferences will begin on Monday March 10th at 6:00 AM through Sunday, March 23rd at 6:00 PM. Once you have completed your requests, an email confirmation will be sent to you.

• Please sign up for one conference with your child’s homeroom teacher

• We encourage you to also sign up to meet with one or more Allied Arts teachers

• Additionally, please sign up with your child’s case manager, math/literacy support teacher and/or student advocate; they are looking forward to discussing your child’s progress toward their goals!

Here is the link for parents to register click here or copy and paste this address to your browser: https://scarboroughschools.schoolsoft.com/login.jsf. If you have questions regarding this process, please contact LyndaLee Landry at 730-4609 from 8:00 – 3:00, Monday-Friday. Our teachers are available by telephone or email if you have questions or have a unique scheduling situation. Thank you for your continued support; we are looking forward to the opportunity to discuss your child’s successes and goals together!

Sincerely,

Kelli Crosby

Principal

Tooth Protectors Inc. Dental Care is Coming Back to Our School!

We will provide Fluoride and Screenings at no cost for all School Age Children on behalf of

the State Oral Health Program

Click HERE for more Information

Return this PERMISSION FORM by March 20.

Students who attended the fall clinic do not need to fill out a new form, simply notify the clinic so we can plan for appointments and coordinate transportation as needed.

Please contact the clinic at 207-730-4610 if you need assistance, or email aornstein@scarboroughschools.org

SCHOOL ORDER DEADLINE May 2, 2025

ONLINE DEADLINE May 5, 2025

Wentworth Yearbooks are on sale now. Order forms are available in the main office. You can complete the order form with payment and return to your student’s homeroom teacher or you can order online at ybpay.com and enter the Yearbook ID Code: 11561925. Yearbooks are $16.00 and checks are made payable to Wentworth School.

The PTA will be sponsoring a snack and drink bar on Friday March 14th! Please consider donating to @wentworth-PTA via Venmo so that we can setup a great spread for Staff Day!
Lucky to have a teacher like you

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