The Talbot Sunday Update

• 5th Grade to the Gulf of Maine Research Institute

• Early Release on Wednesdays - Students Dismissed at 1:10

• No School for Students-Teacher Workday-February 7th

• No School-Winter Break-February 17th-February 21st-School resumes on February 24th

Dear Talbot Community School families and staff,

I’m writing to update you on the drinking water situation at our school.

Despite our attempts to install in-line water filters at each of the bubblers in the grade-level pods this fall, they still didn’t pass Maine's stringent lead water-testing requirements.

Since the start of this school year, we have had to have drinking water delivered for our students to use. There are bubblers with this water near all classrooms and students have opportunities to fill their water bottles throughout the day.

We now have approval to install new water fountains with superior filtration systems in each of the hallways, and then we’ll do another round of lead water testing to see if these fountains pass. Our Facilities Department hopes to have the first one installed and tested by the middle of February 2025 and once that passes the test, we will have the other one installed. I will continue to keep you updated on our progress.

I know that this has been an inconvenience for the entire school community and I appreciate your patience and understanding as our Facilities team works to address the challenges.

If you’d like to learn more about lead water testing in Portland Public Schools, you can view the Water Lead Testing page on the Facilities Department section of the district website. This page shares our remediation steps and the results of lead water testing at each school in the district. The most recent report for Talbot is from August 19, 2024 and shows that our first draw levels are all above the 4 ppb that we need to be able to drink the water.

Please feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns.

Sincerely,

Terry Young, Principal

By Ryan Scallon, January 2025

I’m continuing my series of columns on how our new Portland Public Schools’ five-year Strategic Plan impacts students in the classroom. This month I’m focusing on our Whole Student priority.

Our Strategic Plan has five priorities: equity, achievement, whole student, people, and systems. Each priority is supported by multiple initiatives to achieve that goal. We’re starting some initiatives now and phasing in others over the next four years.

Our Whole Student initiative this year is to “increase the capacity of schools to create and implement whole-school systems, SEL curriculum, and relationships that promote a joyful, supportive, and safe school culture.”

To advance that, we’ve added Culture and Climate Coordinators to our schools to ensure the following:

● Adoption and implementation of the Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) framework in each school.

● Enhancement of our social-emotional learning (SEL) practices, including strong morning meetings/advisories, explicit SEL instruction, and the use of restorative practices.

PBIS is a decision-making framework for selecting and using effective academic and behavioral practices to improve outcomes for all students. PBIS emphasizes data usage. By collecting and analyzing behavioral and academic data, educators can identify trends that help them facilitate tailored interventions for students.

A strong focus on addressing behavioral and academic issues before they escalate is central to PBIS. This enables educators to identify students needing extra support and effectively track their progress.

For our PBIS efforts, PPS was recognized as a District of Distinction at the Northeast PBIS Leadership Forum.

Strong morning meetings in our elementary schools and robust advisory programs at our middle and high schools foster meaningful relationships between students and educators. These supportive environments allow students to feel valued and connected, providing structured opportunities for guidance, discussions about challenges, and the development of essential life skills such as goal-setting and problem-solving.

Under our Culture and Climate Coordinators’ guidance, social-emotional learning is a focal point in morning meetings and advisories. Integrating SEL instruction helps cultivate a positive school climate by teaching students vital skills such as self-awareness, empathy, and conflict resolution. At the middle and high school levels, we use BASE Education, evidence-based SEL lessons, to enrich classroom discussions. At the elementary level, we currently use the Second Step curriculum, but are working to identify an updated, research-based curriculum to further meet students’ needs.

Restorative practices are also integral to our approach. These methods emphasize healing and relationship-building, allowing students to learn from their mistakes. Our Culture and Climate Coordinators, alongside partners from Cumberland County Public Health and Youth-Led Justice, are training our teaching staff on implementing restorative practices in the classroom and are providing resources that empower educators to facilitate constructive dialogues and promote understanding among students.

Research indicates that schools adopting PBIS, maintaining strong morning meetings/advisories, and incorporating restorative practices create learning environments where students are excited to go to school. Also, each of our schools has a designated Attendance Coordinator who collaborates with students and families to identify the causes of irregular attendance and develop plans to ensure regular attendance.

We also aim to instill joy in our schools by celebrating positive student behavior in such ways as holding dance parties at Rowe and Talbot elementary schools and Reiche Elementary School teachers donning astronaut suits to share "moon cheese" (cheese puffs) and "astro-pop" (flavored water) with students. We also will hold upcoming professional development sessions focused on infusing learning environments with joy, love, and belonging.

In short, the Whole Student priority of our new Strategic Plan is a comprehensive approach to creating a nurturing and supportive educational environment in which all students thrive academically and personally and love coming to school.

The FY26 school budget process will start off with a public hearing before the Portland Board of Public Education at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, February 4, 2025. The PPS community is invited to share their input on budget priorities for the 2025-2026 budget! The meeting will be in person at Casco Bay High School or you can join virtually at: tinyurl.com/FY26Pub Feedback from this hearing will help inform Superintendent Ryan Scallon’s recommended school budget, which he will present to the Board on March 4.

Snow Day Plans

In cases of inclement weather, the Portland Public Schools will use up to three traditional "snow days." Our schools will be closed on those days and students will not be expected to go to school in person or learn remotely. No school meals will be provided on snow days. Those days would be made up on June 16, 17, and 18th. This would mean that the last day of school for students would be Wednesday, June 18th, and the last possible day for teachers would be Friday, June 20. (June 19 – Juneteenth – is a holiday)

If there are more than three days of inclement weather requiring school cancellation, we will have remote learning days in lieu of a snow day. On remote learning days, students will stay home and will be expected to complete academic assignments. Remote learning days will not need to be made up at the end of the year.

If an inclement weather remote day is called, the district will make school meals available for families to pick up (see details below).

Remote Learning Expectations

• Elementary (grades PK-5) – Students will be provided with hard copy materials to be completed at home and returned to school the next day.

Attendance Guidance

• Elementary: Attendance will be taken for students who return/complete their packet.
• *Student absences will be excused on any remote learning day.

Food Service Plans for Remote Learning Days

Meals will be available for pick up at nine school locations, typically from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m:

· Lincoln Middle School – Leland Street, back parking lot delivery door

· King Middle School – Front door, drive-up service available

· Lyman Moore Middle School – Front door, drive-up service available

· Peaks Island Elementary School

· Portland High School – Delivery door next to garage on Chestnut Street side

· Presumpscot Elementary School – Front door, drive up service available

· Reiche Community School – Current building entrance on Clark Street side

· Rowe Elementary School - Front door, drive up service available

· Talbot Community School – Front door, drive-up service available

*Families may pick up meals at any location most convenient to them.

Communication

• Final decisions regarding snow days and remote learning days will be communicated by ReachMyTeach and through various media outlets no later than 5 a.m. The information will also be on the district’s homepage banner and on social media.