Whittier Wire

• October 31: Great Pumpkin Mile
• November 8: Middle School Dance 6:30-8:30
• November 10: Tri-Town Family 5K at 10:00am
• November 11: Veterans Day
• November 27-29: Thanksgiving Break

Click here for the RSU 16 District Calendar

Mrs. Lachapelle and Mr. Knott make ice cream using liquid nitrogen.

• Thank you to all who were able to attend Student Led Conferences. We value the relationships we are able to develop with you through meeting and learning more about your child. While most conferences are brief, it is important for students to help facilitate the connection between school and home. We look forward to meeting with you again in the spring.
  
  
• The Excel program kicks off this week. Excel is an after school program provided for students to work on missing work or complete homework in a supervised environment. The program meets on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays after school until 3:30. Two teachers are available each day to facilitate the program and provide students with assistance in completing work and managing their time. We started our Excel roster with email invitations to specific families. If you feel that your child could benefit from the program, please reach out. It is not a drop-in program.
  
  
• Thursday is our 2nd Annual Great Pumpkin Run is on October 31st. The mile starts in the middle school baseball field and ends on the high school track. The weather looks like it is going to be great! Top finishers will be recognized and Roundtables with the highest participation will also be recognized. However, they must beat the Great Pumpkin to the finish line to be counted.
  
  
• Help! The Tri-Town Family 5K is Sunday, November 10th, and we need a generator for electricity at the event. We have been very fortunate to depend on the same generator for over a decade, but it is unavailable this year. Please let me know if you can help (svincent@rsu16.org or 998-3462). Thank you!

Many of us are aware that today marks the one year anniversary of the Lewiston tragedy. For those new to Maine and RSU16, a year ago today 18 people lost their lives, 13 were shot and survived, and many others witnessed the deadliest attack in Maine’s history by a lone gunman. Many suffered significant shock, anger, fear and grief. The unsettling feelings that come with anniversaries of tragedy are often referred to as “the anniversary effect.” Memories and emotions surrounding the event can reemerge strongly and may initiate a need for extra support.

It is important to remember that you are not alone, and significant healing can happen when we connect and express our thoughts and feelings with each other. The presence of others offers empathy during times of challenge. Please be in touch if I can help in any way. The Maine Resiliency Center is a fantastic resource for anybody who needs support. Be well.

• What are some of the stereotypes of how a boyfriend/girlfriend should be?
• What are some examples of dating abuse?
• What makes a relationship feel healthy?
• Why would someone choose to use abusive behaviors?

Students in Mrs. Fox's Social Studies classes experienced a demonstration of inequity in a tower building exercise where table groups were given different directions and different materials to complete the same task.

Math Club will meet Monday after school until 3:15 pm. We will be practicing for the first competition of the year which will be held the first week of December. We need both 7th and 8th grade students to compete for Whittier. Please consider joining us!

We are dedicating this year's reading challenge to our beloved librarian, Julie Purdy, who is battling cancer. Mrs. Purdy is the best at inspiring our students to read, and now we want to encourage reading while supporting Maine cancer warriors.

Students were given Purdy Good Readers Pledge Forms, where families and businesses can choose to donate on behalf of Mrs. Purdy. The more books Whittier students read, the more funds we can raise for the Maine Cancer Foundation.

If you are willing to pledge for any or all of our 4 reading checkpoints, please send the pledge form to school with your child. We'll announce when we hit each checkpoint.

Come travel to South Africa with PRHS in the Spring of 2026. There is an informational and enrollment meeting on October 29th at 6pm in the PRHS library. Please RSVP using the link below to see how to participate in hands-on learning across the globe. Reach out to Kristin Ross for more information at kross@rsu16.org

RSVP: https://bit.ly/3U2Ecps

Here are our WMS/ PRHS District 2 Music Squad representing at our Maine Music Educators District 2 Auditions at Harrison Harrison Middle School in Yarmouth on Thursday.

All in all, a successful Fall Season! Please be sure that all fall uniforms are returned.

Coach's Award Winners:

8th Girls Soccer: Sophia Souza

7th Girls Soccer: Cecile Cobb

Field Hockey: Anna Yerxa

8th Boys Soccer: Jason Letourneau

7th Boys Soccer: Lucien Camire

Cross Country-Boys: Wyatt Mitchell

Cross Country-Girls: Prudence Crouse

Congratulations!

Thank you to all of the coaches that contributed this season, including Garrett Goss, Jerry Whalen, Chris Willer, Paul Laird, Rhonda Lausier, Angela Brown, Deb Downing, Jenn Lacombe and Matt Walker. Special thanks to the two volunteer coaches Chris Willer and Paul Laird.

Athletics this week

Tuesday:

Field Hockey at Molly Ockett 3:30 dismiss 2:00/depart 2:10

In the midst of coaching high school varsity cross-country, Mr. Galipeau-Eldridge also does his best to get to middle school games and capture some of the action. His photos are always great, so I wanted to share with families.

Whittier Middle School's Tri-Town Family 5K will take place on Sunday, November 10th, 2024 and it is open to everyone. Join us for a fun family morning on the Minot trails and fields.

Registration is open...and it's free! Let's get the word out there and make this the biggest and best event so far. Don't let 3.1 miles scare you! You will finish the course in less than an hour. Visit the website to register or get more information.

Email: svincent@rsu16.org
Website: https://www.rsu16.org/bwms
Location: 1457 Maine Street, Poland, ME, USA
Phone: (207) 998-3462