Wentworth School Family News

The emphasis in the first days of school is on building community, learning and practicing routines, and transitioning back to school mode! Teachers and students are truly doing an outstanding job. In addition to meeting so many new faces, we have navigated arrival and dismissal, mid-day lunch and recess routines, nourishment, and fun, settled into classroom learning communities, practiced an evacuation, and held our 2024-2025 Wentworth Opening Assembly with our entire school community together in the gym.

We are grateful for the positive start and eager to keep this momentum going!

Respectfully,

Kelli Crosby ~ Principal

Gabrielle LaPerriere ~ Asst. Principal

Wednesday, September 11 - September Early Release at 1:45 PM

Tuesday, September 17 - Open House 6-7:30 PM

Friday, September 27 - Schoolwide Spirit Day - Pajama Day!

Wednesday, October 2 - 6:30-7:30 PTA Meeting in the Wentworth Learning Commons: join us!

Wednesday, October 2 - Picture Day Red & Green Learning Communities

Thursday, October 3 - Picture Day Purple & Blue Learning Communities

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

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

Tuesday, October 15 - Tooth Protectors (see below for more information)

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

2024-2025 Scarborough Public Schools Calendar

The Faculty & Staff of Wentworth School

Invite You to Our Annual

Open House

All Learning Communities

Tuesday, September 17, 2024

6:00 - 7:30 p.m.

What’s Happening at This Year’s Open House?

• Families are invited to visit their child’s classroom and tour our beautiful school. Your Wentworth student makes a terrific tour guide!
• Please stop by Art, Music, Band, STEM, Pathways and Physical Education Classrooms and meet the teachers.
• Staff members in Academic Support, Special Services, Student Advocates, the Learning Commons, Technology, and other programs will be available with information or to answer questions.
• Play with your child on our fabulous playground. Ask them to tell you about our safety expectations, and check out the signage about expected use.
• Visit the Wentworth Garden! Purchase a mum for $13.00 or two for $20.00 at our fall garden fundraiser!
• Check out the engraved bricks as you enter the building. Your family can have one too.

Parking is available in our main lot (enter through our main doors) as well as the Middle School lot (we will have the back door open for convenience to families who park at SMS).

Please remember, for private conversations about your child’s school performance, schedule an individual conference time with your child’s teacher. Enjoy the school setting with your child and family at the Open House!

Here is a link to the 24-25 Wentworth School Student and Family Handbook. This resource highlights important policies, shares directory information, and provides an overview of some daily procedures and expectations.

Some families have reached out this fall with questions about our expectations about students' personally owned electronics such as cellphones and smartwatches. I have included that section of our Handbook below. At this phase, we consider electronics

Electronics and Personal Possessions

Wentworth students are asked to leave personal possessions (toys, stuffed animals, personal treasures, play balls, sports equipment, etc.) including electronic devices, cell phones, smartphones, and smartwatches at home. Items that are brought to school for after school activities must be turned off and remain in backpacks throughout the school day. With the teacher’s permission, toys and other items may be brought to school for special occasions. Your child’s teacher will notify you if/when these special events occur. Electronic devices brought for instructional purposes must comply with School Board Policy JFCK. Loss or damage is the responsibility of the owner.

Thank you to all of our families and students for supporting a smooth start to the school year. Arrival and dismissal have been safe and effective, and the process is getting more and more efficient each day. Below is the full description of procedures, in this section are a few noticings and reminders from the first week:

For ALL Families: The best, most helpful way you can support dismissal processes is to plan ahead and make sure your child knows the plan. Remind them each day if they are a bus rider, car rider, car pooler (and who they are carpooling with) a walker, going to aftercare, attending a club...the list goes on. Our front office continues to field endless calls with dismissal plan updates and changes throughout each day, and many students who come to the office to ask what their plan is. With 700 students to ensure the safety of each day, we need your help and partnership please.

Car Rider Families: If you are doing curbside pick-up, please stay in your car and pull up to the sidewalk near your child's assigned Learning Community color. If you prefer to park in the lot and walk across the car rider lane to pick up your child, please meet the group at the Learning Community color sign your child is assigned to. Meeting at the sign makes it clear which group you are picking up from, sign-out is more organized, and the process is safer for all. Thank you for your cooperation.

Walkers/Bikers: Walkers and bikers are dismissed last, close to 3:25, allowing most pick-up traffic time to dissipate. This group gathers in the gym, checks out with the adult(s), and has an opportunity to talk through their plan if needed. Walkers leave together out the back door of Wentworth, between the middle school and library along Quentin Drive. Students who are bikers leave out the front doors, get their bikes from the rack near the flagpole, and head out. Once walkers/bikers are dismissed from the building, they navigate their journey independently (without direct adult supervision). Please be aware that when giving your child permission to bike or walk, they take on a great responsibility and should be clear about your family's plan and expectations. Please read the Scarborough Public Library letter linked here and included below if your child accesses the library after school.

Car rider drop-off for ALL students (single car riders and carpoolers) begins at 8:30 AM and will take place along the loop adjacent to the main Wentworth parking lot. Please do not pull into the front loop - that is designated as buses only. If possible, have your child sit on the passenger side of the vehicle, and practice to exit independently. Our staff will be curbside to assist. This is a drop-and-go lane, only. If the driver needs to exit the vehicle for any reason, please plan to park your vehicle in the lot and walk your child to the sidewalk. Please drop your student off no later than 8:45 AM.

Car Rider pick-up will take place in the loop adjacent to the parking lot. We will be using the entire length of that loop as the sidewalk extends all the way to Wentworth Drive. Please note the general gathering areas - students from the Red and Green Learning Communities will walk toward the front of the loop as they are the first out of the building due to proximity. If your child's classroom is in the Red or Green LC, please arrive first, closest to 3:15, and pull forward as far as possible. If your child's classroom is in the Purple or Blue Learning Community, please consider timing your arrival for closer to 3:20 so you do not block the flow of traffic in the Car Rider lane. It takes students from Purple and Blue a few extra minutes to get outside due to the length of their walk.

Students who carpool (that includes siblings, neighbors, teammates, etc who are meeting up to ride in the same vehicle) will be called to the gym to check in and find their carpool group. Carpoolers will be dismissed to the Utility Loop located on the side of the school. Travel past the main entrance toward the Middle School on Quentin Drive and pull into the loop on the left, as far forward as possible. Carpoolers take a couple of extra minutes to get outside, typically closer to 3:20.

Some families prefer to park in the lot and walk over to the sidewalk to pick up their child that way. If that is how you prefer to pick up, please gather by the sign with the color corresponding to your child's learning community to wait for your child. When they come out with their car rider group, they must check out with the staff member in charge of the group and then can walk with you to your vehicle in the parking lot. Students may not enter the parking lot without the adult who is driving them.

Students who walk/bike are dismissed last, in order to let the traffic clear the way for safety. Having students check out as a walker in order to meet a ride at the library takes longer and is less efficient than following the protocol outlined above.

Thank you for your anticipated cooperation and patience in the first weeks of school as we get the routines smoothed out. We will monitor and make adjustments as needed, and this will be easier to do, safer, and more efficient for all if all drivers follow the plan. You can also skip the pick-up line entirely and plan for your child to take the school bus. Let's work together to make arrival and dismissal a breeze at Wentworth School!

The Scarborough Public Library welcomes students after school who are attending one of our many youth programs, looking for a quiet place to do homework, or using library services. Last year we had an average of 80 students daily and on some days up to 140. To make the library a positive and safe experience for all, we want to ensure that parents are aware of our service limitations and policies. We offer the following reminders and encourage you to share this information with your child:

• Service Limitations: The library is a public facility and should not be used as an alternative to after-school care. We have an open-door policy; we do not have the capacity to track attendance or monitor who enters or exits the building. All visitors must have parental trust in their independence to come and go at will. The responsibility for the safety of children visiting the library rests with the parent/guardian or assigned chaperone.
• Transportation: All visitors must independently arrange their transportation to their next destination and be mindful of library closing times. Students must be picked up prior to the close of business as they may not remain in the building and there is no protected or supervised area outside to wait on cold, snowy, or rainy days.
• Behavior Policy: Our behavior policy will be strictly enforced. Disruptive/inappropriate behavior will result in removal from the library and its grounds regardless of age. Parents should ensure their children understand this policy. This reinforces the need that visitors of all ages have a means to independently arrange transportation.
• Computer Use: The library is not responsible for monitoring what a student accesses on library or personal computers or mobile devices.
• Age Group: The library serves a wide age range and cannot separate social groups due to space and staffing limitations.

The library is committed to working closely with school administrators, community partners and you to create a safe, nurturing environment for students. It is a challenge to balance the needs of all community members and age groups and we need your help to make this a safe and meaningful space for your child and the rest of the community. Thank you for your support and cooperation in making this possible.

If you have any questions or comments, please contact:

Deanna McNamara, Youth Services Manager, at 207-396-6278

Chip Schrader, Library Director, at 207-396-6266

We are once again using eCollect for all required beginning of year forms. Some of these forms include:

• Student profile

• Medical/Health forms

• Acceptable Use of Technology agreements

It is of utmost importance that these forms be completed in a timely manner. We are asking all families and caregivers to complete these forms as soon as possible. You can access all the forms online using this LINK.

If you are having difficulty accessing the forms, please select from the alternative options below:

• Call the front office (207.730.4600) to request a paper copy

• Visit our front office team for assistance on form completion

We thank you for your continued support and partnership as we begin the 24/25 school year!

Our school is partnering with Tooth Protectors, Inc. to offer free, preventative dental care for Students and Staff WITH or WITHOUT dental insurance. Services are FREE to those with MaineCare (age 1-100). Fees are included on this attached flyer for those who are self-pay. Tooth Protectors can bill other Dental Insurance, but currently DO NOT accept: Harvard, Pilgrim, Humana, or Martin's Point.

Sign your child up Today!

Fill out this form (print or request a paper copy) or fill out the Electronic Permission form at this link: https://www.toothprotectors.org/permission-form/

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