

Noble News December '24 | Volume 4
December 2024 | Volume #4

Find it Fast
Upcoming Dates
December 23 - January 1: Winter Break - No School
January 16: School Board Meeting at NHS Library 7pm
January 20: Martin Luther King Jr. Day - No School
January 22: No Early Release / Late Start
January 8, 15, 29 are Early Release / Late Start School Days
Notes From the Superintendent
Greetings and Happy Holidays,
A fond farewell:
We would like to acknowledge and thank two district administrators who will be transitioning from their current positions. Transportation Director, Mrs. Brenda Cravens, is retiring after a forty plus year career in the Transportation Department. Mrs. Cravens drove a bus for many years and then moved to Assistant Transportation Director prior to filling the Director role. She has given countless hours to see that our students arrive to and from school in a safe manner with well-trained drivers and a solid bus fleet. We are grateful!
School Nutrition Director, Mrs. Abbey Hubbell, will be transitioning out of her role at the end of December. Mrs. Hubbell began her tenure as School Nutrition Director during the 2019-2020 school year. What a time to come into a new role! Mrs. Hubbell did an amazing job keeping up with all challenges presented during the pandemic. There were many moving targets including state reporting, ordering, supply challenges, staffing hurdles, and organizing massive food delivery and pick up schedules daily and weekly to make sure students had meals and snacks. We were in awe of her ability to manage all of those moving targets while acclimating to the directorship and to this day we so appreciate her contributions.
We wish both the best of luck as they enter a new chapter.
A warm welcome:
We welcome Lee-Ann Cammett as our new Transportation Director. Mrs. Cammett started the school year here in MSAD #60 with “on the job” training to take over as director. Mrs. Cammett comes to the position with a varied background in the transportation and educational fields and brings a great deal of strengths from previous roles that will transition well to MSAD #60.
We also welcome Chef David Vargas as the new School Nutrition Director. Mr. Vargas has been involved with food his entire life. He joins the school district with a great deal of experience in the restaurant industry (currently owning/overseeing three local restaurants), working with local farmers, and volunteering in the Kittery, ME School Nutrition Program. He has been working alongside Mrs. Hubbell over the past month and ready to start full time when school resumes in January.
As we approach the winter break and reflect on the first half of the school year it is important to pause to share some highlights:
From the rousing theater production and competitive athletic seasons to classroom projects/activities and community service initiatives, our schools continue to demonstrate excellence in action. You will see that throughout the pages of this newsletter and in the month leading up to December Break.
The holiday season reminds us of the importance of community. There are countless examples of this community spirit in the hallways and on the various campuses - from the successful food drives supporting the backpack program, the cereal box collection at elementary schools, to the blood drive at the high school and the student and staff initiated Giving Tree events, it is clear that our community works together to make a difference.
The success of the student body is built on the partnerships between our schools and families. We thank you for your continued support and engagement in our educational community.
With regards,
Audra Beauvais
Exciting News: Pre-Kindergarten Programs Coming to MSAD #60 in 2025!
Employers- Save the Date!
We are thrilled to invite local employers to our 2nd Annual Community Employer Appreciation Breakfast to express our appreciation for your invaluable contributions to our students and school system. Your generosity and commitment bridges the gap between education and the professional world, empowering our students to dream big and achieve their goals.
Join us for a morning of delicious food, inspiring stories, and heartfelt appreciation as we celebrate these wonderful partnerships and expand opportunities in the community for our students. This will also be an opportunity for us to hear from you about what the workforce is looking for in our students, helping us better prepare them for future success!
Click the link to sign up: Community Employer Appreciation Breakfast Sign Up
Modelling Mathematics: Tape Diagrams
In the latest Monthly Math Moment episode we will continue to investigate common representations used to make our thinking visible in elementary math. This month we are focusing on tape diagrams! Sometimes called a strip diagram, tape diagrams illustrate relationships to help students find the solution path for a word problem.
What Parents need to know about Kids and AI
Navigating AI with Your Student: A Parent's Guide. For more information, go to https://ditchthattextbook.com/parents-ai/
Recent Highlights
Our fall athletic season showcased remarkable achievements across all programs. Football reached the Class A South Regional Championship for the first time since 1997, with Jamier Rose earning Class A South and Portland Press Herald Player of the Year honors, as well as a Gatorade Player of the Year nomination. Coach Keenon Blindow was named Class A South Football Coach of the Year.
The Esports team captured their fourth straight Maine State Championship in Rocket League, while Volleyball made history with their first-ever playoff appearance at Hampden Academy. Cross Country's Cassidy O'Dee placed 48th at the Girls State Championship with a time of 22:32.
Our Golf program, one of the state's largest with 19 players, competed strongly before narrowly missing State Championship qualification. Boys Soccer posted their best season in years, while both Girls Soccer and Field Hockey each finished just one spot shy of playoff contention.
Winter sports began November 18th, with our teams ready to pursue Regional and State Championships, building on the momentum of an outstanding fall season.
Team Accomplishments:
- Football: Class A South Regional Runner-up
- Esports: Maine State Champions (Rocket League)
- Volleyball: First playoff berth in program history
- Golf: 19-player program among state's largest
- Cross Country: State Championship qualifier
We are still accepting applications for Athletics Hall of Honor nominees! For applications, please visit Athletics.rsu60.org/hallofhonor or Email:Aaron.Moore@msad60.org
We are also looking for business sponsors. Please reach out to Aaron.Moore@msad60.org if interested!
We are thrilled to announce that Mark Hubbard, school counselor at Hanson and Lebanon Schools, has been awarded the prestigious Maine School Counselor Association Emerging School Counselor Award!
In just five years of service, Mr. Hubbard has demonstrated exceptional dedication to our students' success through innovative programming that nurtures their academic, career, social, and emotional growth. His leadership and unwavering commitment to collaboration with students, families, staff, and our community exemplify the highest standards of the counseling profession.
This distinguished recognition celebrates school counselors who bring fresh perspectives and outstanding service to their field while maintaining exemplary professional and personal conduct. Please join us in congratulating Mr. Hubbard on this well-deserved honor!
Our French National Honor Society and French Mentors kept the beloved 'sabot' tradition alive, crafting over 300 festive felt slippers for Noble Elementary students. Each handmade 'sabot' was lovingly decorated and filled with surprises to celebrate Saint Nicholas Day, a cherished December 6th holiday in French-speaking cultures. Merci to our dedicated French students for sharing this delightful cultural tradition with our youngest learners!
North Berwick Elementary School's 4th grade Student Council hosted their First Annual Veterans Day Show, orchestrating an unforgettable tribute entirely on their own. These young leaders captivated our community with powerful presentations on historical events, welcomed a special guest speaker – one of our own North Berwick parents who served – and moved hearts as the chorus performed 'My Country 'Tis of Thee.' What an inspiring demonstration of student leadership, historical appreciation, and musical talent from our remarkable 4th graders!
Northeast Passage brought adaptive sports to PE classes at Noble Middle School, where students experienced firsthand how basketball can be played by athletes of all abilities. An eye-opening and exciting day of inclusive athletics that showed our students how sports truly unite us all!
This year, Art teacher Kate Johnson started an enrichment program with students at Knowlton that incorporates art and writing. Picturing Writing: Fostering Literacy Through Art® is a dynamic art and literature based approach to writing developed to meet the needs of students with diverse learning styles.
Students at Knowlton first created images with simple crayon resist and watercolors, based around weather or time of day. Following the creation of their art masterpiece, the images were used to help students develop creative writing with rich descriptive language. Each student created a poem based on their unique image.
Hussey second graders are bringing beauty to their campus through their STEAM project, planting spring bulbs that will transform our school grounds with colorful blooms. A hands-on lesson in science, community service, and planning for the future!
Led by our North Berwick and Bertwick PTOs, our annual cereal drive and domino drop was a huge success this year. Thanks to our generous community, we collected over 300 boxes of cereal, creating an amazing domino chain before donating to our Backpack Program!
Noble High School's 10th Grade Multiple Pathways students explored careers in construction through our Extended Learning Opportunities (ELO) program! These hands-on sessions give students valuable exposure to career pathways while connecting them with our community partners.
Third graders in Mrs. Calvani's class showcased their original stories and artwork during a special Author's Share event, with proud parents in attendance to celebrate their budding writers and illustrators.