RSU 34 -

All RSU #34 schools will be dismissing 2-hours early tomorrow (Tuesday, March 14). All end of day dismissal procedures will shift-up by 2-hours.

Today is Opening Day for Capstone Season! Sixteen Old Town High School seniors seek to earn the Honors Diploma, STEM Diploma, or Humanities Diploma. Today featured seniors Olivia Small, Gabrielle Cody, and Isabella Bouchard sharing their capstone research on The Psychology Behind Cults; Nature / Nurture Factors in Serial Killers; and Technlogies, Diagnosis, and Symptoms of Congenital Heart Defects. Each was well-prepared and gave fantastic presentations!

The RSU #34 School Board will hold a Budget Workshop on Wednesday, March 8, 2023 in the LMS Cafeteria beginning at 6:30p.m. https://networkmaine.zoom.us/j/81478034201

RSU #34 schools will be closed today--2/17/23. This was not an easy decision. The forecast of ice starting between 10 and 11am prevents opportunity for a safe early release and creates a dangerous afternoon dismissal. Be safe, and enjoy your vacation next week.

The RSU #34 School Board will hold their monthly meeting on Wednesday, February 15 2023 in the LMS Cafeteria beginning at 6:30p.m. https://networkmaine.zoom.us/j/84952601708

The RSU #34 School Board will hold a Budget Workshop on Wednesday, February 8, 2023 in the LMS Cafeteria beginning at 6:30p.m. https://networkmaine.zoom.us/j/82572815038

RFP School Transportation Services Issued February, 2023 RSU #34 Seeks School Transportation Services for the 2023 - 2028 School years. Details for the RFP process, including the entire bid package and RFP timeline, can be found here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/12FTVM4ANvz6tPsN5VvocvjdbMf99ovZY/view?usp=sharing

Student Spotlight: Miyah B., 2nd Grade OTES On a warm January morning, I met a fantastic Old Town Elementary 2nd grade student named Miyah B. I was observing her class for a bit while seeking a natural break for the two of us to step away for a brief interview and was amazed by two things…one, her teacher (Mrs. O’Brien) was doing a fantastic job engaging her students in learning….and two, Miyah was completely immersed in the learning process (thank you, Mrs. O’Brien for allowing me to visit). As we left the classroom, I asked Miyah where her favorite place in the school was. After a brief moment of thought, she proudly announced, “the library”, so off we went. We sat down in the back corner of the OTES library so as not to disturb any classes that may be stopping by. I asked Miyah a typical first interview question: ‘tell me about yourself.’. I’ll be honest in saying I sometimes see adults stumble a bit on the answer. Not Miyah. She launched right in, “I like school. I like getting books from the library. I love chapter books, they are my favorite.” Going with the flow of conversation, I asked about her favorite chapter book. “‘I like ‘The Bad Guys’ series (by Aaron Blabey). While I knew of these books, I didn't know the storyline and asked Miyah to elaborate. “There are these bad guys that turn good. In the second book they meet a tarantula. Don’t worry, it’s a good tarantula. Well (long pause) it was bad, but it changed to good.” It was refreshing to see her passion for reading! Over the next ten minutes I learned about Franklin the turtle! “I like animals. I like learning about them. I have a pet turtle named Franklin and four cats named Zeppelin, Snickers, Peanut Butter and my Nana has one named Noble. So I actually have three cats and my Nana’s.” I could tell Miyah loved her Nana as much as her cats. I’ll be honest in saying that I’m not much of a cat person, but I was intrigued by Miyahs interest in turtles. I asked, “What do turtles like to eat?” Miyah responded, “They like dried up shrimp, pebbles and mealworms.” I really don’t know much about turtles and was curious as to how you actually feed them. Miyah very responsibly shared, “It is not very safe to feed a turtle from your hand…it could bite you. Plus, you have to immediately wash your hands after because they could give you a disease.” The more Miyah educated me….the more I realized that I am also not a turtle person. 🙂 Changing the subject, I asked Miyah if she made a New Years Resolution. She did, and it was to play more Roblox (at that point she lost me—you know you are getting old when Pearl Jam plays on the oldies rock stations, and you have no idea about Roblox). I later did some research and found out Roblox is an online gaming platform with over 164 million active users. Trying to save my pride, I changed the subject (again) and asked Miyah if she did anything fun over the holiday break. “I went ice skating. There were these red things that you used to hold yourself up. I fell a lot, but I got back up. When I got home I had blisters on my feet from the boots (skates).” Miyah’s comment about falling, but getting up really resonated with me and brought me to my last question. I prefaced the question by sharing with Miyah that the adults at Old Town Elementary all think she is a pretty special person and felt it was important that I met her. I asked if she knew why the adults at OTES felt this way. At first, Miyah couldn’t answer my question. I rephrased the question and gave her time to think. After a few seconds of she said, “I am a good friend.” I quickly asked, “What does it mean to be a good friend?” Miyah didn’t need much time on this one, and with a smile she said, “When a person falls playing tag, I help them up.” At that point I was smiling on the inside and out. What an incredible kid. I ended our conversation asking Miyah if she had a message she’d like for me to share with the people who will be reading this interview. She shared, “You guys are all so kind.” Here are some fun facts about Miyah: Favorite Sport: I have two—basketball and baseball (“I’m in my second year of basketball. I have a game tomorrow!”) Favorite Teacher: Mrs. O’Brien Favorite School Lunch: Cheese breadsticks and I like sunbutter sandwiches Favorite book: See above! Dream Car: Jeep Miyah truly is a remarkable young person. The way she views the world and the way she believes the world sees her is much more mature than her age. I walked away from my interview with Miyah with a greater sense of focus on being a good friend. Miyah also taught me that if you fall down, get back up (even if it is causing you blisters on your feet). Thank you for your time, Miyah! I hope you enjoy the second half of 2nd grade! Sincerely, Matthew D. Cyr RSU #34 Superintendent

RSU #34 will be closed today--Thursday, January 26.

RSU #34 schools will be closed Monday, January 23, 2023

Tuesday, January 17---RSU #34 (Alton, Bradley, Old Town) will have a 2-hour delay this morning. Morning 1/2-day PreK in Old Town is cancelled. All scheduled bus runs and start times are delayed 2-hours.

The RSU #34 School Board will hold their monthly meeting on Tuesday, January 17, 2023 in the LMS Cafeteria beginning at 6:30p.m. https://networkmaine.zoom.us/j/86145270407

Thursday, January 5---RSU #34 (Alton, Bradley, Old Town) will have a 2-hour delay this morning. Morning 1/2-day PreK in Old Town is cancelled. All scheduled bus runs and start times are delayed 2-hours.

RSU #34 School and District Offices will be closed today (12/23/22). The National Weather Service is asking people to stay off the roads. If there are extended power outages into the weekend, and Public Safety Officials ask us to open up Leonard Middle School as a warming shelter, we will use social media, our websites, and school-based texting to communicate. Be safe everyone.

Feature Student: Noah G., VRS Grade 3 This month, I had the pleasure of meeting with Noah G., a 3rd grade student at Viola Rand Elementary School. Noah is a very cool kid with diverse interests including hockey, fishing and spending time with family. Our discussion started around what he likes most about school–he told me, “I like to write.” So I asked what he had been writing about lately, and we spent the next 10 minutes talking about fishing! “Over the summer at my camp, my Grampy caught a 17” bass right off the shore. My Grandmother caught a 20.5”, and I caught a 15.5”.” I was very impressed with his attention to detail. I asked if it was hard for a 3rd grader to reel in such a large fish, and he said, “It took a minute or two. My Dad said if the fish comes off the hook he was going to dive in and get it!” I could tell this was a memory he would cherish forever. Now I don’t call myself a successful fisherman, but I do enjoy fishing and am alway looking for ways to improve. I had to ask Noah what the secret was. Noah shared, “Use a red rubber lizard. The bass like red.” Thank you, Noah….I’m sending Santa a last-minute update to my wish list. Throughout all of our conversations, Noah talked about family. He enjoys spending time with his cousins. When asked if he was excited about this past weekend’s snow storm, he said “Yes! I played with my cousins and we all went caroling on a trailer! We had hot cocoa and HOMEMADE cookies" (he made sure I noted the cookies were homemade because they were very good green, Grinch cookies). Noah went on to tell me how much he loves playing hockey and riding 4-wheeler. I could have talked with Noah for the rest of the afternoon. I asked Noah, “If you were coaching a hockey team, and needed to pump up your players, what would you say?” Noah quickly smiled and enthusiastically said, “Get ready for the game guys. This is a tough team!” 🙂 Here are some fun facts about Noah: Favorite Sport: Hockey “I play forward and defense.” Favorite Teacher: “That’s a hard one….I like them all.” (good answer) Favorite School Lunch: Turkey and cheese sandwich Favorite book: ‘Fox in Sox’ by Dr. Seuss Dream Car: A Dually “I really, really, really love trucks. A dually is like a normal truck but it has two more tires on the back.” I really enjoyed my time with Noah. He lives his life by some pretty important rules: be active, be respectful and kind, enjoy the outdoors and enjoy time with family. I’m proud of you, Noah! I hope you and your cousins have an awesome holiday vacation! Happy Holidays! Sincerely, Matthew D. Cyr RSU #34 Superintendent

RFP Musical Instruments issued December 2022 Regional School Unit #34 (Old Town, Alton, Bradley Maine) seeks proposals to fund the following instruments: Qty 6, YTS-82ZII, Yamaha Tenor Sax Qty 4, YBS-62II, Yamaha Bari Sax Qty 2, YFL-200AD, Yamaha Student Flute Qty 1, YAS-200AD, Yamaha Student Alto Sax Qty 1, YEP-201, Yamaha 3-Valve Euphonium In your proposal, please include details regarding: *full purchase price (RSU #34 is tax exempt) *any shipping costs *warranty and return policies *any included maintenance and care *status regarding availability / backorder *If available, reference contacts for three Maine school districts your company has served in the past five years Please submit proposals no later than January 15th to: Assistant Superintendent Dr. Jon Doty 156 Oak Street Old Town, ME 04468 jon.doty@rsu34.org (207) 827-3932 Shipping Information: Regional School Unit #34 Attn: Dr. Jon Doty 576 Stillwater Avenue Old Town, ME 04468 (shipping details: ramp available, loading dock NOT available, deliveries accepted 7 AM - 3 PM on school days unless arranged otherwise)

The RSU #34 School Board will hold their monthly meeting on Wednesday, December 21, 2022 in the LMS Cafeteria beginning at 6:30p.m. https://networkmaine.zoom.us/j/89490729094

RSU #34 seeks two proposals from qualified bidders to remove and replace 1-2 playground structures at Old Town Elementary School. For details visit: t.ly/mOQZ

RSU #34 Student Spotlight: Travis H., LMS 8th Grade I had a great sit-down conversation in my office with Travis H., an 8th grade student at Leonard Middle School. Travis moved into our district in the 5th grade and very openly told me that prior to the current school year, he didn’t always make the best decisions, “I struggled when I was younger and got into a lot of trouble….more than I wanted to.” We had a great conversation about the choices we make in life and how they can have a lasting impact on ourselves and others. He wasn’t sure what clicked, but he really wants to prove to himself and others that he owns his missteps of the past, and is working very hard to improve his future, “I am working harder to get my work done on time, to make better decisions, to not get into trouble, to help my friends from getting into trouble.” And he is doing exactly this. He has grown into a good student and responsible school citizen, making some tough choices to do the right thing. Of course none of this is easy. Travis recognized that the responsibility falls on himself. Travis has grown to love coming to school. He enjoyed his final year of middle school football (despite hurting his knee), and looks forward to baseball season! Travis loves Art classes and used this time to become an incredible basketmaker. He also enjoys needle felting (I had to ask him what that even was!), “I learned all of this through LMS Art classes. I also enjoy woodworking at home.” Fun Facts about Travis: Favorite Sport: Football (favorite team-Patriots Note: Mr. Cyr’s favorite team in the background of our photo 🙂) Favorite Teacher: Mrs. Nickerson (LMS Art Teacher) Favorite School Lunch: Cheese Breadsticks at LMS (this is the second month in a row this meal was selected….looks like I’ve got a future meal nearby) Favorite Book: ‘Bob’ written by Rebecca Stead & Wendy Mass (“I like read it 7 times. It's great.”--Travis) Dream Car: 69’ Chevelle–dark, glossy purple (this guy knows his classics!) Personal message for the RSU34 community: “Stay in school, do your work, make good choices.” Guys like Travis really impress me. I walked away from our sit-down feeling optimistic and hopeful. Second chances can be life’s greatest gift, but it takes responsibility, courage, and perseverance to take advantage of these second chance opportunities. Travis, I’m proud of you for recognizing you can do better…but even more proud of the fact that you are not allowing your choices from the past to write your story for the future. Don’t stop believing in yourself, and stay on the path you’ve recently made for yourself! Happy Thanksgiving everyone! -Mr. Cyr

OTHS Robotics brought three teams and competed hard at Saturday's VEX Robotics Competition. In this year's game, "Spin Up", teams design and program a robot that scores points by gathering discs into a scoring zone, shooting discs into a basket, changing a color roller to their team's color, and by being over as many floor tiles as possible at the end of the match. Teams score bonus points by being the best in the autonomous (pre-programmed) round, then the human drivers take over the controls. Trouble-shooting on-site is key; each team has a "pit" where they can repair and adjust robots between matches. OTHS teams used a clever trick by deploying a weighted "tail" at the end of the match to be on top of more floor tiles than the robot's dimensions would normally allow. Congratulations to Saturday's crew of Cassidy, Dylan, Ian, and Kaegan - and many thanks to Coach Lewin!