J.A. Leonard Middle School

As we work to implement the five-year Strategic Plan, RSU 34 seeks public input on a variety of details. You can provide input through this web survey (https://forms.gle/4siZkgUuCyGyKu69A ), and/or join us in-person at the sessions shown below. Thank you for your thoughtful feedback to inform planning for our students and schools! The full text of the Strategic Plan can be found here: t.ly/pj5LW Please join us for input and discussion sessions as we plan for 2025-26 and beyond! *AES PTC Wed. 12/11 (5 PM at AES) *OTES / VRS PTC Wed. 12/4 (6 PM at OTES) *LMS PTC Wed. 11/20 (6 PM at LMS) *Staff leadership teams on 11/18, 12/10, 12/17 *Community forums (please attend whichever is most convenient for your schedule, regardless of location) *At VRS Wed. Jan. 8th, 8 AM (Multi-purpose Room) *At AES Wed. Jan. 8th, 6:30 PM (Gym) *At OTHS Wed. Jan. 15th, 6:30 PM (Cafeteria)

https://secure.smore.com/n/rdtysg Weekly update for Families

No School for Students on October 11. This is a professional development day for staff.

RSU 34 is currently hiring for several roles! *Part-time contracted Occupational Therapist *Speech & Language Pathologist *Special Ed Educational Technicians *8th Grade Long Term Substitute Teacher *Substitutes for Teachers, Ed Techs, Food Service, School Nurses, and Custodians For more info and for applications, please visit https://www.rsu34.org/page/employment-applications-and-vacancies

The Maine CDC and Dept. of Education have encouraged sharing that risk is currently elevated for several serious mosquito-borne illnesses. You can find more information about the risks and actions you can take here: https://www.maine.gov/dhhs/mecdc/infectious-disease/epi/vector-borne/index.shtml#mosquito

Our local partners at Hirundo Wildlife Refuge are offering a Fall Fest this year! The event is Saturday, October 5th from 10am to 3pm. There will be food and drinks, games, raffles, activities with organizations like Maine Discovery Museum and NOAA Fisheries, face painting, nature craft vendors and more! The goal of this event overall is to connect the community and celebrate the fall season! Here is the link for the event: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/hirundo-wildlife-refuges-5th-annual-fall-fest-tickets-1003179365487?aff=oddtdtcreator

RSU 34 is proud to share the 2024 Back-to-School issue of Community Connections! Inside you'll find articles and photos from spring and summer activities, along with back-to-school information such as calendars, open house dates, and bus routes. The City of Old Town has partnered with us for this issue, so you'll also find great city info and the dates for Riverfest 2024! Many thanks to those who contributed to this issue, and to Corina Larsen / Gossamer Design for bringing it all together. Here's the link for Community Connections: https://5il.co/2twck

We're looking forward to the coming school year! In addition to our full-time staff, substitutes help out in a variety of ways: teachers, one-to-one support, office staff, custodial staff, and food service. If you're interested in working with awesome kids and staff on a very flexible schedule, please let us know! Here's the application: t.ly/mcbGC

Are you struggling with how to navigate parenting in the digital arena? Are you wrestling with what the right age is for a smatphone and social media? No matter where you are on your parenting journey with technology, you may be interested in the upcoming talk by the Founder of Wait Until 8th, Brooke Shannon. She will talk about the importance of delaying smartphones and social media and will help parents already in the middle of smartphone battles with some strategic advice to rein in smartphone use. Brooke works with parents and communities across the country to help families establish a healthy relationship with technology. She is a national speaker on how to parent in the digital arena and has given keynotes to the American Enterprise Institute, and numerous schools and churches. Brooke is also a resource to the media; she has appeared on The Today Show, Good Morning America, NBC national news, NPR, and CNN Headline News. The Wait Until 8th pledge empowers parents to rally together to delay giving children a smartphone until at least the end of 8th grade and encourages parents to delay social media until 16. Learn more about the pledge at www.waituntil8th.org (Hosted by RSU 64 at Central Community School, Corinth)

From a community partner: Registrations for the Hirundo Wildlife Refuge Camp are STILL OPEN! Scholarships are available ! Join us for 1-4 exciting weeks of unforgettable adventures immersed in nature. Each week has a different focus, but every week offers opportunities to explore nature, spot wildlife, paddle, and hike at Hirundo! Register Here: https://www.hirundomaine.org/summercamp Week 1: July 8-12 Discover Your Inner Naturalist Week 2: July 22-26 Blaze Your Own Trail Week 3: August 5-9 Unearth Hidden Hirundo's Secrets Week 4: August 19-23 Splash Into Your Next Adventure Camps are designed for Ages 9-12, and run from 9am-4pm weekdays. We welcome you to sign up for 2, 3, or 5 days (or 4 full weeks) of fun! Questions? Email: brianna@hirundomaine.org

2024 Field Day is in the books! We also enjoyed a fabulous cook out from some incredible volunteers. A huge thanks to all who made this day special!

Our 7th grade mentors had one last visit with their 2nd grade buddies.

The Great East Festival buses will return approximately 11:15 PM (Friday 5/24/24)

Thanks for Jackson and Jack for raising the colors at Leonard Middle School this morning!

Mrs. Zabierek's rocketry class had a great time learning about and launching rockets,

This Saturday, April 27th, Hirundo is offering a free "Meet a Scientist" event to celebrate Earth Day! This will be at Binette Park in Old Town from 10 AM - 1 PM. Join Hirundo Wildlife Refuge in celebrating Earth Day at Binette Park in Old Town! Meet scientists from around Maine, who will showcase some of the equipment they use and what projects they are working on right now! Peer through lenses and activate your brain by asking questions and discovering more about the world around you. Tables will be stationed around the park featuring topics ranging from golden eagles and bird banding, to DNA extraction, to archaeology! Meet A Scientist will be your one-stop shop to learn about all the local science being conducted. Learn the basics of what scientists do and how you can become a citizen scientist! This celebration of learning will be fun for everyone, so bring the whole family or come on your own. Pick up a stamp card at the Hirundo table, visit at least 7 tables, and get a free nature-themed poster of your choice (first come first serve)! Directions ~ Binette Park 434 Main Street, Old Town, ME 04468 (44.937288, -68.647140) Located on Main Street in Old Town, along the Penobscot River, between Pepper's Landing and The Rock Church.

RSU 34 and the OTO-YMCA partner on the River Runners program, one of the "beacons of hope" identified in this statewide Op-Ed that are proactively creating opportunities for youth. Making multiple positive niches for every child/youth is an important part of their development - some of those happen in school, and some out of school. https://www.bangordailynews.com/2024/02/21/opinion/opinion-contributor/there-are-beacons-of-hope-amidst-maines-juvenile-justice-challenges/ River Runners is part of the Aspirations Incubator Program, of the Rural Futures Fund.

Saturday was a busy day for RSU #34's robotics teams! On one side of the river, the LMS robotics team competed in the FIRST Lego League Maine State competition. The team was excited that in their very first round they exceeded the best score they had all year the prior year. They competed several more times that day, building on that success and growth. Meanwhile, across the river the OTHS robotics teams competed in the VEX "February Finale", the last meet of the regular season. Three of the four OTHS teams had already qualified for the state championships going into that meet, and one of the four OTHS teams had already qualified for the CREATE U.S. Open Robotics Tournament. In RSU #34, we undertook an initiative a decade ago, spearheaded by one of our community members and volunteer coaches, to integrate robotics and coding into the school day. Beginning with Bee Bots at our elementary schools, through WeDo, Spike Prime, NXT, Sphero, coding, app design, 3D design and printing, laser cutting and engraving - RSU #34 students have lots of opportunities to develop computational thinking and cutting-edge skills! Along the same lines, we learned Friday that the OTHS JROTC Cyber Security team, league champions, is invited to compete in the 2nd JROTC Brigade competition in March. Congratulations, Cadets!

Here is the January Menu for LMS.

Good morning RSU #34! We’re pleased to continue sharing staff profiles of our RSU #34 team. This month we visited with Ann Richard, Kitchen Manager at Old Town High School. After several days of disruption in our community due to the big storm, students and staff are excited about the breakfast and lunch Ann and team are preparing today! Ann was interviewed by our Assistant Superintendent, Dr. Jon Doty. When you were a kid what did you think you wanted to be when you grew up? I always wanted to be a graphic artist. I didn’t know what it was, but I liked art! In high school I also wanted to design clothes. What was your favorite book as a kid? Favorite book / author now? There was a book series about nurses that I really liked. Now, I like mysteries. The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell is a favorite. What was your favorite show or movie as a kid? The Brady Bunch and The Munsters! What led to your career - you’ve worked with us for more than 30 years! Before I had kids I worked as a payroll clerk at the shoe shop. I chose to stay at home with the kids, and then I started to work at the schools so I could match up with their schedules, snow days, and vacations. I started with the schools as a substitute, and now I’m Kitchen Manager. I also coached middle school field hockey for a while with Deb Ziobron (rest in peace). What do you like about working in RSU #34? I’ve always liked cooking, and I really love the kids. I initially wasn’t excited about working with high school aged kids, but I love it. They’re mature, and I like talking to them…if they initially don’t want to talk, I consider it my challenge to get them to talk. What do you like about our community? This area is nice, safe, and friendly. There’s a great atmosphere and sense of community, with fun things to do in town. What’s something most people don’t know about you? My 2nd grade report card said “Ann tends to be a little bossy.” Also, I’m addicted to Dateline. That fits with reading mysteries! How do you recharge your batteries? I like being home with peace and quiet, reading a good book. Who was your favorite teacher? Miss Pliska - she read to us a lot in 6th, 7th, and 8th grade. If you could time travel, where is the first time/place you would go? I’d spend time with my parents again. My dad is the person I look up to most in life. If you had to eat one meal for the rest of your life, what would it be? Pepperoni and onion pizza. If you could appear on any game show, what would it be? Wheel of Fortune Favorite treat? Trader Joe’s Peanut Butter Cups Would you rather come face-to-face with a polar bear in the arctic, or a snake in the desert? Polar bear. No question. Thanks, Ann, for your hard work for our schools! RSU #34 Community, if you’d like to suggest someone for a future staff profile please use this form: https://forms.gle/m9295zfr8xLTzNzRA