J.A. Leonard Middle School

10/02/2023 Dear RSU #34 Families & Staff, Some of our families have received or will be receiving P-EBT cards (known as SNAP) from the State of Maine. We were not aware this was going to happen and received some questions today; we are passing along information that we have found.  The short version is that the state of Maine has changed how it gathers information about what percentage of students in communities would qualify for free and reduced-price lunch. These changes have resulted in widespread distribution of the cards in many communities. Here is a link to the state's website explaining eligibility for the program, and why you may have received these cards.   https://www.maine.gov/dhhs/ofi/programs-services/food-supplement#:~:text=To%20be%20eligible%20for%20this%20program%20individuals%20must%20meet%20the,19%20for%205%20consecutive%20days  There is a "Frequently Asked Questions" section on that website that includes information about other benefits, how to use the cards, and what to do with the cards if you do not wish to use them.  There is also an email address for Maine DHHS on that website if you have further questions.  If we learn of more important details we will send them out to families. Sincerely, Jon Doty, Assistant Superintendent

How LMS student Kendra learns computer programming, versus how her Assistant Superintendent learned back in the day. Kendra's got it way better, in STEM class with Mrs. Zabierek and the Sphero robots!

Thank you, Dr. Doty, for building this great opportunity for all of us. https://www.bangordailynews.com/2023/09/13/news/bangor/college-students-educator-accelerator-program-teacher-shortages-joam40zk0w/

Dear RSU #34 Community, Thanks for helping us have a great “launch” to the school year! It’s been great to see the smiling faces in the hallways, excited to be back in school despite the hot weather. Last year we began sharing a profile of a student each month; we are excited to begin sharing the stories of our colleagues! This month we visited with David May, who joined our team as a technician in the IT Department. David very much impressed his colleagues, and this past July began serving RSU #34 as Director of Information Technologies. David was interviewed by our Assistant Superintendent, Dr. Jon Doty. Q: When you were a kid what did you think you wanted to do when you grew up? A: I was going to be a professional athlete, playing soccer for Manchester United. All the way through high school I really thought I was going to make it. My real career path was a little different. In high school I pushed shopping carts, was a lifeguard, and mowed cemetery lawns. After high school I started off doing customer service for credit card companies, then shifted to Verizon Wireless. I changed over to tech support, and then started working at a computer repair shop where I started working more with businesses and device networking. I discovered that I really love computers and solving problems, and it doesn’t feel like work to me. I was ready for a new challenge and I was excited to join the schools’ IT Department. Q: What do you like about working in RSU #34? A: I love the people...I love the challenge. Everybody has fun, too. We’re all working hard, and sometimes it can be tough, but at the end of the day it’s all about getting students what they need and we all have fun together. I love coming in to work every day. Q: How do you recharge your batteries? A: Usually it’s either an HP 65-watt adapter or USB-C, but….wait….you mean….? Q: Yep. A: Playing video games and working out. Q: At the same time? Q: What was your favorite book as a kid? A: The DragonLance series; I still love the fantasy genre! Q: What was your favorite show / movie as a kid? A: Fresh Prince of Bel Air, and Return of the Jedi. Q: What do you like about our community? A: It’s the people, the sense of community, and events like RiverFest. I grew up in Old Town, and I love how close our community is. Our people are always caring and resilient….tough. We’ve been through a lot together over the years and we keep coming back. Q: What’s something that most people don’t know about you? A: I’m a pretty open book! That said, I don’t think most people know I was really into theatre at OTHS - the One Act Play and the Fall Play. Q: Who was your favorite school teacher and why? A: Mr. Marty Clark [OTHS Social Studies Teacher] - he really made learning fun! It was cool to start working alongside him before he retired. Q: Which colleague would you like by your side during a zombie apocalypse? A: Curtis Robertson. [LMS teacher] Q: Not me? A: No. Q: Wow, zero hesitation on that…OK, I would have guessed you’d go with a certain veteran of the U.S. Army Cavalry, Captain Mike May. OTHS Social Studies teacher? Your brother? A: Nope. When we were kids he broke a plate and I got blamed for it. Q: Little did he know that would someday cost him an ally in a zombie apocalypse. A: I could tell you about all the times I beat him at sports but I won’t. Q: What’s a small act of kindness you were once shown that you’ll never forget? A: That’s a tough one - there are a lot of acts of kindness I’ve been shown. People are so kind here and these acts happen every day. It’s hard to pick just one in this district. Wow….I’ll have to get back to you on that one. Thanks, David, for being part of our team and for your hard work! And thank you to Captain May and our other veterans for your service to our country! RSU #34 Community, if you’d like to suggest someone for a future staff profile please use this form: https://forms.gle/m9295zfr8xLTzNzRA

Thanks, Jackson and Trenton, for raising the flags at Leonard Middle School this morning. It's the start of a sunny day in RSU #34!

Students who live in Alton and West Old Town - our bus contractor is making some adjustments to routes; we will share more detailed information when it is finalized. Please plan to be out waiting for the bus extra early for the first few days as the routes settle into place. Thanks in advance for your patience!

It was a great day for painting stripes on the LMS recess area today - thanks to our friends at Street's for making it happen? Who will be the H.O.R.S.E. champion of LMS this year?

Test Post

RSU #34 is thrilled to share our back-to-school issue of Community Connections! Inside you will read about some of the great endeavors of our students and staff, along with important back-to-school info such as school start/end times and bus routes. Please help your kids to be on time every day this year! This issue is dedicated to the memory of our late Board member David Wollstadt, who contributed in many ways to the school district and community. Here's the link! https://5il.co/21o0w

All of this math professional development has worn Gus right out, but the LMS math teachers are still going strong!

All of our librarian roles are filled for the upcoming school year, but we ARE still recruiting a few members to join our RSU #34 team! https://www.rsu34.org/page/employment-applications-and-vacancies You can get started on a career in education in one of several entry-level roles - we support college tuition so you can keep learning and growing, opening up future opportunities! We just added a grant-funded intervention teaching role as well, and seek an additional Special Education teacher to join our team and help reduce caseloads. Educational Technicians support our students in a variety of ways. We have a couple of coach openings for fall middle school athletics, and we always seek substitutes. Please visit and share our employment page! https://www.rsu34.org/page/employment-applications-and-vacancies

RSU #34 is making a big email transition beginning at 3:30 Friday, June 16th. We anticipate that email will be down through the weekend, possibly also including the federal holiday on June 19th. Please continue to use our @rsu34.org addresses, but anticipate that your email will not be received until Tuesday. Thank you, happy last day of school, and have a fantastic weekend!

Please remember to vote on Tuesday, 6/13/2023, in support of the RSU #34 school budget! Alton: we believe voting hours are 2 PM - 7 PM at the Town Office Bradley: per the website voting hours are 8 AM to 8 PM at the Fire Station Old Town: per the website voting hours are 7 AM to 8 PM at the Elks Lodge Thank you for your support of our students and schools!

We're very proud of our World Cultures and Languages program in RSU #34 - our K-8 program was featured in the Educators for a MultiLingual Maine newsletter! You can read more here: https://5il.co/1w1kh

Our neighbors at Hirundo Wildlife Refuge have a great - and free - event scheduled for April 22nd - please see the QR code on this flyer to register!

Balancing chemical equations using M&Ms. Delicious!

Community Dinner!

Here is the livestream link for our concert tonight, if you can't join us in person. https://www.youtube.com/live/DnF1XBXZoG8?feature=share

Our student teacher, Mr. Sherwood, doing some STEM work with an 8th Grader.

These Puffin students enjoyed Pizza with the Principal, to honor their exemplary work and citizenship habits.