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
At around 9:00 this morning, we held our first fire drill of the year. Old Town Police, Fire & Rescue assisted us in the drill and all went well! It would be a great idea to talk to your student about how the drill went at school and how you would evacuate your house in the event of a fire.
Just for fun, tomorrow or any Tuesday, join us for Fun T-Shirt Tuesday. There are so many good ones out there!
The forecast through Thursday calls for very warm weather. Please make sure your student is dressed appropriately and brings a water bottle each day.
Here is the OTES Weekly Planner for September 16-20, 2024. This calendar includes corrections for Old Town Public Library Club dates.
Students who participated in Virtual Sunmer School over break and achieved the highest levels of work completion, earned a one hour jump at Orono Trampoline park and lunch at Dairy Queen this week courtesy of their hard work and support from the PTC. Congratulations!
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
During the first week of school, students in grades 2-5 completed an art studio scavenger hunt. Take a look at what they found!
Here’s a look at the BTC ( Building Thinking Classrooms) task Ms. St. Peter's fifth graders used to kick off the week. These tasks get the students talking, planning out, and organizing their answers as a team.
PTC Meeting This Wednesday, September 11!
Please consider joining our OTES Parent Teacher Club (PTC). We are a great group, that welcomes all OTES family members who would like to know more about the school, connect with other parents and families, and support OTES. This month's meeting will include information on returning to school, our Riverfest parade participation, looking at landscape designer plans for our Outdoor Inclusive Playground, the upcoming fall catalog fundraiser, and more. We will meet in the OTES Library from 6-7pm. Meetings will typically be held on the first Wednesday of every month. We hope to see you there!
We hope your student's first day was a great one!
Be creative with us! Come add your mark to our pop up Tiny Art Show at both Open Houses, all attendees are welcome to participate. K-2nd Tuesday, August 27 5:00-6:30 and 3rd-5th Wednesday, August 28 5:00-6:30.
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
Here are the flyers for K-2 and 3-5 Open Houses. Take a look and mark your calendars!
A school supply list was included in your classroom placement letter and all lists are posted on our website. We receive many donations of school supplies and a table will be set up at Open House for families to “shop” if needed. As always, each student will be provided with what they need to learn! Please reach out if you have any questions or concerns. https://www.rsu34.org/o/otes/documents
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
Before starting Pre-K or Kindergarten, practice eating a packed lunch, opening containers and snacks, and using a water bottle! Fostering independence is a great way to get students prepared for school!
We have been having so much fun during our Kindergarten Here I Come events! This week, families visited the library, listened to a read aloud, and played together. Each student also went home with a brand new book. If you have a student entering kindergarten, come see us on August 21st at 2:00 on the playground for our final gathering.
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)
RSU 34 is in the final stages of preparing its annual application for funds under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). RSU 34 receives ESEA funding allocations via Titles IA, IIA, and IV-A. The major uses of funding for IA are academic interventions in math and literacy; for IIA are professional development for educators; and for IV-A are safe & healthy schools, well-rounded education, and effective use of technology.
For more information about how to be involved in the application process, or with questions, please email Dr. Doty (contact information is on the district website).