A New Year Has Begun

We are less than one month into school, and already the year is zipping by. We have a wonderful crop of new freshmen and some new students from other RSU towns, and these additions have made our school even stronger. One element that defines Wiscasset High School is the personalization that comes with a small high school. Our new students and two long-term substitutes were treated to a Welcome Pizza Lunch hosted the Guidance Department, and attended by several current seniors who were able to share their interests and passions at Wiscasset High School. Not only the students and new teachers attended, but also, Greg Potter, our new RSU superintendent. Mr. Potter welcomed the student and commiserated a bit on the challenges and opportunities that arise in making a transition to a new environment.

Activity is a vital part of the life of the school and in that spirit, many events have jump started our initiatives for student engagement in the community. We had a Coastal Clean-up for the freshman class that is sponsored each year to involve students in environmental responsibility, We have had a Maine Farm Week in which local farmers provided food for the cafeteria, including produce from one of our own teacher's farm; we have students already engaged in their community service requirement; and Student Council is planning multiple events to celebrate Homecoming from October 15-17.

Sports are in full swing, and the Boosters Club is back, reestablishing refreshments at the Snack Shack during games and seeking new membership. Music has a full plate of events, and those will be highlighted in the newsletter.

Academically, teachers are examining test scores for students so that sophomore and junior advisees can be prepared for the SAT's taking place on October 14th. Our Advisor/Advisee system is still progressing with the MELMAC Grant that establishes multiple activities to get students involved in planning for their post-secondary education/training. Progress Notes go home on October 2nd, with the hope that parents will review what their students are doing in class, and working with their students to optimize their academic performance. We will be announcing our Open House night soon, once all the details are worked out.

The new RSU has provided a wonderful chance for parents to have a more reliable notification system for many aspects of school information from storm closings in the winter, to notices of major events that parents will not want to miss. The RSU budget passed at the validation hearing on September 19th, and now we need parents and community members to vote to support our schools in the secret ballot referendum in your local town on September 29th .

You have already heard about and seen the changing landscape of the flu shots that will eventually happened. Information changes rapidly so staying up to dat on what is happening both at the state, and the local level will be imperative as we go into flu season.

I could go on and on, but I would like for the newsletter to capture more of what is happening across the school, and as usual, I will create a link here to that newsletter when it is published. Welcome back, parents and students of Wiscasset High School!