SCHOOL NEWS
A LETTER FROM PRINCIPAL FRANCOEUR
It is with great pleasure that I write this note to welcome our staff and students to a new school year. As we embark on this year together, I am yet honored to have the privilege of working alongside our wonderful staff.
We remain committed to ensuring that NFI North provides a learning environment with rich experiences that enhance the intellectual, social emotional and physical development of each and every child. We will work diligently to ensure that the students enjoy many academic successes while instilling in them a sense of motivation and purpose at our school and in the community.
In education, Mike Francoeur
BRIDGE CROSSING ACADEMY
Bridgton, Maine
Bridge Crossing Academy is thriving as the new school year begins! We are thrilled to welcome back our day students, and our residents are eager to dive into the routine of school life once again After an Olympic-themed summer session, we have continued our discussions on community and teamwork as we kick off the year. Each classroom will design their own flag and work towards earning monthly competition awards focused on Social Emotional Learning, academics, teamwork, and physical activity.
This year, we are also excited to celebrate Jamie Stacy’s 25th anniversary with NFI Thank you, Jamie, for your unwavering dedication to the students of Bridge Crossing Academy over the years! You are truly a cornerstone of our community, and we are grateful for your presence.
We would like to extend a warm welcome to Angie Sanchez-Dow, who joins our teaching team as a Special Educator! We are also pleased to have Taylor Cronin and Travon Wilcher join us as Ed Techs. Taylor brings a rich theater background, while Travon adds a strong basketball influence to our school. Meghan Hill is also joining us as our Educational Coordinator. We are eager to see how our team's diverse talents come together to provide our students with unique and engaging learning experiences!
Pictured in order: Travon Wilcher, Taylor Cronin, Angie Sanchez-Dow and Meghan Hill
BEACON HOUSE Buxton, Maine
This summer we really stepped up our game when it came to getting involved in the community and strengthening our relationships. Of course we participated weekly in our perennial favorite-Art Van. We also kicked things off by hitting up Aquaboggan Water Park - those slides and wave-pools were just what we needed to cool off and have some fun with our classmates. And let's not forget about our trip to the planetarium! Gazing up at the stars and learning about galaxies far, far away made us feel like we were on our way to becoming astronauts We also had a blast at Smiling Hill Farms, where we visited with farm animals, and got the inside scoop about farm life from one of our students who worked there part-time And the highlight of the summer? Deep sea fishing! Almost everyone, students and staff alike, got in on the action, and even a little seasickness couldn't stop us. It was a great feeling to see everyone grinning widely as they pulled fish after fish This trip has been on our wish-list for years and thanks to a strong student community and the dedicated staff, we were able to come together and make the dream come true.
In addition to the usual focus on maintaining our reading, writing and math skills, our academic theme for the summer was “Shark Tank” (no pun intended!) Students brainstormed, researched, collaborated and then flexed their entrepreneurial and presentational muscles to pitch business ideas to a panel of "sharks" (aka several of the management team.) The creativity and teamwork that went into this project were truly inspiring: modular hospital beds, universal translators, improved video game controllers and more. Some students also completed the halfcredit state-required Government class, wisely using this time to shore up their transcripts as they approach graduation As we settled into our September routines, we said goodbye to some students and welcomed others. At the conference we celebrated the success of one of our past residents who was honored with an Empowerment Award. Let’s ride this momentum and see how far it can take us!
SIDNEY RIVERBEND SCHOOL
Sidney, Maine
We are thrilled to share that our school year began with an inspiring and immersive spacethemed summer school session. Over the course of five weeks, our students explored the fascinating realms of space and the history of the space program. This enriching experience included a variety of hands-on activities, field trips to museums, the planetarium and the Challenger Learning Center, as well as engaging projects such as rocket launches and an egg drop challenge Students had the opportunity to earn patches for their participation and achievements, adding an extra layer of motivation and excitement to their learning journey.
As we move into the academic year, our curriculum spans a broad range of subjects designed to foster comprehensive learning. We are offering English Language Arts, American Literature, Earth Science, Chemistry, Basic Math, Algebra, Geometry, World History, and American Government. Additionally, our elective classes this semester include Spanish, Wellness, and Current Events, providing students with opportunities to explore diverse interests and skills. This year, we are pleased to introduce a new addition to our science curriculum: The Environmental Science Lab. All students will participate in this innovative class, where they will engage in various citizen science initiatives. An exciting highlight of this course is the opportunity for students to have their work published on a NASA-sponsored website. We look forward to sharing more details about these projects in upcoming newsletters.
Leaf Pigment experiments from environmental science lab.
Sidney Students participating in summer school projects.
STETSON RANCH
Stetson, Maine
Stetson Ranch Happenings:
Stetson Ranch had an eventful summer school that included learning about Maine’s Ecology, going on weekly outings to allow the students to observe the environments of Maine firsthand. This included going to Peaks Kenny State Park, Hirundo Wildlife Refuge, Swan Lake State Park, and Sunkhaze Meadows Refuge. They learned about the various environments that are located in these Refuges and Parks like Forests, Freshwater Shorelines, Open Uplands, Peatlands, and Tidal.
Throughout Summer School, the students also attended Art Van in Brunswick, Maine to learn new ways to make art. They made animal-like sculptures representing themselves as a spirit animal of their choice, boards to create various forms of art with strings, paint and markers, Art bags where they painted something that represented them, and also painted over political signs to create more positive signs to spread around.
Staff and participants out on the water
Our caterpillars that will soon turn to butterflies
To top off the academic adventures they went on this summer, the students also had the opportunity to attend three different camping trips, one that was in June, one in July and the other that was in August. In June, they camped at Moose Mountain in Greenville, in July they camped on an Island located on Pleasant Lake in Stetson, Maine and in August was a Leadership only camping trip, that allowed several of the students and participants of Stetson Ranch to camp in a cabin in the West Forks. These camping trips allowed the students to further their outdoor skills, including fishing, canoeing, kayaking and overall enjoying what nature has to offer.
Stetson Ranch has continued to evolve our curriculum and allow positive changes to benefit our students. Which includes adding additions to our team We welcome Aimee Graves to our school team She once served on the school team several years ago, and came back to the school after working a few years as a house staff on second shift. We are so excited to see what this school year will bring for our team and our students, to allow the most growth and success for our students.