Q2 Maine School Newsletter 2023-2024

JANUARY 2024

SCHOOL NEWS Bridge Crossing Academy | Beacon House | Sidney Riverbend | Stetson Ranch

A LETTER FROM PRINCIPAL FRANCOEUR

I would like to extend my sincerest wishes for a joyous and healthy new year to everyone.

It's a pleasure to see all the students, teachers, and staff back at school after a welldeserved break.

After 50 years of dedicated leadership at NAFI, Dr. Yitzhak Bakal has retired, leaving behind an incredible legacy. We are grateful for his remarkable career and wish him all the best. Dr. Paul Dann who has been the Executive Director for NFI North for the past 30 plus years has been appointed our new NAFI President effective January 1, 2024 While we will miss Dr. Dann's presence at NFI North, we are excited for him to assume his new role.

We are happy to present our first newsletter of the academic year. Please take a moment to read the remarkable achievements of our students over the past few months. Their successes serve as a source of inspiration for us all to continue with this essential work.

Warm Regards, Mike Francoeur

Annual Santa Shuffle 5K pays off with Installation of New Playground!

Reminders Monday 1/15-Martin Luther King Day Friday 1/19-No School-Professional Development Day Monday 2/19Presidents Day Week of 2/19-2/23 No School for February Vacation

The Bridge Crossing Academy's staff and students once again hosted the annual Santa Shuffle Fundraising event, inviting members of the local community to participate. On December 2nd, the event saw over 240 racers take part in a kids run with Santa and 5K walk/run, with the cold but sunny weather contributing to the excellent turnout. The sight of Santa and Mrs. Claus, who distributed cookies and hot chocolate, added to the festive atmosphere. The participants dressed in holiday attire such as elves, reindeer, and the Grinch, making it a joyous occasion for all.

We extend our heartfelt thanks to all the volunteers and participants who contributed to the success of the event and helped raise funds for the Bridge Crossing Academy Playground.

Following three successful years of our Santa Shuffle fundraising race, we are delighted to announce that we have achieved our targeted goal of installing a new playground at Bridge Crossing Academy.

The playground installation has been ongoing since after the new year, and we eagerly anticipate the final touches, as well as the opportunity to start using the new playset. We look forward to celebrating this significant accomplishment once the project is complete.

Beacon students have been working hard in the classroom The students at Global Village are undertaking an exciting journey of exploring the world and its diverse cultures, customs, and geography. The curriculum includes enhancing map-reading skills, studying various landforms, and learning about pivotal events and influential figures of the Civil War in US history.

In Biology and Life Science classes, students are studying various organisms, their life cycles, and the interplay of different body systems, fostering a deeper understanding of the complexity and diversity of life.

As our seniors consider their future paths, it's essential to recognize that there is no one-size-fits-all approach. Each student should choose the option that aligns with their goals and aspirations, whether it's graduating with a Maine Diploma, a BEHS diploma, or (later) a diploma from another school. The school community works diligently to help students develop skills and habits that support their success.

To facilitate the transition to postsecondary life, four students have taken the ASVAB test to explore their aptitudes in detail. Participants have access to career planning tools such as O-Net and a bank of interest inventories for a year, along with tutorials to help navigate their postsecondary lives.

Our English class has been concentrating on enhancing our students' reading and writing skills through engaging texts. Recently, our students have been reading the works of Rudyard Kipling. Kipling's vivid descriptions and storytelling provide students with opportunities to explore themes and characters in greater depth. Additionally, weekly creative writing sessions have allowed students to develop their writing skills and expand their imaginations, while also focusing on mechanics and grammar.

We are thrilled to announce that some of our students have advanced to Algebra, marking an important milestone in their academic journey. In an effort to assist students in fulfilling specific graduation requirements, we have scheduled a custom financial literacy course.

Empowering our students in and out of the classroom

Reminders Friday 1/12- Last day of the quarter Friday 1/19- Staff professional development Med Reviews on 2/10, 3/13, 4/10 Week of 2/19-2/23 February Vacation

We believe in empowering our students to take charge of their own learning and to that end we are excited to reflect upon the success of our first student-led conferences in November. These conferences provided students with the opportunity to showcase their progress, achievements, and discuss their goals for the future. We had a good turnout from parents, guardians and advocates celebrating the hard work of our students.

Student-led initiatives foster skills such as leadership, collaboration, and communication. Particularly the engagement of our seniors in meaningful opportunities to connect will serve them well in their postgraduation journeys.

One of our students is an active participant in the BEHS Drama Club and participated in the fall production of Almost Maine in the role of Pete. He was dedicated and attended rehearsals diligently. We can't wait to see him in the next one, The Laramie Project. .

Professional Development The Sidney School Team was fortunate enough to be able to send three staff members to the annual NFI North Conference. Teresa Dickson and Alicia Corron presented a session on Positive Behavior Management in the Classroom. Attendees were also able to choose from a variety of training topics including but not limited to Integrating Music Education in the Classroom, and Exploring Unconscious Bias to Ensure Inclusion in the Workplace.

Additionally, Teresa Dickson was able to attend the NAFI/NFI North Conference: Celebrating 50 years of Passion and Resilience. Sessions attended were Embracing Diversity, Equity and Inclusion: Building Your Normative Community, Boundaries: Touch/No Touch, and Wellness in the Moment: Care for the Caregiver. This was a special conference as it was the last conference in which the founder and CEO of NAFI, Dr. Yitzhak Bakal attended before his retirement.

Academics New electives offered this semester are Health, Art History, Music, and Personal Finance. We will continue with our Wellness class for the year which incorporates health topics, nutrition and meal planning, art, fitness, and volunteering.

The Modern US History class has completed their study of World War II and has now moved on to the Cold War. The Modern World History class is now using new textbooks by Savvas Learning and the students are currently working on the Industrial Revolution. The Holocaust Studies class attended a presentation at the Holocaust and Human Rights Museum at UMA. The presentations discussed decision making during the Holocaust.

The school year kicked off with a bang! Students were eager to get their hands on new schedules and dive into the school routine after a relaxing summer break. On the first day, they were welcomed with a can of 7UP and a list of 7 Uplifting Ways to start the school year, along with personal bags of school supplies and a composition notebook.

In English class, the reading journey revolved around the theme of Survival. Our students analyzed William Golding's "The Lord of the Flies" and dissected his clever use of symbolism in the novel. Meanwhile, in British Literature, we finished "The Buried Giant" and pondered over the themes of forgetfulness, shared trauma, and memory. We are now ready to tackle the topic of Satire and its role in changing society through the ages.

In Physical Science, the class wrapped up the Chemistry segment, where we dived deep into chemical reactions, equations, and the Periodic Table of Elements. Next on our scientific to-do list: Physics! Meanwhile, in Biology, our young Einstein's honed their genetic skills with Punnett Squares and percentages, and learned how to determine recessive and dominant genes.

Reminders Monday 1/22- First Day of the 3rd Quarter Week of 2/19-2/23 February Vacation

Fun times at Stetson Ranch We hope everyone had an amazing quarter all the way through the Holiday Season! We certainly have been blessed with great times and lots of learning here at the Stetson Ranch School including a very active Art Class where they have made dream catchers, painted pictures and canvases, made suncatchers and most recently water marbled bookmarks.

Before Thanksgiving, our Educational Coordinator, Dom Mooney, led a very successful Parent Teacher Conference. In addition to our PTC that day, we had a Community Luncheon where we were joined by many and feasted on some festive charcuterie boards made by our staff. Students also participated in Giving Back Day where they put together special care packages and treats and presented them to local first responders.

Prior to the holidays, students worked alongside our very own Kevin Clark in a woodworking class to build and stain special serving trays as gifts for their families.

They even gifted one to one of our advisory board members when they went Caroling with school and administrative staff.

On one of the Caroling stops, one of the board members kindly graced students with hot cocoa and cookies before we returned to the Ranch for our Holiday Party where we shared food, gifts, and many laughs during some team building games

Exciting Updates We were excited to welcome Jim Fairbrother as a Teacher’s Aide/Ed Tech III to the school program in early November.

We were pleased to celebrate with Miranda Egan as she was promoted to a Special Education Teacher position. Congratulations Miranda!

Last but not least, Dom, Miranda, and Alison were recognized for their first year of employment with NFI North Stetson Ranch School.

We are grateful for all of our school staff and appreciate all they do for our students!