14th Street School Field Notes

Miss Middleton and Mrs. Thibault are finishing their first year at Fourteenth Street School. Previously, Miss Middleton taught kindergarten in her home state of Missouri, while Mrs. Thibault is in her 40th (!) year working with pre-kindergarten students. They love the curiosity, sense of wonder, and wide-eyed excitement of the "littles." When not at school, Miss Middleton enjoys sewing (quilts, especially), and Mrs. Thibault likes to read and spend time with her seven-year old grandson. Mrs. Coopersmith and Mrs. Fournier are also veteran teachers, with 38 and 30 years' experience, respectively, teaching kindergarten (all in Bangor!). They love the enthusiasm young children bring to their learning and revel in watching the proverbial light bulbs go off in their heads. Outside of school, particularly when the weather is nice, Mrs. Coopersmith can be found in her garden and Mrs. Fournier on the back of a motorcycle. Mrs. Smith is in her fourth year at Fourteenth Street School. She loves students' energy and creativity and helping them learn to read and compute. Her happy place is anywhere outside with her family.

On May 21st, Fourteenth Street School hosted its last Parents and Educators Accelerating Kids (PEAK) event of the year. Families gathered in the cafegymatorium to eat ice cream and play math games. Students began by selecting their favorite flavor from among the five options and then building a bar graph. As can be seen, cookies and cream was the runaway favorite, although even strawberry got some love. Many thanks to literacy coach Shana Curtis for organizing such engaging ice cream-themed games, the PTO for donating the ice cream, teacher and parent volunteers Isabel Coopersmith, Amy Szostek, Sam Hayes, and Kevy Ellis (pictured left to right) for serving it, and everyone who attended, making this our most popular PEAK event of the year!

Staff spent the early release afternoons on April 8th and May 13th engaged in very useful professional development. In April, board-certified behavioral analyst (BCBA) Makayla Merry presented to general education teachers on the function of behavior, effective de-escalation strategies, and the purpose and use of behavior plans, information about which there is increasing need. Separately, self-contained classroom teacher Sarah Michaud facilitated a workshop for special education staff on data collection in support of individual education plans. In May, teachers and educational technicians participated in training on i-Ready Mathematics, which the Bangor School Department has adopted as its new math program in grades K-8 beginning next year. It would be difficult to overestimate the importance to staff of the opportunities for collaboration and professional growth made possible by the early release afternoons, and we are so grateful to the Bangor community for supporting them.

A highlight of our spring curriculum are the field trips that expose students to different learning environments around the region. On March 24th, first graders toured the Versant Power Astronomy Center & Jordan Planetarium at the University of Maine, and on May 22nd, they learned about summer reading programs at the Bangor Public Library then picnicked at Cascade Park. On May 18th, second graders visited Rogers Farm, where they participated in five activities: rainbow scavenger hunt, find the pollen, birding 101, planting/seed exploration, and observational art. (By the way, Rogers Farm offers many events for families throughout the summer, including story time in the garden. More information can be found here.) And on May 11th, third graders attended a Young People's Concert performed by the Bangor Symphony Orchestra at the Collins Center for the Arts. It was evident from students' smiles and comments upon return how much they enjoyed these experiences; we really appreciate the various community organizations for sponsoring them.

Every Friday we randomly select a prize winner (one per class) from among the students who received a RAMS award that week for being a Responsible worker, Acting respectfully, having a Mighty positive attitude, and/or staying Safe. Selected students get to choose a small toy; read to a class; help Mr. Deane in the hallways, Ms. McCorrison in the office, or Ms. Roth and Mrs. Robicheau in the kitchen; eat lunch with a friend; eat lunch with me; announce the weekly RAMS award winners; hang artwork with Ms. Caler; or select a book from the book vending machine.

• Has your student misplaced clothing this year? If so, please check our extensive Lost and Found collection, currently located on a table in the lobby. Anything not claimed by the end of the school year will be donated.
  
  
• Please do your best to ensure your student arrives at school by 8:55 am. Students who arrive late (even 5-10 minutes) are more prone to dysregulation when they enter after their class has started, especially if their peers are already at gym, music, or library. They also miss valuable academic time, which makes it harder for them to meet grade-level learning targets.

• If you need to make a change to your student's after-school plan (from bus to pickup or vice versa), please let Ms. McCorrison know as early in the day as possible. Changes requested after 2:45 pm may not be able to be accommodated (although we will certainly try to do so).
  

All families are invited to celebrate the end of the school year with pizza, ice cream, and games at Fairmount Park on June 16th at 3:00 pm. Please see the flyer linked below for more information.

6.2.26 - PTO Meeting (5:30-6:30 pm, Fourteenth Street School)

6.6.26 - Bangor High School Graduation (4:00-5:30 pm, Cross Insurance Center)

6.10.26 - School Committee Meeting (7:00-8:00 pm, Bangor City Hall)

6.16.26 - Last Day of School for Students (dismissal at 2:55 pm)