Whittier Wire

• September 29 & October 1: State Testing
• September 30: Parent Roundtable - Technology
• October 8: Student Flu Vaccine Clinic
• October 9: Staff Workshop Day - No school for students
• October 12: Indigenous Peoples' Day/Columbus Day
• October 16: Progress Report 1
• October 16: School Dance, 6:30-8:30
• October 21: Student Led Conferences
• October 30: Great Pumpkin Miler
• November 8: Tri-Town Family 5K
• November 11: Veterans Day

As we turn the corner into October, there are many things happening at Whittier Middle School...and many more to come!

Notes:

• Pink Fridays: This week, our Grade 8 Ambassadors will introduce the school to Pink Fridays. October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and our team has taken on the challenge of joining the annual international campaign to increase education, promote early detection, and support those affected by the disease. Every Friday in October, the Ambassadors will sponsor a hat day. Students and staff can pay a dollar to wear a hat. All donations will go toward research and support of those affected. Monday morning, they roll out their fundraiser with a special video in the morning announcements. We look forward to sharing it.
• State Testing takes place on Tuesday and Thursday this week. The testing window is 7:53-9:40 each day. All classes will meet following testing.
• Mile-a-day Challenge: Students are encouraged to run, walk, or bike a mile each day for the month of October. Hopefully, this is something they can do with family members to stay active as the days get a little shorter. On October 30th, students will have the opportunity to close the month with the Great Pumpkin Mile event at school. We also hope an active October will lead to many participants at the Tri-Town Family 5K on November 8th.

• Dean of Students Kelly Adams and I will host a parent roundtable on Wednesday, September 30th at 6:30pm. Our focus will be on school technology and the online grade book. The Parent Roundtable is a new offering for us, and we hope to make the time valuable for you. Please complete this survey to help us plan the agenda and information. Unable to attend? We plan to record the meeting in case you are interested in watching it later.

Monday: Mrs. Gilbert ELA, Mrs. Shanning ELA (B Block)

Tuesday: Mrs. Toto ELA, Ms. Forbush ELA (A Block), Ms. McNabb ELA (A Block)

Wednesday: Mr. G-E ELA, Mrs. Fox ELA

Thursday: Mr. Knott Science, Ms. McNabb Science (B Block)

Friday: Mr. Jones Science, Mrs. Shanning (A Block)

In Ms. Dunn and Mr. Knott's science classes, students have been learning about the relationships between mass, volume, and density. They've been completing labs measuring volume with small classroom items in graduated cylinders filled with water, measuring mass using triple-beam balances, and using those two measurements to calculate the item's density!

Now, students are in their final stages of designing a "Flinker," an object made of cork & various nails, screws, and paperclips, that resembles the density of water. If students are successful in designing, they will create an object that will "Flink," so it will suspend in the water without floating to the top, or sinking to the bottom.

To break up the hard work that goes into engineering a Flinker, this week we used a day to do a fun density experiment mirroring how they measured the classroom objects earlier in the year, except with their classmates! It was so much fun watching students volunteer to be 'dunked,' and applying our knowledge to the real world! It surely made for a slippery floor, but there were smiles all around, surely a day of class to remember.

Students in Mrs Gilbert’s ELA class learned about parts of the story arc by acting as characters in their own adventure story. The climax of their story brought them to a battle against a dragon.

Last year, our 7th grade students conducted research on local Civil War soldiers. We are now looking for 3–5 students or research pairs who would be willing to present their work to the Mechanic Falls Historical Society on Wednesday, October 21, at 6:30 p.m. in the Town Council Chambers at the Mechanic Falls Municipal Building.

This is a wonderful opportunity for students to share their work with a real audience and take pride in the research they completed. It is also a great way for us to connect with our local community and give people a glimpse of the meaningful work our students are doing at school.

If you or your research partner would be interested in presenting, please reach out to Mr. Vincent (svincent@rsu16.org) or Ms. Swenson (eswenson@rsu16.org). We would love to have several students or pairs represent our school!

Here's a link to last year's projects: Projects Link

We will be hosting our local Hannaford Pharmacy on October 8, 2026 at WMS/PRHS for a student flu vaccine clinic. Please complete the vaccine permission form, Hannaford Pharmacy Consent Form, and return to the nurses’ office, if you would like your child to be vaccinated at school. Also, please provide a copy of the insurance card with the permission form.

As a reminder, please notify the school office if your child is ill and will not be attending school. When you call the school office please state the child's symptoms and whether or not there is a fever over 100.4 degrees. Students who become ill at school will be dismissed only to the specific people listed as the emergency contact, unless the school is instructed by the parent to make other arrangements.

The school nurse should see all students who are ill at school, prior to a dismissal. Students who notify parents they are ill via text or cell phone during school hours will not be dismissed by the school principal. The phone call home to notify parents of dismissal will be made from the main office or nurse's office. Following this procedure allows us to track common illnesses. Students who have a fever and/or a sore throat or cough should stay home until they are fever-free for 24 hours (without the use of anti-fever medicine). Students with diarrhea or vomiting should also stay home for 24 hours after diarrhea or vomiting has stopped, before returning to school.Thank you for helping to keep our community healthy.

Thank you.

Lisa Storer RN

Mary Wallace LPN

This information is taken from the Arbiter schedule website. If your coach has provided different information, please rely on their communication.

Monday 9/28

Field Hockey @ GNG 4:00, depart 3:00

7/8 Boys Soccer Home v. GNG 3:30/4:45

7/8 Girls Soccer @ GNG 3:15/4:30, depart 2:20

Tuesday 9/29

No games scheduled

Wednesday 9/30

8 Girls Soccer @ Sacopee Valley 3:30, depart 2:00

8 Boys Soccer @ Sacopee Valley 4:45, depart 2:00

(will need to pick up in the Student parking lot upon return)

Thursday 10/1

MS CC @ GNG Libby Hill 4:00/4:45, depart 2:30 PM

Notes:

• Please remind your kids to be good stewards. That means taking care of their environment and things. There have been several pieces of garbage, pants, shoes, and electronic devices left behind after games and practices.
• Remember to sign up for basketball. Practice/tryouts will be in November.
• Our athletes have been working hard. Keep up the effort. Remember that we don't just play games, we build skills while working hard at practice.

Click on the buttons below for soccer photos from Evelyn Perron and Mr. Galipeau-Eldridge. The cross-country photos are from Mrs. Howes.

Milestone year! Whittier Middle School's Tri-Town Family 5K returns on Sunday, November 8th, 2026 and it is once again open to everyone. Join us for a fun family morning on the Minot trails and fields in a terrific community event.

Registration is open...and it's free! Let's get the word out there and make this the biggest and best event so far.

We are seeking local sponsors to help make the big day a special one. Tell your friends. All sponsors of at least $100 by October 8th will get their logo on the back of the event shirt. Interested potential sponsors should contact Shawn Vincent (svincent@rsu16.org or 998-3462).

Visit the website to register or get more information.

Email: svincent@rsu16.org
Website: https://www.rsu16.org/bwms
Location: 1457 Maine Street, Poland, ME, USA
Phone: (207) 998-3462