DISTRICT UPDATE

In recent weeks, our schools have experienced a few “holds” and conducted scheduled safety drills. We know these situations can raise questions and, at times, concern. For that reason, we felt it important to share more about our safety protocols and communication practices to help ease parent concern, as well as how to support your child following an incident at school.

UNDERSTANDING SAFETY TERMS

• Close-In: A “close-in” simply brings all students inside the locked building, and routines continue as usual. This might be initiated if there is an incident occurring in town that is not directly related to the school but could warrant extra caution.

• Hold: A “hold” can occur for many reasons, including a medical incident in the hallway that requires privacy, a large spill that requires custodial attention to keep hallways safe, or a situation that needs further evaluation by administration. A hold simply means taking a pause so our hallways are cleared and students remain learning in their classrooms. Holds are a precautionary measure, and shouldn’t cause alarm.

• Lockdown: A “lockdown” is used only when the school feels it is safest to have all doors locked—interior and exterior —and lights are off, with everyone remaining out of sight. During a lockdown, no one is allowed in or out of the building until the situation is resolved, including staff and parents, to ensure the safety of everyone involved.

• Evacuate: “Evacuate” means moving students safely to an alternate location, where attendance is again taken. For example, if a smoke alarm activates or there is a strong odor in the building, students may be relocated to a nearby school while the Fire Department ensures the building is safe for return.

• Shelter: A “shelter” protocol is used during specific natural hazards, such as a tornado or earthquake. Students and staff follow the safety strategies specific to that type of event, such as moving away from windows or sheltering in designated safe areas.

USING SHARE911 TO ENHANCE SAFETY

With safety as our first priority, our school district has invested time and financial resources to enhance security, refine protocols, and train staff. Over the past year, our district has implemented Share911, a digital tool that helps staff, administrators, and first responders stay connected in real time during any emergency. Staff have been trained to use the system so they can immediately report concerns and confirm that students are safe. For example, a teacher can initiate it through Share911, and administrators and first responders can quickly see the status of each classroom. This ensures a coordinated and swift response, adding another layer of protection for our schools.

HOW WE COMMUNICATE

During any safety event, our primary responsibility is to ensure that every student and staff member is safe and accounted for. Only once we have confirmed safety and gathered accurate information will we begin communication with families. Messages will come through our official channels [district email, text and phone alerts (if necessary), and official social media pages]. Please rely on these channels, as social media rumors often spread inaccurate information and can create unnecessary fear. In fact, during our after-action meetings, we review social media posts, and we can't recall a time when a post from in-the-moment has proved accurate.

Depending on the nature of the situation, especially in the case of brief or precautionary holds, parents may not receive multiple updates, and they may be vague due to confidentiality and the availability of accurate information. In these cases, no news is often good news, as the situation has been handled quickly and calmly within the school.

SUPPORTING YOUR CHILD

As parents ourselves, we understand the natural response to worry and how unsettling it can be when hearing about a potential incident out of the ordinary at school. Children may also feel unsure and may reach out during or after the school day with questions. In those moments, the most helpful thing you can do is provide calm reassurance—reminding them that these procedures are in place to keep everyone safe and that staff are trained to respond quickly. It is critical to their development and ability to build resilience to provide a calm presence, which helps them feel secure and confident that school is a safe place.

Our commitment is always to keep every child safe, account for all students and staff, and then provide clear and accurate communication to families. Thank you for your trust and partnership in supporting a calm, safe school environment.

Sincerely,

Jeremy Ray

Superintendent of Schools

• October 1: Early Release Day

• October 6: Final Cross Country Meet at 3:30pm at CK Burns

• October 8: School Board Meeting at 7pm at Saco Middle School

• October 10: No School - Teacher Professional Development

• October 19: Saco's Pumpkin Festival - Check out our students' decorated pumpkins!

• October 13: No School - Indigenous Peoples’ Day

• October 22: Early Release & School Board Meeting at 5pm at Saco City Hall

• October 24: SMS Kindness in the Community Day

• November 2: Daylight Saving Time Ends (Clocks Back 1 hour)

• November 4: Election Day - Asynchronous learning for Center of Technology students

Check out Saco's Pumpkin Festival on Sunday, October 19th between 11am-3pm! Saco Main Street is picking pumpkins from Leary’s Farm and delivering them to our schools for students to decorate. They will be on display at the Festival so come check out our local artists!

Our district is partnering with MaineHealth to provide flu vaccine clinics to our students this year. Please print the consent form (linked here) and return the completed form to the School Nurse as soon as possible. If you need a copy sent home, please contact the school nurse directly.

• Pre-K - November 5 (8am-10:30 am)

• Young School - October 6 (8am-10:30am)

• Fairfield School - November 10 (11:30am-2pm)

• CK Burns School - November 10 (8am-10:30am)

• Saco Middle School - October 6 (11:30am-3pm)

Parents must complete all fields on the form, so please use NA if it doesn’t apply. Although the vaccine is provided at no charge for children under the age of 18, there is a cost to administer the vaccine so please include accurate insurance information if available. There is no out-of-pocket cost for children; those without insurance will be vaccinated with the appropriate form completed. Children presenting with an incomplete form will not receive their vaccine.

Print & Complete the Consent Form:

• English | Arabic | French | Portuguese | Somali | Spanish

Our district is partnering with Tooth Protectors Inc. to offer Preventative Dental Care at school on the upcoming dates below. Services are available for students WITH or WITHOUT dental insurance.

• Pre-K - November 18

• Young School - November 21

• Fairfield School - December 16

Services are FREE to those with MaineCare, self-pay fees are listed on the permission form, and other dental insurance can be billed. To participate, please print and complete the consent form (linked here) or click on the button below to complete it online.

Children of parents who talk to their teens regularly about the dangers of drugs are up to 50% less likely to use drugs than those who don’t; yet, only a quarter of teens report having these conversations.

National Red Ribbon Week (October 23-31), the oldest and largest drug prevention campaign in the nation, is your opportunity to get the ongoing conversation started. This year’s theme is Life is a Puzzle, Solve It Drug Free.™ This creative theme symbolizes how every choice fits into the bigger picture. Just like a puzzle coming together, a drug-free lifestyle helps build a stronger, brighter future—one piece at a time. Visit www.redribbon.org to learn more about Red Ribbon Week, enter the Red Ribbon Contest to win an iPad and $1,000 for your school, and get tips for talking to your kids about drugs. The life you save may be that of your own child or a dear friend.

The Southern Maine Elementary Cross Country season has been a wonderful success so far! With two of their three meets already behind them, our young athletes have shown incredible energy, teamwork, and enthusiasm. This program is such a fantastic opportunity for elementary students to get active, build friendships, and develop habits that promote lifelong health and fitness. Nearly 300 students from Grades 3–5 are participating this year, with CK Burns leading the way with 152 runners, Biddeford contributing 87 runners from BIS and 12 from St. James School, and Dayton adding 23 runners.

We hope the community will come out to cheer on these amazing students at the final meet of the season on Monday, October 6, at 3:30 p.m. at CK Burns School—let’s celebrate their dedication and keep the momentum going!

A big thank you to Dayton Sand and Gravel for donating 1,700 pounds of clean sand for our sandboxes, and to our PTO families who helped arrange the donation and fill the boxes! Playing in sand is more than just fun for our PreK students—it supports their development by encouraging creativity, fine motor skills, and sensory exploration. Opportunities like this help our youngest learners grow through play while building important early learning skills.

Thank you to the 335 staff and community members who completed the survey to kick off our strategic planning process. As part of the next step, we invite you to participate in a focus group to share your vision for the future of our district. Online and in-person sessions will be offered. Each session will be one hour long and will provide a forum to discuss and share priorities for Saco Schools.

Online focus groups will take place on October 20th at 11:30am or 6:30pm. In-person focus groups will occur on October 21st at 11:30am or 6:30pm. Sign-ups are open now.

Your input is valuable to us, and we look forward to hearing your ideas and perspectives as we plan for the future of Saco Schools.

Our projects for the Saco Primary School (PK-K) and the Saco Elementary School (Grades 1-5) are officially out to bid. Bids will be opened at 2pm on October 22nd at City Hall. We are beginning to plan for our groundbreaking ceremony the first week in December—stay tuned for details to follow. Our project continues to be on track for welcoming students from PreKindergarten through 5th grade to our new buildings in Fall 2028.

Social development for today’s youth often includes navigating online social cruelty, such as cyberbullying and non-consensual sexting. On this episode of Screen Deep, cyberbullying expert Dr. Elizabeth Englander discusses her research on teens’ online social behaviors, including cyberbullying and sexting, her perspective on how to help youth develop resilience with these challenges, risk factors associated with these behaviors, including why children engage in them, potential mental health impacts, and who is most vulnerable. Parents will find actionable guidance on how to intervene proactively by initiating a conversation and what to do next.

Listen to Screen Deep on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, Amazon Music, or iHeartRadio. Each 30-to 40-minute episode offers fresh perspectives, cutting-edge research, and practical advice for raising children in the digital age.

Throughout the school year, we will strive to maintain clear and open lines of communication. Our school websites, newsletters, mobile app, and social media will keep you informed about important dates, achievements, menus, and exciting happenings within our school community.

• Newsletters: Superintendent Newsletters will be sent the first Wednesday of each month and Principal Newsletters will be sent the third Wednesday of each month via email. They will also be posted on the website, social media, and mobile app.

• ReachMyTeach: This two-way communication platform makes it easy to connect families through the languages they speak and the devices they use every day. This platform allows families to communicate directly with classroom teachers effortlessly through text, email, or WhatsApp, on-demand video interpreters, and scheduled conferences. There is no need to download an app and families can learn more by clicking here.

• Website & Mobile App: Our website platform syncs directly to a mobile app! The mobile app will feature important news, a live feed for updates, daily menu, and more. Parents also have the option to choose the district and specific schools to stay updated and receive notifications directly to their phone: iPhone Download | Android Download.

• Social Media: We encourage parents and guardians to follow the District's social media page, as well as their child's school Facebook page.

• Emergency Text Alerts: District-related text alerts are sent from the number 98900, and while families are legally allowed to opt out of receiving these messages, doing so means you will no longer receive emergency updates via text—only by email. If you’ve previously opted out and would like to start receiving text alerts again, simply text START to 98900. Please note that it can take up to 48 business hours for the change to take effect.