Asa Adams October Newsletter

The weather is getting colder, the sun is setting sooner, and students have settled into the routines of school! Today is day 37 - which means 138 to go... and we are 1/5 of the way through the school year!

We have 142 students who currently have missed 0 days of school! WOW! Fourth grade has the largest number of students in this group, with 30 students with perfect attendance. We do understand that illnesses and appointments happen, and they should stay home and rest if they have a fever, are vomiting or have diarrhea. THANK YOU to all of you for working to get your children here, even on the tricky days, and for ensuring that sicknesses don't spread if your child needs to stay home.

Communication and collaboration with our families is so important to us! Family conferences are right around the corner (see the part of this update about signups), and before you know it we will be on fall break. Click here to see our district calendar with Early Release days and holiday breaks. We have been working to have our website more updated - click here to see our Asa Adams website. If you have a recommendation for updates that need to be made, please email mwest@rsu26.org or asaoffice@rsu26.org.

We also have a Facebook page where we post tiny updates and big photos of tiny humans (if we have media permissions!).

Stay warm, stay safe, and as always we are happy to have you as part of our learning community!

-Ms. West

• 10/19 - 10/23: Fire safety week (lessons in class)
• 10/29: Flu Clinic at Asa Adams 10 - 12:30
• 11/3: Day of Welcome! (see bottom of newsletter)
• 11/4: Early Release for students, dismissal starting at 12:35
• 11/4: 1-6:30 pm Day 1 of Parent Teacher Conferences
• 11/5: 3 - 6:00 pm Day 2 of Parent Teacher Conferences
• 11/12: PTO Meeting, 6-7pm at Asa Adams
• 12/8 & 12/9: PTO Sponsored Craft Fair (shopping for students)
• 12/10: PTO Meeting, 6-7pm at Asa Adams
• 12/11: Dental Clinic at Asa Adams

Called "Family Conferences" because sometimes it's grandparents, sometimes guardians, and sometimes parents!

Family Conferences are scheduled for November 4 (Early Release - conferences between 1pm and 6:30pm) and November 5th (conferences between 3pm and ending by 6:00pm). Click here to go to the school's Family Conferences sign up page!

Teachers typically ask that parents leave their children at home so that conferences can go quickly and smoothly, with everyone's full attention. We recognize that this can be tricky for families with young children! We have two different (non-profit) organizations to offer childcare for children 6 months - 5th grade. On Wednesday, our middle school Girl Scout troop will be providing care (with supervision from troop leaders). On Thursday, our high school Key Club will be providing care (with supervision from staff advisors). There is a recommended donation ($5 per child), but if this is a barrier the fee can be waived. We need to limit the number of children at one time - so we will build a signup. If you need childcare for Family Conferences, please reach out to asaoffice@rsu26.org with the following information:

• Your name and the best number to reach you
• Name and age of the child (or children) needing childcare
• Time of the Conference

We will be assigning care on a first come first serve basis, and will reach out to confirm availability once times are set.

We are excited to welcome our families into the building to talk about our Amazing Asa students!

Our doors unlock at 7:50, but our school day doesn't start until 8:30.

In the past, the 7:50 arrival time was offered for students that were part of our breakfast program (eating school breakfast). Now, many families drop off early - even if their child is not eating breakfast at school.

Any student eating breakfast is expected to do that in the cafeteria. Grades Pre-K through 1 stay in the cafeteria until 8:30. Grades 2-5 go to the gymnasium after eating.

Spaces are noisy and crowded - even with options we have added (quiet spaces or a walking club). This is a time when we have fewer staff with a larger number of students, and noise and behaviors definitely reflect that. If your child does not need to be here early, please consider a dropoff closer to the 8:30 time.

Additionally, if your child is not old enough to walk home independently, they should not be left unsupervised outside the school building prior to the start of day.

If you are dropping off your child at the start of the day or picking up your child at the end of the day, you have the option to park and walk your child in OR use the drop off lane.

To use the drop off / pick up lane:

1. Please slowly pull up as close to the school entrance as possible.
2. Your child MUST be able to independently and quickly get out of or into the vehicle, carry their own items, and close the vehicle door.
3. For safety reasons, students should get out of / climb into the car on the building side! Vehicles are driving on the non-building side.
4. Once your child has gotten out (or climbed in for pickup) and closed the door, you may slowly pull out - being mindful of traffic and pedestrians in the parking lot.

To park and walk in or park and pick up:

This is a great option if your child needs assistance carrying items, or needs help / encouragement getting out of or into the car!

1. Please drive slowly in the lot to find your parking space.
2. If dropping off, walk with your child to the entrance or into the building entryway.
3. If picking up, walk up to the entryway and wait for your turn to check in with the dismissal staff (or for your child to be called).

Let's Keep the Momentum Going!

We've got some exciting things happening with our Asa PTO, but we need your help to keep them going! Our events and activities depend on families pitching in, and even a small contribution of time or supplies can make a big difference!

AsaCon Was a Hit!

What a fun afternoon! It was wonderful seeing so many Asa families come together, connect, and enjoy some friendly competition. Thank you to everyone who joined us and helped make AsaCon such a great community event!

Help us treat our amazing teachers and staff and bring some extra fun to our students' Friday! We need volunteers and supply donations to make this happen!

Let's show our teachers and staff how much we appreciate them! We need families to sign up to bring food for conference days. Donations can be dropped off Wednesday, November 4, or Thursday, November 5, between 3–4 PM. Details are in the sign-up!

Next PTO Meeting | November 12, 6–7 PM

Join us at Asa Adams! Everyone is welcome, whether you're already involved or just curious about the PTO. Come share ideas, hear what's happening, and find ways to get involved!

Holiday Craft Fair

Planning is underway for our December Craft Fair! Stay tuned for more information and opportunities to help!

You don't have to do something big to make a big difference! These events are only possible when families come together. Whether it's a little time, a food contribution, or lending a hand, every bit matters. If you're able to help, please take a moment to sign up! Together, we can do some pretty amazing things for our kids and teachers!

Learn more: asaadamspto.weebly.com

Family Ambassador Tip of the Month: Which Door?

Which door to use for the various RSU 26 buildings can sometimes be a mystery to parents. We can’t tell you how many times we have been asked which door to use or tried different doors until one works!

Visitors during the day should always use the primary school entrance near the office to sign in.

After school activities and events can often use different doors.

We hope these tips keep you from getting caught on a cold night at the wrong door!

General Rules:

1. The Asa Entrance is the Main Entrance to the building with rare exceptions. “The Door for All Occasions” one might say.

2. The Orono Middle School (OMS) Entrance for events is the Side Entrance near the parking lot on Westwood Drive (rather than the front door).

3. The Orono High School (OHS) Entrance for events is the entrance closest to your event. Front and back doors lock automatically at 3:30 so knowing where your event is located is helpful.

Special Events Rules

• Orono Performing Arts Center (OPAC) Events: All OPAC Events use the OPAC Entrance behind OHS.

• OMS and OHS Dances: OMS and OHS dances are held in the cafeteria. The entrance to use is at the back vestibule for the high school - near the cafeteria.

• OHS School Wide Events:Front and back vestibule entrances (near the office and near the cafeteria) will be used for school-wide events.

• Events in the OHS Gym: All OHS athletic events, Research Symposiums etc. will use the OHS Gym entrance behind the high school.

• OMS and OHS Events in the Library: If an event is in the middle/high school library, there is a library entrance and set of doors by the front OHS parking that lead directly into the library. This is also where you can enter to attend Board Meetings.

Please feel free to reach out to us at familyambassadors@rsu26.org or check our Family Ambassador Website for more information.

(https://www.rsu26.org/links/family_ambassadors)

Grades 4 and 5 recently completed training in our Say Something Anonymous Reporting System. This is a district-wide tool from the non-profit Sandy Hook Promise (sandyhookpromise.org).

Through the training, students are trained to look for warning signs, and encouraged to talk with their safe (trusted) adults if they are experiencing something that is unsafe or uncomfortable (ie, possible bullying behavior). This is called being an Upstander. Students are encouraged to identify both home and school safe adults. They are additionally given access to an anonymous reporting system that allows for reports in three ways:

Toll free phone number (1-844-572-9662), through a website (SaySomething.net), or through an app. Students have this app on their school devices, but it is also available for download if you would like to have the app available to your child during after school hours.

Tips are vetted and triaged by highly skilled crisis counselors in the SS-ARS bilingual National Crisis Center. The Crisis Center is open 7 days a week, 24 hours a day. Local school and law enforcement response teams are promptly alerted to life-safety reports to ensure swift intervention in critical safety issues.

Students are also taught that the SS-ARS system is not meant to replace 9-1-1. In an emergency, this continues to be the most appropriate response.