The Feathered Flyer Update

I honestly find myself doing a double-take at the calendar—I can’t believe we’re already talking about the end of the school year! It has been such a wonderful year together, and while I'm not quite ready to say goodbye, the season is certainly moving fast.

As we head into May, we know that school events and activities tend to spring up like wildflowers—suddenly and all at once! Our goal is to help ease that end-of-year "scramble" by giving you a clear look at everything we have planned well in advance.

But let’s be honest: May is really all about showing our teachers some well-deserved love. The first week of May is Teacher Appreciation Week, and we are ready to celebrate! Think back for a moment—where would any of us be without that one specific teacher who truly made an impact on our lives? We are so lucky to have a team of educators here who give their heart and soul to our students every day.

Please scroll down to see the full schedule of what we have planned for this week of gratitude. We would love for you to join in the fun as we celebrate our amazing Edgecomb Eddy teachers!

Thank you PTC for organizing this much needed week!

As the year begins to wind down, your students attendance matters! Our goal was to decrease our chronic absenteeism by 10% from the last three years of being at 28%. As of the end of March, that goal was not met. By ensuring your child comes to school everyday, we could make progress on our goal this year.

It's time to start thinking about registering your Pre K or Kindergarten eligible student for next year!

If your student is already enrolled in Pre K, you do not need to complete the form. We will automatically enroll them in Kindergarten unless we hear differently from you.

Please feel free to share this information to neighbors and friends you know as well in case they are considering registering. Let them know to call or email me with any questions!

The Pre Kindergarten program is offered to all children who live in Edgecomb, Alna, and Westport. Children who turn four on or before October 15, 2026 are eligible to enroll in Pre K.

The Kindergarten program is offered to all children who live in Edgecomb, Alna, and Westport. Children who turn five on or before October 15, 2026 are eligible to enroll in Kindergarten.

Parents who are interested in enrolling their students may click on this LINK to start enrollment!

Our school district (AOS 98) provides special education services for children to help students reach their full potential starting at 3 years old . If you feel your child may have a disability or a delay in their development, we are here to support you!

If you have concerns about your child, please fill out the Early Childhood Special Education Referral form.

Where to find it:

1. Go to the Edgecomb Eddy School Website.
2. Click on the Special Education tab.
3. Look for the form: Early Childhood Special Education Referral Form.

We look forward to working with your family!

Maureen Cooper

Administrative Assistant

Edgecomb Eddy Elementary

157 Boothbay Road

Edgecomb, ME 04556

mcooper@aos98schools.org

For those of you who do not know, during COVID and after, the long standing library has been used as a Special Education Classroom. The library was moved to a classroom next door.

Over the Summer, we will be moving the library back to its original location in the hopes of having more programming not only for our students but for the Edgecomb Community. Our goal, is to have this space also be utilized as a town library but we are not there YET :).

Since we are moving back into the original location, that means we are going to need bookshelves. We are looking for well constructed, non painted or non stained, wooden bookshelves. We will stain them to make them all the same. If you know someone who is great with woodworking and building and needs a project, we would love to have the shelving in our library made by the people of Edgecomb or at least have a tie to the community.

We will also need nice wooden tables and chairs. Again we want this space to be esthetically pleasing and know it will take time to get there. At the last budget meeting, a wonderful conversation was had about having a community day this Summer to build, stain and prepare our library for student and staff use. Stay tuned as plans are being developed. Do I smell a BBQ?

Located at Edgecomb Community Church

15 Cross Point Rd, Edgecomb, ME 04556

207-882-4060

edgecomb.church@gmail.com

If your family is struggling with food insecurities please reach out to Gail Boudin at 207-380-7452.

Maine ACE Camp is a unique educational, hands-on, nation-wide program co-sponsored by the Federal Aviation Administration with outstanding support from the U.S. Military, State and local aviation businesses, general aviation, corporate aviation, seaplane pilot groups and hundreds of volunteers. These camps are designed for middle and high school students who have a strong desire to learn about aviation and explore possible aeronautical careers.

The following is a short summary of activities students may participate in during ACE Camp week:

Classroom lessons on Camp Safety, Aviation History, Theory of Flight, Basic Aerodynamics, Introduction to Aircraft, and Spatial Disorientation.

Tours of local airports, FAA air traffic control facilities, aviation museums, aircraft repair businesses, aerial photography operations, NASA Challenger Learning Center, Air and Army National Guard bases, and more!

Security permitting, fly on a KC-135 refueling mission and on a UH60 Blackhawk helicopter low level training mission! (North camp)

Experience flight through various aircraft: C152, C172, J3, and a BE-58!

Learn first-hand about seaplane operations including wind effects, float construction, flight safety requirements, and pilot license requirements. Experience flight (weather permitting) in various seaplane aircraft!

Create, build, and launch model rockets!

Learn teamwork and leadership skills through group sessions and role-playing scenarios.

Meet and speak with expert commercial aviation pilots, military KC-135 and UH60/OH58 pilots and crew members, FAA air traffic controllers and maintenance technicians, and possible celebrity pilots! (In 2010, singer Jimmy Buffett spoke to the students in Bar Harbor!)

Receive critical drug and alcohol abuse information and the negative effects any offense can have on future employment opportunities and FAA medical exams. Drugs/alcohol and aviation do not mix.

Most importantly, students learn NOW what they will need in future for educational courses, and career planning.

If you know of a student that may be interested in attending Maine ACE Camp (North, Midcoast, or Seacoast) please click on the link http://www.maineacecamp.org/registration.html or reply to this email and I will send you the paperwork.

Maine ACE Camp North – July 19 – 25, 2026 in Bangor, Maine

Age 14 – 18 Overnight camp (must have completed 8th grade)

24 total campers limit

Tuition $1000.00

All documents and tuition must be completed and paid for by June 1, 2026

** Please be sure to get your Registration page and deposit to me via US Mail. This will be on a first come first serve basis. Please keep in mind that last year North camp filled up by April 1st**

Maine ACE Camp Midcoast – July 29 – August 1, 2026 in Brunswick, Maine

Age 12 – 16 Day camp 7:30am – 6:00pm

30 total campers limit

Tuition $500.00

All documents and tuition must be completed and paid for by July 22, 2026

Maine ACE Camp Seacoast –August 5 – 8, 2026 in Sanford, Maine

Age 12 – 16 Day camp 7:30am – 6:00pm

Tuition $500.00

All documents and tuition must be completed and paid for by July 29, 2026

Changes may occur just before the camp occurs that are out of our control, your patience is appreciated.

While technology can help youth connect and build relationships, screen dependency can affect sleep, in-person social interactions, and emotional regulation. Those who are dependent on screens may seem anxious, distracted, dysregulated, or exhausted. Goodwin noted that screen dependency is about regulation and connection, not discipline. Simply setting limits is rarely enough.

Evaluating screen time by quality, quantity, and location is crucial. Dr. Goodwin shared the following resources from the American Academy of Pediatrics to guide family discussions around healthier screen use.

• Create or Update Your Family Media Plan
• The 5 C's of Media Use