DISTRICT UPDATE

As we turn the calendar to March, classrooms become alive with curiosity, collaboration, and the steady rhythm of meaningful learning. This is a time of growth—when skills sharpen, confidence builds, and students begin to see just how far they’ve come this year. Our staff is preparing for fun, engaging family nights and upcoming Parent-Teacher Conferences on April 8th, providing an important opportunity to connect, reflect, and plan for the months ahead. With performances, competitions, and special events on the horizon, there will be many moments to gather as a community and celebrate the dedication and talent of our students. Thank you for being such an essential partner in their journey.

STUDENT HOMELESSNESS PREVENTION PILOT

In the months since receiving a $275,000 award through the Maine Housing Student Homelessness Prevention Pilot, our districts have been deeply engaged in a regional effort to address housing instability affecting students and families in Biddeford, Saco, and surrounding communities. Serving as the lead applicant and consortium coordinator, the Biddeford School Department partnered with Saco, Old Orchard Beach, RSU 57, and Sanford to respond to increasing housing challenges across southern Maine. Although our original goal was to serve 60 families, we are currently supporting 84 households—representing 331 individuals and 160 enrolled students. Housing Navigators Jennifer Davie and Heather VanGieson of York County Community Action Corporation have been working directly with families through consistent 30-day check-ins, listening closely, and connecting them with local resources that strengthen long-term stability.

This pilot is intentionally focused on prevention and skill-building, not just short-term assistance. Families are participating in virtual connection meetings to build social capital, attending in-person budgeting sessions with New Ventures Maine, and being linked to early childhood programs, adult education opportunities, energy assistance through HEAP, Whole Family Coaching, and free tax preparation services. Stable housing is foundational to student success, and when students feel secure at home, they are better able to focus, engage, and thrive in school.

While the program is currently at capacity, we remain committed to early intervention and to helping families across our communities access existing supports whenever housing stability is at risk. If your family is struggling with basic needs—or if you are aware of a family who may be—we encourage you to connect with your school’s Resiliency Coordinator. They can help guide families toward available resources and provide confidential support.

I also want to recognize the incredible work of our Welcome Center staff, who are often the first point of contact for families navigating challenging circumstances. Their compassion and responsiveness make a meaningful difference. We are equally grateful to the Aid for Saco Kids (ASK) Foundation and the Biddeford Education Foundation (BEF) for their continued generosity and partnership in supporting students and families in need across our communities.

SCHOOL BUDGET

Planning for the 2026-2027 school year budget is well underway, and we are navigating challenges as we strive to maintain quality programming amid shifts in state and federal education funding. As home valuations rise, state subsidies decrease, impacting resources available for student programs. Balancing financial realities with our commitment to enriching student experiences requires thoughtful decision-making. As we plan next year’s school budget, a projection of our enrollment will allow us to plan more effectively. Parents can help through early registration of any child who will be entering Pre-K, Kindergarten, or moving into our community this Fall (see below). We also encourage community members to stay informed by attending upcoming School Board meetings and/or City Council meetings to participate in the budget process before the June vote.

As parents and students (grades 5-11) map out their academic courses, unified arts, and school athletic and organized club selections for next year, we encourage families to spend some time learning about the numerous opportunities available within our schools. Please contact your child’s Guidance Counselor and/or review the options available at your school.

Warm regards,

Jeremy Ray

Superintendent of Schools

With four snow days already used across Biddeford, Saco, and Dayton Schools, we have one traditional snow day remaining before any additional closures would require us to shift to remote learning in order to avoid extending the school year beyond June 18th (June 19th is a holiday and presents significant logistical challenges).

To prepare, we have developed a contingency plan for all three districts. If more than one additional snow day is needed, elementary students will utilize pre-prepared “blizzard bag” assignment packets, while middle and high school students will complete structured asynchronous (online) learning. Attendance will be tracked through assignment completion, and families will receive advance communication if this plan is activated. Additional details, including district-specific calendar adjustments, are available in the full memo below.

If you have a child turning the age of four (4) for Pre-K or five (5) for Kindergarten before October 15, 2026, please pre-register them as soon as possible via this link to ensure screening is completed prior to Fall. Tours will be made available in the coming months, and additional paperwork may be required. Please note returning student registration for current Pre-K-7th grade students will be open in early August. Parents will receive a SnapCode to the email address on file.

• March 6: Fairfield School Family Fun Night & Book Fair (4-6pm @ FF) and CK Burns Winter Strings Concert (6pm @ CKB)

• March 8: Daylight Savings Time - Spring Ahead One Hour

• March 11: Early Release Day & School Board (7pm @ Saco City Hall)

• March 13: SMS Chamber Music Concert (6:30pm @ SMS)

• March 15-22: Biddeford–Saco Restaurant Week

• March 18: PreK-5 Family Math & Literacy Night (PK-2 from 5-6pm & Grades 3-5 from 5:30-6:30pm @ CK Burns)

• March 19: Strategic Plan Input Deadline

• March 20: Dodgeball Tournament (Varying times @ CK Burns School)

• March 25: Early Release Day and School Board (5pm @ Saco City Hall)

Wednesday, March 18th

PK-2 from 5-6pm & Grades 3-5 from 5:30-6:30pm

CK Burns School

As we move into March and welcome longer days with the start of Daylight Saving Time, we are continuing our monthly focus on bus safety with a few timely reminders for families. Parents can help by ensuring students are ready at the bus stop about 10 minutes before pickup time, with backpacks organized and bags sized appropriately for safe boarding and clear aisles on the bus. Limiting loose items, long straps, and oversized bags helps prevent tripping or items getting caught in doors. Even with more daylight, staying alert, following driver signals, and practicing calm, respectful behavior at the bus stop and on the bus remain essential to keeping every ride safe. To read more about bus safety tips, click below.

🔥 From Classroom to Competition Floor! Our Biddeford Regional Center of Technology Culinary and Hospitality students brought the heat at the Maine ProStart State Invitational—earning 2nd place in Culinary and 3rd place in Hospitality!

With just two butane burners (no running water or electricity!), the culinary team crafted a stunning three-course “Día de los Muertos” menu, while our hospitality students impressed judges with their innovative airport dining concept, World Table. Beyond the medals, students earned scholarships and showcased the creativity, teamwork, and real-world skills that define career and technical education. We are incredibly proud of how they represented BRCOT—confident, prepared, and ready for what’s next. To read the full article, click here.

Now is the time to consider enrolling your child in the various programs at the Biddeford Regional Center of Technology (COT). If your child is interested in career and technical education opportunities, the COT is now scheduling program visits and accepting applications for the 2026-2027 School Year. Space is limited, so I encourage you to talk with your child about the options available and have them schedule an appointment with their guidance counselor.

The Saco Primary and Elementary School building projects are full steam ahead despite winter weather challenges. With 30-35 workers on site daily, crews have been installing the critical underground infrastructure that will serve the new schools, including stormwater drainage systems, water lines, and geothermal wells for the building's energy-efficient heating and cooling system. The Eastern Trail connector pathway has been excavated, and topsoil is being carefully preserved for future landscaping. Recent work has focused on building the loop roads around the site and removing ledge in areas where it has been encountered. Foundation drilling operations have begun this month, marking an important milestone as the project advances toward building the foundations starting in March. The team is working diligently to complete ledge removal operations before April 15th. All work remains on schedule, with regular inspections confirming that erosion control and environmental protection measures are working effectively. Check out our most recent drone footage of the site in progress.

Over the past year, Saco Schools has been working hard to build a Strategic Plan that truly reflects the needs and hopes of our entire community. This spring, we're entering the final stretch — and we'd love your input before we finalize the plan.

Here's where we've been: Last fall, over 330 community members, parents, and staff responded to our districtwide survey, helping us identify priorities around student well-being, academic excellence, and resources. From there, our Curriculum Subcommittee — made up of staff, administrators, and community representatives — met throughout the fall and winter to develop focus groups, analyze feedback, and shape a draft plan that reflects what we heard.

Now, we're asking for one more round of input. Please take 5–10 minutes to review our draft Mission, Vision, and three Focus Areas and let us know what you think:

https://forms.gle/phHps559yKtEKCLA7. Feedback is due by March 19th. The School Board will review the final plan in spring 2026, with full implementation launching shortly after.

Your perspective — whether you're a parent, grandparent, local business owner, or simply someone who cares about our kids — helps ensure this plan reflects the full Saco community. Feel free to post the survey link or spread the word. We'd like as much feedback as possible!

Over the past year, our ELA Team has engaged in extensive research to thoughtfully review and evaluate new literacy curriculum options to strengthen reading instruction across our elementary schools. As part of this work, select classrooms at Young School, Fairfield School, and C.K. Burns School are participating in pilot programs this year. In grades K–5, 14 teachers are piloting Amplify Core Knowledge Language Arts (CKLA), a nationally recognized program grounded in Science of Reading research and highly rated by EdReports. CKLA integrates systematic foundational skills instruction with rich content in science, social studies, and literature, allowing us to gather meaningful data on student progress and teacher implementation as we consider future curriculum decisions.

In addition, select kindergarten and first-grade classrooms are piloting K for ME/1st for ME, a literacy program developed specifically for Maine students and endorsed by the Maine Department of Education. This interdisciplinary program emphasizes play-based learning, read-alouds, peer interaction, and alignment with the Maine Learning Results. Supporting these pilots is a strong focus on professional development: four participating teachers receive specialized training, ongoing coaching, and opportunities to collaborate with colleagues, while all elementary staff recently engaged in breakout sessions centered on current literacy research and effective instructional practices. Together, this thoughtful, research-based approach ensures we continue building strong, confident readers in every classroom.

Over February break, eight educators representing Young, Fairfield, and C.K. Burns Schools—including special education staff, interventionists, and an administrator—traveled to Austin, Texas to participate in the Summit on Response to Intervention (RTI) at Work™, made possible through federal professional development grant funding. The conference focused on strengthening how schools respond when students need additional time and support to master essential skills. Our team engaged in sessions on literacy and math interventions, behavior supports, scheduling for targeted instruction, and building strong Tier 1 classroom practices—all grounded in research demonstrating the powerful impact of a well-implemented RTI/MTSS framework. The learning and collaboration that took place will help us continue refining systems across our K–5 schools to ensure every student receives the timely, focused support they need to thrive.

We are proud to share that one of our outstanding Pre-K educators, Heather Dumas, has been nominated for York County Teacher of the Year. Six years ago, Heather began her journey in our PreK program as an Ed Tech in the half-day sessions classroom. Through dedication, perseverance, and a deep commitment to early childhood education, she earned her teaching certification and now leads the half-day sessions classroom. Heather has become an integral member of the Pre-K team, known for her positive spirit and unwavering dedication to students and families. Beyond the classroom, she plays a vital role on the school’s Sunshine Committee and was instrumental in launching its annual school book fair, managing the many logistics that make it a success. We are incredibly fortunate to have her as part of our school community and thrilled to see her work recognized at the county level.

Students in Mrs. Spinney’s Pre-K classroom recently embraced the winter season by learning how to snowshoe! The adventure began with an instructional “Snowshoeing for Kids” video by Ivan the Inspector, which helped students understand the basics before heading outside. Using their classroom set of children’s snowshoes — purchased two years ago through an outdoor learning grant — students had the opportunity to practice their new skills firsthand. A classroom Dad generously prepared a snowshoeing track in one of the PreK playground areas, creating an authentic and exciting experience for everyone. Both the students and Mrs. Spinney had a wonderful time exploring the snow in a whole new way!

Celebrity Scooper PTO Fundraiser

Thursday, April 2nd from 3-6pm at The Saco Scoop, Main Street, Saco

Friday, March 6th from 4-6pm at Fairfield School

Last week, Biddeford/Saco Dental visited Fairfield School to teach students about healthy smiles and how brushing, flossing, and caring for their teeth helps keep their bodies strong and healthy. When children learn how to care for their bodies early on, they’re better prepared to focus, grow, and thrive as learners both in and out of the classroom.

Fairfield School's 3rd Annual Tournament of Books - Starting Monday, March 2, Fairfield School will trade basketball hoops for hardcovers in a 16-book bracket challenge to crown our favorite story of the year. Students and staff will explore a "starting lineup" of incredible picture books, generously provided to every grade level by our amazing PTO. After enjoying interactive read-alouds, classrooms will cast their votes to see which titles advance through the brackets toward the championship. The entire Fairfield community follows along as we celebrate literacy and the joy of reading!

March Madness is coming to Young School — and this year, they are celebrating reading in a whole new way! Each classroom will select a title to compete in the March Madness Book Tournament, and every student will receive a copy of the winning book thanks to the incredible generosity of the Young School PTO! Our district is grateful for its continued support in fostering a love of reading across our school community. Staff are invited to keep the excitement going by recording themselves reading their class’s selected book so students can enjoy hearing familiar voices bring the stories to life.

The CK Burns Read-A-Thon fundraiser has begun and runs through March 15th. Their fundraising goal is $25,000, and their reading goal is 150,000 minutes!

• Whole school extra recess if we hit our school reading goal
• Class celebrations for each grade with top fundraising and top minutes read logged
• Students who read over 500 minutes and log them are entered to win 2 Funtown/Splashtown tickets

Happy reading! Make sure you log those minutes and share!

Join CK Burns School on May 3rd for The Best Buddies Friendship Walk! This is a leading walk in the country for supporting people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (also known as IDD). Join 50,000 participants at 80 Walks across the globe to support the Best Buddies programs in schools, workplaces, and communities. You’ll be making the world more welcoming to people with IDD — one friendship, one job, and one life-changing connection at a time. Please scan the QR code on the flyer or visit the website for more information: https://www.bestbuddiesfriendshipwalk.org/.

The Saco Unified Basketball Team, under the guidance of the Maine Principals’ Association and the Special Olympics of Maine, played its first competition last Thursday, February 26th, on the Saco Middle School (SMS) home court. Unified Sports partners students with developmental disabilities with students without developmental disabilities to help promote physical activity, teamwork, sportsmanship, and social inclusion.

In its sixth season, the SMS Unified Basketball Team has a strong group of participants and a greater force behind them. The team consists of 13 unified athletes, 14 partners, Coaches Jessica Donovan and Eric Wirsing, a strong Pep Band, and a supportive cheering section. Please join us in celebrating these fantastic athletes by attending a future game. A complete schedule can be found on the SMS athletics webpage.

Thursday, March 12th at 6:30pm at SMS

Free; Donations welcomed

Measles cases continue to be on the rise across the nation, with confirmed cases here in Maine. Measles is a highly contagious viral illness that spreads through the air when an infected person breathes, coughs, sneezes, or talks. Symptoms of measles include: fever, cough, runny nose, red, watery eyes, tiny white spots inside the mouth on the inner lining of the cheek, and a rash that spreads from the head down. Measles can be prevented with vaccines. To learn more, watch the video below or click here.

Tech today is evolving at a dizzying pace, and the tools and apps popular with children are increasingly powerful and complex. From AI chatbots and content to algorithmic feeds and misinformation, it’s difficult for families to keep up with how to best support child health and safety. Join Children and Screens for the #AskTheExperts webinar “Get Screen Smart: Essential Tech Knowledge Needed for Digital Parenting” on March 11 at 12pm via Zoom. Our panel of experts will bring parents up to speed on the basic knowledge they need to guide children towards informed, healthy media use.

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.