14th Street School Field Notes

Fourteenth Street School is fortunate to have a knowledgeable, skilled, and compassionate student support team at its disposal. School nurse Michelle Dunning (left) joined the Bangor School Department at the start of the 2025-2026 school year after 20 years as a critical care nurse. Ms. Dunning chose nursing as a profession because she loves taking care of people and is particularly happy to be working with elementary school-aged children. When not in the schools, Ms. Dunning enjoys skiing and boating with her husband and son, a student at Mary Snow School. School counselor Josh Martin (right) is also new to the Bangor School Department, after four years' working in MSAD 41. (Many thanks to Bangor residents for passing a budget that enabled the hiring of full-time school counselors!) Whether teaching social-emotional learning in the classroom, facilitating small groups on topics such as self-esteem, friendship, and healthy choices, or being a student's "go to" when they are having a hard day, Mr. Martin has quickly become an indispensable member of our community. Mr. Martin, his wife, and their three children recently moved to Corinth. When time permits (hah!), Mr. Martin likes to garden and crochet. The third member of our student support team, school social worker Anne Small (middle) is no stranger to the Bangor School Department, having worked for 21 years as a music teacher. Five years ago she switched to social work out of a desire to help children differently and work more closely with families. Ms. Small and her husband have two adult daughters and are kept busy by their three (!) golden retrievers.

Our second PBIS (Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports) assembly was held on January 16th. The focus of this assembly was on identifying and protecting one's self-space and respecting other people's personal space. Students watched a video with a very catchy song and then a skit performed by Mrs. Smith, Mr. Martin, and some students. Next, the weekly RAMS award winners were drawn (see below), followed by ten book token award winners from among all the students who received a RAMS award during the second quarter (L to R: Sophie A., Aurora H., Emily S., Nicholas W., Wyatt J., Angelina D.L.R.P., Oren P., Julian E., Maggie B., Ted B.). The assembly ended with a celebration of being together at school; we love our community!

On January 21st, under music teacher Mr. Johnson's able leadership, third graders performed a winter concert for the school during the day and for their families in the evening. Students sang "Try Everything", "Red Bird," "Don't Give Up," "Frosty the Snowman," and "Teaching Peace"; they also introduced the songs and provided musical accompaniment, including handbells, bass drum, snare drum, and suspended cymbal. And, as is evident from their smiles, they had a lot of fun throughout.

On January 23rd, members of the Bangor High School (BHS) Library Book Club visited our first-grade library classes. The high school students read the book Dewey: There's a Cat in the Library! by Vicki Myron and Bret Witter, based on the true story of a cat that was abandoned in the book drop box of the Spencer Public Library in Iowa and adopted by that library. After a video about the actual cat was shown, the high school students assisted first graders in coloring, cutting, and assembling their own "library cats" to read to at home. First graders had such a good time interacting with the high school students; many thanks to the BHS Library Book Club and librarians Ms. Watson, Ms. Gould, and Ms. Sprague for making this event happen.

On January 30th, thanks to the generosity of our PTO, students were treated to a presentation by Josh Sparks from Sparks' Ark. In two highly engaging and informative 45-minute assemblies, Mr. Sparks showed students a sugar glider, chinchilla, hedgehog, dragon (you read that right), tortoise, barred owl, and boa constrictor. Mr. Sparks shared interesting information about each species (e.g., sugar gliders love Craisins, chinchillas give off fur when under attack to trick predators, owls can move their heads but not their eyes, etc.), while also regaling students with stories about each particular animal's rescue history.

Every Friday we randomly select a prize winner (one per class) from among the students who received a RAMS award that week for being a Responsible worker, Acting respectfully, having a Mighty positive attitude, and/or staying Safe. Selected students get to choose a small toy; read to a class; help Mr. Deane in the hallways, Ms. McCorrison in the office, or Ms. Roth and Ms. Robicheau in the kitchen; eat lunch with a friend; eat lunch with me; announce the weekly RAMS award winners; hang artwork with Ms. Caler; or select a book from the book vending machine.

As a recipient of Title I funding through the federal Elementary and Secondary Schools Act, Fourteenth Street School is required to develop a School-Parent Compact. This document represents the school's commitment to partnering with families in the education of their students and describes our shared responsibilities. Currently, the School Compact is in draft form. If you would like to suggest any changes, please email Principal Stankard at cstankard@bangorschools.net by February 13th.

• Please do your best to ensure your student arrives at school by 8:55 am. Students who arrive late (even 5-10 minutes) are more prone to dysregulation when they enter after their class has started, especially if their peers are already at gym, music, or library. They also miss valuable academic time, which makes it harder for them to meet grade-level learning targets.
  
  
• If you need to make a change to your student's after-school plan (from bus to pickup or vice versa), please let Ms. McCorrison know as early in the day as possible. Changes requested after 2:45 pm may not be able to be accommodated (although we will certainly try to do so).
  
  
• As the weather gets colder, please make sure your student has a jacket or coat, gloves or mittens, and a hat to wear at school. Snow pants and boots are required to play in the snow. Also, crossing guards at the intersection of Fourteenth Street and Hammond Street and in front of the school are not guaranteed if the "feels like" temperature is below ten degrees.
  
  
• On scheduled early release days (February 11, March 12, April 8, and May 13) or if Superintendent Robinson calls for an early dismissal due to weather, the school day will end at 11:55 am, at which time walkers will be dismissed. Students who ride Bus J, Bus H, or Bus A-1 will be dropped off at their bus stops approximately three hours before their normal drop-off time. Breakfast and lunch will still be available at school.
  
  
• If Superintendent Robinson calls for a two-hour delay due to weather, the school day will start at 10:55 am. Students may be dropped off starting at 10:40 am. Students who ride Bus J, Bus H, or Bus A-1 will be picked up at their bus stops approximately two hours after their normal pick-up time. Breakfast and lunch will still be available at school.

Thank you to all who attended Night at the Museum on Friday. If you took a mitten off of the mitten tree, don't forget to return the mitten and the item to the office.

The PTO is looking forward to March and our annual Spaghetti Dinner and Raffle, March 12th, 4:30-6:30pm. This event is free to attend. If you have or work for a business that would like to donate items to the raffle, please contact PTO President Emilie Bronson Blair at fourteenthstpto@gmail.com.

Our next PTO meeting will be Tuesday, February 3rd at 5:30pm in the school gym. All are welcome to attend!

2.3.26 - Pre-K & K Registration (4:00-6:00 pm, Fourteenth Street School)

2.3.26 - PTO Meeting (5:30-6:30 pm, Fourteenth Street School)

2.11.26 - School Committee Budget Workshop (7:00-8:00 pm, Bangor City Hall)

2.16.26-2.20.26 - February Break (no school)

2.25.26 - School Committee Meeting (7:00-8:00 pm, Bangor City Hall)

3.3.26 - PTO Meeting (5:30-6:30 pm, Fourteenth Street School)

3.4.26 - School Committee Budget Workshop (7:00-8:00 pm, Bangor City Hall)

3.5.26 - Academic Showcase (4:30-5:30 pm)