Week 2
September 6th, 2026
This Week at Talbot
🏫 Monday: No School
🚌 Tuesday: Third Grade Field Trip
📅 Wednesday: Early Release at 1:10 PM
🐾 PTO: Our first PTO meeting is Wednesday — we hope you’ll join us!
🧠 Classrooms: We’re continuing to build and practice strong classroom routines and expectations.
🤝 Morning Meeting: Ask your child what happens during theirs!
⏰ Arrival Reminder: Class begins at 7:39 AM. Students arriving 7:40 need to be signed in.
🎒 Family Ask: Keep labeling those sweatshirts, water bottles, and lunchboxes — it makes getting lost items home much easier!
From the Librarian, Ms. Schott
In 4th and 5th grade Library Enrichment this year, our focus is on STEM learning. We will be working with coding, circuitry, and robotics! This past week, we used our MakeyMakey tools to experiment with circuitry and turn some bananas into a piano keyboard. It was some noisy, silly, and fun learning.
From Nurse Brenda
Welcome back!
As the school year begins, here are two ways to keep you feeling your best.
BREAKFAST
Eat a good breakfast before coming to school.
Your brain uses the energy you get from food to help you learn. If you haven't eaten breakfast, your brain is pretty low on energy. Try to include protein in your breakfast to keep you going all morning. Foods like peanut butter, eggs, or meats are great options!
SLEEP
- Getting enough sleep is so important to doing well in school! Kids in elementary school need at least 10 hours of sleep each night.
- Try to start winding down the day 30-45 minutes before you go to bed. During wind-down time, you can include bedtime routines such as brushing teeth, choosing what to wear the next day, and doing a calm activity like reading or drawing.
- Try to turn off all screens and devices at least 2 hours before going to bed to get the best sleep possible!
- Following these routines can help you stay healthy & feeling great!
Classroom Focus
As students learn about Maine and the world around them, they will also learn about the Wabanaki—the Indigenous peoples who have lived in this region for thousands of years and who continue to be vibrant, living communities today.
Wabanaki Studies is an important part of learning in Maine schools and is woven into learning across subjects and grade levels. Through stories, history, art, science, the environment, and other classroom experiences, students have opportunities to learn about Wabanaki cultures, communities, knowledge, and connections to the land.
Portland Public Schools has worked closely with Wabanaki advisors, educators, and community partners to develop meaningful and accurate learning experiences for students. At Talbot, this work is another way we help our students better understand the history, people, and communities of the place we call home.
🚗 Arrival & Drop-Off Expectations
🚌 Bus Loop: Buses only
📚 Public Library Loop: Pre-K and FLS drop-off
🛝 Playground: All other student drop-offs
🚶 Crosswalks: Please drive slowly and patiently and watch carefully for students and families walking to school.
⏰ After 7:40: Please park and walk your child into school. The bus loop remains for buses only.
More information regarding traffic safety in the Talbot Family Handbook
Coming and Going
Arriving After 7:40 a.m.
If your child arrives after 7:40 a.m., walk them into the front office to sign in before they head to class.
Students arriving after 7:40 a.m. are marked tardy.
🚪 Leaving School Early
If you need to pick your child up early, please bring a photo ID. ID is required when signing students out.
To help us keep the end of the school day safe and organized, we do not dismiss students early after 1:45 p.m. If you arrive after 1:45, please plan to wait for regular dismissal at 2:10 p.m.
Dismissal:
2:10 p.m. Dismissal Monday, Tuesday, Thursday & Friday
1:10 p.m. Early Release every Wednesday
Ask Me About My Day
Looking for something besides "How was school?" Try one of these:
- What made you laugh today?
- Who did you spend time with today?
- What was something you were really good at today?
- What was tricky today?
- What did you learn that you didn’t know yesterday?
- Who helped you today? Who did you help?
- What happened at Morning Meeting?
- When did you feel proud of yourself today?
From the Principal
Dear Talbot Families,
I had the honor of participating in our first Community Meeting! This is an important time for our entire school to come together and focus on what it means to be a Talbot Tiger.
At our first meeting, we sang the Talbot Tiger Song, kicked off our Kindness Campaign, and celebrated our Summer Reading Champions! We also talked about something we want every student to know: one of the most important things a Tiger can be is kind.
Our Community Meetings give us a chance to come together as a whole school to celebrate accomplishments, build community, and reinforce what it means to be a Talbot Tiger: Be Safe. Be Responsible. Be Cooperative. Be Respectful.
I have to say—this was an absolute favorite for me! There was something very special about seeing our students and staff all together, celebrating one another and building the kind of school community we want Talbot to be. 🐯
Dr. Williams
From the District
Dear Families,
If you haven’t already, we are asking families to fill out the PPS Household Information Survey by October 2. You should have received a personalized link for your household via ReachMyTeach to fill out this important form online.
The form should take no more than 1 minute to complete.
This survey helps the Maine Department of Education understand how many students in our schools may need extra support because of economic challenges.
Why is this important?
The information you provide helps our school qualify for additional state funding that supports programs and services for students who need it most. This funding can help improve things like classroom resources, tutoring, and other important supports that benefit all students.
Please note:
This survey is not connected to free or reduced-price school lunch programs.
Your answers are private and confidential and will only be used to determine if our school qualifies for extra state funding.
By filling out the survey by October 2, you’re helping us make sure your child’s school gets the resources it needs to provide the best education possible. Thank you for taking the time to help our school community!