RSU 1 9/29/2026

We are off to a fantastic start this school year at Phippsburg. Our community is growing with a wonderfully large incoming kindergarten class! The building looks and feels fresh thanks to our brand-new floors, creating an inspiring environment for everyone. Teachers have worked hard on our commitment to student growth. Our dedicated staff has developed an innovative program featuring eight unique "executive characters" designed to teach essential self-control and executive functioning skills. We spent last year creating the characters, their backstories, and designing lessons we want our students to know in order to practice skills in executive functioning. Teachers are integrating these characters into our daily curriculum to foster empathy and citizenship across all grade levels. Principal Willette sends these executives characters and possible activities for families to complete at home in the weekly newsletter. Benny the Blue Crab takes center stage for the September 28th through October 2nd school week as we focus on task initiation. Whether in the classroom or at home, task initiation helps students stay focused on their work, and learn how to get up and go. When students learn the skills to start a task right away and finish it, they can feel proud about the work they accomplish.

In the fifth grade classroom, at Phippsburg Elementary School are studying the forces that shape their coastal community while investigating how climate change may affect its future. Students are engaged in studying the tidal forces that shape the landscape of our coastal community and how climate change and rising sea levels could impact future generations of visitors and inhabitants in our community.

Students are also learning about how tidal patterns are created by the gravitational pull of the sun and the moon. Through this learning, they are examining different tides through the seasons, using lessons from the Gulf of Maine Research to support this learning. In fact, they haven’t just been focused on Maine’s tides, they have also been looking at tides from around the world in order to understand how the pull of the sun and the moon affects the tidal changes.

In addition to understanding tidal changes, students are also examining maps of Phippsburg’s landscape. They are highlighting their favorite places on the peninsula and what might happen to the land during sea level rises, especially zeroing in on some of the most vulnerable areas in our community. This learning includes partnership work with the Gulf of Maine Research Institute and the Phippsburg Resiliency Committee. On Friday, September 25th, students will travel to the Gulf of Maine Research Institute in Portland to learn more about conservation work. These learning experiences in the classroom, are allowing students to learn about how the coastline and community have changed over time and how as residents we can plan for future challenges.

Real-World Science: Seventh Graders Tackle Local Eco-Crisis at Reid State Park

BMS seventh graders take their education beyond the classroom walls this fall, trading traditional desks for the coastline of Reid State Park. Under the leadership of 7th-grade science teacher Jason Meserve, students are engaging in critical, hands-on fieldwork to study and combat the invasive green crab population currently devastating local shellfish communities.

This initiative is powered by a community partnership with KELT (Kennebec Estuary Land Trust). By stepping into the field, these young scientists are applying classroom concepts directly to a pressing environmental issue unfolding right in our own backyard. The warm autumn weather provides the perfect backdrop for outdoor education. Getting students outside allows them to explore the unique ecosystems of the Maine coast while the environment is active and accessible. Working in teams along the shoreline helps students build stronger relationships with their peers and teachers, creating shared memories that make learning stick. Partnering with local organizations like KELT shows BMS students that education doesn't exist in a vacuum. Our students are actively contributing to the well-being of their community, protecting local industries, and fostering a sense of environmental stewardship. By connecting scientific theory with community action, our students aren't just learning about the world—they are actively working to improve it.