The forecast for the remainder of the week is very warm! Please make sure your student is dressed appropriately for the temperatures and brings a water bottle to school daily. Thank you!
On May 3rd and May 10th, the elementary schools of RSU 34 held their World of Work and Community Helpers Day events. These events are intended to immerse pre-k-5 students into the diverse world of careers and trades. Mrs. Wilcox, Mrs. Lunn and Mrs. Goodwin recruited many parents and community members for this annual event. Almost half of the presenters were parents of RSU 34 students! Alton Elementary and the Viola Rand School were welcomed to OTES to hear presentations and become more familiar with the surroundings. Some presenters included a Forest Ranger, OT Police and Fire, a local doctor from PCHC, a nutritionist, a barber, a service dog, an electrician, and many more! We are so thankful to our community members who volunteered their time for these events!
Shared from our community
Shared from our community:
Did you know our library has a membership to the Maine Discovery Museum in Bangor? If you want to go with your family, all you need to do is email Mrs. Reesman at Michelle.reesman@rsu34.org and let her know the date you wish to visit the museum with your family and she’ll send a signed form home with your child for that date! Only one visit request per day is allowed. Let’s take advantage of this cool opportunity for our district!
This Saturday, April 27th, Hirundo is offering a free "Meet a Scientist" event to celebrate Earth Day! This will be at Binette Park in Old Town from 10 AM - 1 PM.
Join Hirundo Wildlife Refuge in celebrating Earth Day at Binette Park in Old Town!
Meet scientists from around Maine, who will showcase some of the equipment they use and what projects they are working on right now!
Peer through lenses and activate your brain by asking questions and discovering more about the world around you. Tables will be stationed around the park featuring topics ranging from golden eagles and bird banding, to DNA extraction, to archaeology! Meet A Scientist will be your one-stop shop to learn about all the local science being conducted.
Learn the basics of what scientists do and how you can become a citizen scientist! This celebration of learning will be fun for everyone, so bring the whole family or come on your own.
Pick up a stamp card at the Hirundo table, visit at least 7 tables, and get a free nature-themed poster of your choice (first come first serve)!
Directions ~ Binette Park
434 Main Street, Old Town, ME 04468 (44.937288, -68.647140)
Located on Main Street in Old Town, along the Penobscot River, between Pepper's Landing and The Rock Church.
The April Bikes for Books Challenge sheet will be sent with your student today, Monday, April 1st if it has not already gone home. The directions are as follows: Fill in as many spaces below with the book title you read to fulfill each challenge during the month of April. Read books of all kinds to get a chance to win a new bike! If you do not need a new bike, other prizes will be awarded. Check out your library and your librarians will give you book suggestions! Bikes and other prizes will be given out during the Reading Assembly in May for all those putting forth a great effort in this challenge!
YMCA Healthy Kids Day April 20, 2024, 10-2
Did you receive an extra author visit book? If so, please return it to school. Are you missing a book you ordered? If so, please email michelle.reesman@rsu34.org.
A reminder that we go outside in all types of weather! Please plan to send boots, snow pants, jackets, mittens/gloves and a hat over the next week or so as spring in Maine seems to bring snow!
Important Reminder: No school tomorrow, Friday, March 15th for a staff in-service day. Enjoy the long weekend!
Help your child get ready for baseball or softball and support the OTHS Coyotes at the same time! Win-win!
RSU 34 Elementary World Culture and Language Teacher, Kristen LePard, as well as volunteer garden coordinator and school board member, Christina Lannan, presented at the annual Educators for a Multilingual Maine conference on March 8. Their session, entitled Cultivating a Sense of Community Through Language, Food, and Art was well received. Check it out here: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1PwC7aB8AouprrEqfbrwy_QNm6rw5xracILFoDZMJzww/edit?usp=sharing
Mark your calendars and get your fun socks ready for our upcoming RSU 34 Spirit Day on Friday, March 29th. Donations will be collected for Courageous Steps.
Some of the services RSU 34 provides are funded federally, such as those provided under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) and those funded via ESSER / ARP (covid-relief funds, which conclude Sept. 2024). Planning for the use of federal funds is underway in parallel with the RSU 34 planning and budgeting process for 2024-2025. For more information about how to provide input or be involved in the process, please contact Dr. Jon Doty (https://www.rsu34.org/page/superintendents-office)
Good morning RSU #34!
We’re pleased to continue sharing staff profiles of our RSU #34 team. This month we visited with Ann Richard, Kitchen Manager at Old Town High School. After several days of disruption in our community due to the big storm, students and staff are excited about the breakfast and lunch Ann and team are preparing today! Ann was interviewed by our Assistant Superintendent, Dr. Jon Doty.
When you were a kid what did you think you wanted to be when you grew up?
I always wanted to be a graphic artist. I didn’t know what it was, but I liked art! In high school I also wanted to design clothes.
What was your favorite book as a kid? Favorite book / author now?
There was a book series about nurses that I really liked. Now, I like mysteries. The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell is a favorite.
What was your favorite show or movie as a kid?
The Brady Bunch and The Munsters!
What led to your career - you’ve worked with us for more than 30 years!
Before I had kids I worked as a payroll clerk at the shoe shop. I chose to stay at home with the kids, and then I started to work at the schools so I could match up with their schedules, snow days, and vacations. I started with the schools as a substitute, and now I’m Kitchen Manager. I also coached middle school field hockey for a while with Deb Ziobron (rest in peace).
What do you like about working in RSU #34?
I’ve always liked cooking, and I really love the kids. I initially wasn’t excited about working with high school aged kids, but I love it. They’re mature, and I like talking to them…if they initially don’t want to talk, I consider it my challenge to get them to talk.
What do you like about our community?
This area is nice, safe, and friendly. There’s a great atmosphere and sense of community, with fun things to do in town.
What’s something most people don’t know about you?
My 2nd grade report card said “Ann tends to be a little bossy.” Also, I’m addicted to Dateline.
That fits with reading mysteries! How do you recharge your batteries?
I like being home with peace and quiet, reading a good book.
Who was your favorite teacher?
Miss Pliska - she read to us a lot in 6th, 7th, and 8th grade.
If you could time travel, where is the first time/place you would go?
I’d spend time with my parents again. My dad is the person I look up to most in life.
If you had to eat one meal for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Pepperoni and onion pizza.
If you could appear on any game show, what would it be?
Wheel of Fortune
Favorite treat?
Trader Joe’s Peanut Butter Cups
Would you rather come face-to-face with a polar bear in the arctic, or a snake in the desert?
Polar bear. No question.
Thanks, Ann, for your hard work for our schools! RSU #34 Community, if you’d like to suggest someone for a future staff profile please use this form: https://forms.gle/m9295zfr8xLTzNzRA
10/02/2023
Dear RSU #34 Families & Staff,
Some of our families have received or will be receiving P-EBT cards (known as SNAP) from the State of Maine. We were not aware this was going to happen and received some questions today; we are passing along information that we have found. The short version is that the state of Maine has changed how it gathers information about what percentage of students in communities would qualify for free and reduced-price lunch. These changes have resulted in widespread distribution of the cards in many communities.
Here is a link to the state's website explaining eligibility for the program, and why you may have received these cards.
https://www.maine.gov/dhhs/ofi/programs-services/food-supplement#:~:text=To%20be%20eligible%20for%20this%20program%20individuals%20must%20meet%20the,19%20for%205%20consecutive%20days
There is a "Frequently Asked Questions" section on that website that includes information about other benefits, how to use the cards, and what to do with the cards if you do not wish to use them. There is also an email address for Maine DHHS on that website if you have further questions.
If we learn of more important details we will send them out to families.
Sincerely,
Jon Doty,
Assistant Superintendent
Dear RSU #34 Community,
Thanks for helping us have a great “launch” to the school year! It’s been great to see the smiling faces in the hallways, excited to be back in school despite the hot weather.
Last year we began sharing a profile of a student each month; we are excited to begin sharing the stories of our colleagues! This month we visited with David May, who joined our team as a technician in the IT Department. David very much impressed his colleagues, and this past July began serving RSU #34 as Director of Information Technologies. David was interviewed by our Assistant Superintendent, Dr. Jon Doty.
Q: When you were a kid what did you think you wanted to do when you grew up?
A: I was going to be a professional athlete, playing soccer for Manchester United. All the way through high school I really thought I was going to make it.
My real career path was a little different. In high school I pushed shopping carts, was a lifeguard, and mowed cemetery lawns. After high school I started off doing customer service for credit card companies, then shifted to Verizon Wireless. I changed over to tech support, and then started working at a computer repair shop where I started working more with businesses and device networking. I discovered that I really love computers and solving problems, and it doesn’t feel like work to me. I was ready for a new challenge and I was excited to join the schools’ IT Department.
Q: What do you like about working in RSU #34?
A: I love the people...I love the challenge. Everybody has fun, too. We’re all working hard, and sometimes it can be tough, but at the end of the day it’s all about getting students what they need and we all have fun together. I love coming in to work every day.
Q: How do you recharge your batteries?
A: Usually it’s either an HP 65-watt adapter or USB-C, but….wait….you mean….?
Q: Yep.
A: Playing video games and working out.
Q: At the same time?
Q: What was your favorite book as a kid?
A: The DragonLance series; I still love the fantasy genre!
Q: What was your favorite show / movie as a kid?
A: Fresh Prince of Bel Air, and Return of the Jedi.
Q: What do you like about our community?
A: It’s the people, the sense of community, and events like RiverFest. I grew up in Old Town, and I love how close our community is. Our people are always caring and resilient….tough. We’ve been through a lot together over the years and we keep coming back.
Q: What’s something that most people don’t know about you?
A: I’m a pretty open book! That said, I don’t think most people know I was really into theatre at OTHS - the One Act Play and the Fall Play.
Q: Who was your favorite school teacher and why?
A: Mr. Marty Clark [OTHS Social Studies Teacher] - he really made learning fun! It was cool to start working alongside him before he retired.
Q: Which colleague would you like by your side during a zombie apocalypse?
A: Curtis Robertson. [LMS teacher]
Q: Not me?
A: No.
Q: Wow, zero hesitation on that…OK, I would have guessed you’d go with a certain veteran of the U.S. Army Cavalry, Captain Mike May. OTHS Social Studies teacher? Your brother?
A: Nope. When we were kids he broke a plate and I got blamed for it.
Q: Little did he know that would someday cost him an ally in a zombie apocalypse.
A: I could tell you about all the times I beat him at sports but I won’t.
Q: What’s a small act of kindness you were once shown that you’ll never forget?
A: That’s a tough one - there are a lot of acts of kindness I’ve been shown. People are so kind here and these acts happen every day. It’s hard to pick just one in this district. Wow….I’ll have to get back to you on that one.
Thanks, David, for being part of our team and for your hard work! And thank you to Captain May and our other veterans for your service to our country!
RSU #34 Community, if you’d like to suggest someone for a future staff profile please use this form: https://forms.gle/m9295zfr8xLTzNzRA
Students who live in Alton and West Old Town - our bus contractor is making some adjustments to routes; we will share more detailed information when it is finalized. Please plan to be out waiting for the bus extra early for the first few days as the routes settle into place. Thanks in advance for your patience!
RSU #34 is thrilled to share our back-to-school issue of Community Connections! Inside you will read about some of the great endeavors of our students and staff, along with important back-to-school info such as school start/end times and bus routes. Please help your kids to be on time every day this year!
This issue is dedicated to the memory of our late Board member David Wollstadt, who contributed in many ways to the school district and community.
Here's the link! https://5il.co/21o0w
