Jasper was the first student this school year to earn a token for the book vending machine for outstanding behavior in the library! He even cut the ribbon!
7 months ago, Maggie Mitchell
young boy puts a token into a book vending machine
young boy cuts a yellow ribbon wrapped around a book vending machine
a young boy holding up a butterfly book he chose from a book vending machine
We are hoping many parents and staff members can join us for our first PTC meeting of the school year on September 13, 2023, at 6 p.m. in the OTES library. Here's the link to the agenda: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1T4kY6q6J1AokCdPWNncHlmRgqQr789JDxXiI6D1h8K4/edit?usp=sharing
7 months ago, Dr. Jeanna Tuell
We had a great first day and week at OTES. Check out these smiling faces!
7 months ago, Maggie Mitchell
third grade girl stands with wing background saying “welcome to third grade"
4th grade girl smiles next to first day of school sign
boy smiles holding birthday frame around his face
4th grade boysmiles next to first day of school sign
third grade girl stands with wing background saying “welcome to third grade”
third grade girl stands with wing background saying “welcome to third grade”
student holding first day or fourth grade sign standing in a garden
student holding first day or fourth grade sign standing in a garden
We are supporting this effort sponsored by Old Town Cheering! If you have gently used sneakers to donate, please bring them to our school.
7 months ago, Dr. Jeanna Tuell
Collecting Athletic Sneakers
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
7 months ago, Dr. Jon Doty
David May
Shared from our community: The YMCA is performing Anne of Green Gables at OTES this weekend!
7 months ago, Maggie Mitchell
Anne of Green Gables play flier
At the end of last year, our fifth grade students built four larger than life Maine invasive insect sculptures to display in our maple grove and outdoor classrooms. Included are signs with facts students collected for each insect along with a QR code that will take you to the Maine Forest Service insect fact page. All wood for this project was donated and the insects were painted with a mixture of beeswax and mica powder, except for the Asian Longhorned Beetle which was painted with stain created by mixing vinegar with steel wool. Over the summer, parent volunteers generously donated their time to install the insects. Thank you to all that helped make this project possible, including the Maine Environmental Education Association.
7 months ago, Maggie Mitchell
Large wooden sculpture of a Japanese Beetle with a labeled sign
Large wooden sculpture of an Asian Longhorned Beetle with a labeled sign
large wooden sculpture of a Brown Tailed Moth with a labelled sign
large wooden sculpture of an Emerald Ash Borer with a labelled sign
SAVE the DATE for School Picture Day: September 27
7 months ago, Dr. Jeanna Tuell
SAVE the DATE
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!
7 months ago, Dr. Jon Doty
Open Houses Scheduled for Wednesday August 30th and Thursday, August 31st We will be hosting two Open House events to welcome students and families back to school. Visit your classroom, meet your teacher, fill out paperwork, and get school supplies if needed. If you have not received your back to school letters, call 827-1544 or simply attend your Open House for information. 3rd-5th grade Open House Wednesday, August 30 4:30-6:00 pm PreK-2nd grade Open House Thursday, August 31 4:30-6:00 pm
7 months ago, Maggie Mitchell
Back to School in black cursive, followed by OPEN HOUSE in green letters with boarder of colored pencils
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
8 months ago, Dr. Jon Doty
Community Connections cover August 2023
Shared from our community: A fall cheerleading opportunity
8 months ago, Maggie Mitchell
YMCA Fall Cheer flyer
All of our librarian roles are filled for the upcoming school year, but we ARE still recruiting a few members to join our RSU #34 team! https://www.rsu34.org/page/employment-applications-and-vacancies You can get started on a career in education in one of several entry-level roles - we support college tuition so you can keep learning and growing, opening up future opportunities! We just added a grant-funded intervention teaching role as well, and seek an additional Special Education teacher to join our team and help reduce caseloads. Educational Technicians support our students in a variety of ways. We have a couple of coach openings for fall middle school athletics, and we always seek substitutes. Please visit and share our employment page! https://www.rsu34.org/page/employment-applications-and-vacancies
8 months ago, Dr. Jon Doty
Librarian Trap
OTES has been selected as the beneficiary of the Hannaford Community Bag Program! Each time the $2.50 reusable Community Bag is purchased at the Hannaford in Old Town during the month of August we will receive a $1 donation. These bags are great to haul groceries, gifts, beach gear, and dare we say it, winter gear when the time comes!
8 months ago, Maggie Mitchell
Hannaford Community Bag filled with groceries next to red box stating Buy this bag and we get $1. Every $2.50 Community Bag sold at our Hannaford this month donates $1 to our organization. Share this with your friends!
We know it isn’t even August yet, but we hear some of you are out back-to-school shopping. Here are each grade’s supply lists if you forget yours at home. Lists are also available on our website under the menu tab. Please remember, if supplies are a hardship in any way, we will have some available at Open House and no student will go without what they need!
8 months ago, Maggie Mitchell
2nd grade supply list
kindergarten supply list
4th grade supply list
1st grade supply list
3rd grade supply list
5th grade supply list
RSU #34 is making a big email transition beginning at 3:30 Friday, June 16th. We anticipate that email will be down through the weekend, possibly also including the federal holiday on June 19th. Please continue to use our @rsu34.org addresses, but anticipate that your email will not be received until Tuesday. Thank you, happy last day of school, and have a fantastic weekend!
10 months ago, Dr. Jon Doty
Mrs. Brown is out front every morning, rain or shine, snow or wind, and always with a smile! Thank you, Mrs. Brown, for greeting everyone with a smile!
10 months ago, Maggie Mitchell
female staff member stands outside at school arrival area with arms outstretched and a smile
female staff member poses in school arrival area smiling
Last November, OTES was awarded a mini grant from the Maine Environmental Education Association. Fifth grade students were tasked with the job of creating an outdoor learning opportunity for our students and the surrounding community. Inspired by the giant trolls at the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens, students used reclaimed wood to create four Maine invasive insect sculptures. They built a Japanese beetle, an Asian longhorned beetle, a browntail moth, and an emerald ash borer. The insects were colored with a combination of beeswax and mica powder or stained with a steel wool and vinegar mixture. These sculptures will be put on display this summer in the University of Maine forest surrounding the elementary school. A special thank you to our donors, volunteers, DaVinci Signs in Hermon, the University of Maine, and all of the staff and students who worked hard to make this project a reality.
10 months ago, Maggie Mitchell
13 fifth grade students pose with their large insect sculptures and  labelling signs outside in the garden
a  student saws a piece of wood in half with a hand saw and guide while another student watches
a group of 4 students work on staining the wings of a large wooden insect sculpture
This Friday, June 16th is our last day of school and dismissal will be at 11:15am. Please make sure your student's teacher is aware of their dismissal plan if it is different than a typical Friday. Thank you!
10 months ago, Maggie Mitchell
Black background with white shaded arrows and white stars, print says LAST DAY OF SCHOOL & EARLY DISMISSAL in yellow and blue
From the Art Studio: Fourth grade students, Haylee, Stevie, and Amariah have been working for several weeks on creating their very own business, Bethany's Biscuits. They plan on giving each student in their class a biscuit. Great job girls!
10 months ago, Maggie Mitchell
Three female fourth grade students pose with a box decorated as an oven as well as biscuits and ice creams made out of cardboard