Regional School Unit No. 5
January 27, 2012
The Mast Landing School first welcomed students in September of 1991. To commemorate its 20th anniversary, the students and teachers have developed what art teacher Becky Christie calls “a creative collaboration” – producing a musical about the school and “its far-reaching impact” on its students. Read More
Recently, 8th graders at Durham Community School completed a multi-media project that resulted in a big payoff for the 3rd & 4th grade students. Ms. Eliza Damone, DCS librarian and middle school multi-media teacher, incorporated a recent assignment into a reading grant application. Read More
Dear Parents, Community Members, and Staff,
If “time flies when you’re having fun”, then we must be having a blast! We reached the mid-point of the school year and are entering the third quarter. Our staff and students are learning a lot and having fun in the process. We recognize that you entrust us with your children and it is an honor to have the opportunity to work together to provide a highly effective academic program for your child. The district is currently gathering and analyzing data about the effectiveness of our efforts and will provide a full report to the educational and larger community in March. We look forward to sharing that information with you.
Schools Delivering on the Mission:
We are fortunate to have two school articles this week. The first is a celebration of the 20th anniversary of Mast Landing School. The teachers and students are working very hard on the musical adventure, The S.S. Mast Landing; what a wonderful way to celebrate the anniversary! The second article highlights a multi-media project that resulted in a big payoff of $3,500 at Durham Community School. Students in the 3rd and 4th grade will benefit from the purchase of books. I know you’ll enjoy reading these exciting articles.
Freeport High School Facilities and Grounds Master Plan:
The RSU5 Board heard an interim report from PDT architect Lyndon Keck regarding the development of a Master Plan for Freeport High School. The report included analysis in several areas including program needs; infrastructure and facility needs; and campus grounds. Detailed handouts from this presentation can be found at the FHS Facilities Study website created to provide up-to-date information about this initiation. There have been several public forums about this project recently with more to be scheduled in the near future. We encourage you to attend these informative and interactive meetings.
PDT Architect Lyndon Keck recommended a change in the timeline for completion of the Master Plan. Due to the number of public opportunities for input and discussion, he recommended that we extend the completion date to ensure we have time for thoughtful consideration of all community input. The Board informally indicated support of an extended timeline for a final report out of the Master Plan, which is now expected closer to the end of the school year.
Budget FY13:
It may be hard to believe but we are in the process of developing our budget for the 2012-2013 school year. The RSU5 Board of Directors established a goal to provide leadership for securing support for the district budget with a specific plan for explaining and defending the budget to the public. The Board held a series of public workshops over the past few months on topics with the potential for increased funding in next year’s budget. Topics have included technology, capital improvements, enrollments, use of time, and the Freeport High School Master Plan including fields and grounds.
At their Board meeting on Wednesday, February 8, 2012, the Board will prioritize these items to guide the development of our budget. This meeting will be held at 6:30 pm in the Freeport High School Library. We invite you to attend this important meeting. If you are unable to attend this workshop, the priorities will be posted online following the meeting and we encourage you to provide input electronically at Board@rsu5.org. Your input will be distributed to all Board members and help us gain a better understanding of your priorities.
The Board believes we must make every effort to help our communities understand their budget priorities. Meetings have been scheduled in early March to provide information to our parents, staff and community members. We invite you to attend any (or all) of the meetings below:
Thursday, March 1, 2012 – Morse Street School Library 6:30 p.m.
Monday, March 5, 2012 – Durham Community School Library 6:30 p.m.
Tuesday, March 6, 2012 – Pownal Elementary School Art Room 6:30 p.m.
Monday, March 12, 2012 – Freeport High School Library 6:30 p.m.
The budget process will formally begin on Tuesday, March 27th and Wednesday, March
28th with a detailed presentation of the proposed 2012-2013 budget. There will be numerous budget meetings during the process which ends in late May/early June with the Annual Budget Meeting and Referendum vote. We encourage you to be part of this important work.
Upcoming Meetings:
Tuesday, February 7th – FHS Facilities Study Committee Presentation to Freeport Town Council 6:30 p.m. at Freeport Town Hall
Monday, February 13th – FHS Facilities Study Committee Presentation to Durham Selectmen 6:30 p.m. at Durham Town Hall
Wednesday, February 8th – Finance Meeting at Central Office 4:30 p.m.
Wednesday, February 8th – RSU No. 5 Board of Directors’ Meeting at Freeport High School Library 6:30 p.m.
February 20-24 is the week of February Vacation – No School
School Resumes Monday, February 27, 2012
Wednesday, February 29th – RSU No. 5 Board of Directors’ Meeting at Freeport High School Library 6:30 p.m.
As always, your involvement and support is greatly appreciated. Enjoy your February Break!
Sincerely,
Shannon
Shannon L. Welsh, Superintendent
865-0928x5
welshs@rsu5.org
