Westbrook School Department

Dear friends, My heart is breaking over the tragic events in Lewiston last evening. I’m sure we are all struggling to make sense of such a horrible tragedy so close to home. Please join me in keeping the people of Lewiston in your thoughts and prayers. Our hearts go out to the victims and those who were injured, their families and friends, and others impacted by this traumatic event, including members of our own community. Because the person of interest has not been apprehended as of this morning and out of an abundance of caution, all schools in Westbrook will be CLOSED on Thursday, October 26. There will be no before or after school activities at this time and Central Office will be closed. Violence of this nature is difficult for anyone to understand. Children may be especially shaken by this event and may have questions and concerns. I encourage you to talk with your children about their thoughts and feelings and about school safety. Please reassure them that their schools are secure places where they are cared for every day. The Maine Department of Education has provided some suggestions for supporting children: Preschool and early elementary school children need brief, simple information that should be balanced with reassurances that their schools and homes are safe and that adults are there to protect them. Concrete examples of safety, like having locked doors and adult supervision, can provide comfort. Upper elementary and early middle school children will be more vocal in asking questions about whether they truly are safe and what is being done at their schools and communities. They may need assistance processing the incident. Discuss efforts of their schools, police, and community to ensure their safety. Upper middle school and high school students will have strong and varying opinions about the causes of violence in society. They will share concrete suggestions about how to prevent tragedies in society. Emphasize the role that students have in maintaining safe communities and schools, communicating any personal safety concerns to parents/guardians/trusted adults, school administrators, and police officers, and accessing support for emotional needs. Additionally, online resources from The National Child Traumatic Stress Network and the National Association of School Psychologists may be helpful. If you or someone you know is in crisis, call 988. Please reach out to me, your school principals, and student service providers if we can help in supporting your children and your families. Additional police officers will be present at our schools on Thursday as well. We are fortunate to be part of the Westbrook community where we pull together and take care of each other, especially in times of crisis and tragedy. Take care, and stay strong. Peter Lancia Superintendent of Schools

Dear friends, Please know that the Westbrook Schools are aware of the horrific events in Lewiston this evening. I have been in communication with the Westbrook Police all evening and will continue to monitor the situation. The suspect is still at large, armed, and dangerous. I will provide more information in the morning if this tragedy will impact school and how we will be ready to support students and staff in the coming days Take care, and please join me in keeping the people of Lewiston in your thoughts and prayers. Peter Lancia, Superintendent of Schools

Reminder: Community Conversation about School Safety, Tuesday, October 24 at 6pm at Westbrook Middle School Cafeteria. Please come!

You 'n' Me Nursery School is having its first day of school with our "Littles"!!! We are so excited to bring our "Bigs" and "Littles" together for a year filled with learning adventures and special memories. Our "Bigs" are juniors and seniors from local sending high schools who have enrolled in the Early Childhood Occupations Education (ECOE) program. Our "Littles" are pre-school-aged children who brighten WRVC and blossom as learners and little people during their time with us. Many thanks to Mrs. Bruns and Mrs. Linscott for your leadership and guidance in making You 'N' Me Nursery School a joy-filled place to safely teach, learn, and grow.

Save the date: There will be a Community Conversation about School Safety and Security on Tuesday, October 24, 2023 at 6pm at the Westbrook Middle School cafeteria. We hope to see you there!

WRVC is beyond proud of the Medical Occupations program for creating grab bags filled with candy, small toys, stickers, and other goodies that will be sold at the Spirit Halloween stores as a fundraiser to support the Barbara Bush Children's Hospital. Students and staff from other WRVC programs also volunteered to help make these grab bags alongside the Med Occ students and teachers. This year's goal is to make 10,000 bags!!! The students have almost hit this goal, which is beyond impressive. We wanted to thank the Spirit Halloween company for selling the bags as well as the Barbara Bush Children's Hospital team for their efforts in supplying the goodies and delivering the boxes to Spirit Halloween. To all who helped in this project, we deeply thank you for leading with a compassionate heart.

Reminder: There is NO SCHOOL on Friday, October 6 for staff Professional Development and on Monday, October 9 in recognition of Indigenous Peoples' Day.

Dear friends, This afternoon, we were informed of a situation in the area that could have affected the safety of WHS and WRVC. Out of an abundance of caution, WHS and WRVC were placed in a “secure lockout,” which means that doors were locked, students remained in classrooms, and nobody was allowed to enter or leave the building. WPD resolved the situation within about 10 minutes. All students and staff were safe. Thank you once again to our WHS and WRVC students and staff, our School Resource Officers, and our partners at the Westbrook Police Department for ensuring our safety every day. Take care, and stay strong. Peter Lancia Superintendent of Schools

Dear families, As you may be aware, there was an incident at Westbrook High School this morning. School administrators were notified that a student was in possession of a weapon. With the assistance of the School Resource Officer, the student was brought to the office and the unloaded weapon was secured. Westbrook Police were onsite within minutes and the situation was resolved. As is our protocol, the school was placed in a lockout, meaning all classrooms were closed, locked, and secured. All students and staff were safe and resumed their regular school day. Resources were made available to students who needed support in processing this difficult event. We commend the responsible students who alerted administrators to the situation as well as the administration, faculty, and staff at WHS and WPD. Events like this are unsettling for everyone involved, those at WHS and throughout the community. Please reach out to your school counselors and principals if you or your children need support in processing this event or school violence in general. It is important to talk about incidents, reassure children that schools are generally very safe places, validate their feelings, offer age-appropriate information, and correct misinformation. The National Association of School Psychologists has a great resource for families and educators that may be helpful. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Q05UMKVaM1DsHp69cJ0vP96CIlbXMy04/view?usp=drive_link Take care and be strong. Dr. Peter Lancia Superintendent of Schools

Reminder: Tomorrow, September 6 is our first Early Release Wednesday. Students in all grades will be dismissed one hour before their usual dismissal time. We will follow the Wednesday schedule for the remainder of the school year.

Welcome to our Kindergarten Students, the WHS Class of 2036!

Thanks for a great first week of school! There is NO SCHOOL on Friday, Sept. 1 and Monday, Sept. 4. Happy Labor Day! See you on Tuesday, Sept. 5 when Kindergarteners start school!

Welcome to Westbrook! Our new faculty and staff gathered today to learn about the district and make connections with each other! Great day so far!!

We have a cancellation for tomorrow's golf practice. Because of the predicted rain in the morning, tryouts will resume on Wednesday. Practice time on Wednesday will be 7:30 am on the range and then will play 9 holes.

Fall Sports start on Monday, August 14th. If you are interested in playing Football(Coach Johnson), Soccer(Boys-Coach Aceto/Girls-Coach Nye), Golf(Coach Brown), X Country(Coach Conrad), Volleyball(Coach Wescott and Coach Ryan), Cheering(Coach Bennett) and Field Hockey(Coach Whitten), you should have signed up in May.(check your May 31st email from Mrs. Shackley) A reminder of what is needed for Monday: Sign-up form for athletes Sign-up form for parents(on our school website under Athletics) Physical(note if you have an updated one) Proper attire for tryouts(gear, water bottle, sneakers) Times for tryouts for each sport for the first 3 days(Monday-Wednesday)(coaches will have the rest of their practice/scrimmage schedule at tryouts) Football 8-10 am and 4-6 pm (double sessions) Boy's Soccer 3:30-6:30 pm Girl's Soccer 8:00-10:00 am Cheering 2:00-3:30 pm X Country 7:30-9:30 am Volleyball Monday 10:30-12:30 pm/Tuesday and Wednesday 8:00-10:00 am Golf at Sunset Ridge Monday 10:15 am range and 9 holes to follow/Tuesday 9:15 am range and 9 holes to follow/Wednesday 7:30 am range and 9 holes to follow. Field Hockey co-op @ South Portland 7:30-8:30 am and 3:00-4:30 pm (double sessions) There will be a mandatory Fall Sports Parent/Athlete/Coaches informational meeting on Wednesday, August 16th at 6 pm in the Auditorium. Please make every effort to attend. Any further questions email murphyb@westbrookschools.org Go Blazes!!

Update: The student sign-up form was through an email that all students received at the end of the school year on May 31st. Please check there first before reaching out. It is not on the athletic site. Only the parent sign-up is on the site. A reminder of what you will need in order to start on the 14th: Physical Student Signup form Parent E-Info form Westbrook High School Athletics will start on Monday, August 14th. Start times will be posted next week for the first 3 days of preseason. If you are looking to play Football, Xcountry, Boys or Girls Soccer, Cheering, Volleyball, Golf, or Field Hockey(co-op with So Portland) you will need to make sure you have an updated physical(you are not allowed to tryout unless you are good to go or have a note stating you are all set.) IMPORTANT INFORMATION! You should have also received an email at the end of the school year to sign up for your sport/s for this upcoming year. Check out the Westbrook Athletic website to do so. There is also a form for parents to fill out for their athletes on the same site. Please make sure this is done before you try out for your sport as well. More information will be coming next week. If you have further questions please email Mrs. Murphy at murphyb@westbrookschools.org Go Blue Blazes!!

Congratulations to Dr. Lancia! Today, at the Maine Superintendents Conference he received the Outstanding Educational Leader Award. Dr. Lancia was nominated by his peers for this honor, one of five superintendents in the state!

Please read the attached letter from Dr. Lancia regarding a nomination for the next principal at Congin School. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1XyLXwoL3Jjdax1FVlfsG6A10GUms-bi4/view?usp=sharing

Thank you for voting yesterday in the annual School Budget Referendum. The FY2024 budget passed with a vote of 404 (yes) to 283 (no). Thank you for your support of our children and the Westbrook Schools!

Reminder: Please vote in today's School Budget Referendum! Polls at the Community Center are open until 8pm. Thank you!