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
For the month of October, we have been focusing on the theme of responsibility. Each classroom is provided with a responsibility card with each letter being in a bubble. Whenever teachers catch their classes being responsible, the class can color in a letter bubble. When students complete a card, they bring it to the office, and it gets announced on morning announcements. We challenged classrooms to turn in 3 responsibility cards by the end of the month.
Mrs. Lappin's first grade class not only was the first class to turn in 3 responsibility cards, but they have already turned in 4 cards! These are some pretty responsible cougars!
Come work in Westbrook! Please consider coming to our job fair on October 27 from 9-12 and November 3 from 12-3!
Meet our Congin Cougar SEL Team! From left to right: Chris Woolworth (School Counselor), Kevin Dowling (Alternative Ed), and Mary Richardson (Social Worker).
Congin staff had an impromptu Barbie Day! Check out those outfits!
Our 3rd Grade Congin Cougar Team! From left to right: Jen Bertino, Lindsay Rounds, and Mary-Ellen Doherty.
Every week, students participate in lessons and activities called "U-Times" which helps to promote social and emotional skills in the classroom. Check out Ms. Doherty's third grade class who learned about kindness and created kindness glasses!
Our amazing second grade team! From left to right: Katlyn Preston, Vanessa Kinslow, Kelly Townsend, and Madi Dudley!
Glow Dance Party! Since we earned 779 spots of respect last month, our Congin Cougars got to participate in a glow dance party where they got glow sticks and were able to enjoy some time dancing in the gym. Students had a great time!
Congin Cougars are responsible! Today we had an assembly where students celebrated our work with respect for the month of September. Our goal was 500 spots of respect and students earned 779 spots! Students will be able to participate in a glow dance party sometime next week as a reward.
We then rolled out our new theme of responsibility. We discussed what responsibility looks like and sounds like, and students have a new challenge around acts of responsibility.
Lastly, check out all of the red for Wear Red for Respect Day! We are so proud of our cougars!
Ms. Armstrong's first grade class has had some older cougars coming in to do some guest reading! Check them out!
Meet our fantastic 1st grade team! From left to right: Ms. Jackson, Mrs. Walls, Mrs. Lappin, and Ms. Armstrong!
Mrs. Walls's 1st Grade class has been learning about the life-cycle of caterpillars. They have chrysalises in their classroom and 3 monarchs have been hatched already, with one more waiting to hatch.
Ms. Jackson's first grade class learning about phonics! Students expanded on what they know about vowels and digraphs and then participated in a song where they used each student's name to reinforce phonics skills that they are learning.
Meet our amazing kindergarten cougar team!
From left to right: Celina Marden, Josh Galvin, Kayla Downing, and Melissa Morowski.
Congin Cougars love to read! Check out Mrs. Lappin's 1st grade class practicing their buddy reading outside. Students follow the acronym: EEKK which stands for "elbow to elbow, knee to knee."
Our theme for the month of September is "Respect." We kicked off our theme of respect at an assembly at the beginning of the month, and students are now earning "Little Spots of Respect." Whenever a student is caught being respectful, they earn a spot to put on a poster throughout our school. Our goal is to have 500 spots of respect by the end of the month. As of now, we have 378 acts of respect!
Meet our Den Ambassadors for the 2023 school year!
Den Ambassadors are a group of 4th grade students who help support Congin's school and visitors. Each week they will meet with Mr. Bisson during lunch to plan out monthly assemblies, school functions and school themes.
In order to become Den Ambassadors, students had to fill out an application, provide a reference from an adult, and interview with Mr. Bisson! These students came with great ideas to make Congin a better place, and we look forward to seeing all of the work that they do this year!
Congin Cougars are artists! For the month of September, students are learning about the element of lines with the theme of building and architecture from around the world. Here is what each grade level is learning:
Kindergarten: Line Identification and Exploration (creative expression)
1st Grade: Line Identification and Exploration (buildings)
2nd Grade: Line and Shape Identification (mapping and homes)
3rd Grade: Line and Shape Identification (mapping, place, and world geography)
4th Grade: Line and Shape Identification / Drawing from Observation (mapping. place, and world geography through the study of architecture and building design
