News

As the sun rose on another day, it left us wondering if January 6 really happened. Did we actually witness an assault on our nation's capital while the Congress was meeting to certify the peaceful transfer of administrations, a bedrock of our democracy since John Adams in 1801? With a very heavy heart, we had to acknowledge that we did.

While we are already striving to continue our students' learning through a year of pandemic, we now have the job of supporting our learning communities through an additional challenge. As we engage with our students we are ever mindful that the sacred purpose of public school, since its very founding, is and has always been to educate our youth to be active participants in our democracy. In uncertain times, our shared task is more important than ever.

District technology director Andrew Wallace, Memorial Middle School counselor Christine Stults, and K-12 Library Info Integrator Jen Stanbro presented a myriad of resources related to Digital Citizenship, all of which are available and recommended for parents, children, and community members who are interested in learning about how to be a safe and responsible digital citizen.

Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) are used for improving behavior and practices that affect student outcomes everyday. These practices, although not new to the SPSD, have come to the forefront of education this year as students work through new ways of learning and navigating their educational experience. At the Small School, teachers, staff, and administrators have a system in place that helps inspire and then celebrate students for their work.

With all of the restrictions on student movement this year between classrooms and interpersonally due to COVID, it has been a top priority for teachers and staff in South Portland to create opportunities for the children of the district to be more active. One creative way this has come to fruition is thanks to Laurie Milton and the Connections Program. Milton knew that the students needed something light-hearted and fun that could double as a mentally challenging, physical activity break during the course of the day and was inspired early in the year while shopping.

For over 25 years, the Chamber of Commerce for South Portland and Cape Elizabeth, along with the city of South Portland, have brought the community together with HolidayFest and the tree lighting at the beginning of December. It's no surprise that this year the event has been turned virtual but that couldn't stop the students of South Portland from doing all they could to bring the joy of the seasons to the community.