🎄At Clinton Elementary students spent a week reading different versions of The Gingerbread Man, comparing similarities and differences, while also getting creative by making our own gingerbread men!
🎄Albion Elementary PreK students enjoyed making gingerbread houses, fostering creativity, teamwork, and hands-on learning!
Festivities are in full swing at Benton Elementary! Last week our Kindergarten students went on a search for their missing gingerbread cookies. Classes followed clues left all around the school and finally found the cookies back in their classrooms. After being decorated with frosting and candies, the cookies soon disappeared again...this time into the bellies of our students! On Tuesday, our band and chorus students performed a beautiful holiday concert at the Williamson Performing Arts Center. This week students have been dressing for various theme days, including Grinchy Green, Rudolph Red, and a PJ day. We're having fun while counting down the days until winter break!
Spreading Holiday Cheer: Students Get Creative with Cards, Friendship, and Tradition.
This week students at the Junior High signed up to make holiday cards with artist, Sharon Gallant, and Teacher-Librarian, Ms. Butterfield, in the library during Bulldog Block. Students were shown sample cards and given a tour of how to use supplies including decorative paper, stamps, and a variety of embellishments. Creativity was in action as students designed their cards and had fun together.
LHS Good News, 12/18/24:
🗨️The high school’s Speech and Debate team finished in 2nd place at Mr. Blue on Saturday. Maarley Peaslee placed 3rd in Dramatic Interpretation and 4th place in Original Works; Brock Merrill placed 1st in Duo Interpretation; Addison King placed 1st in Duo Interpretation and 3rd in Oral Interpretation of Literature, Cooper King placed 1st in Oratorical Declamation, Ryer Bernier placed 4th in Informative Speaking, Wyatt DeMott placed 3rd in Informative Speaking and 4th in Extemporaneous Speaking, Stella-Moon Devine placed 2nd in Informative Speaking, as well as in Original Oratory; Abaigeal Marks placed 5th in Original Works and 3rd in Storytelling, and Ronnie Allen placed 3rd in Novice Poetry Reading, and 4th in Novice Prose Reading. Great job to our Speech and Debate Team!
🎭The Lawrence Theatre Company, right off of their Musical Mamma Mia!, are holding auditions for their One Act Play which will be later this winter. The One Acts is a competition between schools that will take place in March.
🎵The Holiday Band Concert was held this past Wednesday evening and featured the instrumentalists from Grades 7 - 12 in the Jr. High and High School Bands, as well as the Jazz Band. Good job by our musicians!
🧦The Sock Drive has collected 380 pairs of socks for those in need.
☕The Cafeteria set up a hot cocoa bar for the students this past week, which was well received!
Have a great week.
Last week at Albion Elementary, the 6th grade visited the Gulf of Maine Research Institute's LabVenture program, where they explored the scientific process and learned about plankton, seabass, and lobsters. A huge thank you to the Gulf of Maine Research Institute for offering this amazing experience at no charge! 🌊🦞
At Clinton Elemantary Ava and Bryson proudly show off their completed "Rolling Christmas" projects, while Ella, Skyler, and Evan are still hard at work! "Rolling Christmas" is a fun dice game where the kids roll to determine how many times they use each color, like rolling a blue die and using it three times. 🎲🎄
"LHS Good News, 12/11/24"
The National Honor Society inducted new members this past Monday evening. Students who meet academic eligibility apply and are accepted into NHS based on their scholarship, leadership, service, and character. Congratulations to the following new members of Lawrence’s NHS:
Seniors: Hannah Dostie, Gabriel Fairbrother, Natalee Gordon, Harley Greatorex, Mykenna Martin, Ruby Pierce, Kallie Richardds, and Danielle Wilson.
Juniors: Jillian Boyden, Payton Cole, Stella-Moon Devine, and Ashley Shores.
Sophomores: Emma Carey, Carissa Crowell, Chandler Firmage, Jenna Lawe, Addison Lea, Michaela Phillips, and Alexandria Young.
🎭The Lawrence Theatre Company concluded their musical, Mamma Mia!, this past weekend. The students put on three great performances. Congratulations to Wilhemina Duffy, Skylah Reid, Emma Spaulding, Helena Page, Marley Peaslee, Brock Merrill, Oli Brooks, Ryder Bernier, Ronnie Allen, Cooper King, Damian White, Jocelyn Clark, Lilli Clark, Hailey Davis, Hannah Doucette, Brooklyn Ferreira, Kate Hartley, Abaigeal Marks, Alex Moody, Natily Reid, Caimbree Stevens, and Melanie Thompson who all participated on stage. Further accolades to the following students who worked behind the scenes: Matthew Menchen, Rhy Kennedy, Wyatt DeMott, Muirean Lynch, Kathrine Brown, Emma Carey, Kaileigh Clowry, Theodore Currier-Webb, Brian Getchell, Jovie Rossignol, Nate Sauer, and Nick Vautour.
🎹We have an upcoming Band Holiday Concert on December 18, 2024, in the Williamson Auditorium. Please come out and enjoy some festive holiday music our band students perform.
Have a good week!
On November 14th, Clinton Elementary hosted a fun and educational Fall Title One Literacy Night. Families gathered for a pizza dinner and enjoyed an exciting LC Bates Bug Presentation, sparking curiosity and fostering a love for learning in our students. Events like these are crucial in strengthening our school community and encouraging a lifelong passion for literacy and discovery!
Albion Elementary is thankful for a generous donation from China Hannaford. Our students received these bags to help bring their winter gear to school! This thoughtful gift will make it easier for them to stay warm and prepared throughout the season. We’re grateful for the support!
After a short break, Benton Elementary students are back in the driver's seat of their learning! Students and staff wore their new MSAD 49 Bulldog shirts, a reminder of what it means to "Learn Like a Bulldog." Tiffany Lerette's Kindergarteners MADE CONNECTIONS to the text, Abiyoyo, by creating a village of people and writing letters to warn villagers about the giant coming to their village. They also PERSEVERED when digging through buckets of letters and pictures to find correct matches to create ornaments. First graders in Danielle Merciers' class got CURIOUS while learning about Christmas celebrations around the world. Second graders in Emily Hachey's class were REFLECTIVE by thinking back about their writing goals and considering what they can do to improve their future writing. Kori Whited's fourth graders were also REFLECTIVE as they self-assessed and set learning goals for the month of December. Our students are showing what it means to LEARN like BULLDOGS!
Gingerbread House Made with Library Love.
Judy King, of Unity, Maine, has been making gingerbread houses for more than forty years. She gifted Lawrence Junior High School and the community with a Lawrence Public Library gingerbread house to share her joy with others. Debra Butterfield, teacher librarian, is new to MSAD #49 this year. On the day of her interview, she visited the Lawrence Public Library and was in awe of the gem. She believes her job is to promote students being library patrons at school and in the community. The gingerbread house will be delivered to Lawrence Public Library on Friday, December 20 for viewing. Please visit the Lawrence Junior High School website for more information about the gingerbread house artist and the history of Lawrence Public Library.
🏑Three students headed to participate in Division I and II college sports “signed” their National Letters of Intent in a brief ceremony held in the Library on Wednesday, December 4, 2024, at 3:00 PM. The students are: Addison Battis, Elizabeth Holden, and Madisyn Niles. Addison will be heading to Southern New Hampshire University to play Field Hockey and major in Psychology with a concentration in Childhood and Adolescent Development. Madisyn Niles will attend Merrimack College to play Field Hockey and major in Business. Elizabeth Holden is headed to Le Moyne College to play Golf and major in Aerospace Engineering. Congratulations to the girls on their athletic accomplishments, as well as their academic excellence and the prospect of taking it to the next level as they pursue their dreams.
🎭The Lawrence Theatre Company will be performing Mamma Mia! this week with opening night on Thursday, 12/5 at 7:00 PM, Friday night at 7:00, and Saturday, 12/7 at 3:00 PM. Please come to see the talent our students have and support them. Please give them the thrill of performing before a packed house!
🏅The National Honor Society Induction Ceremony will be held on Monday, December 9th at 6:00 PM in the Williamson Center. The National Honor Society is a highly selective honor society for students nationwide. We will be inducting 18 new members on Monday evening. All are welcome to attend.
⚽During the Community Advisory on Wednesday, both our Boys and Girls Soccer Teams were presented with the Soccer Officials’ Sportsmanship banners for this past soccer season. This is a great recognition as it is from the Central Maine Soccer Officials group who selected each of our teams as the teams that demonstrated the best sportsmanship over the entire season. Congratulations!
🖼️Mrs. Beaulieu’s Life Skills class has been making crafts for the Craft Fair at Benton Elementary School this coming Saturday.
🎶The Instrumental Band Holiday Concert will be coming up on Wednesday, December 18 at 6:30 PM in the Williamson Performing Arts Center. Please come out to support the grades 7-12 band students and get into the holiday spirit on the 18th!
📋Please check out the Bulldog Bulletin for pictures and updates of other goings-on at the high school this past week. It will be out on Friday.
Have a great week!
Fourth, fifth, and sixth graders from Clinton Elementary enjoyed a movie outing to see Lost on a Mountain in Maine, after reading the true story of Don Fendler’s adventure in the Maine woods. In Mr. Mercier's class, students participated in a survival skills activity where they worked in groups to determine which items were most essential for survival. Through discussion and resolving disagreements, they reflected on how each item could help in both their own survival and Don Fendler's. This activity emphasized the importance of teamwork, critical thinking, and problem-solving.
In PreK at Albion, Mrs. Fields and Mrs. Rackliff’s students created Thankful Thanksgiving Turkeys, drawing pictures of the things they’re grateful for. Their colorful artwork included depictions of family, pumpkins, acorns, themselves, soda for Thanksgiving, and much more! This creative activity helped young learners reflect on the importance of gratitude and the spirit of the season.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Everyone loves a parade! During the month of November, fourth graders at Benton Elementary have been learning about the history of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, and crafting their own balloons to float over Benton’s Broadway!
After reading Balloons Over Broadway, by Melissa Sweet, students worked with teacher-librarian Amanda Delorie to define the problems Tony Sarg - the puppeteer of the early parade - was trying to solve with his massive balloons. After that, students continued the Engineering Design Process with technology teacher, Lydia Fortunato, identifying the criteria for a successful balloon and the limits of their resources. Students then brainstormed the animals they would like to depict in balloon form, learned how to use databases to research their chosen animal, and programmed robots to guide their balloons through the parade route. Perseverance came into play as students collaborated to construct, test, and complete their balloons, in addition to programming dance routines and filming their creations on our parade route.
We look forward to sharing their whole parade with you!
In the LJHS Library, students had the chance to write heartfelt thank-you notes to those they appreciate, whether it's a classmate, friend, family member, or staff member. Over 200 cards were filled with gratitude, fostering a sense of community and connection. As one student shared, "Creating these cards made me feel good about myself," while a staff member said, "I’m going to post my card in my room. It reminds me that I make a difference." These notes highlight the power of appreciation in building a positive and supportive school environment.
We've certainly made the most of this short week! The Olympia Snowe Girls Group met, we hosted the annual Bulldog Classic basketball tournament, sponsored by Kennebec Tool Rental, and our Upward Bound partners from UMF had a meeting with students. Josten's also held an assembly for senior cap and gowns, and we distributed over 25 donated gift cards to help provide Thanksgiving meals to those in our community. Additionally, our LEAP program baked holiday breads to sell to staff presented an overview of their program to the School Board, and planned, prepared, and enjoyed a community Thanksgiving meal.
At Albion Elementary, Mr. Plaisted is teaching Mrs. Bearce’s Kindergarteners the fundamentals of soccer, focusing on ball control. This valuable lesson helps young learners build coordination, teamwork, and motor skills, setting the foundation for both physical and social growth while instilling confidence and a love for active play.
Last week, third-grade students at Clinton Elementary worked on the second module of the Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Into Reading Writing Workshop curriculum. They wrote letters to their future selves, focusing on their goals and dreams. Inspired by discussions about famous role models and the importance of a growth mindset, students studied letter-writing elements before drafting, revising, editing, and publishing their letters. The excitement of imagining their future selves reading the letters brought smiles to both the students and their teacher.
