Our Benton Bulldogs have been on the move! Last week, our Kindergarteners and first graders enjoyed a live performance of "Elephant and Piggie" at the Waterville Opera House. Our third graders traveled to the Strand Theater to see the newly released movie, "Lost on a Mountain in Maine." Our fourth graders have been reading Don Fendler's memoir, and they will head to Skowhegan to view his story on the big screen at the end of November.
LHS Good News, 11/13/24
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We recognized our October Students of the Month at a community homeroom held last week. Students of the Month are nominated and voted among the faculty. Congratulations to the following students on being named October Students of the Month: Senior - Ronnie Allen, Junior - Romona McDonald, Sophomore - Melanie Thompson, and Freshman - Kaleb Clement. We also recognized October Citizenship Awards to students for being solid school citizens. Moving forward, the award recipients for the Citizenship Award will be nominated and voted on by their fellow students. October Citizenship Awards went to: Senior - Taylor Levesque, Junior - Ashley Shores, Sophomore - Emma Spaulding, and Freshman - Evan Bowers.
The Football team will be playing Falmouth at Cony High School on Friday night for the Regional Finals with a 7:00 PM kick off! Please come and support the Bulldogs!
A STEM Mini-grant of $360.00 has been awarded to Jason Bellner for classroom supplies for his STEM classes by JMG. Congratulations to Mr. Bellner on receiving that award.
We were the host site for the American Choral Directors’ Association’s (ACDA) Choral Festival of surrounding member schools who came and performed in the Williamson Auditorium during the day on Wednesday, 11/13/24. It was a good prelude to what we’ll be hearing during our winter concerts which will be coming up in December for Band and January for the Choral groups.
Here is a picture of the high school chorus performance from Wednesday.
Benton Elementary Bulldogs are in the driver’s seat of their learning! Our district elementary team has been working hard to identify the qualities we want our students to have to improve their ability to learn. These are life skills that are important for success in school and in the world. We collectively decided a Bulldog Learner is curious, makes connections, takes risks, is reflective, and perseveres. We also agree that students self-monitoring their levels of engagement is a huge component of learning. We want our students to "drive their learning," which means setting goals, asking for feedback, and self-assessing. All of our students have learned about these ideas, and teachers are finding ways to integrate them into students' everyday learning activities. This week we celebrated "Learning Like a Bulldog" by giving all our students an MSAD 49 Bulldog t-shirt, specially designed for this occasion. We hope students wear it with pride and will tell you what it means to "Learn Like a Bulldog!"
At Clinton our staff and students are leading the way in their learning journey! With perseverance, curiosity, and a strong work ethic, we’re proud to be a hard-working, supportive School Family. And we’re even more excited to show our Bulldog pride in our new tees!
At Albion Elementary Mrs. Quick’s 5th/6th graders teamed up with their Kindergarten buddies from Mrs. Bearce’s class for a fun and creative fall activity! After enjoying the book Pete the Cat Falling For Autumn, they worked together to make handprint fall leaves. This hands-on experience not only sparked creativity but also fostered important connections between older and younger students, promoting teamwork and building relationships through shared learning.
This week in science, we're stayin' afloat. Students in Mr. Cloutier's 7th grade classes were tasked with designing and building a penny boat. Each boat was designed to carry penny cargo. The challenge was to hold at least 50 pennies while staying afloat for at least ten seconds. Students could only use metal, such as cans and foil. Next week, student teams will present their project to the class with a scientific poster about their boat.
Last Friday, Maine illustrator and author Josh Alves brought his passion for storytelling to our Clinton students! He engaged K-2 students with captivating stories, music, and writing exercises to help them connect their pictures and words. For Grades 3 and 4, he showcased his books and illustrations, guiding them through story mapping. With Grades 5 and 6, he shared insights from his graphic novels and led a workshop on the elements of writing. This experience is vital in fostering creativity and literacy, empowering students to express themselves through art and storytelling!
On Tuesday, the planetarium visited Albion, bringing engaging learning experiences to our students! Kindergarten explored "Weather and Seasons," 1st graders discovered "Where Do Clouds Come From?", and 4th graders took a deep dive into "The Ocean Planet" to learn about the ocean floor. These interactive sessions not only spark curiosity but also emphasize the importance of understanding our environment and the science behind it. A big thank you to the planetarium for inspiring our young learners!
Our Reading Recovery/Title I Literacy team recently hosted a family literacy night for many of our first and second-grade Title I students. Families learned about the roles of teachers, parents, and students receiving Reading Recovery and Title I lessons, with an emphasis on the home-school partnership to accelerate literacy learning for students.
Families also participated in crafting our next Story Walk for the Benton Elementary playground, using two copies of the book Hold This, by Carolyn Scoppettone.
Each student went home with their very own copy of Big Truck, Little Island, by Maine author/illustrator Chris Van Dusen. We're excited about Chris coming to Benton to visit with our Kindergarten, first-grade, and second-grade Bulldogs in March!
Things are certainly spooky here at LJHS! 7th Grade Science students in Mrs. Easler's and Mr. Cloutier's classes research a Famous Scientist and create fun and creative headstones for these scientists. Also check out the spooky display in our Library!
Congratulations to the Lawrence Speech Team for their work at their meet at Bangor High School this past Saturday, 10/26/24! Individual awards include:
😀Ronnie Allen- 2nd Place in Novice Poetry, 4th Place in Novice Prose
😀Ryder Bernier- 2nd Place in Informative Speaking
😀Katharine Brown- 4th Place in Original Oratory
😀Addison King- 2nd Place in Original Oratory, 3rd Place in Oral Interpretation of Literature
🌳When Mrs. Foster and Ms. Perry went to the Farm and Sea to School Institute in the summer of 2023, they learned about ReTreeUS and how they could receive a grant to get an orchard on school grounds. Now we have an orchard of ten fruit trees planted behind the Industrial Technology shop.
🧑🎓The quarter ends on Friday. Students with quarter classes will start new ones on Monday, November 4th. Report cards will be issued by November 12, 2024.
Guidance issued a letter for all students to bring home on Monday re: any families in need of assistance or willing to help out during the holiday season, please let the Guidance Department know.
👻Happy Halloween! Have a great week.
This role playing exercise in Mr. Carpenter's 7th grade class allowed participants to step into the shoes of key historical figures involved in the Boston Massacre of 1770. By embodying characters such as British soldiers, colonists, local witnesses, and lawyers such as Samuel Quincy and John Adams, the students explored the social and political tensions of the time, gaining insights into the motivations and perspectives of all those involved.
It's National Bus Safety Week and School Bus Driver Appreciation Week! Our dedicated MSAD 49 bus drivers work hard every day to safely transport the students of our district. We appreciate all they do, including reviewing bus safety with every Benton Elementary class within the past week. Drive safely, everyone!
Shoutout to the MSAD 49 bus drivers for visiting Albion this week to teach our students the importance of bus safety! Your dedication helps keep our kids safe on the road.
At Clinton Elementary Ms. LaBranche's Pre-K class is enjoying center time. Center time is a time for children to explore, play and choose activities independently or with classmates and teachers. Choices include art, writing, sensory table, math, science, blocks, and dramatic play. The activities are responsive to each child's strengths and needs while supporting their social emotional, cognitive and physical development
Blood Drive in the high school gym on 10/30/24. https://www.redcrossblood.org/give.html/donation-time
Two students, Liam Poulin and Jake Begin, were recipients of MMTC’s October Students of the Month. Liam is in the Automotive Systems program and Jake is in the Guiding & Recreation program at MMTC. Congratulations to both students!
On Tuesday, we have students who signed up taking the PSAT assessment. This assessment is given to Sophomores and Juniors who would like to take them in advance of the SAT’s. We are not a host site for the SAT’s but interested students can look on their College Board website to see where it is being offered in the spring.
The high school is quickly approaching the end of the first quarter, which ends on November 1, 2024. This can be an illuminating moment for some students that come to the realization that grades actually mean something and that they need to be passing in order to earn credits towards graduating. If a student has had a bad quarter, it might behoove parents to reach out to their student’s teachers to see where their child is having difficulty. If it’s homework assignments that aren’t getting turned in, it might be a good idea to clamp down a bit on the student and have them report to the kitchen table when they get home from school to do their homework first thing or let them blow off steam for an hour and then have them report to a designated spot so they can be monitored that they indeed are working on school work.
This is a time to give adolescents some more freedoms, but if they are demonstrating that they can’t handle the amount you’ve given them, it would be good for their development to re-establish some non-negotiables until they can demonstrate that they can earn back some of those privileges.
Teachers, Guidance, and Administrators are always willing to work with you to help your student navigate schooling, so don’t hesitate to reach out.
Enjoy this fine weather we’ve been having and have a good remainder of your week!
Benton Elementary sixth graders have been learning about civic duties and the branches of our government. This week each class is traveling to Augusta for a tour of the Maine State House, including the Senate and House chambers. They also visited Blaine House, home to Maine's governors since 1920.
At Albion Elementary Mrs. Bearce’s Kindergarten class is hard at work honing their writing skills! ✍️📚 Developing early writing abilities is crucial for young learners, as it enhances creativity, communication, and confidence. Every word they write lays the foundation for their future success!
In late September, the Clinton second and first graders participated in some fun and educational stations all about apples! The students in both first and second-grade classrooms were mixed into four larger groups that rotated to each classroom for stations. Students heard a story about making applesauce and tried some homemade applesauce. Then they got to vote on whether they liked it or not and shared their results. In another station, students worked to plan and design a tower using cups. Then, on the top of their structure, they needed to carefully place an apple to see if it would stay. Afterward, they drew and wrote about how they designed their tower. Students had fun while using some science, engineering, and math skills! Another station experimented to observe if apples would float or sink. Each student received an investigation book and kept track of their color apple and their hypothesis on whether it would sink or float. Students were getting creative in an Apple Art station and used sponges to create a green leafy tree and their fingerprints to create apples in the tree. Clinton first and second graders, and their teachers, definitely had some fun and learned quite a bit about apples!
🎨✨ Ms. Badamo's 8th graders transformed their favorite snacks into vibrant paper and paint sculptures! This project not only sparked their creativity but also highlighted the importance of artistic expression and the joy of personal interests in art. 🍕🍦 Let’s celebrate their imagination!
