DISTRICT UPDATE
April 2024
Dear Parents, Guardians, and Staff,
On Monday, April 8th, a total eclipse will occur from approximately 3:28 p.m. to 3:35 p.m. Although some schools are altering their schedules to a half-day, our district has opted to remain a full day due to our earlier dismissal times for younger students. Parent pick-up is an option for older students or if parents choose to participate in eclipse-viewing activities with their child(ren).
Dismissal times are:
- Dayton: 2:10 pm
- Pre-K: 2:05 pm
- JFK, BPS, BIS: 2:20 pm
- BMS: 2:55 pm
- BHS/COT: 2:40 pm
The eclipse presents a unique educational opportunity for students to learn about astronomy and celestial events. Teachers may incorporate related lessons and activities into the curriculum to enhance the learning experience. We encourage parents to discuss this rare astronomical phenomenon with their children and emphasize the importance of following safety guidelines during outdoor activities.
As many news outlets report, proper eye protection with a special solar filter (not regular sunglasses) is critical to prevent serious eye damage. To assist in ensuring that students practice safe viewing, schools will send home protective eyewear purchased by the district.
Thank you for your support in making this educational experience memorable and safe.
My Best,
Jeremy Ray
Superintendent of Schools
IMPORTANT DATES 📆
Wednesday, April 3: Early Release Day (No Pre-K) and Parent Teacher Conferences (3:30-7pm; times based on school) Friday, April 5: UNE Brain, Body & Wellness Fair (3-8pm @ Harold Alfond Forum) Saturday, April 6: School Readiness Fair (10am-1pm @ BPS) Sunday, April 7: MBDA Winter Guard Finals (1-4pm @ Sanford High School) and NESBA Winter Percussion Finals (1-4pm @ Dartmouth High School) Monday, April 8: Total Eclipse (Wear your glasses!) & Dayton School Committee (6:30pm @ DCS) Tuesday, April 9: Biddeford School Committee (5pm @ BHS Little Theater) April 11-19: No School - Spring Break Wednesday, April 17: Youth Full Maine Food Distribution (10am-12pm @ Rotary Park) Wednesday, April 24: Dayton Art Show & Ice Cream Social (6pm @ DCS) & Biddeford School Committee (7pm @ BHS Little Theater) Saturday, April 27: Biddeford Athletics Hall of Honor (5pm @ Dutch Elm Golf Club)
IN THE NEWS 📰
JFK's Little Inventors Expo & Art Walk
Little Inventors Expo
Last Friday, John F. Kennedy School (JFK) hosted its annual Little Inventors Expo. It was clear that students spent a lot of time thinking about problems in their lives and in the community to invent prototypes for inventions that would solve the problem.
Among the inventions being built included:
a robot who "plays with your baby brother so you don't have to"
a cat who washes, dries, and folds your laundry
an arm extender to "grab your cat if he goes over the fence to your neighbor's yard"
and a pond cleaning system to clean dirty water so "fishies can be happy"
Art Walk on Main Street: April 4-30
Check Out the Kindergarten Art Walk on Main Street! Each JFK Kindergarten student will have one work of art hanging in shop windows along the 200 block of Main Street (from City Hall to Oak Point Associates). Come take a walk along Biddeford’s Main Street and admire the art on display from April 4-30.
Dayton's Read-A-Thon
Dayton Consolidated School kicked off Read Across America, as did many other schools across the country in March, but they had a creative “currency” for their Read-A-Thon! Staff set the goals for minutes read while students set the funny “payment” when they succeeded. The school-wide challenge milestones during March included:
6,000 minutes read = Staff would wear mustaches
18,000 minutes read = Staff would dance a conga line for them at the next assembly
30,000 minutes read = Principal Sampietro would dye her hair blue
45,000 minutes read = Gym/STEM teacher Jill Keimach would be duct taped to the wall
Well, they rallied and smashed every goal set, as you can see in the fun photos below. Thank you to all the staff, especially Ms. Keimach, for making learning fun and thinking outside the box to motivate and encourage students to focus on their reading.
Biddeford Marching Arts Goes to State & New England Finals
Last Friday, the Biddeford Blizzard Winds and Blackout Percussion ensemble treated the entire BHS student body to an OUTSTANDING magical gargoyles come to life and lost-in-space experience! They then traveled to Salem, MA, to compete in the New England Scholastic Band Association Spartans Winter Invitational. There, they competed they competed against ensembles from across the country, including two that ranked among the top three groups in their class nationwide. The Winds placed 3rd Overall (Winning Bronze), and the Percussion placed 5th Overall.
The students will now compete in the State and New England Finals this Sunday, April 7th. The Maine Finals will be at Sanford High School at 11am, and then the teams will travel to the New England Finals at Dartmouth High School in Massachusetts for the Blackout Percussion competition at 4:30pm and the Blizzard Winds at 6:10pm. Awards will be announced around 7:15pm.
To help support the costs of transportation to finals, the teams are hosting a Jersey Fundraiser. They hope to raise enough to provide them with a coach bus, as it will be the longest day of the year, with two shows in one day! There are two Jerseys for order at $40 each. The fundraiser is ending this Friday, April 5th. Click here or scan the QR code if interested in purchasing a jersey.
Thank you to Maureen Grandmaison Photography for capturing these moments for us!
PreK & Kindergarten Registration Now Open
ATTENTION TIGERS: Secure Your Row Now
COMMUNITY SUPPORT & EVENTS 😀
Clothing Giveaway & Free Food Distributions
Clothing Giveaway
April 6, 10, 16, 24, 30
Times Vary
Saco Grange
Open to All - Click on the image
for more information.
Youth Full Maine
April 4, 11, and 25
2-3pm
Dayton Town Hall
Open to All - Click on image
for more information.
Free Food Distribution
April 17th
10am-12pm
Rotary Park, Biddeford
Open to All - Click on image
for more information.