Sebago Superintendent Update
October, 2023
Annual Notification to Parents
The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) (20 U.S.C. § 1232g; 34 CFR Part 99) is a Federal law that protects the privacy of student education records. The law applies to all schools that receive funds under an applicable program of the U.S. Department of Education.
FERPA gives parents certain rights with respect to their children's education records. These rights transfer to the student when he or she reaches the age of 18 or attends a school beyond the high school level. Students to whom the rights have transferred are "eligible students."
Parents or eligible students in the Sebago School Department have the right to inspect and review the student's education records maintained by the school. Schools are not required to provide copies of records unless, for reasons such as great distance, it is impossible for parents or eligible students to review the records. Schools may charge a fee for copies.
Parents or eligible students have the right to request that a school correct records which they believe to be inaccurate or misleading. If the school decides not to amend the record, the parent or eligible student then has the right to a formal hearing. After the hearing, if the school still decides not to amend the record, the parent or eligible student has the right to place a statement with the record setting forth his or her view about the contested information.
Our schools must have written permission from the parent or eligible student in order to release any information from a student's education record. However, FERPA our allows schools to disclose those records, without consent, to the following parties or under the following conditions (34 CFR § 99.31):
School officials with legitimate educational interest;
Other schools to which a student is transferring;
Specified officials for audit or evaluation purposes;
Appropriate parties in connection with financial aid to a student;
Organizations conducting certain studies for or on behalf of the school;
Accrediting organizations;
To comply with a judicial order or lawfully issued subpoena;
Appropriate officials in cases of health and safety emergencies; and
State and local authorities, within a juvenile justice system, pursuant to specific State law.
Schools may disclose, without consent, "directory" information such as a student's name, address, telephone number, date and place of birth, honors and awards, and dates of attendance. However, schools must tell parents and eligible students about directory information and allow parents and eligible students a reasonable amount of time to request that the school not disclose directory information about them. Schools must notify parents and eligible students annually of their rights under FERPA.
For additional information, you may contact Superintendent, Steve Connolly at sconnolly@sebagolearners.org.
Or you may contact the federal government at the following address:
Family Policy Compliance Office
U.S. Department of Education
400 Maryland Avenue, SW
Washington, D.C. 20202-8520
Sebago School Department Strategic Planning
"If you don't know where you are going, any road will take you there."
~ Lewis Carroll (Alice in Wonderland)
You are cordially invited to participate in Strategic Planning, as we begin the process of creating a five-year plan for the School Department. The kick-off session will focus on who we are and who we want to be, so we need your thinking! The first session will be on Thursday, October 19 from 5:30 to 6:30 PM in the multipurpose room. In order to provide as much opportunity as possible for any Sebago citizen and parents to attend this event, free childcare will be provided in the library. Please sign up for the service in advance by emailing swilley@sebagolearners.org. Snacks and waters will be provided. You are welcome to participate in any number of one-hour monthly sessions you wish along the way, as these will take place from November to February. Surveys will also be sent out at different points during the planning process. For additional information, please contact Superintendent Steve Connolly at sconnolly@sebagolearners.org. A link on our website will be dedicated to sharing updates along the way, as well as a full timeline of the process. I hope to see you October 19!
A Very Successful PD Day in October 6!
Thank you to the community for supporting professional development time for our staff. During a single day, staff experienced:
* Role Alike Communities of Practice with our Greater Sebago Education Alliance colleagues for art, music, physical education, library and media specialty, health, and music. These staff members were able to participate in person with area peers from MSAD 6, RSU 14, MSAD 61, Gorham, and other nearby school districts;
* Math4ME presentation by Cris Bennett, who also had the opportunity to observe math in all classrooms this week to look for consistencies in the areas of inclusion, content, engagement, and teaching practices; and
* In person work with Reed Dyer Consulting and our Learning Strategist Amanda McInnis on topics such as: Understanding by Design (UbD), summative and formative assessments, A Teacher's Guide to Reading Conferences, Structure of Writing Conferences, note-taking and capturing evidence in text, planning for conferring with students, and setting priorities for professional development for the 2023-2024 school year.
WOW! All staff was heavily invested and found the collaborative learning time very effective. There will be consistent follow up of classroom practice to look for throughout the school year.
Prekindergarten Project Needs Your Hep!
In order for PreKindergarten to operate according to State statute, there are several requirements that must be met. One of those requirements - strangely enough - is that PreK playground spaces must be separated from general school playground apparatuses. Our playground is not fenced off, so we could use community help! If you are able to donate materials, funds, or time to help bring this project to fruition, please contact Principal John LaPerriere at jlaperriere@sebagolearners.org. The project planning could take place anytime this fall and winter, while the project itself would likely, at this point, occur next spring. Thank you in advance for your sense of community. We are in this together!
National School Nutrition Week
One week out of the school year is dedicated to celebrating school lunch around the nation. Next week, 10/10-10/13 our food service department will celebrate National School Lunch Week. Sebago Elementary School will take it to the "NEXT LEVEL" and celebrate school cuisine from around the world. We have added a couple of new menu items we hope our students will try. At the end of the week, the class with the highest participation rate will be able to choose a prize from Morgan's prize box.
Monday - No School!
Tuesday - TACOS - A taste of Mexico!
Wednesday - New Item! CHICKEN N' KLUSKI NOODLES - A staple in Polish cuisine!
Thursday - PIZZA - Traditional Italian!
Friday - New Item! DUMPLINGS - Authentic Asian!
Sebago Elementary School wishes to thank Morgan Therriault and Tia Banks for ensuring great meals for kids. AND... As you may recall, in February of SY23, our Food Service Department was one of four Maine schools that participated in the first ever school food waste study conducted by the UMaine Mitchell Center for Sustainable Solutions. Through our school's efforts to reduce wasted food, we showed the potential for improving health and feeding, saving money and other valuable resources, and fighting climate change. After sharing study results with key stakeholders, Governor Mills signed an official Proclamation that designated September 25 - 29, 2023 - Maine Food Waste Awareness Week!!
On Thursday, September 28th, our school held an event to celebrate this accomplishment. Congratulations Morgan and Tia, and thank you Mr. Bridge-Koenigsberg for visiting us last week to help us celebrate our achievement.