TO: RSU #74 Board of Directors

FROM: Jean Butler

DATE: September 24, 2025

PreK-5 ELEMENTARY REPORT

It has been a beautiful month of September with warm days and lots of sunshine. We have not had to

have indoor recess due to wet conditions more than once or twice. Of course, we all recognize that a

day of steady rain is certainly needed!

Fall testing is going on for students in grades K-5 with the NWEA MAP Growth test for all grades and

the NWEA Through Year Assessment for grades 3-5. Our intervention team members at each school

are administering assessments for benchmarking purposes to help us identify students who will need

intervention services in reading and math. Preschoolers are assessed throughout the year by their

teachers using a program called Teaching Strategies GOLD in order to measure their progress on a

variety of academic and social-emotional skills. We will hold our first round of data meetings on

October 8th at the Garret Schenck School and October 9th at the Solon School.

Solon Elementary School held its Fall Open House on September 18th. Parents and grandparents toured

the classrooms, visited the Book Fair, found some books to take home on the Free Book table, and

enjoyed ice cream sundaes in the gym. There were 131 people who attended the Open House, which

represented 67% of our families.

Garret Schenck Elementary School will hold its Fall Open House on September 24th. Families can visit

their children’s classrooms, meet the staff, and enjoy cake made by the Bankery in Skowhegan to help

us celebrate Garret Schenck’s 100th birthday. We will also display some pictures and newspaper articles

about the dedication of the school in 1925 along with a banner showing what was happening in the

United States in 1925 and some information about Garret Schenck (for whom the school was named)

researched by our fifth grade students.

The three first grade classes in the district will visit the Apple Farm in Fairfield on October 1st Students

will have a tour of the orchard and be able to pick some apples to take home. This annual trip is part of

a farm unit done in the fall of first grade.

October is Fire Safety Month. We have practiced fire drills already and will continue to do that

throughout the year. We appreciate that Rick Caldwell, Lance Maginnis, and Andrew Hupper of the

Anson Fire Department and Todd Dixon and Jenney Rollins of the Solon Fire Departments come into

our schools to provide lessons on fire safety and prevention to our students in all grades during Fire

Safety Month.

Both the Garret Schenck and Solon Schools held a Walking School Bus activity on September 24th.

Students and staff walked to school as a way to promote exercise as a wellness activity as part of each

school’s wellness action plan. The Solon students met at the former Solon Thrift Shop and walked to

school. The Garret Schenck students met at school and then took a walk out in back of the school,

around to Arnold’s Lane and then back to school. Students enjoyed breakfast when they returned. More

Walking School Bus activities will take place throughout the year.

On October 9th, students in grades 2-5 at Garret Schenck are going on a field trip to the Norlands Living

History Center in Livermore. Norlands is a working farm once owned by the Washburn family, whose

sons played prominent roles in U.S. politics, business and industry, diplomacy, and military affairs.

Students are engaged in farm and kitchen chores as they were done on a farm in Maine in the 1870’s.

We appreciate funding for this field trip from the Anson Academy Association.

School Bus Safety Week takes place the week of October 20-24. During that week our bus drivers talk

to students about bus safety rules, and we give gifts to our bus drivers to show our appreciation for their

dedication to transporting our students to and from school safely.

Solon Elementary School is continuing our “Star Student” program to recognize students each month.

We teach students some “Habits of Mind” that will help them to become good workers, good school

citizens, and good people. The Habits of Mind we will teach this year are being school ready, having a

growth mindset, being supportive of others, being a good communicator, being responsible, exhibiting

self control, doing quality work, being a flexible thinker, and being a good team member. We will focus

on one Habit of Mind each month, and at the end of the month each teacher chooses a student who has

demonstrated that habit throughout the month. At an assembly these students receive certificates, and

their pictures are displayed in our lobby and published in our newsletter. At the end of each month,

older and younger students team up to learn about the next month’s Habit of Mind.

At the end of Ocober we will celebrate many students’ favorite holiday, Halloween. On October 31st,

students will be able to don their costumes and walk in Halloween parades in their community, and

their parents and family members will be able to take part as well. They will return to school for a

Halloween party with healthy snacks provided by parents and served by PTO members and parent

volunteers. We’re all happy that Halloween falls on a Friday this year!

If you have any questions about anything at Garret Schenck or Solon Elementary Schools, please contact me.

Have a lovely fall!