Week 38 - Monday, June 15 - Wednesday, June 17

Dear Memorial Parents and Guardians,

It is hard to imagine that this is already the last parent memo of the 2008-2009 school year! The last weeks of school always seem to have the same feeling: Like we are all sprinting like mad, trying to get everything done before students and staff leave and then all of the sudden I find myself standing outside, waving to the departing buses on the last day of school. In past years, I have found myself standing there wondering, "What happened? Didn't we JUST start the year?" The weeks leading to this year's end have had that same pace and I suspect I will be having exactly the same thoughts on Wednesday as the buses pull out.
Our school year will wrap up on Wednesday with an early release day when students will be dismissed at 11:15 a.m. Before dismissal we will have the end-of-the-year assemblies for the 6th and 7th grade students. Following the 6th grade Final Assembly, our 6th and 7th grade students will "step-up" to 7th and 8th grade. Our students will go to 7th or 8th grade classrooms to meet with some of the teachers they will have next year. The purpose of this event is to provide students an opportunity to meet the teachers and to learn a little more about what they can expect as 7th or 8th grade students. This step-up event will last until the end of the school day when students will be dismissed.
Monday and Tuesday are days that are filled with a number of very important activities. On Monday, our 8th grade students will have their "capstone event" field trip to Point Sebego. A capstone event is a little different than other field trips as the curriculum connections and academic follow-up are not as paramount. Instead, the event is considered an ending or celebratory activity. That is certainly the case when our students go to Point Sebego.
Our 6th graders will travel to Massachusetts for a whale watch. This is the culminating event in a unit through which the students have learned about marine biology and the way that environmental changes impact marine life. While the weather looks a little suspect, I’m sure everyone will see many whales and will have a great time!
Tuesday is a big day for our 8th graders who will not only come together in the morning to rehearse for their Final Assembly that night, but they will also "step up" to SPHS! Before they go to the High School for their activities, students will first go to Nonesuch Books to select a book of their choice (under $10). These books will be purchased by South Portland High School. Our hope is that all students will find something exciting to read and will, therefore, be more inclined to read this summer.
Last Tuesday was a big day in South Portland. The residents voted to approve the School Department Budget as well as a bond to pay for some much-needed renovations and improvements at both middle schools and the High School. These projects are "shovel ready," meaning that the work will begin this summer. We are looking forward to having upgraded stairwells and emergency exits that are rated for current fire codes. While the building will be open during the summer, we do expect that some of the construction could impact accessibility to the school. If you are planning to stop in, please do call the Main Office, which will be open all summer, to make sure that the building will be accessible for you.
The school will be open throughout the summer. Mr. Mastreani and Mrs. Sampson, our guidance counselors, will be in the office for a week after the school year ends and one week before the school year begins. Students' schedules will be mailed out in August along with our summer newsletter.
There is still time to enroll your child in Memorial's Middle School Transition Academy. We will be offering Middle School Summer Academy for incoming 6th, 7th and 8th grade students. This program will provide literacy and math support in a project-based format. Students will also receive some support in establishing good academic and organizational skills. The program will run the first 3 weeks of August, Monday through Thursday from 12:00 - 3:00 p.m. The cost of the program is $40, with $20 refunded if the students attend all 12 days of the program. A sliding scale may be available depending on the need of the family. If you are interested, please contact our guidance department (merryra@spsd.org) to get more information.

Thank you parents and guardians who have done so much for your students and for the school. I am genuinely looking forward to working with you all in the 2008-2009 school year. Have a wonderful summer!

Sincerely,
Megan Welter

This week:
Monday, June 15, Day 4
No 6th grade or 8th grade Related Arts classes
Grade 8 - to Point Sebago 8:15-2:00
Grade 6 - to Whale Watch 7:30-4:30

Tuesday, June 16 - Day 5
6th grade rocket activities - No related arts for 6th grade students
8:45 a.m. - 8th grade rehearsal for Final Assembly in gym
10:15 a.m. - 1st 8th grade group goes to Nonesuch Books
10:45 a.m. – 2nd 8th grade group goes to Nonesuch Books
11:15 a.m. - 3rd 8th grade group goes to Nonesuch Books
12:00 p.m. - Grade 8 -Step Up to SPHS
6:30 p.m. Grade 8 Final Assembly in Gym

Wednesday, June 17 - Day 6
8:15 a.m. - Grade 7 Final Assembly in gym
9:30 a.m. - Grade 6 Final Assembly in gym
10:15 - 11:10 - Step up for 6th and 7th graders
11:10 - Homeroom to receive report cards
11:15 a.m. - Student dismissal for the summer

Upcoming Events:
Summer hours: Memorial's Main Office will be open Monday through Friday, from 8:00 - 2:00 p.m.
There will be some construction
August 31 - 6th Grade Orientation/Open House
September 2 - First day of school for students