Brunswick School Department

Employee Spotlight: Jessica Bennett Academic Evaluator, Central Office Jessica and her husband have two children; 2 year old Finnegan and 11 month old Rowan. Their family also consists of three dogs! Jessica is a graduate of the University of Maine at Farmington for her undergraduate degree and went on to receive her masters degree from the University of Southern Maine. What makes you proud to work in Brunswick? #BSDProud Brunswick is really working hard to improve the equity in education for all. What do you like to do outside of work for fun? I love to play with my kids and dogs; hike, swim/hang out at the beach, paint and draw, run, and go to concerts! What if your favorite line from a movie? "Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in awhile, you could miss it" -Ferris Bueller's Day Off What is something you learned in the last week? I learned a whole lot about fruit flies. A very energetic and enthusiastic student taught me all about their life cycle; how to attract them if wanted, and how to catch them.

Check out my latest article in the Forecaster: Helping students navigate the war in Ukraine. https://www.pressherald.com/2022/05/06/brunswick-superintendents-notebook-helping-students-navigate-the-war-in-ukraine/

BSD Class of 2036 begins their exciting educational journey at PreK Screening at Kate Furbish Elementary School today! Thank you to all of the staff that made it happen! #teambrunswickme

Thank You to Darling's Brunswick Ford for donating a beautiful array of food and goodies! Thank You to Black Label Catering for preparing and delivering it to BHS. #teambrunswickme #teacherappreciation #maine #brunswickmaine

This week, we celebrate our BSD Teachers and Substitute Teachers for Teacher Appreciation Week! I applaud the dedication and our teachers' foundational belief: All Students Can Succeed. The extraordinary work our Educators do day in and day out is incredible. The support they provide to students, the high-quality instruction, and the individualized time they provide to our students do not go unrecognized. And I recognize the support they offer so students can succeed in college, career, and life extends well beyond our Brunswick Schools' walls. The countless hours they spend inspiring students, engaging their families, and supporting academic and extracurricular activities is astonishing. On behalf of the Brunswick School Department, I want to thank each of them for being part of our district. Their passion, dedication, and resiliency are recognized every single day of the year - Thank You.

It doesn’t matter how many times I see Desi the friendly support dog at Brunswick Junior High School it always puts a smile on my face! #teambrunswickme #dogs #juniorhigh #schooldog #blacklab #smile #maineschools #maine #brunswickmaine

Employee Spotlight: Caroline Moore 6th Grade Science Teacher, Brunswick Junior High School Caroline grew up in Massachusetts and is a graduate of Bowdoin College. What makes you proud to work in Brunswick? #BSDProud As someone new to the district, the support and camaraderie from everyone that I work with has been incredible. What do you like to do outside of work for fun? I like trail running, swimming, cross country skiing, and generally exploring outside. I've been enjoying finding new-to-me trails and swimming spots since moving here this fall. What is something you learned in the last week? A single dragonfly can eat over 30 mosquitoes per day!

Several of our staff at HBS were almost brought to tears due to the respect and kindness shown to our students by Tony Sachs from The Big Top Deli. As some of you may know, we had some HBS students participating in Special Olympics swim event this week! Krystal Bray (life skills teacher at HBS) wanted to walk down to order sandwiches for the students from The Big Top Deli. Unfortunately, that walking field trip didn't pan out in time. Krystal contacted Tony and he agreed to do a phone order with each student. What a great skill for our students to practice! Tony scheduled a time for each student to call in the order. Krystal and her staff did some pre-teaching with the students and the students decided what they each wanted to order.      On the designated morning each student took turns ordering their lunch with Tony on the phone. He was patient and kind, and when needed he provided praise and encouragement! The kids were amazing (no surprise there), but we are all so grateful to Tony and Big Top Deli for his support. To top it all off, he donated the students' sandwiches! Thank You Big Top Deli! #teambrunswickme

It was a pleasure serving lunch to the BJHS students today, and a hearty, thank you to the nutrition staff for all they do! Also, it was incredibly cool to run into one of my Instagram followers - shout out to Finn! Thanks for introducing yourself. #teambrunswickme #schoollunch

Come support the chorus and band students as they showcase their musical talents. The All-Town Chorus concert kicks-off tonight, April 28th at 6:30pm at the High School.

Please excuse the late notice: The School Board Workshop focusing on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion scheduled for tonight at 7 PM has been postponed to May 25th due to illness.

The BSD is fortunate to have the support of many amazing businesses. In particular, we'd like to thank Wild Oats Cafe & Bakery for donating gift cards to our entire staff! It has been a challenging two years, & we sincerely appreciate the generosity. Thank You. @wildoatsbakery

World Strides Music Festival Results - were just shared with me! BHS students who traveled to the World Strides Music Festival had an incredible showing: * Wind Ensemble: Gold First Place * Wind Ensemble: Adjudicator Award * Treble Choir: Gold First Place * Treble Choir: Adjudicator Award * Chamber choir: Gold Second Place * Band: Highest Score Award Individual Awards for Excellence: * Marguerite Benham * Kai Gillespie * Nolan Marblestone I’m told it was an amazing experience for our kids! Over the course of this trip, they were exposed to so many positive things that have nothing to do with music, but everything to do with LIFE:  They learned new skills, developed greater independence, overcome adversity, and discovered how to navigate the world and regulate their own emotions.  They have gained an appreciation of American history, they were exposed to diversity in all of its forms and the broader context of American life. This week has given them the sorely needed  time and opportunity to develop strong bonds with one another, and most importantly, TO HAVE FUN. A lifetime of positive memories has been created during this trip! #teambrunswickme #music #Aprilbreak #worldstridesmusicfestival

BSD Transportation Director, Michelle Caron, started an Adult League Dodgeball team via the Brunswick Rec. Department. They have 6 transportation staff on the team including Michelle. Aaron Watson, BSD HS AD, donated t-shirts with the BHS dragon logo for the entire team of 12 adults! Michelle reports they have had a blast playing dodgeball and had many, many laughs, great competitions, and tons of fun! Recently, bus driver Betty Keith's children came to a game to cheer her on! Who knew DodgeBall Fans were this INTENSE!! Rumor has it the next team sport will an Adult Kickball League! I want thank Michelle for working hard to create a true team atmosphere at the BSD Transportation Department! #teambrunswickme #dodgeball @brunswickmaine #maine #maineschoolbusdrivers #adultdodgeball

Today is Elmer Glu's 1st B-Day! Both students & adults smile when they see Elmer coming down the hallway. Elmer is assisting in breaking down barriers...he brings a commonality that people can relate to… a pet & the unconditional love they give. #teambrunswickme #happybirthday

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) requires students identified with a disability to have an Individual Education Plan. Here's an infographic for Brunswick IEP meetings.

Congratulations to those students who participated in the Maine State Science Fair this past weekend. There were two Brunswick students who received Category Awards! Congratulations to Maia Pietraho for placing 3rd in Computer Science and Brady McQuaid for placing 1st in Engineering. Jacob Scrapchansky participated in the Computer Science category and IIsa Tucker competed in Animal Science. Way to go! #BSDProud

I’m a little late but National Assistant Principal Week started yesterday! Please join me in recognizing our four Amazing APs! Your service is an invaluable support to school leaders, educators, and families. THANK YOU! #teambrunswickme #APWeek2022