SAD 41 officials readying for return of students
MILO — Three weeks before students return to district buildings for the start of classes on Wednesday, Aug. 28 the SAD 41 School Board heard about summer preparations for the new school year during a board meeting at the Penquis Valley School on Aug. 7.
“Our schedule is finalized, I would like to thank the scheduling team — that’s a lot of work,” Penquis Valley Principal John Dow said. He mentioned how some staff at the grade 5-12 campus teach at both the high and middle school levels to add to the difficulty of organizing classes.
He said the move of the SAD 41 alternative education program to Penquis Valley from the Marion C. Cook School in LaGrange is being made prior to the end of the month.
The transition will enable students to assimilate more with their peers and be able to potentially take part in more classes with other pupils such as physical education, art, and music. The new program will be called All Students Achieve at Penquis or ASAP. A regular education and special ed teacher would both be part of the program.
A description for the special education position advertised on ServingSchools.com at https://www.servingschools.com/job/e3clja/special-education-teacher/milo/me says Penquis Valley Middle High School (5-12) is seeking a collaborative, compassionate, and highly motivated special education teacher to co-teach with a general education teacher in a new, combined alternative education/special education program (All Students Achieve at Penquis or ASAP) serving students in grades 8-12 in the 2024-25 school year and beyond. The successful candidate will possess the knowledge, skills, and disposition needed to build a program from the ground up, including a commitment to ensuring student achievement and engagement and the ability to develop and implement personal learning plans in an inclusive setting.
The Academy Program, which serves younger special education students, will be moving to the Milo Elementary School campus.
Classroom space freed up at the Marion C. Cook School will be used to house a future program for children ages 3-5. As of the fall of 2027, a new state law requires that school districts provide educational services to this age group beyond only pre-kindergarten and including those with IEPs. Similar services are currently under the auspices of Child Development Services.
Grants are available to help cover needed renovations — SAD 41 facilities are not currently set up to accommodate 3-year-olds — especially for districts looking to implement early. A board committee would handle this and bring information to the full board of directors.
Dow also said a grade 5 open house will be at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 21. “We are excited to meet the new families and get them acclimated to school,” he said.
RSVPs can be made at mchase-romero@msad41.us.
In other business, the school board appointed the four head soccer coaches for the high school and middle school. Camron Bailey will lead the Patriots boys and Chris Downing will serve as the girls coach. For the younger Railroader squads Dan Fleming will lead the boys team and Chelsea Richards will be the girls coach.
Board Chair MaryLynn Kazyaka mentioned the Maine Department of Education will be hosting community meetings across the state for educators, parents, students, and business leaders to come together and discuss a shared vision for Maine schools.
A session will be at Penquis Valley from 5:30-7:30 p.m. on Monday, Aug. 19 with attendees invited to share what they value in the schools and how to celebrate school success in Maine. Registration can be done at https://biz.maine.gov/measurewhatmatters.
Kazyaka also mentioned how former SAD 41 Special Education Director Susan Worcester passed away last month at 73.
“She will be missed and I do ask for a moment of silence,” Kazyaka said.