And just like that, here we are—the final day of the 2024-2025 school year in Gorham! As I sit and type this, I can hear the sounds of students and staff celebrating, while parents everywhere may be taking a deep breath... and perhaps quietly marking their calendars for the first day of the 2025-2026 school year! 😊
It’s truly been another remarkable year in Gorham—filled with accomplishments, growth, and moments worth both celebrating and reflecting upon. Before I sign off for a well-deserved summer break from blogging, I wanted to share a few final thoughts, along with some favorite images from the past few weeks. I’ll be back in the fall when the doors to a new school year open once again!
Here are some great pictures from the past few weeks!
And if folks are interested in seeing an incredible presentation made to the School Committee by students at Village Elementary School, focused on learning outside the four walls of the classroom...CLICK HERE to watch the 7-8 minute presentation made on June 11th! What incredible speakers and stories!
CONGRATULATIONS TO THE GHS CLASS OF 2025!
One of my favorite parts of being a superintendent of schools is that each year I get to celebrate the graduating senior class! I get to attend scholarship night, academic awards night, and the senior celebration night. I get to follow the seniors on their "senior walk" to each school, and I also get to attend their graduation.
This year's senior class, like every year in Gorham, was a great class to celebrate! What incredible accomplishments! Like averaging over 40 hours per graduate of community service, or like having students go on to college/universities like West Point and Brandeis University, or decide to serve our great country in the armed forces, or go directly into the workforce, and everything in between! I am always amazed by the accomplishments of our students and the goals they set for their future.
My personal favorite this year was the young man who used the various senior celebrations to advertise his new business, Jake's Lawncare. Brilliant! ☺ It went so far that Principal Jandreau even read his new business out at graduation and shared his business phone number with the audience! Talk about some great marketing skills! I see great things in all of our graduates' futures for sure!
I had sent these out earlier, but if you want to get to know the senior class a little more, you should check out these videos:
- Class of 2025 Sings "Upside Down" with Class of 2037 from Great Falls
- Class of 2025 Graduation Ceremony
Best of luck in writing the next chapters of your life, Class of 2025! We know you will do great things!
JUNE IS PRIDE MONTH
Each June, our nation joins together to recognize Pride Month, a federally acknowledged month of celebration that honors the history, resilience, and contributions of the LGBTQ+ community. Pride Month traces its roots to the Stonewall Uprising of June 1969 in New York City—a pivotal event that sparked a global movement for equal rights and justice. Since then, June has become a time across the United States to reflect on progress made in ensuring dignity, inclusion, and safety for all people.
At its core, Pride Month is not only a celebration of the diversity of identities and experiences within the LGBTQ+ community but also a reminder of the universal values of respect, kindness, and belonging. Schools, businesses, communities, and organizations often mark the month with educational events and activities that foster empathy and understanding, helping both young people and adults learn the importance of standing up for respect, kindness and dignity for all.
Pride Month is for everyone, not only for those who identify as LGBTQ+. It invites people of all backgrounds, beliefs, and traditions to celebrate the idea that every person deserves to live as their true self without fear or discrimination. Pride Month is about helping our communities welcome and value others, regardless of their differences. Its aim is to make our communities stronger and kinder together.
RECENT BUDGET VALIDATION REFERENDUM VOTE
On behalf of the Gorham School Committee, I would like to thank everyone who voted on the proposed FY26 Gorham School Department budget. Regardless of how you voted, you once again demonstrated for our children the importance of community engagement, civil discourse, and civic action. You modeled for our students what it means to be an active member of a vibrant democratic community.
THANK YOU!
The results of the referendum approved the proposed FY 26 school budget. The Gorham Schools look forward to continuing to provide high-quality educational services to our community for another great year in 2025-2026! As always, if you have any questions about the contents of our budget, please contact Superintendent Heather Perry at heather.perry@gorhamschools.org.
A VERY SPECIAL RETIREMENT
If you have been in Gorham for any length of time and have interacted with the schools, you are likely familiar with Rhonda Warren. Rhonda Warren has been the assistant to the Superintendent for the past 40 years here in Gorham! Yes, I said 40! She has "trained" 8 superintendents plus me (so 9 total, and I wouldn't argue with her on who is training whom, by the way), and she has seen it all! ☺
Throughout it all, she has been the person behind the scenes who has kept it all running smoothly. She is the quiet person who EVERYONE goes to to get "the answer" for what should be done, because she has the history to know what has been done in the past and why. She is our institutional memory and will sorely be missed.
Because we cannot possibly identify all the individuals whose lives Rhonda has positively touched in her 40 years of service to our schools, we have decided to throw Rhonda a retirement party in an open house method so that anyone who would like to stop by and wish her well in her next chapters of life may do so.
If you would like to participate, the information is below or you can simply stop by the office anytime between now and June 30 to wish her well in person, call (222-1012) or email (rhonda.warren@gorhamschools.org). THANK YOU!
REMINDER - NEXT YEAR'S SCHOOL CALENDAR IS ON THE WEBSITE
The approved 2025-2026 School calendar is posted on our website (www.gorhamschools.org) under the "District Info." tab at the top. You can also view it by CLICKING HERE.
A few key dates to be aware of as we enter the summer months...
- School begins for grades PK, 6, and 9 on August 27.
- School begins for grades 1-5, 7-8, and 10-12 on August 28.
- School begins for Kindergarten on September 3.
We begin school for Kindergarten a little later than others each year because we use the first few days of school to do screening and placement processes for our incoming Kindergarten students. Several years ago, we made this shift because we were finding significant differences in screening results for incoming kindergarten students between the time they underwent screening each spring and the time they began school the following fall. By conducting screenings each fall, we have the most up-to-date information for each student, allowing us to better target supporting services and placement decisions, and ensure that our Kindergarten students get off to the best start possible.
We begin the first day of school for Pre K, Gr. 6, and Gr. 9 to give our "newest" students in these schools a day to acclimate and get to know their surroundings and schedules a bit before everyone joins them on the 2nd day of school. This is part of our thoughtful approach to helping students succeed as they transition from childcare into a school setting, from elementary school to middle school, or from middle school to high school.
At the elementary level, families can expect to hear from their child's new teacher sometime in early to mid-August. Typically, elementary teachers will reach out to introduce themselves, inform families about what to expect during the opening days of school, and share any necessary supplies or materials that parents may need to plan ahead.
Please note that our schools are closed during the summer months and have intermittent office hours, so you may not be able to reach individual schools on any given day. Please still call with questions, but leave a message and know that it may take a few days for someone to get back to you, but THEY WILL. If you have an urgent matter, you can call the Superintendent's office at 222-1012, and we will be happy to direct you from there.
NEW - SUMMER RESOURCE LIST FROM G.A.T.Y!
Gorham Action Team for Youth (GATY) has developed a summer resource for families. We know that many families rely on our schools for mental health support, food, medical care, and supervised activities. However, when the school year ends, our families are often unsure where to turn. This is where the idea for a summer resource guide originated. Please check it out below!
SUMMER RESOURCE GUIDE FOR FAMILIES
WELCOME TO OUR NEW GORHAM SCHOOLS TRANSPORTATION DIRECTOR, MITZII SMITH
REMINDER - PLEASE COMPLETE TRANSPORTATION SURVEY IF...
SUMMARY OF SUPERINTENDENT'S 360 EVALUATION RESPONSES
Each year, as part of my annual evaluation process, the School Committee conducts a 360-degree survey process that engages staff, parents, and School Committee members in providing essential feedback to guide my yearly goal setting and the direction and focus of our work moving forward.
Each year, I share the summary information gathered from that process. Please note that we had over 150 family and community participants, over 220 staff participants, and, of course, full participation from the seven members of the school committee. That is A LOT of great data, but likely too much to share in this blog post.
Please be aware that the School Committee thoroughly reviews all comments made by participants in these surveys. Although I am not sharing them all here below, they are extremely valuable. Instead, I wanted to share the overall results of each group's summary question, which is this:
Overall, I support our Superintendent (strongly disagree/disagree/agree/strongly agree).
Here are the summary charts for each stakeholder group:
Staff Results:
Family/Community Results:
ASPIRE GORHAM YEAR-END NEWSLETTER FROM GHS
Each of our schools now produces its own Aspire Newsletter. Still, the GHS one provided such a great overview of some of the recent programming being offered to students by our Aspire Gorham initiative that it was worth sharing. Check out the link below to read more about some of the incredible things our students and staff are doing to provide our students with authentic learning opportunities that align with their aspirations.
NEW IN 2025-2026 - 5th GRADE BAND OPTION - YOUR INPUT NEEDED!
If you are the parent or family member of an incoming 5th-grade student in the Gorham Schools for the 2025-2026 school year, WE NEED YOUR INPUT.
For the first time, the Gorham Schools will offer 5th-grade students the opportunity to choose between learning to play an instrument and participating in general music classes as part of our allied arts rotation this coming year.
We want to get a sense of how many students would like to do which (instrument or general music) via a QUICK parent/guardian survey. Please use the QR code on the image below to participate if you are an incoming 5th-grade parent. Details are on the flyer. THANK YOU!
PUBLIC PRE-K SPOTS STILL AVAILABLE WITH NEW PRIVATE PARTNERS
It's not too late to sign your child up for public Pre-K with two of our newest partners, Imagination Station and House of Parker, in Gorham! If your child turns 4 years old by Oct. 15, 2025, your child is eligible for these FREE services. Check out the flyer to learn more!
We also recognize that the work of growing, learning, and caring for one another does not pause for summer—it simply takes on new shapes and opportunities. Summer break offers families the gift of time: time to rest, time to connect, time to explore new interests, and time to recharge for the year ahead. Our hope is that each student, staff member, and family can take full advantage of this season to find joy, reflection, and inspiration.
As we look to the 2025-2026 school year, we do so with excitement and confidence, knowing that the foundation we’ve built this year will carry us into new opportunities for learning and success. Together, as one Gorham community, we will continue to nurture curiosity, support each other’s aspirations, and create the kind of schools where every learner can thrive. We wish you all a safe, restful, and joy-filled summer. See you in the fall!
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