June 13 Blog Post

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 Senior Walk

-  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...

Each year, the Gorham School Department distributes a parent/guardian survey for transportation services, which we use to create our routes for the upcoming fall 2025 season.  This survey ONLY needs to be completed by families IF your child(ren) require transportation to an alternative site or daycare (not your home), OR IF you will not be needing school transportation for the 2025-2026 school year.

If you are that family, please complete the survey by June 30, 2025.  If you have questions, please contact your school's office, and they will be happy to assist you. The link is below.  Thank you!

TRANSPORTATION SURVEY LINK

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.

GHS Aspire Gorham Newsletter

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!

OUR INCREDIBLE SUMMER PARTNERS! 

We are officially on summer break in the Gorham Schools, but that doesn't mean learning and fun have to stop!  We have many great partners in our community, for sure!  Two of those incredible partners that offer excellent learning opportunities for students and families all summer long are the Gorham Recreation Department and Baxter Memorial Library.  If you haven't already considered checking out the incredible programs each is offering this summer, you should!  Links to their websites are provided below, along with contact information for each office.

Gorham Recreation Department. Phone is 222-1630

Baxter Memorial Library. Phone is 222-1190

This also reminds me to share with you that the "Spring Into Summer Event" sponsored by Baxter Memorial Library is coming right up on June 18th!  Great fun for the whole family!  Check out the flyer below for more details!

SUMMER FOOD TRUCK SCHEDULE IS OUT!

Another great opportunity for family fun is to go check out the Thursday food truck schedule at Little Falls Recreation Area!  The schedule is below - don't miss it!

That's it for this final blog post!  As we bring this incredible school year to a close, we want to pause and celebrate all that has been accomplished together as a community. This year has been marked by growth, resilience, and meaningful learning—not just for our students, but also for our staff and families. Whether it was a quiet moment of encouragement, a breakthrough in the classroom, or a community event that brought us all closer together, each of these experiences helped to shape the vibrant story of Gorham Schools this year.

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!

May 30 Blog Post

Hard to believe there are just two weeks left of school for the 2024-2025 school year here in Gorham!  Time most certainly flies when you're having fun and learning!  I have lots to share for the end of the school year, so I'll get right to it after showing off some great pictures of what's been happening in our schools over the past few weeks!

2025-2026 PARENT/GUARDIAN TRANSPORTATION SURVEY IS NOW OPEN!  PLEASE COMPLETE BY JUNE 13 IF...

Each year the Gorham School Department puts out a parent/guardian survey for transportation services that we use to create our routes for the fall of 2025.  This survey ONLY needs to be completed by families IF your child(ren) require transportation to an alternative site or daycare (not your home) OR IF you will not be needing school transportation for the 2025-2026 school year.

If you are that family, Please complete the survey by June 30, 2025.  If you have questions, please call your school's office and they can assist you. Link is below.  Thank you!

TRANSPORTATION SURVEY LINK

WHAT IS ON THE JUNE 10 BALLOT?

There are TWO questions on the June 10 ballot.  You can see a full view of a SAMPLE Ballot by CLICKING HERE.  

The First question asks:  "Do You Favor approving the Town of Gorham School Budget for the 2025-2026 school year, which was adopted at the latest Town of Gorham Council meeting held May 13, 2025?  Note:  The Town Council recommends a "YES" vote."

__Yes

__No 

If you vote "YES," you approve the budget passed by the Town Council on May 13 by a vote of 6-0.  If the majority of voters vote "YES," then this will validate the budget, and the process for FY26 approval of the proposed school budget will be completed.

If you vote "NO," you disapprove of the budget passed by the Town Council on May 13, 6-0, and in essence, you are requesting that the budget be revised.  If a majority of voters vote "NO," the budget would not be approved, and instead, a new process to create a second budget would begin.  This process would require that, within 45 days, a new budget be brought back to voters for approval via a validation referendum ballot.  This would require the School Committee to approve a new budget, which would then need to be approved by the Town Council. The latest budget would subsequently be brought back to voters for validation via the same question as above.  Again, within 45 days.  

For a school budget to be approved, it must follow three key steps:

1.  Be approved by a majority of the School Committee

2.  Be approved by a majority of Town Council Members

3.  Be approved by a majority of voters voting in a validation referendum

A school budget is not approved until all three steps have been completed.

The Second question asks:  "Do you wish to continue the School Budget Validation Referendum process in the Town of Gorham for an additional three years?  A "YES" vote will require the Town of Gorham to continue to conduct a referendum election to validate its annual school budget for the next three years.  A "NO" vote will discontinue the budget validation referendum election for at least three years and provide instead that the annual School Budget shall be adopted at a meeting of the Gorham Town Council."

__ Yes

__ No

This question must be placed on the ballot every three years by state statute.  It asks voters if they want to continue the budget validation referendum process to approve the school budget on an annual basis.  If you vote "YES," you want to continue the validation referendum process, which is step #3 above.  If you vote "NO," you do not want to continue this process and instead would allow the school's budget to be adopted by the Town Council vote (step #2), and the process would end at that point. 

Whether you vote "YES" or "NO" on either question - PLEASE GET OUT AND VOTE!  Last year's school budget passed by a total of 2 votes...so there is no question that EVERY VOTE COUNTS.  Make sure yours is one of them!☺

P.S. - The last day to request or vote an absentee ballot is June 5.  You can vote absentee in person at the Clerk's office through June 5.  You can also vote on June 10 at your designated polling location in Gorham.  Polls will open on June 10 at 8:00 a.m. and close at 8:00 p.m.

A LETTER TO THE GORHAM COMMUNITY FROM THE GORHAM SCHOOL COMMITTEE

Please see the letter from the Gorham School Committee to the Gorham community below...

Dear Community Member,

As your elected Gorham School Committee, we write to urge voters to support the proposed FY26 School Budget by voting YES on or before June 10.

This year’s budget process, which began back in October 2024, has been called our most collaborative budget season yet. We want to acknowledge the hard work and dedication of our School District Leadership Team, Town Staff, the Gorham Town Council, and the Gorham Fiscal Sustainability Committee for their support and contributions that informed our final version of this school budget.

We understand the economic challenges facing our community. Throughout this process, the School Committee worked hard to balance the needs of our students and the impact to taxpayers. In doing so, we made difficult decisions just to maintain the status quo—including the elimination of teaching positions, reductions in central office and contracted services, and reductions through collaboration with the town.

Despite these reductions, the proposed budget reflects our top priorities:

• Recruit and retain a high-quality educator workforce

• Ensure safe, well-maintained school facilities                    

• Sustain a reliable transportation staff

With this proposed budget, Gorham remains one of the most cost-efficient school systems in Cumberland County— ranking 12th of 13 in both per-pupil spending and system administration costs. At the same time, outcomes are strong: Gorham ranks 5th in graduation rates (96.5%), 94% of seniors graduate with an approved plan, and parent satisfaction exceeds 90% at all levels. We are proud of our students' accomplishments.

This budget reflects real community collaboration and represents the lowest requested school-related mill rate increase in over a decade. Last year, the school budget passed by just two votes. Your vote counts. We hope you will join us in moving Gorham forward by voting YES on or before June 10.

Sincerely,

The Gorham School Committee

Sarah Perkins, Chair Nicole Yeo-Fisher, Vice Chair
Mia Desanctis         Michelle Littlefield
Jaci Reynolds         Eric Thistle
Jennifer Whitehead

BUDGET ONE PAGERS ALL IN ONE PLACE!

Over the past few weeks, I have shared several budget informational "one-pagers" with the community. Some folks might like to see them all in one place! I have included them below in the order in which they were shared. If you want to learn more about our proposed budget, please use the QR code on the bottom right of each page or CLICK HERE.

END OF YEAR SCHOOL ACTIVITIES

Wow, just two full weeks of school remain, and boy, are we packing in all kinds of fun during those two weeks!  Below is a list of highlights for school-year-end activities between now and June 13, the last day of school.  If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact your school's office.  

At Gorham Schools, we always strive to end the year on a strong note.  We don't just jog to the finish line!  WE SPRINT! We are thrilled to have our families and community members cheering us on as we cross the finish line!

-  June 2 - 5th grade band parent info night for 2025-2026 5th graders, 6:00 p.m. at Narragansett

-  June 2 - Elementary Field Day, Gr. 3

-  June 3 - Elementary Field Day, Gr. 4

-  June 3 - Rising 6th Grade Parent Night, 6:00 p.m. at GMS.

-  June 4 - Elementary Field Day, Gr. 5

-  June 4 - GHS Spring Sports Awards, 6:00 p.m. at GHS MPAC

-  June 5 - Senior Celebration, 6:30 p.m. at GHS MPAC

- June 6 - GHS Senior Walk, 9:00 - 11:00 a.m. at all five schools, will be live-streamed on the district's Facebook page.  After is the Senior BBQ at 12:00 p.m. at GHS outside on the athletic fields.

-  June 8 - GHS Graduation, 4:00 p.m. at GHS Competition Field.  Afterwards, at 7:00, the Class of 2025 Convoy Celebration will take place through downtown Gorham.

-  June 10 - GO VOTE!

-  June 11 - GMS Step Up Day

-  June 12 - Elementary Step Up Day

-  June 12 - 8th grade celebration and parade, 5:00 p.m. at GMS.

-  June 13 - Final Day of School for Students, dismissed on ER schedule.

Several other activities are being conducted across our schools, not listed here, such as 5th-grade celebrations or Kindergarten walks. However, these events are individual to each school, so families should stay tuned to notifications from their schools regarding these events.

GHS SENIOR EXPERIENCES GOING STRONG! NICE WORK, CLASS OF 2025!

Each year, during the last two weeks in May, GHS seniors are invited to participate in job shadowing experiences or two-week-long internship experiences.  Seniors must complete an application to participate, which includes details about their experience, any learning goals they may have, and a complete proposal.  These proposals are then reviewed by school staff and approved.  This year, 150 proposals were approved!  

I thought folks might like to see a listing of these learning opportunities for our students that perhaps test scores don't capture, but are most definitely in alignment with our mission/vision to "PREPARE AND INSPIRE" all students for their future success!

CLICK HERE to view the list of topics!  AWESOME JOB, CLASS OF 2025, and THANK YOU to all those who hosted our seniors during these incredible learning experiences!

TRANSITIONS TO SUMMER - GUIDANCE FROM PARENTGUIDANCE.ORG!

Over the past few years, I have shared with families several FREE resources that are provided by the parentguidance.org organization, which is under the umbrella of the Cook Center for Human Connection - a national non-profit focused on preventing suicide and providing high-quality mental health supports to teens and families.

This group publishes a monthly newsletter, and their June newsletter is worth sharing in its entirety, as it discusses how families can help children transition from school to summer.  

Please CLICK HERE to read the newsletter.  I hope you find it full of helpful tips to consider! 

CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR RETIREES!  

At the conclusion of this school year we are going to have several folks retiring and I wanted to just take a quick moment to say CONGRATULATIONS to each and celebrate the many years of service to our schools and the students we serve so passionately.  You will EACH be missed but we wish you the best as you begin to write the next chapters of your lives!

Retiring Teachers:

-  Anton Gulovsen - 8th grade Science @ GMS - 25 years

-  Donna Pastore - Literacy/Math Lab Teacher @ GMS - 26 years

-  Rolande Paolino - Grade 5 Teacher at Great Falls - 26 years

-  Frank DeFrancesco - P.E. Teacher @ Great Falls - 32 years

-  Liz Collins - Literacy/Math Lab Teacher @ Village - 23 years

-  Stacey Sawyer - School Counselor @ Village - 26 years

-  John Caterina - Chemistry Teacher @ GHS - 37 years

Retiring Support Staff:

-  Manya Pease - Ed. Tech @ GMS - 23 years

-  Nancy Owens - Ed. Tech @ Village - 20 years

-  Gael Ketch - Ed. Tech @ Narragansett - 18 years

-  Deidre Hamblen - Ed. Tech @ Village - 18 years

-  Dan Cheung - Ed. Tech @ GMS - 15 years

-  Paula Suttle - Ed. Tech @ GHS - 10 years

-  Ralph Clark - Bus Driver - 24 years

-  Barbara Hines - Bus Driver - 24 years

-  Don Hines - Bus Driver - 14 years

-  Jerry Lessard - Bus Driver - 5 years

-  Mary Kate Flaherty - Special Ed. Admin. Assistant - 13 years

-  Rhonda Warren - Superintendent's Administrative Assistant - 40 years.

DO YOU HAVE A MIDDLE SCHOOL ATHLETE TRANSITIONING TO HS ATHLETICS?  THEN THIS EVENT IS FOR YOU!

The Gorham Action Team for Youth (G.A.T.Y.) is sponsoring an informational night for student-athletes and their families who are incoming 9th graders and are interested in playing athletics at the high school level.  This event has guest speakers Tim Spear (Gorham Athletic Director) and Lee Anne Dodge (SOPO Unite Program Director) talking about eligibility expectations and health choices!  

If you want to set your child up for success as a HS level student athlete, you should definitely consider attending!  See flyer for details!

COMMUNITY EVENT:  GALILEE SUMMER BLOCK PARTY!

Are you looking for a good family friendly event in Gorham to help entertain the students who will be "bored" 2 days in from the start of summer vacation?  Galilee Church is hosting a summer block party that might offer some relief - at least temporarily!  Check out the details below if you are interested!

If you have questions about this event, please email pastor Kevin Lambertson directly at kevlambertson17@gmail.com

HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND, EVERYONE!  MY NEXT AND FINAL BLOG FOR 2024-2025 WILL BE ON JUNE 13TH!  

May 16 Post

OH MY...just four weeks left of the school year!  I'm sure students are likely celebrating, but adults - not so much!  WE LOVE OUR STUDENTS and want to keep them as long as possible!  

We are most definitely in "high gear" across all our schools!  Making sure those end of year units are strong, assessing student growth, helping students with finishing touches on projects, AP exams, chorus and band concerts, athletic events, senior internships, academic awards, scholarship nights, senior walk, step up days, PK celebrations, 5th grade celebrations, 8th grade celebrations and let's not forget the CLASS OF 2025 Graduation - all coming right up!☺  

I couldn't possibly list all the end-of-year activities here, so I won't try, but I will encourage families to check out our website (district and school levels) to stay up on all these events, and please don't hesitate to reach out to your school offices if you have any questions!

Lots to update folks on...so will get right to it after a some images from the past few weeks across our schools:

MAY IS MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS MONTH

May marks Mental Health Awareness Month, a time dedicated to raising awareness about the importance of mental well-being for individuals of all ages, including our children. For families within the Gorham School Department, it’s an opportunity to come together as a community to support mental health and emotional wellness in meaningful, proactive, and supportive ways.

Mental Health Awareness Month was established in 1949 to increase public understanding of mental health conditions, reduce stigma, and advocate for policies that support people living with mental illness. For parents and caregivers, it’s a reminder that mental health is just as important as physical health—and that early support makes a lifelong difference.

In recent years, children and teens across the country have experienced rising levels of stress, anxiety, and depression. Schools like ours in Gorham play a vital role in fostering environments that promote emotional resilience and safety, but the support starts at home. Informed, engaged, and compassionate parents can help children navigate their emotions with confidence and security.

Here are some practical ways parents can get involved this May:

Start the Conversation

• Talk openly with your child about feelings and stress. Let them know it’s okay not to feel okay and that asking for help is a sign of strength.

• Use books or shows as conversation starters about emotions and mental health.

Practice Mindfulness Together

• Try mindfulness apps like Smiling Mind, Headspace for Kids, or Calm as a family.

• Build small habits like gratitude journaling or deep breathing exercises into your routine.

Use Local and Online Resources

• Visit NAMI Maine for parent resources, workshops, and support networks.

• Explore Child Mind Institute for toolkits and tips tailored to families

• Re-examine the excellent FREE resources that can be found on parentguidance.org.

Model Self-Care

• Your mental wellness matters. Modeling self-care—like taking breaks, getting enough sleep, or seeking support—teaches your child to do the same.

Engage with Gorham School Resources

• Contact your child’s school counselor or social worker with any concerns.

• Participate in school wellness initiatives or parent info nights as they come up.

Mental Health Awareness Month reminds us that we all have a role to play in creating a culture of support and understanding. Thank you for all the incredible work you do as parents in our community. It is no easy job, but you should all know that we think you are doing a great job! Keep it up!

MAY IS ALSO NATIONAL BIKE MONTH!

With all this rain, it has likely been hard to think about getting outside and dusting off that bike, but I wanted to encourage families to do just that!  What better way to spend time together as a family than biking some of the incredible trails we have here in Gorham! If you aren't up for a trail ride, perhaps just a bike around the neighborhood!  May is the month to celebrate the joys of biking!  

P.S. - Another bonus about biking in Maine during the month of May - you don't have to worry about blackflies if you bike! Unless you stop for a break, you are on your own then! ☺ 

Seriously, though, biking promotes physical fitness, builds confidence in young riders, and offers an opportunity to explore our beautiful town together. It’s also a great way to reduce traffic congestion and support a greener environment.

Gorham Schools encourages families to participate by safely biking to school, participating in local bike events, and reviewing bike safety tips together. Let’s model healthy habits for our children, strengthen community connections, and make biking a part of our everyday lives—not just this month but all year!

Happy riding! 

TOWN COUNCIL PASSES PROPOSED SCHOOL BUDGET WITH 6-0 VOTE - NEXT STEP- PLEASE VOTE JUNE 10!

On Tuesday, May 13, the Gorham Town Council passed the Proposed FY 26 School Department budget with no adjustments by a unanimous vote of those present (6-0, Gagnon absent).  

The meeting was live-streamed and recorded. To view the recording, CLICK HERE.  

In my previous blog post, I gave all the budgetary run-downs and links to details, so I am not going to repeat those here.  I will share that we have recently updated our budget website, and you can also find all information there.  Bottom line numbers - the proposed budget impact to taxpayers is an increase of just 3.15% or .30 on the mill. For the median valued home in Gorham, that would equal an increase of just $120.00.  Again, many more details can be found on the website or by listening to the Town Council meeting recordings for the budget workshop meeting on April 29 and the most recent TC vote on May 13.

The NEXT STEP is now to bring the proposed budget to the budget validation referendum, where voters are asked to either vote to approve the budget by voting "yes" or vote not to approve the budget by voting "no".  If voters vote to approve the budget, then that is the final step in the process.  If voters do not approve the budget, we would then be required to repeat the process until a budget has been approved by the School Committee, the Town Council, and voters via referendum.

HOW TO VOTE:

Absentee Ballot requests are now available.  You can request a ballot by calling the Town Clerk's office at 222-1670.  Ballots will be mailed out during the second week of May and may be returned anytime.  Voters can also vote absentee at the Town Clerk's office now through June 5, 2025, at 5:00 p.m.  Ballots must be returned by June 10 at 8:00 p.m.  Finally, voters can also go to their local polling locations on June 10 to vote in person.  No matter the method - please make a plan to vote!

REMINDER - YOUR VOTE, EVERY VOTE - COUNTS!

It is crucially important that everyone gets out to vote!  If you recall, last year's school budget was approved by a total of just 2 votes.  If that doesn't point out the importance of every single vote, what does!  Please make a plan to get out and vote either via absentee ballots or at the polls on June 10.  There is no better way to model for our children how our incredible democracy works than to vote!  Let's make sure voter participation is high once again this year in Gorham!

CORRECTING SOME MISINFORMATION - GORHAM SCHOOLS' SUPPORT OF CTE & "THE TRADES"

First, what is CTE?  CTE stands for Career and Technical Education. 

Recently, I've seen some posts and heard some conversations in our community indicating that perhaps the Gorham Schools don't support students participating in CTE programs because when they look at the proposed budget, the expenditure line referencing CTE is listed at $0.00.  

I get how that could be confusing, but let me explain and put this misinformation aside because the thought that our schools don't support the CTE pathway towards trades and other exciting careers couldn't be further from the truth!

The budget category is listed at $0.00 because about 4 years ago, the way that CTE schools are funded by the State of Maine changed.  Prior to this change, funding from the state to support CTE students would flow from the state to each school district. Then the school district would be responsible for paying a tuition "bill" to each CTE center (in our case, either Westbrook Regional Vocational Center or Portland Arts and Technology High School).  After the change, however, funding now flows directly from the state to the CTE center and bypasses the sending schools.  We still have to list the category because it is a required reporting category from the state, and those schools that host CTE sites (like Westbrook or Portland) still must report expenditures in this category.  But because Gorham does not host a CTE site, and instead is known as a "sending school," we do not have to expend funds to support CTE programming directly.  That is why this line item is at $0.00 in our local budget.

Now, this is a quick story to demonstrate our support of the CTE programs and pathways at Gorham High School. . . 

When I first came to the Gorham Schools in the 2015-2016 School year, we sent a total of just 35 students to CTE programs at either PATHS or WRVC. By 2023-2024, we had increased that number to 73 students, and this year, we have 80 students attending CTE programs. We anticipate 111 students attending CTE programs next year!  We have maxed out the seats that we have available, and we have done this every year for the past five years.

We haven't stopped there!  Because we have maxed out our seats at CTE while we still have students who want to explore these pathways, we have created an extremely strong ELO program.  ELOs are Extended Learning Opportunities!  We have gone from just a handful of students being able to earn independent study credits for outside of school learning experiences, to now (in 2024-2025) we have 76 students that have participated in ELO programming doing internships, job shadows, and more within our community and with our local business partners in key areas such as:

.   

Bottom line: The Gorham Schools, with the help of our incredible partners with the Gorham Business Roundtable (see info sheet #1 and #2 for more on the roundtable), have worked hard over the years to eliminate any potential "stigmas" regarding students participating in CTE programs or other career exploration programs. Suggesting that we don't support CTE programs related to the trades is simply not accurate and I wanted to make sure that got corrected.

Gorham is an incredibly vibrant community with a wonderful mix of professionals, trades folks, laborers, and everything in between.  Just in our small community we have incredible employers such as Moody's, Shaw Brothers, Gorham Sand and Gravel, Grondins, Great Falls Construction and more who are significant supporters of our schools and the pathways we have created for our students to explore various careers in these areas and more!

As I wrap this piece up - we can't thank our business partners more for continually stepping up to the plate to work with our students and provide for them high quality learning opportunities to explore their aspirations starting day one in Pre K all the way up through to our HS students.  Gorham is a lucky community to have such strong business partnerships - THANK YOU!

FISCAL SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEE WRAPS UP ITS INITIAL WORK

The Gorham Fiscal Sustainability Committee, a joint subcommittee of the Gorham Town Council and the Gorham School Committee, has been meeting since earlier this fall.  The purpose of the group was to understand the existing financial landscape for the Town of Gorham and the Gorham School Department; to evaluate the future economic landscape, and to use this knowledge to make recommendations for how to maintain sustainable taxes while continuing to manage the present and future growth of our community over the next five to 10 years.

The three key "deliverables" were:

• Development of a series of recommendations to the Town Council and School Committee for how to reduce costs (or mitigate continued cost increases) through efficiencies.
• Develop a series of recommendations for the Town Council and School Committee on increasing revenues to offset direct taxpayer expenses at the municipal and school levels.
• Develop a series of recommendations to the Town Council and School Committee on how to improve communications between various stakeholder groups within the Gorham community to help them understand current and future financial limitations.

The group held its final formal meeting earlier this week on May 12 and has drafted a formal report containing 18 recommendations and 8 key performance indicators to assist in measuring the work's success. The report will be finalized over the next few weeks, and then the plan is to present it to a joint meeting of the Town Council and School Committee later in June.

One of the recommendations moving forward will be that a standing joint subcommittee be created by both the Town Council and School Committee to continue the conversations and ensure the report doesn't just sit on a shelf. Once the other recommendations are presented to the Town Council and School Committee, more details will follow. You can watch the last meeting by CLICKING HERE.  

LAST COLLECTION DRIVE OF THE YEAR FOR THE SCHOOL BACKPACK PROGRAM!

Last Collection Drive of the Year for the Backpack Program!

As we wrap up another fantastic school year, we're kicking off our final collection drive to support the Summer Box Program—a special effort to ensure students head into summer with a box full of non-perishable food items as an emergency supply. Each box also includes information for families about accessing the Gorham Food Pantry.

We are deeply grateful for every donation, whether it's your time, food items, or financial support. We could not do this important work without our incredibly generous and caring community. Thank you for making a difference in the lives of local students.

Please share widely and help us fill a box for every student in the Gorham BackPack Program!

That's it for this blog post...next one will be on May 30! ☺