TWO WEEKS until the Holiday break! Holy cow! We are also about 1 month away from the halfway point of the school year! Crazy talk, I know! What is that old saying that goes something like "Time flies when you are having fun!" We must all be having A LOT of fun in the Gorham Schools! ☺. Some pictures from the past few weeks in our schools are below, and then on to the information!
The Gorham Schools are not immune to online threats. Whether these threats are "from away," such as the swatting incidents that occurred around our region on election day, or closer to home, made perhaps by upset students who feel as though they have no other way to vent their frustrations but to do so online or for a myriad of different reasons, we do see digital threats involving our schools.
Community members, parents, and even students and staff often ask me what to do if they see a threat posted online that could be connected to our schools.
I have one response, and its one I thought perhaps would be beneficial to share with students, staff, and families more broadly and that is:
REPORT IT - AND DO NOT REPOST IT!
The best way to illustrate what I mean here is to tell a story. This story is based on an actual occurrence, but I have changed it to maintain confidentiality. Here goes:
Allison is the mom of a GHS student named Joe. Joe is enjoying his junior year at GHS after a somewhat "rocky" sophomore year. He has a great circle of friends and is maintaining a B in all his classes this year, even English, which is his least favorite (fictional character - clearly! We all love English.).
Joe works part-time at a local coffee shop to earn money to pay for a car he wants to buy. Like most young adults his age, he's a good kid with a phone, on which he probably spends a little too much time. His favorite thing to do is surf social media sites like TicTok or Snapchat or Instagram to stay connected to his friends and stay in tune with what is happening in the greater world around him.
One evening, Joe is surfing his Snapchat account and sees a post that makes him a little nervous. The post is from another younger student at GHS who he recognizes but doesn't know well. We'll call him John. The post shows John sitting on the edge of his bed in his bedroom, holding a very real-looking gun for the camera. In the post is a message: "Coming for you at GHS and all your friends, Frank!" Joe doesn't know who Frank is, but he knows John is a student at GHS. He is worried. He screenshots the post and sends it to his friends, asking if they know this John kid and what he should do? A few of his friends say they know the kid, and he's probably just blowing smoke and not to worry. Joe feels a little better but is still worried. He wonders what happened with John that made him write such a bold post. He wonders if the gun is real or fake? The more and more he thinks about it, the more scared he gets. Finally, just before he goes to bed, he tells his mom.
Allison sees the image and immediately emails the HS principal. She shares the image and as much of John's backstory as possible. There was no immediate response, so she called the Gorham PD and spoke with an officer. She emails the officer the picture and shares what little information she has with him. The officer promises to look into this more and call her back when he has learned more.
That is as much of the story as you need, other than knowing that the officer quickly contacted the SRO, who texted the Principal. Together, they made sure that John was okay, determined the level of risk for the threat, and acted accordingly to ensure the safety of all students and John himself that very night.
In this story, Joe eventually does the right thing by sharing the threat with his mom. Allison also did the right thing by bringing the alleged threat to the immediate attention of the Gorham PD and the school, who could work together to eliminate any threat.
That's the "happy ending," I suppose. However, you should also know that when Joe sent that image to his friends to gather more information, two friends re-posted it onto their Instagram accounts with comments like: "What's this?" and "Who is this kid." Within 40 minutes, the reposts had been shared 50+ times, and multiple families were calling the PD and reaching out to the principal, scared and unsure whether they would send their children to school the next day. Other students caught wind and were frightened as well.
The story's moral is that this could have been avoided if Joe had not re-posted the image and had simply reported the image to his mom or another trusted adult. Hence...
REPORT IT - AND DO NOT REPOST IT!
As a school system, we want to know when online threats are made so that we can swiftly respond, follow up with everyone, and ensure the safety of all our students. We want to know. You are not bothering us if you report something. You are not an "overbearing" parent" if you report something. You are not a "snitch" if you report something (the person already put it out there for all to see)! You are not a "creeper" (as my daughter used to say about me when I checked in on her social media posts as a teenager.
If you see something that concerns you online and report it to a trusted adult so that those who can do something are informed to take action, you are a good digital citizen. Your actions play a vital role in maintaining our schools' safety and security. Know that we will always welcome those communications! Thank you in advance for being good digital citizens!
HELPFUL TOOLS FOR FAMILIES TRYING TO NAVIGATE OUR COMPLEX DIGITAL WORLD!
Whenever I am out and about in the community and a parent/guardian takes the time to say "Thank you" to me for the services I provide to the children of this community - I very quickly deflect and point it right back at parents! THANK YOU for the tireless work YOU do daily as parents/guardians for the children of this community! Being a parent in today's world is no easy task! It seems each year gets more and more complex!
As families, you constantly seek high-quality, trusted resources to help you navigate parenting in this complex world. I thought I might provide a few resources to review and use if you find them beneficial.
The first and most well-known resource I want to share with you is Common Sense Media. What an excellent resource for parents! Click on the link provided, and then right there on that front page, it allows you to select "Parents." From there, the resources are almost overwhelming! You can click on their movie reviews and search for movies recommended by age. You can similarly see their reviews for books, podcasts, and even video games and apps.
On this site, you can also go to "Parent Tips and FAQs" and link to resources curated by Common Sense Media that help families learn more about essential topics like screen time, social media use, cell phone use, and more! This site has a wealth of information to help any parent or guardian navigate these complex topics with children of any age!
Boston Children's Hospital curates another great resource in digital wellness: The Digital Wellness Lab. One great tool they have developed is the "Digital Family Wellness Guide." The guide is searchable by age level and includes a welcome and overview andexcellen a vital glossary of terms. When you click on an age level, lots of great resources come up, including specific "best practices" that include all kinds of great links and additional resources for families. Definitely worth the look!
Then, to demonstrate that digital citizenship extends worldwide and doesn't stop with lines on a map, another great resource comes from our neighbors to the North in Canada. They have developed a "Digital Citizenship Guide For Parents" that I found well-organized and easy to read. It is a more traditional PDF guidebook, but it contains excellent information focused on "What should I do if..." and "How do I..." that is easy to read and understand.
These are just a few resources for families regarding Digital Citizenship. Please know that we, as schools, work with your child almost daily, talking with them about digital citizenship, its meaning, and what it looks like to be a good digital citizen. Often, we extend our Code of Conduct into the digital world to help students see that our Code isn't just for when you are in school sitting in a classroom. Our Code of Conduct extends to all parts of our lives, including digital citizenship.
Please help us help your children be the best digital citizens they can be by checking out some of the resources above and talking with your child about what it means to be a good digital citizen. Thank you!
AN UPDATE OF THE WORK OF THE GORHAM FISCAL SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEE
It has been a while since I refreshed people's memories of the critical work of the Gorham Fiscal Sustainability Committee. I wanted to take this opportunity to do just that! First, let's remember what this group is and what task it is being asked to accomplish!
This committee was jointly established by the Gorham Town Council and the Gorham School Committee. It aims to understand the existing financial landscape for the Town and the Gorham School Department, evaluate the future economic landscape, and use this knowledge to make recommendations for maintaining sustainable taxes while managing our community's present and future growth over the next 5-10 years.
Specifically, the committee is tasked to "deliver" the following:
1. The Development of a series of recommendations to the Town Council and the School Committee for how to reduce costs (or mitigate continued cost increases).
2. The Development of a series of recommendations to the Town Council and School Committee for how to increase revenues that will offset direct taxpayer expenses at both the municipal and school levels.
3. The Development of a series of recommendations to the Town Council and School Committee for how to improve communications between various stakeholder groups within the community of Gorham to aid in understanding current and future financial limitations moving forward.
The following are members of this joint committee:
Have you ever wondered how school committees in Maine make decisions? If so, you’re not alone! Many people are curious about this process but may not take the time to ask. Here’s a concise guide to how it works, with a focus on Gorham Schools as an example.
Organizational Structure
The Gorham School Committee is at the top of the school district’s organizational chart. This seven-member body is made up of elected citizens who meet specific eligibility requirements: they must be taxpaying residents of Gorham and at least 18 years old.
Once elected, these members collectively lead the school district when they convene in publicly posted meetings with a quorum present.
Responsibilities
The responsibilities of the Gorham School Committee are outlined in the Town Charter (Section 405) and state law (Title 20-A, Section 1001). Their primary duties include:
Developing policies
Managing school property
Selecting the Superintendent of Schools
Approving courses of study
Developing and overseeing the school district’s annual budget
The Committee’s sole direct employee is the Superintendent, who is charged with the day-to-day operation of the schools. The Superintendent’s role is to ensure the schools are run effectively and in accordance with the policies established by the Committee.
Decision-Making Process
The School Committee makes decisions in publicly posted meetings, ensuring transparency and adherence to open meeting laws. In Gorham, regular meetings are held on the second Wednesday of each month, with special meetings called as needed for specific agenda items. Additionally, the Committee holds monthly workshop meetings to discuss topics, though no formal actions are taken during these sessions.
During regular meetings, the Committee votes on action items, which guide the Superintendent in implementing the Committee’s policies and priorities. This collaborative structure ensures that the schools are properly managed while providing opportunities for public engagement and oversight.
Final Thoughts
Over the past few months, the Gorham School Committee has been working with the Superintendent to establish an initial target for an overall proposed FY 26 budget increase as we construct the proposed Gorham Schools FY 26 budget.
The Gorham School Committee began its discussion at its workshop meeting at the end of October. During this meeting, they reviewed key historical spending and benchmark data to inform their decision.
The School Committee then established a Q&A document where they could ask initial questions to help inform their decision-making. Then, during our Dessert & Discuss meeting on November 14, the School Committee spent an entire evening listening to district leadership team members share information about what they see as challenges we are experiencing across our schools and programs. Finally, the School Committee met on November 26, using all this information combined to help inform the establishment of this initial target.
After much consideration and discussion, the School Committee established an initial target budget maximum increase of 5.25% for FY 26, including CIPS (Capital Improvement Requests).
With this direction, the Superintendent is now responsible for developing an initial proposed FY 26 budget that meets this target. That work is already underway, as individual school and program-level budget requests are due to the Superintendent on Dec. 10. The Superintendent will then meet with each principal and program director individually to review the budget requests line by line to ensure they are based on specific needs and aligned with our district's mission/vision, strategic plan, and FY 26 Budget Priorities.
The Superintendent's proposed FY 26 budget will be presented to the Gorham School Committee in early February. Between February and early April, the Committee will spend considerable time reviewing and adjusting the budget. In early April, they will be asked to vote to approve it. The proposed budget will then go to the Town Council for approval in May, with a public referendum scheduled for June.
The Town Council and School Committee will hold a joint budget meeting on December 17, starting at 6:30 p.m., to discuss the various needs of the Town and School that will impact the coming budget preparation work for the Gorham community. This meeting is open to the public and will be recorded and shared.
The next big update on the proposed FY 26 budget will likely be in early February when the Superintendent's proposed budget is presented to the School Committee. Please stay tuned; I will keep you updated as this process progresses.
ARE YOU A RETIREE WHO WOULD LIKE TO SHARE YOUR KNOWLEDGE OF FINANCIAL WELLNESS WITH GHS STUDENTS?
GHS students working with veteran math teacher Neile Nelson and our Aspire Gorham Coordinator Eliza Kenigsberg are looking for retirees in the Gorham committee who are willing to come in and spend some time sharing your wisdom on financial wellness with them!
If you are interested or know someone who is, please check out the flyer below to learn more. Your time would truly benefit our students!
MENTAL HEALTH SERIES REMINDER
Just a reminder that the Gorham Schools have partnered with Parentguidance.org to offer several mental health series webinars FREE to Gorham families to participate in. The next one coming right up is scheduled for Monday, Dec. 9 at 7:00 or 9:00 p.m. Please see the flyer below and use the QR code to register today!
The flyer below was sent to all schools in our region inviting all parent/guardians to attend this informational webinar on what parents should know about adolescent cannabis use. Check out the flyer below and use the bit.ly listed to register today!
