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INSTRUCTIONAL SUPPORT PROGRAM

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MORSE STREET SCHOOL PRESCHOOL PROGRAM

Do you have a child who will turn 4 years old prior to October 15, 2011?  Are you interested in a preschool program for your child?  The Morse Street School Preschool Program is currently accepting applications.  We have openings for 12 typically developing children (6 for the morning session and 6 for the afternoon session) to attend for the 2011-2012 school year.  These children will join a group of children with disabilities in a developmentally appropriate integrated program.  Morning sessions are 8:30-11:30, Monday through Thursday and afternoon sessions are 12:35-3:10, Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. 

If you are interested please contact Rebecca Billings, program teacher, at 865-6361 extension 240 or email billingsb@rsu5.org.  We will need to know parents’ names, your child’s name, date of birth, telephone number, and mailing address.  Should we receive greater than 12 applications, a lottery system will be employed.

Deadline for application is June 15, 2011 at 3 pm.  Parents will be contacted via phone or e-mail on May 16th.  

CHILD FIND NOTICE

As a resident of Regional School Unit No.5 (RSU No.5 Durham-Freeport-Pownal) or a non-resident of RSU No.5 whose child may attend a private school in RSU No.5, you are notified that you are entitled to certain rights under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act 2007.

Under Federal Law and State Regulations, RSU No.5 is responsible for locating, indentifying and evaluating all resident students in public school or home school settings, and all resident and non-resident students in private school settings who are , or may be in need of special education services.  This responsibility is called 'CHILDFIND' and includes this notification.

If you are a parent of a resident student in public schools or home school settings, or resident or non-resident student in private school settings, or you know of any resident student in public school settings who does or may have a disability which may require special education, please contact the RSU No. 5 Director of Student Services at 865-0928, extension 27, or the principal of your local public school.  RSU No. 5 will initiate a referral process for an individual comprehensive evaluation to determine whether the student is eligible to receive special education.

All contacts are kept strictly confidential.

ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE PROGRAM (ESL)

  • Jessica Sturges, English as a Second Language(ESL) Teacher 865-4561x235  sturgesj@rsu5.org

RSU 5's English as a Second Language(ESL) program is designed to address the language needs of students who have either moved here from another country, or whose family speaks another language at home.  Our program is based on the principal that students learn best in the regular classroom.  These students, English Language Learners(ELL), benefit from both access to meaningful interactions with peers during the school day through mainstream classes and recess/lunch, but also from direct instruction from a specialists, as needed, to provide sheltered instruction that not only teachers English, but also the core subjects.

In addition to working with students, our ESL program helps keep the families of our ELL informed in a languge they understand.  We provide interpreters and translated documents where needed for families.  Our goal is for our students and their families to become an integral and vital part of our community.

GIFTED AND TALENTED PROGRAM (GaTE)

To: Parents of Gifted and Talented Education Students

From:  Dominic DePatsy, Director of Instructional Support

RE: Advisory Committee

The Office of Instructional and Curriculum Support is convening a Gifted and Talented Education (GaTE) Advisory Committee for RSU 5.

The goal of this group is to review and revise the GaTE visual and performing arts plan as well the GaTE academic plan to ensure that model programming is implemented.  We will also review the current & recommended identification process, service delivery models and begin review of our district GaTE handbook. 

The schedule for the committee meetings will be as follows:

  • Thursday, September 22nd  3:30 pm - Freeport High School Conference Room
  • Thursday, October 20th 3:30 pm - Central Office Conference Room
  • Thursday, November 17th 3:30 pm - Central Office Conference Room
  • Thursday, January 12th 3:30 pm - Durham Community School
  • Thursday, February 9th 3:30 pm - Central Office Conference Room
  • Thursday, March 22nd 3:30 pm - Central Office Conference Room

If you are interested in being considered as a member of the advisory committee, please submit a letter (or e-mail) by September 16th to Kate Wight at (wightk@rsu5.org) indicating what strengths you would bring to the committee and your ability to commit to the dates and process.   Individuals chosen to serve on the committee will be notified by September 19th.

If you are unable to be a part of the entire process, I encourage you to e-mail me with your thoughts about the Gifted and Talented Programming in RSU5.   Thank you in advance for considering how you might contribute to the process.