LER Newsletter of May 8, 2008

Message from the Principal

Dear Families,

As many of you know, we are in a very difficult budget year. We are receiving $454,621.03 less from the state for our school district. Local funds from our communities are expected to match what the state subsidizes. Therefore, we are looking at $684,095.77 in cuts that have been made. It has been a very emotional time for sure!! Our superintendent and school board have spent many hours discussing areas that would have the least impact educationally for our students. They have a proposed budget ready for the taxpayers of MSAD #11.

Additionally, the legislature has mandated a new process for passing school budgets. There are 2 levels of approval that must happen. First, there is a budget validation/approval meeting. At this meeting on May 27, 2008, local taxpayers will vote on the budget article by article. This meeting will be in the Gardiner High School Gymnasium at 7:00 pm. A moderator will be overseeing this meeting. If the budget is approved at this meeting, then the budget goes to a referendum vote on June 10, 2008 in the individual towns. If the budget passes on June 10th, then the process is done. If the budget fails at either the validation /approval meeting, or the referendum, then the budget process starts all over again with another validation /approval meeting and referendum vote. In fact the process does not stop until the budget is finally approved.

I cannot encourage you enough to attend and vote at both the validation/approval meeting and the referendum. If you have any questions, please call me at 582-3612 or Dr. Paul Knowles, our district’s superintendent, at 582-5346.

Yours in the service of children,
Karen Moody

Upcoming Events
May
8th: Scholastic Book Fair, 3:00-7:00
9th: Scholastic Book Fair open, 8:30-3:00
9th: No kindergarten classes due to k-screening for next year
11th: Happy Mother’s Day!
12th: Scholastic Book Fair, 11:00-1:00
13th: Walking School Bus, 7:50
16th: Grade 1 to GAHS see GRMS “Beauty & the Beast”
16th: Mini-Courses, 1:30 - 2:30
16th: District Art Show at GAHS,3:00 - 7:30
20th: Walking School Bus, 7:50
20th: Orientation for incoming kindergarten, 5:00 - 6:00
21st: Early release - students dismissed at 12:30
23rd: Shamou performance at LER, 1:45 - 2:45
26th: Memorial Day - no school
26th: Memorial Day Parade, 10:00
27th: Walking School Bus, 7:50
28th: First grade to Gray Animal Park (Rain Date of May 29th)
29th: Pre-K to Children’s Discovery Museum
29th: Assembly, 8:45

June
3rd: Walking School Bus at 7:50
3rd: Mrs. Carey’s ABC-123 Circus, 10:00
6th: Pre-K Family Fun Day
6th: School BBQ
6th: First Grade Beach Day at LER
9th: North Star Planetarium at LER

The Walking School Bus is Back!
Students and parents are invited to join Mrs. Moody and Mr. Anderson at the Gardiner Common at 7:50 each Tuesday morning, weather permitting, as we walk to school together!

School Store
The school store is open in the office on Monday and Wednesday mornings before school.

2008 - 2009 Kindergarten
It’s kindergarten registration time! If you have a child who will be five years of age on or before October 15, 2008, please contact the school.

LER Lions T-Shirts
We have LER T-shirts in youth sizes and a variety of great colors for sale in the office for $12.00 each.

GEPTA News
Our next meeting will be Tuesday, June 3rd at
6:00 at LER. Childcare is available.

Save Your Shaw's Receipts!
Do you or friends and family shop at Shaw's? Help raise funds for a new playground at River View School by bringing in Shaw's receipts. Through the Shaw's Receipt Rewards Program, Shaw's will donate 1% of the amount of the receipts. There's no limit to how many receipts you can bring in, just make sure the receipt is the original, not a copy.

Save your Yogurt containers!
We have started a fund raising/recycling program through Terracycle (www.terracycle.net). Send in your CLEAN 6 oz and 32 oz containers.

This is Teacher Appreciation Week!
May 5th - 9th - GEPTA sent home a flyer of some ideas to help celebrate. If you have any questions please email geptanews@gmail.com. It’s not too late!

Box Tops Winners
The classrooms bringing in the most Box Tops for the month of April were Mrs. Ellis’ a.m. pre-K, Ms. Coolidge’s Kindergarten, Mrs. Cockrell’s first grade, and Ms. Brown’s second grade. Our school collected $119.80 in Box Tops for Education during April!

Each Box Top for Education symbol is worth 10 cents to our school. Students are encouraged to continue saving as many sheets as they can and return their completed sheets to school. Be looking for the gumball sheets that came home with your student last week!

Kindergarten Schedule Alert
There will be no school for LER kindergarten students on Friday, May 9th as our teachers will be participating in the screening of our incoming K-students.

MSAD 11 Arts Extravaganza
The Best of the Best Art Work by K-12 students of MSAD11 will be on exhibit in the Gardiner Area High School Cafeteria on May 16th, 3:00-7:30

“Big Cat” Field Hockey Clinic
at Gardiner Area High School
for students entering grades 2-8
June 23rd - 26th, 8:30 - 2:00
Interested students can pick up information in the LER office.
(This is not an MSAD 11 sponsored event.)

Rotary Club Rail Trail Walk-a-thon
Saturday, May 17

Rotary Club of
Gardiner is sponsoring their first annual Kennebec Rail Trail Walk-a-thon. Regisration begins at 9:30am at the Gardiner Hannaford Parking Lot. All participants will be bused to Hallowell to begin the 4-mile walk back to Gardiner. The walk will begin promptly at 10:30am. Walkers will head south from Hallowell on the trail for 4 miles until they reach Gardiner. Pledge forms will be available for anyone who has not received a form prior to the walk. Children under 12 must be accompanied by an adult. A minimum of $20.00 is required for registration. Conact Dale Staples at 582-8458, ext 215 or dalestaples03@aol.com for more information.

*ALL PROCEEDS WILL GO TO THE ROTARY CLUB OF GARDINER SCHOLARSHIP FUND.

(This is not an MSAD 11 sponsored event.)