NORTH HAVEN COMMUNITY SCHOOL
93 Pulpit Harbor Road
North Haven, Maine 04853
207-867-4707
August 23, 2007
Dear Students and Parents:
We are about to begin our final year in the school building that has served North Haven well for the past 34 years. Over those years, our quirky old building has been the only school that many of the more than 100 graduates of NHCS have ever attended. I’m sure that it will be with mixed feelings that we say goodbye to it to enter our beautiful new building a year from now, in September 2008, and a bright new era of schooling in North Haven.
This last year in the old building will be as exciting as it will challenging. With the new building taking shape only a few feet away, the noise and activity of construction will be a distraction for students and staff alike, and at times, an inconvenience. Just getting students to and from our temporary playground in the backfield so generously donated by Dick and Janet Witherspoon will be a logistical feat. Safety for our students will be of utmost concern; we are working with Bruce Laukka, our construction manager, to ensure that every precaution possible is taken to make the school site safe and hazard-free.
On the other hand, we hope to take advantage of the opportunity provided by the construction in our backyard by including elements of it in our daily instruction and activities. Our students have been involved in the planning and design of the new building since its inception, and the more they know about how it is being put together, the more they will be invested in it. This new building has been designed, and is being built, to be the school for North Haven for the next fifty years at least; we want it to be a place that students will love and the community will be proud.
As much as possible, the school year will proceed as it has in past years. Every member of our wonderful faculty and staff is returning, allowing us to build and refine our academic programs and services to our students. Our most recent MEA (and NCLB) scores are exceptional, giving further evidence of the quality of education in North Haven that has earned us Consistently High Performing School status by the State for four straight years. We are just three years away from seeking our ten-year Re-Accreditation from the New England Association of Schools and Colleges, the only so-accredited island school Our new school will address the single most important recommendation by NEASAC when we earned Initial Accreditation back in 2001, and will put us in good stead to earn re-accreditation.
At this point, it appears that our enrollment will be down slightly from last year at 65 students in pre-K - 12. We expect to welcome one student, Catherine White, to our preK program - the Class of 2020 - and to be led by our two Seniors, Amilia Campbell and Ian Hopkins of the NHCS Class of 2008, the final graduating class from our old school building. We also expect to welcome some new students to our midst, including Jack Walker from Monhegan Island, who will be joining our 9th grade. We’ll get a final count on the first day of school.
That day will be bright and early on Tuesday, September 4 when we all gather at 8:20 AM on the elementary deck (weather permitting) for our annual Welcome Back ceremony, and from where we’ll get a great view of our future school for a great new future for North Haven. Parents are invited to attend our opening ceremony.
See you there!
Sincerely,
Barney Hallowell, Principal
P.S. We will be holding our annual back-to-school Hoop-De-La Picnic on Wednesday, September 5 at school, starting at 5 PM (weather permitting). Unlike previous Hoop-De-Las, we will not be able to have games on the school’s old playfield because it is now a construction site. However, we will have grills, chips, cold drinks, and ice cream as usual on the elementary deck, and kids will be able to use the playground equipment on the Witherspoon field. This will be a great time to get a look at the progress of construction of our new building; guided tours will be available.
Please make plans to come for the last Hoop-De-La on our elementary deck. Bring a picnic and/or something to grill. A great time will be had by all!
OUR MISSION IS TO EDUCATE,
EMPOWER AND CHALLENGE STUDENTS
TO REALIZE THEIR FULL POTENTIAL, AS INDIVIDUALS AND AS CITIZENS
OF THE WORLD, AND TO DEVELOP A LIFE-LONG THIRST FOR KNOWLEDGE.
Competence, Compassion, Challenge and Community
TO REALIZE THEIR FULL POTENTIAL, AS INDIVIDUALS AND AS CITIZENS
OF THE WORLD, AND TO DEVELOP A LIFE-LONG THIRST FOR KNOWLEDGE.
Competence, Compassion, Challenge and Community
