From the Principal's Desk
On Friday, November 13th, we will celebrate our Day of Welcome sponsored by our Civil Rights Team. We will have special guests greeting students and everyone is encouraged to wear Greely Gear to show their school spirit!
Parent-Teacher Conferences are fast approaching. You will receive communication directly from your child’s classroom teacher(s) to sign up for a time slot. Please be reminded that Monday, November 23rd and Tuesday, November 24th, students will be dismissed at 12:35pm to allow teachers additional time to meet with families. We hope you will take advantage of this opportunity to review your child’s progress and discuss any questions or concerns you may have.
Please know that we are always open to communication that will enhance your child’s educational experience with us and welcome your questions and feedback at any time.
Dates to Remember:
Wednesday 11/11 - No School, Veterans Day
Wednesday 11/23 - Friday 11/27 - No School, Thanksgiving Break
Sincerely,
Carol MacArthur. Principal
Shannon Peterson, Assistant Principal
Attendance Matters!
As we head into November, cooler weather and holiday planning create unique challenges for maintaining consistent routines. While staying home for a contagious illness is always necessary, the seasonal shift is a critical time to remember how quickly casual absences can quietly disrupt a child's progress.
Our classroom environments rely heavily on real-time feedback and peer discussions to deepen conceptual understanding in math, reading comprehension, and vocabulary development. When a student sits out, it doesn't just pause their own momentum; it impacts the collaborative dynamic of our whole classroom community.
If changing seasons or morning-routine hurdles make it difficult to get your child to school on time, please reach out. We are here to partner with your family to create a supportive plan together.
Thank you for helping us reach our target of 96% community attendance!
Office Reminders
- Student arrival begins at 8:20 AM.
- School begins at 8:50 AM. If your child arrives after that time, they are tardy and need to check-in at the office before going to the classroom.
- You can report absences, communicate transportation plans or make general inquiries by calling the main office at 829-4815 or emailing [email protected].
We greatly appreciate your attention to these procedures, as they help to ensure that our routines run smoothly and efficiently.
Lost & Found
Thanks to a generous parent volunteer, items from our OVERFLOWING Lost & Found have been laid out on tables and organized on racks in the lobby. If you are missing something, encourage your child to take a look or come take a peek yourself before Thanksgiving break when all remaining items will be donated.
Community Corner
When your child doesn't like another child...
It's tricky when your child reports that they are struggling with a peer they do not like. The good news is "research shows that...the ability to interact with all kinds of people, including those whom we may not like – is key to career success… from being able to ace an interview to securing funding for entrepreneurial ventures" (A Fine Parent).
Most of us offer some version of "be kind to everyone" but sometimes this is hard for kids to do. This terrific newsletter called A Fine Parent offers some great ideas for why and how to help children tolerate other kids whom they may not like. We hope this sparks some good conversations at home.
Katie Campbell, School Social Worker
Emma Klein, School Social Worker
Ali Waterhouse, School Counselor
A Look Into Literacy
Literacy classrooms have been busy digging into their informational units in CKLA. Grade 4 is studying the Middle Ages, while Grade 5 is learning about the Early Americas. Both grade levels are combining reading, writing, and language skills and strategies during these integrated units.
Fourth graders are practicing taking notes on informational texts, paraphrasing information, and writing informative paragraphs. They are also working on combining and expanding sentences using conjunctions and appositives, as well as generating cause-and-effect sentences.
Fifth graders are following the stages of the writing process as they use information from text to create a project about the Maya, Aztec, and Inca empires. They are also practicing paraphrasing and note-taking.
At the beginning of October, 4th graders participated in an author visit at the GCA. Cynthia Lord came and talked with our young writers about the books she has written and her process as an author. Below, you will see some photos from her presentation. The first shows how she uses real places for the settings in some of her books, and the second shows all of the editing and revising she does before publishing a book. Students asked great questions and left with valuable tips, techniques, and inspiration for their own writing!
Check out what is happening at PML:
Janet Giguere, Literacy Specialist
Math: Sumthing to Talk About 📐
Explore what our 4th and 5th graders are learning, discover tips for building math fluency at home, try out our monthly riddle, and play engaging math games with your family.
🏠 Math at Home: Games & Activities
Kayla Billings, Math Specialist
Library News
Dear Families,
Get ready—the Scholastic Book Fair is coming to our school!
Dates: 11/23-12/6 (Library classes shop 12/2-6)
Location: GMS Library
Family Event schedule: 11/23 & 11/24 during afternoon/evening Conferences
School homepage: https://www.scholastic.com/bf/greelymiddleschool6-8
(Please disregard the 6-8 at the end of the URL!)
This is a great opportunity to build your child’s home collection with new books that will get them excited about reading, while also earning funds for our school.
The easiest way to let your child shop the Fair independently is by creating a Book Fair eWallet through our school homepage. It’s easy to set up and easy for family and friends to add funds.
With eWallet, you’ll also have the chance to contribute to Share the Fair™—the giving program that supports students in our towns who need help buying books. Consider participating so that we can take donations to the Food Pantry.
Preview the books coming to the Fair by taking a 360° virtual tour via our school’s Book Fair homepage and explore the titles, watch video book trailers, and more.
Volunteers are needed each day the fair is running, including during the Family Events & set up/pack up. Here is the Sign Up Genius..
We can’t wait to see you at the Fair and help every student discover a book they’ll love!
Happy reading!
Dorothy Hall-Riddle, 4-8 Librarian
PE News
Cooperative Games in Physical Education 
In Physical Education, students have been participating in cooperative games that emphasize teamwork, communication, problem-solving, and working together toward a common goal. Unlike traditional competitive games, the focus is not on winning or individual performance, but on how students support one another and contribute to the success of the group. Through these activities, students develop important skills such as 
sportsmanship, 
respect, 
leadership, 
trust, 
inclusion, and 
perseverance. Cooperative games provide opportunities for every student to feel valued, build positive relationships with classmates, and understand that success comes from working together! 
Ms. Dodge will host extended office hours 3:45-5:45pm on November 16, 17, 19, & 23. If you would like to touch base regarding your student's participation in physical education, please contact her at [email protected] to schedule a time.
Becki Dodge, PE Teacher
News from the Band Room
Fifth Grade Band is in FULL SWING!
Lessons are going gangbusters. The kids have learned 5 notes in varied rhythmic combinations! I need to give a BIG SHOUT OUT to the classroom teachers for their support and flexibility with scheduling conflicts! Please remind your kids to practice 3 times per week for about 10 minutes. This independent practice time is crucial. Please take a minute and check out this incredible article on the effect of just one instrument lesson on the brain. Learning an instrument is the equivalent of a full body workout for the brain.
Civil Rights Team Spotlight
Our 4th and 5th Grade Civil Rights Team is off to an incredible start this year! We have already met twice and are thrilled to have nearly 100 eager, energetic, kind, and compassionate student leaders ready to make a positive difference in our school community.
We meet monthly during lunch and recess to collaborate and work on our Civil Rights Team Projects. At the heart of everything we do is a simple, powerful mission: we welcome everyone. Our team works to ensure our school is a safe, inclusive place for people of all races and skin colors, ancestries, religions, disabilities, genders, and families.
Kicking Off Our First Big Project!
We are so excited to kick off our very first project on Friday, November 13th, as our entire 4–8 school community celebrates the Day of Welcome! Our 4th and 5th grade team has been hard at work creating posters and a special welcoming banner for the lobby. To help us celebrate, several first responders from Cumberland and North Yarmouth will be joining us to greet ALL students as they enter the building!
We encourage everyone to wear their Greely gear on Friday, November 13th to show our shared pride and community spirit!
Thank you for sharing your children with us!
Jane Kilbride-Dupuis, Advisor
Ariana Rothbart, Co-Advisor
Griffin Conley, Co-Advisor
Check This Out!
This week, our entire 4th and 5th grade community of students and staff participated in a 75 minute workshop led by The Cromwell Center, a Maine non profit dedicated to building kindness, respect, and inclusion in schools. Over the past two years, we have been working intentionally to create a space where accepting differences is at the heart of everything we do.
It was incredible to watch our kids jump right in and stay completely locked into these sessions all week long. Together, we explored how every single one of us learns in our own unique way and how those very differences are what make our school community so special and strong.
Through thoughtful activities focused on disability awareness, sensitivity, and anti bullying, our students gained a deeper understanding of how their words and actions shape the world around them. They built new connections with peers and walked away realizing just how much power they have to make our school a kinder, more welcoming place.
The Cromwell Center has brought these programs to more than 9,000 classrooms across Maine since 2004, and we are so proud to partner with them as our school family continues to grow together.
Support Our Greely PTO!
The Late Bus
In addition to regular, daily dismissal, a late bus is also available on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday for students who stay for co-curricular activities or after-school academic support. Buses pick up students from GMS at 4:15pm and transport them home. Please be aware that depending on the number of students riding the late bus on a given day, your child's arrival time at home may vary. If you have specific questions about the late bus, please feel free to call the Transportation Garage at 829-4820.
Co-Curricular Activities
Monday:
5th grade Band Mr. Barry Saunders [email protected]
Tuesday:
Chorus - Mrs. Jennifer Caton [email protected]
Thursday:
Newspaper Club - Mrs. Melissa Fiess [email protected]
5th grade Ukulele Club - Mr. Barry Saunders [email protected]
5th grade Math Team - Mrs. Laurie Poissonnier [email protected]
During the School Day:
Green Team - Mrs. Monica Moore [email protected]
Civil Rights Team - Mrs. Jane Kilbride-Dupuis [email protected]
Stay Connected
