About Us

FAQs


What are the school hours?

School begins at 8:00A.M.
Students who walk to and from school or ride to school with a parent should not arrive any earlier than 7:30A.M. unless arrangements have been made with the principal.
School dismisses at 2:30P.M.
Slight adjustments are made for students that ride the Whiting or Cutler bus and those students are dismissed at 2:10P.M.
School will be dismissed at 11:30A.M. on ALL scheduled early release days.
 

How do I find out about the bus schedule?

Bus routes and schedules are available at the Elm Street School office, on the web site under the For Parents dropdown menu, or by calling our Transportation Director, Bucket Davis at (207)255-8692.

What kind of food does the cafeteria serve?

All meals are planned in accordance with state guidelines regarding calories and portion control. Every lunch meal has a vegetable and fruit serving and students are required to take one or both offerings. Both skim chocolate milk and 1% white milk are offered with every meal. Breakfast and lunch menus are sent home with students every month and they are also available at the school web site under the For Parents dropdown menu.

What are the costs for breakfast and lunch?

Reduced pay breakfast is currently FREE
Full pay breakfast is currently FREE
Reduced lunch is currently FREE
Full pay lunch is currently FREE
Extra milk* or snack milk is .30 cents
*If a student purchases a second milk for their lunch or breakfast, they are expected to present payment to the kitchen staff upon receipt of the extra milk. However, if a student has brought their lunch and wishes to purchase a milk to accompany their meal that milk fee of .30 cents may be charged to their school meal account.
Parents, Guardians, and Grandparents may join their student any time for breakfast or lunch upon previous notification to Nancy Sprague, School Meals Program Manager if they wish to order a meal. Adult meal fees are: $4.25 lunch and $1.75 breakfast.

How much time do students have to eat their meals?

Breakfast and Lunch will be served as follows:

7:30A.M. – 8:00A.M. Breakfast Grades Pre-Kindergarten – 8
10:45A.M. – 11:15A.M. Pre-kindergarten
10:45A.M. – 11:15A.M. Grades K – 2
11:15A.M. – 11:45A.M. Grades 3 – 5
11:50A.M. – 12:15P.M. Grades 6 – 8
 

How do I know if school is cancelled, delayed, or dismissed early because of inclement weather or other unexpected circumstance?

In the event school will not be in session or delayed because of a storm, notification will be on WALZ 95.3; WQDY 92.7; WCRQ 102.9; WLKE 99.1; WLBZ-TV, Channel 2; WABI-TV, Channel 5; WVII-TV, Channel 7; Facebook – www.facebook.com/elmpanthers and the school web site.  In addition, parents can participate in the School Messenger notification service which provides an automated recorded message from the school principal via text, telephone, and/or e-mail.  Any parent who is not yet enrolled and wishes to receive the automated notifications should contact Elm Street School at 255-8692.

In the event of an early school closing, notification will be on:

WALZ 95.3
WQDY 92.7
WCRQ 102.9
WLKE 99.1
www.facebook.com/elmpanthers
www.elmstreetschool.us
Please be aware that every effort is made to make only one announcement, but there are occasional circumstances when the weather predictions may quickly change and cause a second announcement. Example: Announcement of a 2-hour school delay at 6:30A.M. and then circumstances necessitate a follow up announcement later in the morning, indicating school cancellation. It is advisable to closely monitor the news until school is in session.

Will afterschool activities be held if school is dismissed early?

Generally, if school is dismissed early, afterschool activities, programs, sports, etc. will be cancelled.

How many students does the school have?

The 2022 – 2023 school year student population is approximately 188.

How do I get in touch with an Elm Street School Board Member or the AOS 96 (Machias Bay Area School System) Superintendent?

School Board members’ contact information is listed on the school web site under School Board. The Superintendent’s contact information is also available at the Contact Us drop down menu of the school web site or he can be reached by calling (207)255-6585.

How do I register a new student for school?

Contact our school secretary, Tammy Wood, at (207)255-8692 with the student’s birth certificate and Immunization Record. Tammy will provide you with a Transfer Request if your student is coming from another school.

What is the cut-off date for kindergarten students?

Maine State Law sets October 15 as the cutoff birth date for kindergarten enrollment. To enter kindergarten, students must be 5 years old by October 15.

When is kindergarten registration?

Kindergarten registration is held in the latter part of April. Further information on specific dates and times will be posted on the school web site, and the local newspaper usually in March.

Why are all of the school doors locked?

During regular school hours, the school’s main entrance provides access and safety from the elements to guests and visitors. Upon entrance, a visitor will approach a set of locked double doors. At that point, it is necessary to ring a buzzer for visual clearance from designated staff. Our doors are locked so we can carefully monitor who is in our building by having them check in at the office. This prevents people from entering the school without anyone knowing.

How can parents, guardians, and grandparents be involved at the school?

There are several ways that parents, guardians, and grandparents can get involved at the school. They can volunteer in their child’s classroom or simply help chaperone a field trip. In fact, by checking in with the child’s teacher a parent, guardian, or grandparent may determine that not all volunteer efforts need to take place within the school setting. Parents, Guardians, and Grandparents can also participate in the PTC (Parent Teacher Club). The PTC’s purpose is to “enhance and enrich the education of our students.” PTC meetings are generally held the 1st Tuesday of the month at 6:00P.M. In addition, Elm Street School has an organized Garden Club and Playground Committee. Both groups seek ways to improve the school garden and playground.

Is there a student handbook?

The student handbook is available upon request.

Is there an afterschool program? If so, is there a cost?

Elm Street School offers an afterschool program for Pre-k through grade 8 Monday – Thursday from 2:30P.M. – 4:30P.M. The cost is $7 per student per day.

Additional afterschool activities are posted as available, such as: Chess Club, Energy Club, Robotics, etc.

What should be done when a student is absent?

Parents/Guardians should call the school the day of the absence and must send a note with their student on the next day after an absence explaining the nature of the absence. Students should present the note to the office staff.

How does the school promote values?

The S.S.A.T. (Student-Staff Assistance Team) is a school-based team that is concerned with the needs of our staff, students, families, and our school community. They promote core values such as taking responsibility and good citizenship by providing unique rewards and sponsoring events related to the varied grade levels throughout the school year.

Students that participate in extra-curricular sports are strongly encouraged to win humbly and lose gracefully by being kind to opponents, as well as, teammates. They are coached to maintain a good attitude that reflects positively on them and on their school.

When are grade reports given?

Grading periods are divided into three trimesters.  Progress Reports are provided halfway through each trimester with a final report card following at the end of each trimester.

What sports does Elm offer?

Fall (Begins in late September and ends in late October)

Cross Country (2nd – 8th grades)
Soccer (6th – 8th grades)
Volleyball (6th – 8th grades)
Winter (Begins in mid-November and ends by February vacation)

Boys’ Jr. High Basketball (6th – 8th grades)
Girls’ Jr. High Basketball (6th – 8th grades)
Winter (Begins after February vacation and ends before April break)

Boys’ Pee Wee Basketball (3rd – 6th grades)
Girls’ Pee Wee Basketball (3rd – 6th grades)


Spring (Begins after April vacation and ends by the close of school)

Boys’ Jr. High Baseball* (6th – 8th grades)
Girls’ Jr. High Softball* (6th – 8th grades)
*Baseball and softball teams are fielded by combining with other local elementary schools.