This edition highlights the Spring Sing Concert at the Sanford Performing Arts Center, which brought together student vocalists from across the district in grades 4–12. We also spotlight Sanford High School's Key Club, SRTC Culinary students competing in the Maine State ProStart competition for the first time ever, and Sanford Pride Elementary's Health Fair. You'll find student work from the SMS Times online newspaper, Sights Around Our Schools, a visit from WMTW to Sanford Middle School, and much more. We also share highlights from each school, important updates, and ways to stay connected with Sanford Schools.
Spring Sing at the Performing Arts Center
The Sanford Performing Arts Center filled with families and friends on Wednesday, March 4, as students from across the district showcased their talents at the annual Spring Sing concert. The performance brought together vocalists from grades 4 through 12.
The concert coincided with the 42nd annual Music In Our Schools Month, a nationwide initiative highlighting the importance of quality music education programs. Parents in attendance witnessed firsthand how music education nurtures confidence, teamwork, and creative expression among students of all ages. Read more at the following link!
Missed the concert? Check it out below!
Sanford High School's Key Club Makes Impact on Community
This year's biggest undertaking was the Lighthouse project: a large, student-designed display on the Agora wall created in partnership with Erika's Lighthouse, an organization focused on youth mental health awareness.
Most Mondays at 6 pm, a group of Sanford High School students meet in the Agora at the school, the open staircase near the cafeteria. Not for practice or tutoring, but to figure out how they can make their community a little better.
They're members of Key Club, the school's oldest club, which has been around since 1959.
Key Club is an international student-led organization focused on community service and leadership, sponsored by Kiwanis International.
At Sanford High School, membership is open to all students throughout the entire school year.
Sights Around Our Schools
Carl J. Lamb Elementary
Carl J. Lamb is celebrating students who go above and beyond! High Five tickets are given to students who demonstrate Sanford's Core Values, while Green Slips recognize students specifically for hard work, self-control, positive attitude, respect, responsibility, and teamwork. In February, Carl J. Lamb honored students who demonstrated kindness. In March the focus is on perseverance, which is being woven into morning announcements, morning circles, its SEL lessons and read-alouds.
Margaret Chase Smith Elementary
1st and 2nd Grade Dance Club is hard at work practicing their new moves as they prepare for their performance in early April! Each week, students are building confidence, learning choreography, and showing incredible teamwork as they support one another. We can’t wait for families to see their energy, rhythm, and Coyote spirit shine on stage!
Sanford Middle School
Seventh graders recently connected via Zoom with Ruth Wade, the daughter of Holocaust survivor Sydney Finkel, for an hour-long presentation. Students watched a documentary featuring Mr. Finkel sharing his story in his own words, then engaged in a live discussion with Ms. Wade about his survival.
Sanford Pride Elementary
Sanford Pride's school library has been a hub of excitement and learning over the past few weeks. 4th graders are continuing to participate in the Maine Student Book Award challenge, eagerly reading through the nominated books. Meanwhile, students in all grades have enjoyed listening to the ten nominees for the Chickadee Award.
Four Sanford High School Students Participate at ACDA Choir Festival
Four Sanford High School vocalists represented our community this past week at the ACDA All-Eastern Honor Choir Festival, one of the most elite high school choral events in the eastern United States.
Sponsored by the American Choral Directors Association, the All-Eastern Festival brings together the top student singers from multiple states through a rigorous, competitive audition process. This year, Sanford was proudly represented by Ava Allen, Ariana Young, Jack Van Gieson, and Keaghan Gagnon.
Selected students were placed into advanced honor ensembles led by nationally recognized conductors.
Sanford Pride Elementary Hosts Student Health Fair
More than 140 third and fourth graders recently participated in Sanford Pride Elementary School's first annual Student Health Fair and it was a huge success.
Students spent the day rotating through a rich variety of hands-on experiences, with each grade level receiving a different series of guest presentations covering personal safety, fire safety, dental care, mindfulness, nutrition, and illness prevention.
Beyond the presentations, students went sledding, planted seeds, and tasted new foods throughout the day. MaineHealth educators Casey Marcotte and Stephanie Masters-Plamondon led two standout sessions.
WMTW Weather At Your Schools Visits Sanford Middle School
WMTW Meteorologist Ted McInerney visited Sanford Middle School this morning for his "Weather At Your Schools" segment.
He then presented to fifth graders in the cafeteria and led a Q&A on weather and meteorology.
Check out the clip below!
Doctor Who Club at Sanford Middle School Keeps Growing
Sanford Middle School's Doctor Who Club has quickly become one of the most popular after-school activities this year and the enthusiasm speaks for itself.
The club got its start during the 2024-2025 school year by sixth-grade teacher Abby Hanson, a longtime Doctor Who fan who wanted to share something she loved with her students during her first year of teaching.
After showing the British sci-fi series in class, the response was hard to ignore.
SRTC Culinary Students Compete in Maine State ProStart Competition
Sanford Regional Technical Center culinary students made their mark this week, competing for the first time in the Maine State ProStart Competition.
The milestone event brought together students from career and technical education centers across the state to showcase their culinary skills and hospitality management knowledge in front of industry judges.
SRTC joined fellow competitors from Biddeford Regional Center of Technology and Westbrook Regional Vocational Center, with all three programs earning praise from judges for their impressive performances.
Sanford School Department Hosts District-Wide Kindergarten Registration Event
The Sanford School Department hosted its second District-Wide Kindergarten Registration event on Wednesday, March 4 at Sanford Pride Elementary School, welcoming incoming kindergarten families from across the community.
The event provided families with the opportunity to register their child for kindergarten while also connecting directly with school staff who will play an important role in their child’s school experience. Staff members in red shirts were stationed throughout the room to guide families through the registration process and answer questions. Additionally, members of Sanford High School’s new Interact Club volunteered their time to help.
Inclement Weather Protocols
As winter approaches, we want to remind everyone of our weather-related protocols. When there is inclement weather, we work closely with local authorities, public works, transportation services, meteorologists, and nearby school districts to make informed decisions about school delays, early dismissals, or cancellations. Ensuring our students and staff’s safety is our top priority.
For every day that school is cancelled due to weather, we will add a make-up day starting with June 10th. If we have to use storm days beyond June 18th, we will plan to utilize remote school days.
See Something, Say Something
As a school system, we are committed to creating and sustaining a comprehensive, coordinated effort to maintain the overall safety and well-being of our students, educators and administrators. Therefore we utilize the “Say Something Anonymous Reporting System” (SS-ARS), a system fully funded by the national nonprofit Sandy Hook Promise. The SS-ARS allows youth and adults to securely submit anonymous safety concerns – anytime, from anywhere – to help identify and intervene upon at-risk individuals before they hurt themselves or others. The system enables school administrators and law enforcement (if needed) to create effective interventions and to help prevent violence, suicide, bullying, self-harm and other forms of threatening behavior.
How to submit a tip to the Say Something program:
- Say Something website (SaySomething.net)
- Say Something mobile app (App Store | Google Play)
- Say Something hotline (1-844-5-SAY NOW | 1-844-572-9669)
Additional Links to Stay Updated With the Community
