Hello Wiscasset Families,
There are a lot of fun things happening these next few weeks!
*The Read-a-Thon kicks off this week until 3/23. We are continuing to raise money for playground upgrades at WES, there are plans for both the immediate future and further out for the bigger projects. We have big plans for our space- we're looking at $50,000 over about 3 years. Be on the lookout in the lobby for a Fundraising Thermometer! If you'd like to be on the Playground Sub-Committee, please reach out via our email. There are rewards for meeting our Reading Goals ($15,000 raised & 15,000 minutes read)- a school-wide celebration & a classroom reward for the class that raises the most money. Click Here to sign up your reader if you haven't yet. We shared with students at the school assembly today that they can meet this reading goal by everyone reading just 5 minutes a day until the 23rd!
(WMHS Middle Schoolers are participating in their own separate Read-a-Thon)
*The Spring Scholastic Book Fair is here! We will be open 3/4-3/11 (including 2 hours on Saturday 3/7 1-3pm!) Wednesday, 3/4 is also pick-up day for all Giving Bean orders right at the Book Fair. We will be open during the PreK/K Open House as well. Now is the time to sign your student up online for their eWallet to provide easy shopping during our in-school shopping day! If you have unspent funds from the Fall Book Fair, they would now be stored as an e-Gift Balance. See our picture posted on our Social pages or Dojo for instructions on how to move those funds back to an eWallet. Click Here to visit our Scholastic Home Page and create your eWallet.
*We also have had a few questions about Little Caesar's - the Middle High is currently in the middle of their LC Fundraiser. We had chosen this year to try something different with Giving Bean. However, it turns out Little Caesar's is a big hit. We are taking notes for next year. If you'd like to place an order and you know a student at the MH, you're welcome to support them and order through them! There is also an option to order online as well through their LC school page. We're sorry for any inconvenience.
Lastly, we have our monthly
PIE Meeting this Thursday 3/5 at 6pm in the WES Library or via zoom. We hope to see you there as it is an open-community event and all are welcome.
Attached you'll find the minutes from the February Meeting and the Agenda for this Thursday.
Zoom Meeting ID: 317 343 9132
Password: PIE2025
As always please feel free to reach out anytime with questions.
Thank you!
Heather
In Community,
Executive Board, Wiscasset Partners in Education
83 Federal Street,
Wiscasset, Maine 04578
Wiscasset Partners in Education (PIE) is a 501(c)(3) dedicated to supporting and enriching the Wiscasset public school community through parent, teacher, and community involvement.
Meeting Minutes
Partners In Education Meeting
Thursday, February 5, 2026
6:00pm Wiscasset Elementary School Library
Zoom Meeting ID: 317 343 9132 Password: PIE2025
● Meeting called to order at 6:02
● Attendance
○ Heather McArdle, Chair
○ Beth Bluteau, Co-Chair
○ Kellie Oakes, Treasurer
○ Danielle Clarke, Secretary
○ Samantha Benner, Fundraising Chair
○ Danielle Harris, WES Assistant Principal
○ Nicole Tenney, WMHS Teacher
○ Mary Finn, Community Member, via Zoom
○ Trae Stover, WES Teacher, via Zoom
○ Sarah Hubert, WMHS Principal, via Zoom
○ Kim Watson, First10 Coordinator, via Zoom
● Review and approve minutes from 1/8/26
○ Beth motion, Kellie second, all in favor
● Committee Reports & Old Business
○ Treasurer's Report
■ Initial cash balance: $6,560.51
■ Final cash balance: $6,290.75
■ Savings: $8,694.30
■ Money Market: $1,246.61
■ 2024 taxes have been refiled and 2025 have been filed
■ Quarterly audit needs to be completed
● Continued and New Business
○ Bus Garage Wellness Table
■ To purchase: coffee from Dunkin, tea, cough drops, tissues, granola bars,
Emergen-c - there are 11 staff
■ We have chapstick and popcorn
■ Danielle C and Kellie will deliver in AM on Tuesday, 2/10
○ School Store & Wolfie Rewards
■ Moving table around corner across from library
■ Wolfie Rewards - suggestions received to make bigger, more colorful so not lost
as easily
○ Giving Bean Fundraiser
■ Order forms are due 2/6
■ We will set a date for pickup, hopefully at WES or WMHS
■ Top MS & HS each get a $25 Amazon GC and top WES gets $25 to Scholastic
book fair
■ Sarah at WMHS will send an email to parents and put on NYCU with a reminder
that 50% goes back to their class. Danielle H will post on Class Dojo
○ School Board Presentation
■ Meeting is 2/11 at 6pm at WMHS
■ Kellie created an info sheet to present to board members, available to all
community members too., PIE will review
○ Candy-Grams
■ Liz Bodkin is helping put the candygrams together with each class at WES for all
WMHS students - 190 needed
● Brown bags decorated, then on the inside will be some candy and heart
shaped paper valentine
■ Considering purchasing candy in addition to cookies
● Will Sweetz & More make a donation?
● Kellie looking into a source to make cookies
■ Danielle H confirmed there is a list of students who can ride in the van to deliver
● HS advisory 11:10-11:40
● Divide kids into 3 groups
● MS recess is at 11:40, lunch at noon-12:15 and 5th graders will have
lunch with them
○ WMHS Spirit Week & Winter Carnival 2/9-2/13
■ HS has class shirts, MS does not
■ More of an HS event
■ Sarah can access a grant so that shirts can be purchased for MS
■ Nicole will talk with other teachers so that staff can assist with decorating on
Thursday
○ Drama support at WMHS for 2/12 (WMHS) and 2/13 (WES) auditions @ 2:45
■ Keeping kids contained, entertained
■ Kellie will create a Matilda word search, bring in arts and crafts
■ Help with props needed - social media?
■ One Act festival is 3/5, then bulletin board for Matilda to be done by 4/10
○ Book Fair
■ 3/4 - 3/11 at WES
■ Balance: $1,361.45
■ Share the fair:
■ E-wallets - 52
● Communication needs to go out to families to convert their current money
from gift cards back to e-wallets. Beth will create procedure
■ Saturday, 3/7 - is it possible to open the school? Maybe do a giveback day -
indoor movie, popcorn, hot chocolate, school store
○ Non-profit trivia 2/20 at WCC 5:30
■ PIE & Boosters making food - chili, mac and cheese, baked goods
■ Offered to have high school students volunteer to set up/take down
○ Pre-K/K Open House
■ 3/4 - PIE will have a table with information during book fair
○ Read-A-Thon - WES and WMHS - runs three weeks
■ Parent/guardian makes account for student(s) and they can share this link to
anyone
■ PIE receives 80% of donations
■ Free printables
■ Need to upload a list of teachers
■ Business donations - they have a separate donation page. When they make a
donation, they get advertising on every student’s page
■ 3/4 suggested start date to coincide with book fair and info will be available
■ Printed sheets are available for those with cash
■ 2/27 - initial info will start to go out to families
■ Beanie babies will be given to each student at WES when the fliers go out
● These were donated by a community member
■ Can MS come to WES to read to kids? BW/LW
● Beth will chat with Sarah
○ BBQ & Playground
■ No leads on interest in sub-committees yet
■ Advertise at trivia
■ Trae will help with asking for donations - Sam will share the list with her - can
give her permission on the drive
■ Beth reaching out to BIL re: food donations
■ Platform needs to be repaired at the snack shack
● Volunteers? Discuss with Duane?
○ Playground
■ Building trades programs between Brunswick and Bath are willing to replicate the
existing pavilion to create another one behind WES
● Will do a community event to dig post holes, cement, etc.
● No labor cost
● Kellie’s school has a good connection to Hancock Lumber re: building
materials/cost
○ Cooper DiPerri Scholarship Fund
■ Kellie proposes making a donation as this is a fund that supports students
● Beth motion to donate $500, Sam second, all in favor
○ Field Day @ WMHS 6/9
■ Planning meeting 2/5
■ Alyson working with National Guard to get a black hawk helicopter to land, as
well as several activities
■ Discussion of which grades will go to WMHS for the day or part of the day
■ WES will still have their field day that Joel puts on
■ HS will have their own field day so HS will be able to help
■ EMS available to be onsite?
■ Rain date 6/10?
○ Open Discussion
■ Sarah H emailed dates for end of year events
■ Botanical Gardens
● Cost? Date?
■ New sign at WMHS
● Suggestion to have an electronic sign - good way to advertise sports, etc
● Boosters? PIE? Business donation?
● Sarah suggests talking to Mr. Puff - he will have some insight
■ Playground WMHS
● Behind MS wing - do we want Sarah H to write a grant?
● Need to work with Bureau of Maine Parks because of the land school sits
on
○ Matching grant available?
■ Shaw Grant, $10k
● Sources of Strength - builds protective factors
● Adults are trained and then kids are trained. Throughout the year, do
campaigns to increase positivity and protective factors
● Training is in March - PIE can be a part of the training
● Sarah was encouraged to find community helpers, and she emailed a
website. She will send training info too
■ Family night - 4/9 - First10/Kim Watson 4:30-6:30
● First10, PBIS, PIE, Feed Our Scholars, Title One, any other groups that
want to be involved?
○ What does PIE want to do?
○ Adjourned at 7:37