From the Superintendent
Last week, GHS students attended an assembly where a college student shared testimony around his own mental health journey, offering these key take-aways:
- You belong here.
- Go 'all in' on you.
- Hold on to hope.
- Ask for help if you need it.
This testimony was a good reminder that mental health can not afford to be relegated to the shadows. The first step in combating mental health struggles is to acknowledge their existence.
MSAD #51 offers a robust and ever-expanding host of school climate and mental health supports in order to connect each student with our schools. This is aligned to the district's mission "To guide all students as they acquire enthusiasm for learning, assume responsibility for their education, achieve academic excellence, and discover and attain their personal best."
In addition to a heavy emphasis on connecting students to their schools, we have prioritized interventions that help all students succeed using a Tier 1 mental health approach. In a Tier 1 approach, a focus on enrichment and social/emotional health and education, along with coping skills and resources, are supported by school staff and/or community members. Examples of this would be school-wide assemblies, spirit weeks, topical speakers, team-building activities, etc that dovetail with advisory programming, guidance, and/or health classes. We administer a universal mental health screener, the Student Risk Screening Scale (SRSS), that helps to establish a baseline by which students who may need extra support are identified. An intervention tool that is used for many situations is use of restorative practices and restorative circles when the need arises.
In a Tier 2 approach to mental health, targeted classroom or small group interventions address general concerns (stress management, social skills, mild emotional distress) and provide foundational skills for students with mild symptoms with or without mental health diagnosis. Tier 2 is often facilitated by the school mental health team in cooperation with other school staff. For Tier 3, individual or intensive group support for students with moderate to severe mental health symptoms that significantly impact their school functioning are scheduled and provided by the school mental health team.
Here are some of the investments our schools have made with respect to mental health:
- Dedicated Mental Health/Risk Assessment Specialist for higher-level mental health concerns.
- Increased mental health clinicians to 11 social workers and 8 school counselors.
- K-12 mental health universal screener (Student Risk Screening Scale).
- PhD level School Psychologist on staff full-time.
- Numerous programs around safety, bullying, and other pertinent issues include Anti-Defamation League (ADL), Camp Kieve (GHS), Ecology School (gr. 7), Civil Rights teams.
- Advisory programming.
- Restorative practices, including restorative circles.
- Suicide prevention training for all staff.
- Student-initiated KyleCares/Active Minds club at GHS.
- SAVE Promise Clubs (associated with Sandy Hook Promise) grades 6-12.
Regards,
Jeff Porter 
Changing Minds: Stories Over Stigma. Mental health speaker Colin from Minding Your Mind gave a presentation at the GCA about learning the inner experience of a youth who struggled and then found emotional well-being.
Notices from the Office of the Superintendent
Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) Annual Notification of Rights
It’s that time of year again to review the Annual Notification of Rights under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). This important federal law protects the privacy of student education records and outlines the rights families have regarding access to and control over their student’s information.
To learn more, please review JRA-E Annual Notice of Student Education Records and Information Rights – FERPA. This policy provides detailed information about your rights and how our district safeguards student records.
We Want to Hear From You!
Parents, providers, staff, students, and community members — your voice matters! 
Please take a few minutes to complete our Pre-K Special Education Stakeholder Survey.
Deadline: Tuesday, December 2, 2025
Paper copies are available at the District Office, 357 Tuttle Rd, Cumberland, ME 04021.
Find the survey here: https://forms.gle/
Join the conversation!
MSAD #51 is launching a Strategic Planning Survey to help shape the future of our schools and community. Your input matters — join the conversation and share your ideas, priorities, and hopes for the years ahead. 
Take the survey today by scanning the QR code below or find the survey here:https://forms.gle/
Together, we can build a stronger future for Cumberland and North Yarmouth!
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MSAD #51 Board of Directors Information
All meetings will take place at 6:00 pm in the Gyger Room at Greely High School. For those of you unfamiliar with that room, the Gyger Room can be accessed from the GHS parking lot (the side without the electronic sign).
November 17 - Regular Meeting
Remember you can watch our meetings on YouTube LIVE (http://bit.ly/msad51livevideo)
Committee meetings this week:
November 18-Curriculum Committee
November 18-Policy
Links
Meeting Dates, Agendas & Minutes
Board of Directors Meeting Videos
One Campus Project Information
For comprehensive information regarding the School Building Project, please visit the project page at: https://www.msad51.org/
Find these and more on the One Campus Photo Album
https://sites.google.com/msad51.org/onecampusphotoalbum/home
Community Notices
Community Notices are not affiliated with MSAD #51. Please contact the organization directly with any questions. Here is a full listing of Community Notices.
⚠️ROAD CLOSURE: TUTTLE ROAD ⚠️
The Class of 2028 is hosting BINGO Night!
Useful Links
Greely Center for the Arts Events
If you would like something included in our weekly newsletter, please send a brief write up with title along with a JPEG or PNG image of your flyer (if applicable) to Melissa Porter for approval. The deadline each week is Wednesday. Any requests received after Wednesday will be reviewed for possible submission in the following week's newsletter. All approved submissions will be posted on the district's website.
Not all items in this email are MSAD #51 sponsored programs. If you need more information, please contact the group or organization that is sponsoring the event.
357 Tuttle Road, PO Box 6A, Cumberland, ME 04021
Contact Us | 207.829.4800