A Message from Mrs. Hennessey

The last month or so has been very busy here at Memorial School! We have celebrated 100 days of school. We took part in the Kindness Challenge, and we hosted a thrilling Read Across America Week! We have been integrating educational experiences into each of these exciting activities, and kids have been demonstrating new skills and knowledge all around Memorial School. Thank you to our Memorial families for all of your help with our Spirit Days! We greatly appreciate you!

I would like to thank each of you for your continued support of Memorial School. We are so fortunate to partner with our New Gloucester families to educate our bright young minds. Please feel free to contact me directly at ahennessey@sad15.org or by phone at 926-4322. 

Kindergarten Registration & Screening

The link to register a child for kindergarten in the 2026-2027 school year is now available on the Memorial School website. Click the link on the left to pre-register.

Spring Parent-Teacher Conferences

During the week of March 23rd, classroom teachers and case managers will be holding parent-teacher conferences. Please be on the lookout for sign-up info from your child’s teacher(s). We look forward to meeting with you!

Read Across America Week

Memorial School celebrated Read Across America Week during the week of March 2nd! There were themed Spirit Days, and everyone in the school took part in our Read Across Memorial event on Thursday. We were able to raffle off 36 new books! And we had a very fun Character Parade on Friday, March 6th.

We would like to thank the parents who worked hard to put together spirited outfits and the Memorial School staff for their planning and facilitation of these exciting events!  

 Patriot Parents PTO at Memorial School

Patriot Parents PTO is a nonprofit group of families working together to support our school community. We raise funds through events and activities, and those funds help pay for enrichment opportunities like field trips, author visits, and special classroom projects.

Save the date! Our next meeting will take place on Tuesday, April 14, from 5–6 pm at Memorial. At this meeting, we will share updates about school and districtwide fundraisers and events, and hear from Memorial staff about ways we can support them. 

Updates:

  • The Memorial Reading Challenge, our read-a-thon fundraiser, is underway. Students are invited to log their reading while collecting optional pledges and monetary donations to support Memorial Patriot Parents PTO. All students who return a reading log by March 16 will receive a small prize.
  • Memorial will welcome Northern Stars Planetarium this month for a school-wide program. This visit is made possible in part because of funding from Memorial Patriot Parents PTO!
  • Thank you to everyone who purchased seeds in support of our FedCo Seed Fundraiser. We expect seeds to arrive in mid-March. 
  • March 19 is the MSAD15 District Science Fair and we will be providing volunteer support as well as some light snacks/concessions. Sign up to help: https://grasshoppersignup.com/s/eee5ob.
  • Save the date for the Son’s Social on March 28, hosted by Patriot Parents PTO. More details to come. 

Future-Focused Week!

The week of April 6th, Memorial will celebrate Future-Focused Week! This themed week invites students to consider their aspirations for the future and learn about possibilities in the working world. We will have two School-Wide Spirit Days in addition to special activities in Guidance Classes and classroom special events. 

On Wednesday, April 8th, we will dress in the gear of our favorite school or college.

On Friday, April 10th, we will celebrate When I Grow Up Day. Students are invited to dress like a career or a hobby of their choice

 iPad Care & Use

Student iPads may be sent home for remote instruction days. Please keep the following tips in mind if/when students are using iPads at home.

  • Please be sure to have students carry their iPads back and forth to school in their cases.
  • Students have hard-backed keyboard cases. Students should keep the keyboard attached to those cases at all times, when not in use, to protect the device screens. 
  • Please remind children to carefully set their backpacks down when getting on or off the bus or arriving at home/school. 
  • Please contact Mrs. Hennessey as soon as possible when damage is noticed so we can provide a loaner device and send the iPad off for repair. 

Thank you for your continued support and care with district-loaned devices. Please feel free to contact Mrs. Hennessey (926-4322 or ahennessey@sad15.org) with any questions.

MSAD Inclement Weather Procedures

Please see this excerpt from Dr. Turner’s Superintendent Newsletter:

It may seem early, but winter weather will be here before you know it! MSAD 15 uses three different models for responding to inclement weather. 

They are: 

  • Two-Hour Delay, No Pre-K – we will call a two-hour delay when a little extra time will give the towns and the schools what they need to ensure safe attendance at school. On these days, bus pick-up times and school start times will be delayed by two hours. There will be no AM or PM Pre-K on days with a two-hour delay. Dismissal time and after-school activities will generally stay the same. 
  • Remote Day – we will call a remote day when weather or other events prevent safe in-person school, but there are no widespread power or internet outages. Most of the time, after school activities, practices, and games will also be cancelled. 
  • No School Day – we will call a traditional no school day when weather or other events prevent safe in-person school, AND there are widespread power or internet outages in the Gray-New Gloucester community. These days will be made up at the end of the school year. Most of the time, after school activities, practices, and games will also be cancelled. 

Decisions on weather procedures will be communicated as early as is practical, based on the timing of predicted weather and consistency of weather reports. Inclement weather decisions are communicated to staff, families, and community members who sign up for the community listserv by phone, text, and email. Decisions are also posted on the district website, social media, and with area news outlets.

Remote Learning Days

District administration will be watching the weather throughout the winter. When the forecast is worrisome, Memorial School may be sending home our district-issued iPads in anticipation of poor travel conditions and the potential of a remote school day. When devices are sent, we will communicate this to you through an email and/or Seesaw message. The iPads should stay in backpacks at home unless we actually have a remote school day. If there is no remote school day, please keep the iPad and sleeve in the backpack, ready to come right back to school that day. Should we implement a remote day, we would use the following schedule:

K-2 Remote Day Plan

9:00-9:45:

Live Zoom – Morning Meeting & Literacy (whole group)

9:45-10:00: 

Break

10:00-10:30: 

Live Zoom – Math (whole group)

10:30-12:00: 

Asynchronous work on Seesaw (including Specials) and/or small group/individual sessions with the classroom teacher, Response-To-Intervention staff, or Special Ed services

12:00 – 12:30: 

Lunch

12:30-2:00: 

As needed, small group/individual sessions with RTI or Special Education

Zoom links and assignments will be shared via Seesaw. You can also expect a specific communication from Mrs. Hennessey and your child’s classroom teacher should we need to implement remote learning for any reason.

MSAD 15 -Remote Meal Sign-Up

School meals will be offered when remote learning days are expected due to inclement weather. Shelf-stable meals that meet the USDA guidelines will be sent home with students the day prior to the potential remote day. In the event a remote learning day is not called, these meals are expected to be saved for the next potential remote day. Sign up is required. Please click this link to visit the form and to ensure your child receives these meals.

Updated March 12, 2026