Welcome back to school! I hope that your students' transition back to BHS is going well.

September is National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month (SPAM) and while it is a difficult topic to discuss, SPAM is a great opportunity to remind you and your student of the many resources available to them.

Before getting to resources, a reminder of one of the most important prevention efforts: normalizing talking about suicidal thoughts. When someone has suicidal thoughts, they are often fearful of them or experience shame–this could prevent them from reaching out for support and accessing the help they need. Telling someone trusted about suicidal thoughts is the first step to getting help. It’s important to know that “getting help” does not always mean going to a psychiatric hospital–often it means getting connected with resources and utilizing a safety plan. As caring adults we can help lessen the fear and shame by normalizing talking about difficult difficult emotions and the importance of getting support.

There are lots of resources available for someone experiencing suicidal ideation. Last summer the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline was launched! When you or someone you care about is having suicidal thoughts or are in crisis can call or text “988.” This is a 24/7 number. They offer over the phone support and will help assess whether or not someone should go to the emergency room for in person support.

The Trevor Project is a resource to be aware of specifically for LGBTQ+ youth. They offer a 24/7 hotline, chat feature on their website, and text support. The hotline can be reached at 1-866-488-7386 and their text line can be accessed by texting “start” to 678-678.

In the state of Maine we also have Crisis Mobile, staffed locally by Sweetser, 24/7. They can be reached at 1-888-568-1112. Crisis Mobile provides both over the phone and in person assessments. They will come to BHS, your home, or a safe location in the community to meet with someone in crisis and determine what steps to take next to help ensure safety and get the right resources. They will also follow up for the next 30 day to check in.

When someone has been experiencing suicidal ideation, counselors will help them create a safety plan. There are many ways to create a safety plan but it will usually include identifying what triggers the thoughts, what coping skills have been helpful, and who are people they can talk to for support. The free app “Suicide Safety Plan” is a great resource! It helps you create your own safety plan including identifying warning signs, coping skills, protective factors, safe places, and people you can reach out to for support. It also has several resources about suicide prevention and warning signs. Under the “crisis” tab, it has quick links to call 911, 988 (Suicide + Crisis Lifeline), the crisis text line, and any identified supports as well as the location for the closest Emergency Departments. This app does not replace the support a trained professional offers but is a great resource to use in addition to working with someone for support.

At BHS we have a club called Sources of Strength that focuses on suicide prevention and awareness. If you are interested in learning more about Sources of Strength, please reach out to Malene Schultz, Special Education Social Worker.

All around the school, students may notice that we have posted resources. There are posters with both the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline number (988), tear-off posters with the Crisis Mobile number (1-888-568-1112), and tear-off posters with the Trevor Project number (1-866-488-7386). We also have BHS Resource Cards in holders in every bathroom, in many classrooms, locker rooms, and other locations students spend time. On these resource cards there are the numbers for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, Crisis Mobile, The Trevor Project, and a number of other local and state crisis lines for specified needs. Last year we handed the cards out to as many students as possible before summer began. We will continue to have them accessible for all students in the main office, counseling office, nurses office, Library, SROs office, and social workers office.

If you are concerned about your student, please reach out to their school counselor: Mary Moore (R10, OCLC, ESOL), Diane Cook (A-F), Scott Bradley (G-N), Christina Ring (O-Z). You can also reach out to Meredith Vogel (general education social worker) or Mary Kunhardt (special education social worker).

Local Crisis Resources:

• Crisis Mobile: 1-888-568-1112

National Crisis Resources:

• National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 988 (call and text)
• Crisis Text Line: 741-741
• Trevor Project: 1-866-488-7386
• Trevor Project (text line): 678-678

Please email Mr. Lynch with any questions. clynch@brunswicksd.org

for winning the Mexican Cuisine Cooking Competition on Wednesday, Sept. 19!

The next competition will be held on October 3. The theme is Italian Cuisine. Students and faculty can sign up with Mrs. Selberg. Community Judges are needed too! If you would like to judge one of our competitions Email: Carla Selberg at cselberg@brunswicksd.org.

This is our first fishing trip to catch mackerel, stripers, anf bluefish last Sunday morning at sunrise (high tide to low tide) with 9 members of the BHS Fish and Game Club. Many mackerel and only one striper were caught but lots of fun surf casting different bait by all that attended.

The soil pits were dug (on campus behind the football stadium) 1m down and 1m across by groups of 3 or 4 students in each of my academic environmental science classes. The lab objectives are to be able to Diagram an exposed soil profile and Tell why soils form many horizons (identified layers) as they develop in the ground.

Our art teacher Mr. Williams jumped in to help us as well!

The disc golf club has been busy assembling baskets and clearing fairways for the new 9 hole disc golf course at BHS and 7 holes are now playable. The club meets Tuesdays after school and during club/flex days, and the course is open to the public after school.

ShifaME is a program that offers culturally appropriate services to children and families who have experienced trauma or severe stress associated with being a refugee, asylee, or immigrant. At BHS, Peter will be working with students and helping to connect families with resources in our community through Shifa's Multicultural Care Coordinators.

You can learn more about ShifaME's services at https://spurwink.org/shifame/

Brandon Duras has been asked to present at the WASBE's 20th Biennial Conference in South Korea next year! We are so proud of all the work he does for BHS and congratulate him on this achievement!

• Students must be in their junior or senior year of high school.

• Students must have a cumulative weighted GPA of 90 or better.

• Students must have been able to document a minimum of 15 hours of community service at the time the applications close.

• Students need to submit the names and contact information for four current teachers, 2 past teachers, and 2 adults from outside the teaching faculty.

• These teachers/adults are emailed a recommendation form and are asked to complete it on behalf of the candidate.

• Students are also required to write three, 250 word essays addressing the pillars of leadership, service, and character.

The names of all students who complete an application are given to all faculty and administration at BHS. The faculty and administration has the opportunity to comment, positively or negatively, on each candidate.

The Faculty Committee, made up of a member from each department, then reviews all candidate’s information packets and the information garnered from the faculty and administration. The Faculty Committee’s decisions are final.

The following information about the pillars of the NHS and what the Faculty Committee uses to make decisions are as follows:

Everyday Scholarship is a commitment to learning and growing on an educational path. It means making the most of the educational opportunities provided and seeking out learning, not only in school but personally. Everyday Scholarship doesn’t require a minimum GPA—but it does require effort. More importantly, it stems from a desire to contribute to this world in a positive way by building on your own knowledge, skills, and talents through new experiences.

Everyday Service is seeking out and engaging in meaningful service. It calls for a service mindset, the desire to seek opportunities to help others as well as acts of service. Honor Society students are required to meet minimum service participation requirements, yet many say service activities are among their most rewarding experiences in the program. Everyday Service is seeing a need and fulfilling it voluntarily. Sometimes it’s driven by a passion for a specific cause or people in need. Other times, it’s driven by personal or family needs, like taking care of siblings or other family members, or maybe even working part-time to help with family finances.

Everyday Leadership builds on Everyday Service—and leadership and service can often look very similar. Everyday Leadership is carrying yourself with dignity and taking ownership and responsibility for your own actions and participation. Being a public speaker, playing quarterback, or having an official title is not required for Everyday Leadership. Everyday Leadership means being an agent—someone who takes action and responsibility—of your own pathway.

Everyday Character is valuing diverse cultures and building relationships that reflect love of self but also concern for others. There are endless attributes to good character: perseverance, respect, integrity, honesty, sacrifice—the list goes on. Good and noble character is a high calling. We don’t often “see” character unless there is a public display of self-sacrifice or, more frequently, a very public mistake. Everyday Character is not about praiseworthy or blameworthy behavior but the personal commitment to ethical and compassionate decision making that affects you and others.

The application process for this year’s seniors (seniors who did not apply or gain admission as juniors) will begin the first week of October. Decisions will be made by November 1st. Newly accepted seniors will have all of the rights, privileges, and responsibilities as those accepted last year. The application process for this year's juniors will begin the first week of December and close Friday, January 5th. Decisions will be made before the winter break in February. The 2024 Induction Ceremony for both incoming members will take place on Thursday, March 13, 2024, in Crooker Theater.

Students that are planning to take one or more AP exams in May, 2024, need to keep the following deadlines in mind.

• November 1, 2023 - Deadline for payment for exams

• Pay for each exam they are taking

• The cost is $98/exam

• Checks should be made out to Brunswick High School and given to Mrs. Perkins, the BHS AP Coordinator

• March 1, 2023 - last day to register for an exam with a late registration fee of $40. This is for students who didn’t think they wanted to take the exam but have decided to do so.

• Pay for each exam being taken through late registration

• The cost is $138/late registration

ALL students who want to take an AP exam must be registered with the College Board and have a College Board login and password. Students can register at collegeboard.org.

Mrs. Selberg can take a team of 10 students to compete against schools from all over the United States. The weekend includes a cooking competition, 3 days in Disney World, 3 nights at a Disney world resort, behind the scenes tours, a class at the Disney Imagination campus, meeting famous chefs, and learning about culinary arts colleges. For more information check out this link , or video.

Sign up with Mrs. Selberg. The first deposit is due October 6.

Please see the attached flyer and follow the link to order a 2024 BHS yearbook. The Back to School Offer includes free icons until October 27th!

On Wednesday, September 27, student-athletes had the chance to learn from performance coach and Brunswick community member, Kurt Perham (pmbcoaching) about how to properly fuel their bodies to improve athletic performance. This is a guest speaker series made possible by the work of Junior and student-athlete Freida Pelletier Camacho in collaboration with the Athletic Department. The next seminar will be on Wednesday, October 25 when Nick Willey, Head of Strength and Conditioning at Bowdoin College, comes to speak with us about Strength and Conditioning practices.

On Saturday, September 23, the BHS Football team went down to Portland to the Juvenile Diabetes walk.

On Wednesday afternoon, the golf team beat Edward Little 151 to 184, earning a berth in Saturday’s KVAC League Shootout Championship to be held at the Brunswick Golf Club at 2:30pm. They will compete against Hampden Academy and Messalonskee. The team will be looking to win the KVAC league title for the third consecutive season.

Low medalist for Wednesday’s match was senior Charlie Austin with an even par 35.

We are thrilled to continue offering the Inside Medicine program for Maine high school students in the 2023-2024 academic year. Registration is now open for our school year session where we will meet once a month October through March from 7-8:15pm on the second Wednesday* of the month (*except February).

The mission of this free career exploration program is to identify high school students from all parts of Maine who have an interest in science and healthcare, to provide an extracurricular opportunity for them to learn more about the science of medicine, and to share more about the variety of career paths that healthcare offers. Inside Medicine is run through the MaineHealth Center for Workforce Development and the Maine Medical Center (MMC) Department of Medical Education. Sessions are hosted by an MMC physician who is a Tufts University School of Medicine (TUSM) faculty member and is supported by medical students in the TUSM Maine Track Program who volunteer as mentors for our high school students.

Inside Medicine will be meeting virtually on six Wednesdays during the school year: October 11, November 8, December 13, January 10, February 7, and March 13. More details about the program, including what to expect and details on how to sign up, are included in the attachments.

Please share the attached information with your students who may be interested in joining us! This program is first come, first served and fills quickly–if students are interested they should be encouraged to complete their registration as soon as possible at this link. Participants under the age of 18 are asked to have a parental consent form signed, which is included in the email attachments.

Please do not hesitate to contact us with any questions you may have! We appreciate your time, thank you for sharing and we hope to see some of your students at our next Inside Medicine sessions!

Hello! As the Brunswick School District continues to cultivate and foster more connections within our community, we want to resend our community partner connections survey in order to identify community members who may be willing to share their experiences, insights, and expertise with our students and teachers.

This sharing could take different forms including supporting a student's curiosity by helping with a class project or extended learning opportunity, supporting a student's need for community service hours, or supporting a student's career exploration and aspirations.

Please take a moment to complete this brief survey about your skills and knowledge and your willingness to share them with Brunswick students. Your responses will only be used in the school district to help us better connect community members to our students' educational goals.

Thank you for supporting the young people of our community!

Welcome to the first full month of the school year! Every month in the guidance office we have colleges from all over the country coming to BHS for college visits. This is the perfect time to start exploring colleges you or your student is interested in and ask questions. Please look at the attachment for a calendar with dates and times for each school visiting. A monthly update will go out in the google classrooms and via ReachMyTeach. The visits are scheduled for one hour with the college representative and will take place in the guidance office. Please email me at kshackley@brunswicksd.org if you want to meet with the rep!

Schedule an appointment with your counselor NOW to make sure all of your materials arrive at your college on time!!! Also make sure you submit your “Preliminary Senior Plan” to your counselor if you have not already done so.

SAT’s will be offered at BHS on Saturday, October 7 and Saturday, November 4.

Registration deadline for November SATS is by October 5th.

Please click the photo to the Collegeboard website to register!

Juniors – Information on the PSAT Digital Test preparation will be coming to you soon. Please check your school email on a regular basis for updates and directions.

Sophomores - Sophomores who signed up for the PSAT's will receive the same information on test preparation as juniors. Please check your email on a regular basis for updates and directions.

Students - a reminder that ADD/DROP ended September 8th . Following that date, changes should only be made by teacher recommendation or student/teacher

Check in with your school counselor!!! Counselors schedule appointments, but students feel free to make your own appointment or stop by the Counseling Office when you have a study hall or FLEX. Parents please reach out to your student’s counselor in an email or phone with any with any questions or concerns.

Counselor Mary Moore (students at Region #10/OCLC) 844-2357 7:30-3:30 email mmoore@brunswicksd.org

Counselor Diane Cook (students A-F) 844-2358 7:30-3:30 email dcook@brunswicksd.org

Counselor Scott Bradley (Students G-N) 844-2355 7:30-3:30 email sbradley@brunswicksd.org

Counselor Christina Ring (Students O-Z) 844-2353 7:30-3:30 email cring@brunswicksd.org

Get off to a good start this school year and brush up on your study and time management skills. Click the photo to go to the BHS Counseling Page for ideas and tips.

Thank you to those of you who have started the process of updating your information in Powerschool. We need everyone to get it done ASAP. Please make sure all of the following forms are completed.

1. Login to Powerschool https://brunswicksd.powerschool.com/public

2. Once in Powerschool, click on the Forms button on the left hand side.

3. Click on the Enrollment Tab.

Click on A - Student Demographics

Review the information and make any necessary changes. Click Submit.

C - Student Address

Review the information and make any necessary changes. Please upload proof of residency. Click Submit.

D - Student Contacts

Review the information, verify language, and make any necessary changes. Click Submit.

H - Residence Survey

Click the Residence Survey Tab to move to this form. Select the current living arrangement. Click Submit.

I - Health Information

Review the information and make any necessary changes. You do not need to upload the immunization records. Click Submit.

J - Health Authorization

Fill out the form. Click Submit.

K - Transportation

Fill out the form. Click Submit.

L - Economic Status

Fill out the form. Click Submit.

M - Migrant Worker Questionnaire

Fill out the form. Click Submit.

Y- Permissions/Agreements

Fill out the form. Click Submit.

Z - Acknowledgement of Completion

Click Submit.

If you have questions, please send an email to PowerSchoolHelp@brunswicksd.org or call the Brunswick School Department Helpdesk at (207) 319-1990.

Thank you for taking the time to fill out the required forms through Powerschool.

Troy Henninger, Principal

Tim Gagnon, Assistant Principal

Katelin Urgese, Dean of Student Engagement

Kaili Phillips, Athletic Director

Mary Moore, Guidance Director