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Important Notices from the Office of the Superintendent

The Saco School Department will present to the public their 2018-2019 proposed school year budget in the amount of $38,418,408 on March 15, 2018 at 6:30pm at Saco City Hall, 300 Main Street, Saco, Maine. The current individual department budgets can be found on the school department website and a hard copy of the proposed budget can be viewed at the Superintendent’s office, 90 Beach Street, Saco, Maine, Monday - Friday 7:30am - 4:00pm.

PRESCHOOL PROGRAM:
The Saco School Department is in the process of creating and budgeting for a preschool program with two full-day preschool classrooms of 32 students at a possible offsite location in Saco. We are in the beginning stages of developing this preschool program and ultimately will need approval from the School Board and City Council. The goal is to expand the program to provide universal preschool for all Saco residents in the years to come. If you have interest in this program for your four-year-old, please click here. More information will be provided as we go through the budget and approval process.

One of the greatest benefits for public preschool programs is ensuring that lower-income families have opportunities to enroll their children in early education programs while saving on the often expensive costs for preschool and child care programs. Early schooling of low-income children is an investment that pays off in the long term by reducing the number of children who will perform poorly in school, become teenage parents, commit criminal acts, or depend on welfare. Adding to this research, a study and analysis from the National Institute for Early Education Research asserts that “there are real, measurable returns for money spent on quality, full-day, year-round preschool,” while James Heckman, one of the University of Chicago’s economists, “has found there is a huge cost-benefit advantage in decreased jail time for poor children who attend preschool. Preschool, in general, can lead to higher IQs, better self-esteem, and fewer behavior issues.”

Most studies on this topic have shown that attending at least one year of preschool greatly improves children’s pre-reading and math skills. A 2011 Psychology Today articleby a behavioral neuroscientist, Joshua Gowen, explained how preschool is able to have such a benefit for children. According to Gowen, there are specific times in a child’s life when the brain has the most learning potential. One of these times is the preschool years, between infancy and the age of 5. At this time in a child’s life, the brain is like a sponge, capable of absorbing as much knowledge as possible. Preschool takes advantage of this capability, giving the children a head start on kindergarten and further education in general.

Considerately,

Superintendent DePatsy

As we begin another school year, we look forward to you being a part of our Saco School Department Public School community and hope you become involved in our schools and events. We especially welcome new families into our school community as you become engaged in our students' education, building and district events, including Thornton Academy. We are fortunate to have a school district in which students, staff, families and the community work together to support our mission: "All students must have access to high quality teaching and rigorous learning opportunities. To prepare for a global society, our students’ skill sets must include effective communication, critical thinking, creativity, and resilience.”

This year, as every year, we commit ourselves to providing the very best educational experience possible. We will continue to be shaped by our new strategic goals from our Strategic Plan; Educator Growth (Professional Growth and Evaluation Handbook), Curriculum and Instruction, and Social Climate and Culture. Our focus is on continuous instructional excellence and student achievement, combined with the ongoing improvement of district operations and communication. We will update you often through our Principal Newsletters, Superintendent's message and website communications, along with school and community meetings.