Regional School Unit No. 56

RSU 56 Newsletter Template

March 2026

MVC Student Athlete Leadership Summit

Several Dirigo High School students, nominated by their coaches, as well as Mrs. Thompson and Mrs. Thurston, as emerging leaders, had a fantastic opportunity to grow at the MVC Student Athlete Leadership Summit, hosted at Winthrop High School on Wednesday, March 25. The day featured outstanding training from Rob Miller of Proactive Coaching, a nationally recognized speaker who has worked with thousands of teams and schools across the country to build positive team culture, leadership, and character. His engaging and impactful sessions challenged students to reflect on their roles as teammates and leaders, both on and off the field.

In addition, several of our coaches participated in a dedicated professional learning session on Tuesday, March 24, also led by Rob Miller, focused on strengthening team culture and enhancing leadership development within their programs. We are proud of our student-athletes and coaches for taking part in this meaningful experience and bringing these lessons back to our school community.

(Photo Below)
From left to right:

Marlee Gray, Sophia Archer, Maddie Bell, Kaeden Swan, Stetson Thurston, Vince Chapman, Layne Johnston, Liam Malchisky, Caden Hutchinson, Connor Skidgell Absent at time of photo: Abby Luczynski

Fancy Feast Bonding Activity with Mr. Rowley

Phases of the Moon with Oreos in Grade 3 at DES

Algebra 1 at DHS

Algebra I students are playing a game of math musical chairs. Where the move from desk to desk solving system of equations. If they stop at a desk that has a seat filled they must work to help the student in the seat find their answer.

March Learning In Mrs. Robbins PreK Class

The dramatic play area has become a farm stand to reinforce our Plants domain!

The kiddos are learning about solid shapes in math!

Celebrating Dr.Suess's birthday with Green eggs and Ham puzzle.

They are practicing new lines in their Strokes book!

Planting seeds to grow in the classroom!

8th Grade Capstone Projects at TWKDMS

Read Across America

Mrs. Donna Gilbert former reading teacher at DES read her favorite book- The Stinky Cheese Man to Mrs. Holmquist’s fifth graders!

Mrs. Taylor's Pre-K class

We are beginning to learn about "Plants" in our Amplify Reading Domain. We built a big Sunflower after reviewing all of the parts of a plant, and discussing what job each part does to help a plant grow.

After School Program at DES

Fourth and Fifth Graders learning how to make a hat on a knitting machine during the after school program. Nine knitting machines and yarn were awarded to me through a Donors Choose project!

Alt Ed Program at DHS

Students planted seedlings in a hydroponic system to apply plant biology concepts, examining how plants absorb water and nutrients in a soil-free environment, while also looking forward to growing fresh herbs and vegetables that we can eventually cook with.

Students made slime to explore basic polymer chemistry, observing how mixing substances can change their properties and create a new, stretchy material.

Students hand-delivered a check from Franklin Savings Bank to Stanley’s Furniture. The bank generously donated funds to purchase a washer and dryer for our school pantry, helping support students and families in our community.

Grade 5 STEM at DES

The 5th grade students are in the middle of a STEM unit. One of the large projects we have been working on was designing a cardboard sled. The students were given certain restrictions in terms of size and materials. Also, sleds had to be made in school over the course of about a week. Each student was scored based on construction, design, speed, and decoration. We had a ton of fun watching each student take their test run!

Swimming in the Winter

24 Dirigo Middle School students in Mrs. Ladd's and Mrs. Knight's classes, who have worked hard and made academic improvement, enjoyed a trip to UMF. Students were able to use the pool, followed by lunch at Pizza Hut. A great time was had by all.

Fun in Mrs. Pealatere's Math Class

During a learning lab, students work on playing a game of trinomios, which requires math logic and fluency. Fluency is vital for math and is something that should be practiced from kindergarten through senior year to help students see patterns faster in math equations.

Region 9 at TWKDMS

Read Across America by Miss Colpitts

Mr. Colpitts came to my class today and read “Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day” to celebrate read across America. The kids were very engaged and said after that it may be their new favorite book.

DHS/Region 9 Students Competing at Skills USA

Kaeden Swan and Tomlin Suttles entered the video portion of Skills USA (even though they were not in a video class at Region 9). They ended up finishing third overall!

Connecting Across the District

TWKDMS Unified Basketball

The Dirigo Middle School Unified Basketball Team had a wonderful season. Students were able to participate in four games against Mountain Valley. Every player learned new skills such as dribbling, bounce passing, defense, and shooting. Most importantly they learned a lot about teamwork and sportsmanship, and had a lot of fun in the process. They even performed the Macarena and the Chicken Dance at half time to entertain the fans.