Newsletter

September is National Attendance Awareness month. Students who miss two or more days during this crucial first month of school are significantly more likely to be chronically absent for the entire year! Being on time every day is just as important! When a student misses as little as 10 minutes in the morning, they are missing morning meeting time in their classroom which helps to center students for the day and set them up for success. Please help your child(ren) to be at school on time every day! Thank you for your support!

We are excited to have the Mobile Makerspace come back to Ocean Avenue Elementary School during the weeks of September 16th and 23rd! This is the third year we have had this opportunity.

The goal of this program is to bring STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics) opportunities. Our students will participate in design challenges through mini or immersive experiences that engage students and foster a growth mindset.

Ocean Avenue School's Family Handbook ~ 2024/2025 School Year

We encourage you to read through the Student/Family Handbook for the 2024/2025 School Year. The Student/Family Handbook is a reference for guidelines, policies, and procedures that we use at OAES and within the Portland Public Schools. Inside are answers to many questions families typically wonder about or ask us.

Welcome to the 2024-2025 school year at Ocean Avenue Elementary School! Whether you already have a child attending Ocean Avenue or are coming to us with your first child, we are excited to share the school year with you. It has been a very productive summer. To kick off the school year, we hope you are able to join us at our Open House / Watermelon Welcome on:

Wednesday, August 28th
4-4:30 PM (OPEN HOUSE)
4:30-5 PM (WATERMELON WELCOME)

Can you tell us about any changes in the staff for next school year?

We are excited to have several new roles for the 2024-2025 School Year, which we filled by promoting our staff. We have some new hires, as well. Let’s get into it.

Portland Public Schools Summer Meals Program for Kids and Teens 18 or Younger

The Portland Public schools will be operating various summer meal sites across the city of Portland this summer.

Meals are the same for all children regardless of race, color, national origin, sex (including gender identity and sexual orientation), age, or disability, and there will be no discrimination in the course of the meal service.

Why Does Ocean Avenue School Have Student-Led Conferences?

The Power of Student-Led Conferences

In today's educational landscape, there's been a remarkable shift from traditional parent-teacher conferences to the empowering practice of student-led conferences. This move has been happening across Maine and the U.S., including Portland Schools. Unlike the conventional setup where adults take the lead, student-led conferences put students squarely in charge of their educational path. Please know parents can ask for an additional meeting with your child’s teacher. You can also contact the teacher prior to your conference to ask them to save five minutes to talk without the student.