DR. CHARLES C. KNOWLTON SCHOOL

A Message from the Principal

The Dr. Charles C. Knowlton School is unique in many ways. Founded in 1961, it has served thousands of students and has been a wonderful workplace for hundreds of faculty and staff members. Some of our students’ parents and grandparents attended the school. As a result, The Knowlton School has become an integral part of the community. The Dr. Charles C. Knowlton School serves over 200 children in kindergarten through grade two. We have four full day kindergarten classes, four first grade classes, and four second grade classes.

We are truly proud of The Knowlton School history but what is more remarkable is how the school has remained committed to providing current instructional practices and learning experiences in a learning environment that is nurturing and values the unique characteristic of each child. The Knowlton School staff continues to strive for academic excellence and refine our curriculum, assessments and classroom practices. As the student population grows and student diversity and needs increases, we continue to strive to meet these new challenges with a variety of programs and services. We offer the following programs:

· Physical Education

· Music

· Art

· Library

· Title I reading and math remedial services

· Kindergarten Literacy Tutor

· Spectrum program for the gifted and talented

· E.S.L. program (English as a second language)

· Special Education services which includes Physical and Occupational Therapy

· Fire Safety Program, taught by Gary Saunders from the Ellsworth Fire Department

· Safety prevention programs

· Reading Recovery, an early intervention reading program

· Speech and language services

· Guidance / Home School Coordinator / Social Worker

· School Health services

· Project ASPIRE (After School Program).

I am particularly impressed with how dedicated our teachers are to their students and to the Ellsworth community. Our staff portrays an unique balance between seasoned veterans who have served Ellsworth children for many years, other experienced teachers who have wanted to join our team and new teachers who bring with them enthusiasm, maturity and the desire to be the best. In fact, some of the teachers at our school were also Knowlton School students!

We value the partnerships we build between home, school and the community. Our parents and teachers work as partners through ongoing communication, shared responsibilities and membership and participation in the PTF (Parent, Teacher and Friends) organization. The creativity, enthusiasm, organizational skills and commitment of this group in contributing to the enrichment of the school environment has been outstanding. For the past 25 years the P.T.F. sponsored walk-a-thon has successful thanks to the generosity of the citizens of Ellsworth. This money is used solely for the children at the Charles C. Knowlton School and the Bryant E. Moore School to provide cultural experiences, visiting authors and a host of other experiences not funded in our school budget. The PTF has created traditions such as our annual Spaghetti Supper, Holiday Fair and May Fair that bring together our school family and our local community. Recently, the Ellsworth community came together to raise money and build a 2^nd Community Playground after the first playground had been removed for safety reasons. The dedication to children in this community is wonderful and we, as a school, are grateful for the community support.

We are extremely proud of our school, our staff, our students and our community. The mission of the Dr. Charles C. Knowlton School is to provide an inviting and supportive environment which will enable all children to become healthy, self-confident and productive citizens.