September 2025

Dear Peaks Island Elementary Families,

It has been a wonderful first week of school. We will be trying to send at least one update per month (maybe more) during the school year. 

Thank you to all of the families for preparing your students for school. The Students have come to school ready to learn, make friends, look out for one another, and be kind. This is a direct testament to all of you and the Peaks community at large.

This week Mr. Anton got to help out in PreK, do a tower building exercise in Ms. Burkholder’s class, enjoy recess and lunch, read books to Mr. Robinson’s and Ms. Thompson’s classes, and participate in a read aloud in Ms. Drew’s class.

The Peaks Island Elementary school has such a dedicated and welcoming staff. We are all very lucky to have such caring, devoted, and engaged colleagues. After doing many community building activities this week, we will be diving into more curriculum related engagement next week. I encourage you to ask your students about their school day, it is amazing all the things that they are learning and eager to share.

Classroom and School Updates

In PreK with Ms. Mezz,  you can always expect to see kindness and curiosity on display!  We are learning about the world around us through play.  This week we are kindness detectives trying to spot kindness wherever we can!

Ms. Drew’s  students were asked to share their favorite thing about their new school year at PIES. Joe likes to be the line leader. Beaumont likes to look at books with Malakai. Madeline likes to play Legos with Izzy. Izzy likes the glitter glue. Skye likes the money in the red box (cash register). Justice likes playing in the kitchen. Malakai likes to play "predator, prey". Phoenix likes everything about this place and ketchup and mustard on his hotdog.

What a fun-filled first week of school! Ms. Thompson’s students are busy learning new routines and building a kind and creative class community. They are enthusiastic learners who dive into reading, writing, and math. Our first graders even managed to fit in a trip to the beach!

Mr. Robinson is thrilled to welcome ten students to his classroom this year: seven second graders and three third graders. The students will spend the first couple weeks settling into the rhythm of the school day and classroom routines. They are excited to continue embracing Peaks Island as an extension of their classroom throughout the year!

Ms. Burkholder’s classroom is a warm and calm space where every student feels welcome. This week, we have been focusing on building strong communication skills, listening carefully, and fostering kindness among all students. We have had an awesome first week! 

There are two opportunities to get a flu vaccine for your children on Peaks Island this fall! On September 25 there is a clinic at the New Brackett Church from 3-6 pm. Please call (766-2254) for an appointment for the entire family. On October 20th, we will have a vaccine clinic for students and staff at PIES. Stay tuned for more information about this clinic.

Have a wonderful weekend and we will see you all on Monday.

• The Team at Peaks Island Elementary

-Bill Anton
Teaching Principal
Peaks Island & Cliff Island Elementary Schools
Portland Public Schools