Nothing but net

Leaves are falling, there is a chill in the air, soccer is soon over and now is the time to sign up for Lake Region Youth Basketball. The fee for first- and second graders is $10, the fee for third- through fifth-graders is $25, and there is a $40 maximum per family.

Practices for third- and fourth-graders begin Nov. The season runs from January through mid- March. League fees for the program, comprised of Casco, Bridgton, Naples and Sebago, go to the town where players sign up.

There will be a coach’s clinic Wednesday, Nov. 12, 6 – 8 p.m., at Lake Region Middle School, on Kansas Road in Naples. A coaches and parents meeting will be held Saturday, Nov. 22, at 10 a.m., at Lake Region High School on Route 302 in Naples.

Fair fun

The Ladies Circle annual holiday fair will be held Saturday, Nov. 1, 9 a.m.-1 p.m. downstairs at the Sebago Center Community Church on Route 107.

At the fair, tickets for a 14-karat gold pearl ring to be raffled off Feb. 1, 2009 will be sold. Collectible dolls, specialty kitchen knives and servers, gift jar mixes, handcrafts and an array of home-baked good will also be available. Ladies, while the men are hunting, come shop with us.

School news

Sebago Elementary School fifth-graders have been given permission to chew gum in class. Teacher Kirsten Goff wrote a specific list of rules regarding gum chewing:

• Children may only chew gum that they bring in.

• Gum cannot be shared with other students.

• Gum can only be chewed during “learning time” – as determined by Goff.

• Gum must be disposed of properly (failure to throw it away in the trash could mean the entire class loses the right to chew gum).

• Gum may not be chewed anywhere else in the school.

• Mouths must be kept closed when chewing gum.

• No blowing bubbles.

Studies have shown that chewing gum can help students focus better and to be better learners. I found this to be true when I was a substitute, then part-time Head Start teacher for People’s Regional Opportunity Program. I was aware then that chewing gum calmed some of the pupils. I wonder how the experiment will fare in the class and will keep readers posted.

Kathleen Beecher, the school principal, wrote in her October newsletter that the school is spending some of the $1,000 received from the Hannaford Helps Schools program on a field trip to the Sebago Historical Society for second- and fourth-graders taught by Kathy Harmon and Anita Quinlan.

Another gift to the school, $500 from the Potter Academy Trust in Sebago, was used to buy a new digital camera and new library books for the school.

The War of the Pennies sponsored by the student council begins next week. This is a much-anticipated event for the pupils and staff at the school. Donation jars are set up for teams, this year consisting of kindergartners and second-graders, first- and fourth-graders, third- and fifth-graders, and staff and bus drivers.

Pennies deposited in each jar equal a positive amount for the team, while dollar bills or silver coins denote a negative amount. This is a highly charged competition and it is fun to see reactions to silver coins and bills left in competitors jars. The War of the Pennies, which raises money for food and holiday gifts for local needy families, lasts Nov. 3-7. For more information, call 787-3701.

Party time

Every year the Sebago Elementary School Parent Teacher Club has assisted the town in organizing and putting on the townwide Halloween party held at the old Town Hall.

This year, the event will be held on Halloween, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Corinne Davis, the recreation director, is also instrumental in organizing the party. In the past the Lake Region High School National Honor Society has also volunteered to help staff the party. A bounce house, has been donated by the Hayes True

Value Hardware store in Bridgton. For more information call Davis at 595-8173.

The second party being held on Halloween is at the Sebago Church of the Nazarene on Route 114. Both parties will have apple dunking, candy, and costumed events.

Fourth- and fifth-grade members of the student council at Sebago Elementary School will initiate a War of tghe Pennies Nov. 3-7 to raise money for food and gifts for local needy families. In the war, collected pennies will add to the total raised while silver coins and paper money will decrease the total.