Dear Congin Cougar Families,
Welcome back to all of our returning families, and a very warm welcome to our new Congin families! We are so excited to welcome students back into the halls of Congin School and begin another wonderful school year together.
The beginning of a new school year is always an exciting time. There are new classrooms to explore, new friendships to make, new routines to learn, and plenty of opportunities for students to grow. We are looking forward to partnering with you throughout the 2026–2027 school year to make sure every student feels welcomed, supported, and ready to learn.
Important Information You Should Know
Hopefully, you have received the materials we mailed home, including a letter from your child's teacher, a letter from me, the Westbrook School District calendar, and an FAQ with helpful information about Congin School. I have also attached the district calendar to this email for your convenience.
We are officially one week away from the start of school! Below are several important dates and reminders to help your family prepare.
Grades 1–4: First Day of School — Monday, August 31
The first day of school for students in grades 1–4 will be Monday, August 31.
We would also love to see families at Congin that evening for two special events:
Popsicles on the Playground — 4:00–5:00 p.m.
Our PTO will be hosting a Popsicles on the Playground event. This is a great opportunity to reconnect with friends, meet other Congin families, and enjoy some time together before the school year gets fully underway.
Open House — 5:00–6:00 p.m.
Following Popsicles on the Playground, families are invited into the school for our Open House. Come visit your child's classroom, meet their teacher, and become familiar with the space where your child will spend so much of their time this year.
We hope your family will join us! These events are a wonderful way to begin building the connections that make Congin such a special school community.
Kindergarten: Important Dates
We are especially excited to welcome our newest Congin Cougars!
The first day of school for kindergarten students will be Wednesday, September 2.
On Tuesday, September 1, we will hold our kindergarten bus run. This is an opportunity for kindergarten students and their families to ride the bus together, come into Congin, see the classroom, and meet the kindergarten teachers before the first official day of school.
The bus run is also open to kindergarten families who do not plan to have their child ride the bus. Families may simply meet us at Congin at approximately 9:30 a.m.
This is a great opportunity to help students become familiar with the school, their classroom, and some of the routines they will experience during their first days of kindergarten. We also encourage kindergarten families to join us for Popsicles on the Playground and Open House on August 31.
Arrival and Dismissal
As in previous years, our school doors will open at 8:25 a.m. Please remember that students may not be dropped off at school and left unattended before the doors open.
Our official school day begins at 8:40 a.m. Students arriving after 8:40 a.m. will be considered tardy. We appreciate your help in making sure students arrive with enough time to enter the building, get settled, and be ready to begin their day.
Dismissal will begin at approximately 3:20 p.m. Buses will be dismissed first, followed by parent pickup beginning at approximately 3:25 p.m.
Please plan accordingly, particularly during the first few days of school as everyone becomes familiar with our routines.
Parent Drop-Off and Pick-Up Procedures
Our parent drop-off and pick-up procedures will remain the same this year.
For morning drop-off, families should wait at the Little League field across the street until all school buses have left the Congin campus. Once the buses have departed, our amazing Crossing Guard, John, will signal families that they may enter the campus.
Families should then follow the line of cars around to the back of the school and remain in the designated drop-off area. I have attached a picture with additional information about our arrival and dismissal procedures for your reference.
For afternoon pick-up, please remember that our walker designation is reserved for students who are actually walking to and from school with their families. Students who are being picked up by car should use our designated parent pick-up procedure.
Please do not park at the Community Center and identify your child as a walker. This creates safety and traffic concerns and makes it difficult for us to maintain a consistent dismissal procedure. If we notice that this is occurring, we will ask families to follow the appropriate parent pick-up procedures.
These routines are important not only for efficiency but, most importantly, for the safety of our students, families, and staff. We appreciate your patience and cooperation as we work together to make arrival and dismissal as smooth and safe as possible.
Staying Connected with Congin
I will continue sending our Congin Newsletter each Wednesday throughout the school year. Our Wednesday newsletter is an important way for us to stay connected and keep families informed about upcoming events, important reminders, celebrations, and opportunities happening throughout our school community.
We believe that strong communication and partnership between home and school are essential to supporting our students. Please know that we welcome your questions, ideas, and feedback throughout the year.
If you have any questions as we prepare for the start of school, please do not hesitate to reach out to me or our amazing Administrative Assistant, Stacy Symbol. We are happy to help!
We are incredibly excited to begin the 2026–2027 school year with you. Thank you for entrusting us with your children and for being such an important part of the Congin community. We look forward to a year filled with learning, growth, connection, and plenty of opportunities for our students to shine.
We can't wait to welcome our Congin Cougars back to school! As always, it’s a great day to be a cougar!
Warmly,
Marc Bisson
Principal
Congin School