February 2026 eNews

Community Programs Spotlight

Discussion Panel: Women & Girls in Sports & Coaching

Join us for this important program offered to both kids and adults. In the youth session, girls will have the opportunity to practice sports skills through educational and empowering activities led by volunteers with Strong Girls United. In the adult panel we will engage in conversation about the place of women and girls in today's sporting landscape. Female role models in coaching positions are more important today than they've ever been, and this workshop will provide an opportunity to craft an individual action plan and to work with others toward a stronger and healthier future for girls and women in sports.

Click this link to register!

Civics 101 - Freeport

We are excited to offer this second go-round of our educational program: Civics 101, for residents of the town of Freeport. In this highly engaging program, participants will attend weekly interactive sessions on topics related to their local government and administration. Each week will have a guest speaker who will present and answer questions about their role in the operations of the municipality. If you reside in Freeport and are interested in learning more about how your town operates, this course is an excellent place to start! You can click the program title above to go to the program registration page. The schedule has just been finalized! Monday evenings, beginning on March 2:

• Welcome & Government 101 (with town manager and town councilors)
• Community Services (Freeport Community Library and public access TV)
• Administration (town planning and finance)
• Public Services (Public Works and FEDC)
• The School District (with RSU5 superintendent of schools)
• Public Safety (with fire chief and chief of police)
• Committees (with assistant town manager and town councilors)

And the program capstone is a "graduation" recognition at a spring meeting of the Town Council! This class is capped at 20 participants, so register today.

Late Winter / Early Spring Programs

Below is a list of select programs that we want to highlight, since they're starting soon. Click each program title to go directly to its registration page, or head over to our website for a full list of programs!

Youth Programs

Grades 6-8 Winter/Spring Swim Team

We are excited to announce the return of our middle school swim team! Middle schoolers can join this co-ed team to learn and develop the necessary event skills including different strokes, breathing techniques, flip turns and more. Beginners are welcome, however please note that this is not a "learn to swim program". Please find more information and register by clicking the program title above.

Taekwondo @ DCS

Come learn an introduction to the traditional Korean martial art of Taekwondo at Durham Community School for any student who wishes to take part (beginners welcome)! Learn basic kicking and striking skills, self protection and defense skills, and traditional forms and patterns for the new student. You'll also learn ways to improve your physical fitness and focus while developing a positive attitude in your daily life! Classes will be taught by Master Chasse, a Taekwondo instructor who has trained for over 38 years and taught for 25+ years!

Global Games Vacation Camp

Join us for this 1/2 day camp over February vacation! This program will introduce students to some of the world’s most popular sports while building teamwork, fitness, and game understanding through fun, fast-paced activities. All activities will be safely and professionally run in the FMS gym, ensuring an engaging and active experience for all participants.

Spark You: Wizards & Potions Vacation Camp

At SparkYou's Wizard & Potions Camp, Harry Potter-loving kids step into a science-based world of magic where spells become experiments potions become chemistry and "I don't like science" mysteriously disappears. Campers explore color changes, bubbling reactions, states of matter, and simple physics through hands-on enchanted experiments. This camp builds confidence, curiosity, and a love of science.

Adult Programs

Empanada Cooking Class

Learn how to make empanadas with the founder of Empanada Club! You'll prepare beef and vegetarian empanadas to serve with freshly made salsa. Recipes will also be shared. Come join us and enjoy a tasty evening with friends!

Learn to Crochet with Sarah Cass

Learning the basics of crochet, or hone your skills with projects offered for all levels. All supplies are included. Click the link above to sign up today!

Maine Sandlot Baseball League

Early bird registration for the MSBL closes on March 31! Register before then to receive a $35 discount. The MSBL is a supremely player-friendly league for players who have completed their high school eligibility right up through their 20s. We've got a June-July regular season of approximately 15 games, followed by an early August championship tournament. It's excellent baseball, a ton of fun, and insanely affordable. Join us!

Tea Tasting

Join us for this fun and unique experience to taste a variety of different teas from around the world. We will cover the history, culture, cultivation, and selection of quality teas, and we will also provide light snacks. Click the program title above to learn more and register!

Local Events & Activities...

...with RSU5CP

Join us in attending the Maine Mariners game on Saturday March 21st against the Worcester Railers! Every ticket sold kicks back a small donation to RSU5CP, and the first 20 purchasers have the opportunity to high five all the Mariners players in the tunnel as they enter the ice! You can click this link to purchase tickets.

...with Freeport Community Library

Tiny Art Show Artist’s Reception

Tuesday, February 10, 3-6 pm, All Ages

Join us for an art reception for the Library’s Tiny Art Show. Throughout January, artists of all ages dropped off 3” x 3” canvases supplied by the library or submitted another creation within a 3” x 3” x 3” space. In the spirit of the miniature event, tiny refreshments will be served. Come meet your artistic neighbors and vote for the viewer’s choice artwork to win an itty bitty golden duck!

If you miss the reception, the Tiny Art Show will be on display in the adult reading room until February 28.

This event is free and open to the public. For questions or directions to the Library, visit freeportlibrary.com or call (207) 865-3307.

Can You Survive the Oregon Trail?

Tuesday, February 17 through Saturday, February 21, During library hours, Kids ages 8 & up

Tuesday, February 17 -- 10am-5pm

Wednesday, February 18 -- 10am-6:30pm

Thursday, February 19 -- 10am-4:30pm

Friday, February 20 -- 10am-4:30pm

Saturday, February 21 -- 10am-1:30pm

Play our life-sized version of the classic 1980s game Oregon Trail at Freeport Community Library during February break and see if your covered wagon party can survive the dangerous journey west. Check in at the Youth Services desk for instructions on how to play the game.

Make tough decisions as you travel across the library—transformed into a game board—and try your hand at mini games to gain provisions to help you make the trip. Do you have enough food? Will you get dysentery? You never know under these treacherous circumstances! If your expedition ends in tragedy, play the game again and test your odds.

This event is free and open to the public. For questions or directions to the Library, visit freeportlibrary.com or call (207) 865-3307.

Little Roots at Freeport Community Library

February 23, 10:15 am, For kids ages 0-5

Little Roots (from 317 Main Community Music Center in Yarmouth) is bringing their 45-minute music and movement program to Freeport Community Library. Sing, play, and move with other kids and their caregivers. Gather in the Meeting Room at the library, where the capacity for this program is 50 people. There is no sign up required.

This event is free and open to the public. For questions or directions to the Library, visit freeportlibrary.com or call (207) 865-3307.

...with Age Friendly in Freeport/Pownal



Our partners at Freeport Community Services offer community events taking place regularly at their location at 53 Depot Street in Freeport:

Art Van

Every 2nd & 4th Thursday of the Month, from 10:30am-12pm. Meet in the FCS courtyard to create art with your neighbors.

Tech Time with the Library

Every 1st Thursday of the month, from 1-3pm. Meet in the FCS lobby. Come with questions, curiosity, and any gadgets you may need help troubleshooting!

Free Lunch Friday

Every 1st and 3rd Friday of the month, from 12-1pm in the Bradley Room at FCS. Free meals for everyone in the community, prepared by local volunteers.

Adult Education

Nothing new to report this month! Any inquiries may be directed to our coordinator listed below.

For questions about our Adult Education programs, you may contact our Adult Ed Coordinator, Liza Gerber, at:

207-865-6171 x8322 or GerberM@rsu5.org

Laugh & Learn

Our Laugh & Learn programs in Durham, Freeport and Pownal have had a fun winter season so far, and spent lots of time playing outside, sledding, building snow forts, doing seasonal crafts and more! We enjoy having conversations with children about what the seasonal changes bring to each of them, and our community. We look forward to playing outside in the snow in the coming weeks! 

Our Laugh & Learn team works hard to prepare an inclusive, educational and fun environment for children throughout the school year; we hope to grow and become even more involved in our school and local communities. In January, our Preschoolers welcomed the new year, stamped their classroom passports and continued their journey of learning about different regions and cultures around the world- adding to their “travels” by visiting Italy and Norway most recently! While “visiting” Norway, children learned about the region’s people, animals, foods and geography- including Fjords, Volcanos, Vikings, Troll legends and more! Preschoolers are working their way through the alphabet one letter at a time and are already on letter “L”. We look forward to continuing our learning and making connections with the upcoming Winter Olympics in the next two months. 

Our Laugh & Learn team works hard to prepare an inclusive, educational and fun environment for children throughout the school year; we hope to grow and become even more involved in our school and local communities.



Registration for Laugh & Learn Preschool, Before and After Care is still open however spaces are limited for the 2025-2026 school year. Visit the Laugh & Learn page on our website for more details and to begin the registration process. Any questions? Reach out to: ChildhoodEd@rsu5.org

Registration for the 2026-2027 School Year: 

Preschool: Monday, February 2nd 2026

Before and After Care: Wednesday, April 1st 2026 

Laugh & Learn programs are growing so fast that we’re looking to add more teachers to our team! This fun and fulfilling position can be viewed and applied for by visiting this link. Questions? Please reach out to: ChildhoodEd@rsu5.org

Winter Gear Rentals

Are you interested in exploring the outdoors this winter? Do you need gear for yourself or a friend? Look no further! We offer rentals for XC Ski gear, Snowshoes and Fat Tire Mountain Bikes! Check out our inventory and make a reservation at this link.

Gift Cards

Are you looking for a quick and easy holiday gift? Community Programs sells gift cards of any value! Give us a call at 207-865-6171 for details and to purchase.

Reminder to Use Credits on Your Accounts!

Many credits have been issued over the past year, which means you could register for a program using money that has already been applied to your account. To see whether or not you have a credit, you can log into your profile at this link - after logging in, click "My Account" and any credits will be listed under the "Account" menu on the left (see example image below).

Information on Scholarships

One of our goals here at Community Programs is to make our programming accessible to everyone. To help us reach that goal, we offer scholarship funding to anyone who may need it - all you have to do is apply!

If you are interested in applying for a scholarship (full or partial), we ask you to please submit our application form BEFORE registering for the program. The earlier we are able to process these requests, the better, as it helps us budget and plan our programming each season. You may submit your application/request to our office by emailing the completed form to cp@rsu5.org. All information provided will be kept confidential.