March 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 organized by 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!



Trip to Quebec City: Info Night on March 6th!

Join us from 7-9pm in the Freeport Middle School Library to learn more about this trip. We will go over details for transportation, lodging, meals, sight-seeing and more!

Please RSVP for the info night by registering at this link.

Harraseeket Adventure Triathlon - Saturday, May 30th

After taking one year off, we are excited to offer this unique outdoor opportunity again! Join us for an afternoon paddle, bike and run - all taking place on the Wolfe Neck Peninsula in Freeport. This year we are fortunate to partner with the LL Bean Paddling Center, Wolfe's Neck Farm Center, and Wolfe's Neck State Park for our route and accomodations; in addition, we will be continuing our partnership with SeaSpray Kayaking for gear rentals. We hope you will consider taking part in this fun race!

Here is a direct link to register

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

Maine Nature Art with Sarah Cass

There is still space in both the mud season and spring sessions of these programs at DCS, FMS and MLS! Seasonal delights will inspire your budding artists during these sessions. Come join in and bring a snack, water bottle, and imagination inspired by all Maine has to offer outside. Click the program title above to register.

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All Spring Sport Registrations are now online! Click each program title below to view those pages:

Harraseeket Harriers Running Club (1st-5th)

Little Laxers Lacrosse (K-2nd)

Youth Lacrosse (3rd-6th)

Youth FUNdamentals of Rugby (K-5th, MS)

Youth Rugby (HS)

Youth Ultimate Frisbee (MS, HS)

In addition to those full seasons, we have these other sports opportunities:

Disc Golf Club @ FMS

Are you interested in learning a new sport? Perhaps you want to improve your skill? Sign up for this fun club to learn the ins and outs of this life-long sport. Specific days and times will be announced as we get closer to spring.

Softball Clinics @ FMS

These pre-season clinics are a great way to get in shape and hone your skills before the season officially begins. We hope to see you there!

Boys Middle School Basketball Clinics @ FHS

These clinics will happen over the next two weeks before spring sports start using the FHS gym. Sign up today for some final reps on the basketball court!

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!

Ferment This! with Emma Holder

We have a number of sessions coming up in March and April - from Sauerkraut, to Kimchi, Radishes and more! If you are interested in learning about the fermenting process, this class is for you! Head on over to our website for more info and registration.

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! RSU5CP will receive a small donation for every ticket sold, and the first 20 purchasers have the opportunity to high five all the Mariners players in the tunnel as they enter the ice before the 3rd period!

You can click this link to purchase tickets.

If hockey isn't your thing, perhaps you would consider joining us to watch the Maine Celtics game on Tuesday March 24th against the Cleveland Charge! All youth ticket holders have the option to sit on the team bench during warmups, and stand alongside the players during the national anthem! See details in the flyer below. You can click this link to purchase tickets.

...with Other Local Groups

The Greater Freeport Chamber of Commerce presents:

Boots & Brews 5K Run

Join us for the annual Boots and Brews 5K and Kids’ Fun Run—a fun, family-friendly event celebrating Freeport's rich history and vibrant future! The Boots and Brews 5K starts and ends in downtown Freeport, showcasing the beauty and charm of this historic town. After the race, stick around to sample brews from local favorites like Brickyard Hollow, Goodfire Brewing, Maine Beer Company, and Mast Landing Brewing. All proceeds from the "Fun Run" will be donated to RSU 5 Community Programs to help support our mission to provide scholarships for local children, ensuring access to opportunities for those who may lack the necessary resources to participate.



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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 are living up our very snowy winter and have spent lots of time playing outside, sledding, building forts, doing 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 continuing to play outside in the snow in these last few weeks of winter! 

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 February, our Preschoolers stamped their classroom passports and continued their journey of learning about different regions and cultures around the world! We continued our learning through Italy, learning about Galileo, the Solar System and even hosted Laugh & Learn’s first Winter Olympics! Preschoolers each made flags and participated in nordic skiing, snowshoeing, indoor hockey and even made their very own bobsleds to test out. After our events were complete, students participated in a Medal Ceremony. Preschoolers are working their way through the alphabet one letter at a time and are already on letter “M”. We look forward to continuing our learning about Italy and “travel” to new regions throughout March!



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 -- still a few spots open!

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

Need an idea for a quick and easy 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.