Moretown School Update May 19, 2017

Moretown student scootering to school.
Way to go!! 

Playground Under Construction

The Moretown School is happy to report that the new playground (located near the town tennis courts) is under construction after years of planning and approval vetting. Due to our recent wet weather, construction was delayed this spring, but now things have dried out enough to allow the work to be done. We hope to have the playground ready for students in early June. This project was started three years ago as part of a Vermont Rurall Partnership grant that support students and adults working together on genuine community projects. The playground construction is being funded by the town's deer yard fund, established by the select board to benefit the youth of our community.

School Choice

Dear WWSU Parents:

I am writing to make you aware of a new policy that our HUUSD Board adopted on 3/9/17.  F33-L Intra-District Choice, K-8, will allow students in grades K-8 to attend any of the schools in the Harwood Unified Union School District (Crossett Brook Middle School, Fayston Elementary School, Harwood Union Middle School, Moretown Elementary School, Thatcher Brook Primary School, Waitsfield Elementary School, Warren Elementary School) beginning in the Fall of 2017, regardless of your town of residence within the supervisory union.

Our merger under Act 46, where we operate all of our schools under one budget, makes intra-district choice possible without financial penalty to the taxpayers, unlike the previous laws around residency.  We hope the flexibility that we are now able to provide in these years of ongoing declining enrollment state-wide will attract and retain as many families as possible PK-12 to our communities.

Our earlier survey clearly indicates most families intend to continue having their students attend their resident school.  Please review the policyabout Intra-District School Choice here. If you plan to make a change for your child for Fall 2017 from your resident school to another HUUSD school, you need to do two things:

1. Contact the building principal in the school you want your child to attend in the fall as soon as possible, but not later than June 21, 2017, so we can adequately prepare.  Phone numbers for the principals can be found here.  (Scroll down to the bottom of page for school contacts)

2.  Complete this form and submit it to the Principal at the school you want your child to attend in 2017-18.  (You can also find the form on our Home page at www.wwsu.org.)

Bus transportation shall be made available where possible but is not guaranteed.

If you have any questions, please feel free to give me a call - 802-496-2272, ext. 114.

Best Regards,

Brigid Nease, Superintendent

Message from the Health Office

Ticks and Lyme Disease

Warm weather is arriving, which means that tick season is starting.  Lyme disease is spread by deer ticks, which are found in our area. Deer ticks live in grassy, wooded, brushy areas and can be very small (see picture below). Ticks typically must be attached for 36 hours or longer to spread lyme disease; promptly removing ticks can prevent infection.  Lyme disease can affect your skin, heart, nerves, and joints.  Lyme disease can be effectively treated with antibiotics.  However, not all tick bites require antibiotics.  The American Academy of Pediatrics issues guidelines as to when treat tick bites so that children are not exposed to unnecessary antibiotics.     

After a tick has been attached and removed, a person often experiences redness where the tick was attached.  This is from the tick's saliva while it was attached and is a normal reaction.  It can be compared to when a person gets bitten by a deer fly and has a large red area where the fly bite occurred.  

Read below for tips, from the Vermont Department of Health, that can help you deal with ticks:

While outdoors

• As much as possible, avoid high grass and bushy areas; stay on hiking trails.
• Wear long pants and long-sleeved shirts to minimize skin exposure to ticks.
• Tuck your pants into your socks to form a barrier to tick attachment.
• Wear light-colored clothing to help see ticks on your clothing.
• Check for ticks, looking particularly for what may look like nothing more than a new freckle or speck of dirt, and remove ticks promptly (see reverse page).

After you come inside

• Check your or your child’s body for ticks, and remove them promptly. Pay special attention to the head, armpits, and groin area.
• Showering within a few hours of being outside may also be helpful.

The best way to prevent Lyme disease is to prevent tick bites.

It is okay if the tick's head is not removed.  Lyme disease is contained in the tick's stomach. As long as the body is removed from the head, lyme disease cannot be transmitted.  If the head is not removed, a person's body will expel the head in a few days.

The rash associated with Lyme Disease has a bullseye appearance.  If you notice this type of rash, it should be evaluated right away.

For more information on Lyme Disease and how to prevent it, please visit the

Vermont Department of Health and the AAP Healthy Children website

MORETOWN APPARELL AVAILABLE

Moretown T-Shirts and Sweatshirts are now available to purchase on line.

We want to thank Deerfield Designs for their help in creating our link that is now open 24/7 with delivery options.   Proceeds will support the 6th grade class trip fund.

Add Moretown Store Link:  https://cart.deerfielddesigns.com/moretown_elementary_school

MUSIC Concert ANNOUNCEMENT

5th and 6th Grade Band Parents!

We are gearing up for our Spring Concert, scheduled for 6 p.m. Wednesday evening, June 7th.

Students will be playing the following selections from their book:

#42, #44, #48, #49, and #50.  

With SBACs and end of year activities, lessons and rehearsals can be interrupted. It would help greatly for students to be practicing these selections regularly at home.

4th grade band parents!

We are gearing up for our Spring Concert, scheduled for 6 p.m. Wednesday evening, June 7th.

Students will be playing the following selections from their book:

#14, #22, #23, #24, #26, and #27.

With testing and end of year activities, lessons and rehearsals can be interrupted. It would help greatly for students to be practicing these selections regularly at home.

I'm looking forward to a fun evening of music!

Please be in touch with any questions.

Jhill@wwsu.org

Thank you!

CALENDAR UPDATE

May  2017

May 24	HUUSD Board Meeting Harwood Union Library 6:00pm Agenda is located at wwsu.org
May 25-26	6th Grade Class Trip
June 1	Art Show  6pm
June 2	Step-Up for 6th grade
June 7	Moretown BBQ and Annual Music Concert
June 13	Annual Field Day Celebration
June 15	Moretown Graduation
June 16	Final Day of school for students - Half Day - bus schedule will be out in early June.

Community Announcements

Please note that the opportunities/events listed below are not specifically endorsed or screened by school staff; as always, families should use their own standards and review processes to determine appropriate activities.

Blood Drive, Harwood Union Middle School Multipurpose Room, May 30, 10:30-4:00, sponsored by Harwood Union High School Student Council.  Please call the Red Cross at 800-733-2767 to schedule an appointment.

Circus Smirkus is looking for homestay families for the nights of July 4th, 5th and 6th. Families who host will earn one free ticket to the Circus per night of hosting (so they can earn 3 free tickets this way)! It's a fun way for families to connect with the performers (the Circus performers are ages 11-18). Homestay families help drive the performers who are staying in their home to Kenyon's in the morning and pick them up in the evenings, and provide breakfast and dinner meals when the performers are at their home. Families who are interested in finding out more should contact Grace Emelett at grace.emelett@yahoo.com.

Bike Repair Cafe, Sunday, May 21st, 1-3pm(note this time change from original announcement), Moretown Rec Field. Bring your bike along with any tools you have to the pavilion at the rec. field, and receive some hands-on training from the Mad River Riders just in time for the season. Learn how to make simple repairs and some basic maintenance how-tos. Come early with gloves if you would also like to help spruce up the Town Forest trails so they are ready for your summer use, trail work will begin at 10am.

Birding by Ear, A Two Part Workshop from Moretown Memorial Library and the Mad Birders, Saturday, June 3rd, 4pm at the Moretown School, Sunday, June 4th, 7:30-9:30am at Pony Farm, 182 Pony Farm Rd. in Moretown. Have you ever wondered which bird is making what sound in the overwhelming chorus of song we hear this time of year? Then join us as we delve into the exciting world of birding using our ears. During the first interactive session indoors learn some tips and tricks for listening to and identifying our feathered friends, then head out in the early morning for our second session to practice and discover. Both sessions are free, and all ages are welcome. For more information or to register, please contact 496-9728 ormoretownlibrary@gmail.com.