Friday, April 26, 2019

Moretown School Update 4/26/19

* The temps are rising and the sun is out.  A reminder that we do not apply sunscreen or bug spray at school.  You can apply both before school, and Moie sent out an email about their procedures for after school at MECA.  

School News:

Hello Moretown families!

Back by popular demand, we are offering Moretown Bobcats shirts for purchase.  In addition to the previous styles - t-shirts, hoodies, and long-sleeve hooded tees - full-zip hoodies are also available this year. We also have a new color for some of the styles - gold!


More information about our shirts can be found here - Moretown School Webstore. All orders must be placed through our online store and no later than Thursday, May 16th. Shirts will be distributed to families the week of May 27-31.

Proceeds from our shirt sales will go to support our annual end-of-year sixth grade trip. Thank you to Creighton Voight and Deerfield Designs for your continued support!

For more information, please contact me at jstevenson@huusd.org.




I Heart Art
We are looking forward to participating in the district art show at the Lareau Barn this year.  The reception for the show will be held on the evening of May 24.  We will venture as a school wide field trip to the Lareau Barn on that afternoon led by our own Lisa Harvey.

Notes from the Health Office 


During these spring months, young ticks are very active. Wearing long pants, long sleeves and long socks will help to keep ticks off of your skin. When you come in, check your skin and your child's skin for ticksTicks are usually found behind the ears, around the armpits or groin area.  Cleanse the area with soap and water or rubbing alcohol before tick removal. Remove ticks using a fine tipped tweezer and pulling straight up.  Cleanse the area with soap and water. Watch for signs of tickborne illnesses for up to 30 days.  Symptoms may include fever, rash, headache, fatigue, joint pain.  Report any of these symptoms to your doctor.  Visit healthvermont.gov for more information.

Students spend time outdoors daily. Special activities that students may take part in include outdoor learning times and outdoor field trips. Make a habit of checking for ticks daily.

PTO


Community News

School Board

Subject:  HUUSD School Board Meeting Recap 4/24
Dear members of our six town community,
At our last meeting on April 24, 2019, the Harwood Unified Union School District (HUUSD) Board took action on the four (4) items below (listed in order of the time in the meeting when the vote occurred):
  1. Approved the following items as part of the consent agenda: approved past meeting Minutes; accepted Board vouchers equaling $861,774.04; approved an out-of-state field trip for Warren Elementary School students; approved the lease agreement for CBMS Tractor/Mower

  1. Adopted: That the board approve list of challenges/opportunities we are trying to address through the PreK - 12 plan as a working document subject to change.

  1. Adopted: That the board approve the timeline for PreK - 12 plan

  1. Adopted: To set aside a longer time for the policy team that has been previously scheduled.

Also at this meeting, Assistant Principal for HUUSD, Sam Krotinger, along with Sally McCarthy and Lisa Therrien, presented on Proficiency-Based Learning. Their presentation can be found here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B2uQwDkbPKEVcXFKeXFJa0pIZWdzOG1DSmhUazhRSm4tQ1Br/view
Our next meeting is Wednesday, May 8th, and expected to begin at 6:00 pm in the Harwood Union High School library. No committee meetings are expected to occur. Please confirm time and place of meetings by visiting our website as start times and locations are subject to change. Agendas are posted at least 2 days before the meeting. For more information on the SMART goals that drive the work of these committees, check the HUUSD board web page.
Please visit www.wwsu.org/huusd-board for board agendas and packets  (including committees that are meeting), detailed minutes, HUUSD Smart Goals for the 2018-2019 school year, and to find the link to watch board meetings. The direct link to watch this and past recent meetings is: https://mrvtv.com/category/school-board-meetings/.  There is also an archive of older meetings which can be found here: https://archive.org/search.php?query=Harwood+Unified+Union+School+Board&sort=-date
And finally, please note that the HUUSD board is also hosting multiple “Community Conversations” throughout our district from May 7 through May 23 and we hope you consider attending at least one, perhaps in a location other than your own town! The purpose of the community conversations is to dive deeper into survey results and get to the next level of developing a vision and goals that will guide decisions throughout our district. Stay tuned for specific dates and locations.
Thank you for your continued support and engagement.

Respectfully,

The HUUSD Board
Caitlin Hollister (Waterbury)  *Chair
Torrey Smith (Duxbury)  *Vice Chair
Hannah Clark (student rep, class of 2019)
Jonathan Clough (Warren)
Carlton Cummisky (student rep, class of 2021)
Gabriel Gilman (Moretown)
James Grace (Waterbury)
Tim Jones (Fayston)
Jake Lynn (student rep, class of 2020)
Garett MacCurtain (Duxbury)
Maureen McCracken (Waterbury)
Theresa Membrino (Fayston)
Kristen Rodgers (Moretown)
Christine Sullivan (Waitsfield)
Alexandra Thomsen (Waterbury)
Jeremy Tretiak (Waitsfield)
Rosemarie White (Warren)

Saturday, April 13, 2019

Moretown School Update 4/12/19

Such a fun day at the rink!



School News:


Reading all day in Mrs. Dow's class



You know what April showers bring right?  May flowers!  Brought to you by the 6th graders at MES.  
Interested in ordering some of your own, or a gift for someone special?
...There is an order form outside of Loretta's window... or ask a 6th grader.....





Hello Parents, Teachers, Staff, and Maybe Kids,

We only have 4 designer birdhouses left! $20 dollars each! Please consider buying.  And if you don’t like the colors please also consider custom made birdhouses. The money we make from the sale of these birdhouses will be donated to a Bird Society. Wondering why we have 4 birdhouses left? We had 20% time projects and building, selling and donating was what we wanted to do for our project!  

Also , 2 of us are 6th graders and we thought it was appropriate to advertise a fundraiser for the 6th grade trip. Please consider asking about the Claussen’s flower sale. Every cent counts for us to be able to go!

Antonia, Cailin and Greta





Monster Mash:


Dear MES Families,

In an effort to keep you as informed as possible the library computers will begin sending out automated emails for overdue library books and materials. These emails are not a bill or reprimand, just information so you can help your child/ren find books and return them to the library.

If you have any questions please contact David in the library.

As always, thank you for your support,
The Book M0nster



PTO

Dear Parents,

I’m excited to tell you about a very special program we are coordinating at our school in conjunction with Crayola. It’s called Crayola ColorCycle – an amazing program devised to repurpose used markers rather than sending them to landfills!

The ColorCycle program has repurposed more than 70 tons of expended markers in the United States and Canada since 2013, and uses the most advanced plastic conversion technologies available today to make wax compounds for asphalt and roofing shingles as well as to generate electricity that can be used to heat homes, cook food, and power vehicles. 

All around Moretown School, students and teachers will be collecting used markers that are ready to be discarded. Please help support our efforts by sending your kids in with any used markers you may have around the house- even non-Crayola brands! Highlighters and dry erase markers can also be included. Drop-off boxes will be located around the school for your child to deposit the markers.

Thank you in advance for participating! With the help of parents like you across the country, the Crayola ColorCycle program can continue to keep tons of plastic out of landfills each year.

Remember, don’t throw out that used marker—ColorCycle it!

Sincerely,

Moretown PTO

Community News

Fencing Instruction
Adults, Teens and Students grade 5 and up
Beginner - Advance (No experience necessary)
Waitsfield Elementary School Gymnasium
April 23-May 28 (Tuesdays and Thursdays)
6:30PM-8:00PM
$50 Students - $125 Adults
https://sites.google.com/site/midvtfencing/ for additional information
Contact Keith "Digger" Puffer midvtfencing@gmail.com


Harwood's Refugee Outreach Club:

Is collecting rain coats, boots and umbrellas for resettling families in Vermont. We recently heard from the USCRI and they specifically want items to help this drive which will take place Friday, April 5th --Friday, April 26th.

Donation box locations are: Crossett Brook, Thatcher Brook, Red Hen, Waitsfield Town Offices, Waterbury Public Library, Both Shaws Locations Warren Elementary, Fuller Church and the Waterbury Congregational Church. All donated products and will be given to the VT U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants (USCRI). These products will then be available to all USCRI clients.

If you would prefer to donate money to our rain gear drive rather than products, checks can be made out to the Harwood Refugee Club and sent to Harwood (458 VT-100, Moretown, VT 05660 ). Any and all donations are greatly appreciated!

School Board

Dear members of our six town community,
At our last meeting on April 10, 2019, the Harwood Unified Union School District (HUUSD) Board took action on the five (5) items below (listed in order of the time in the meeting when the vote occurred):
  1. Approved the following items as part of the consent agenda:  Approve past meeting Minutes; Accept Board warrants totaling $252,916.35; Approved addition of May 15, 2019 and June 5, 2019 board meetings

  1. Adopted: That the administration be tasked with developing a report based on the 2018 Student Performance Data Workbook highlighting the positive and negative takeaways from the data and what, if any, action steps are planned based on the data.

  1. Adopted: That the board remove third grade from the classes offered at Fayston Elementary School for the 2019-20 school year due to exceptionally low class size.

  1. Adopted:
That the board direct the administration to prepare updated Education Cost per Equalized Pupil and Homestead tax projections to cover FY19 to FY29
AND that these projections be modeled after Appendix C1 and C6 of the Washington West SU Act 46 Study Report (Revised 4‐7‐2016)
AND that these projections assume no changes are made to the district configuration
AND that these projections are prepared in such a way that they can be updated to reflect various district configuration proposals as easily as possible
AND that these projections be made available to the board no later than May 15, 2019
AND that the report include information on the impact of a bond on the tax rate as was included in the March 4, 2019 board packet
AND that the formulae and assumptions use to reach the conclusions found are made available at a degree of specificity that renders the results reproducible.

  1. Moved the due date for board goal 2.2 - ideal state metrics - from April 30 to May 22, 2019.

Also at this meeting, Shannon Lessley, the Director of Curriculum and Instruction for HUUSD presented on Student Performance Data. Her presentation can be found here: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/12_2JmMuh3lPVmhy870ZzpaACBk-aZOWsm0XkJTBzCfk/edit#slide=id.p
Additionally, the board had an initial discussion of a draft Board Work Plan Timeline for April - June 2019 (included in board packet - see link below). This draft will be revised and reviewed at the April 24th meeting.
Our next meeting is Wednesday, April 24th and expected to begin at 7:00 pm in the Harwood Union High School library. The Policy and Visioning committees are expected to meet at 6pm and 5:30 pm respectively, also in the library.  Please confirm time and place of meetings by visiting our website as start times and locations are subject to change.  Agendas are posted at least 2 days before the meeting. Our committees generally alternate meeting times and meet every other board meeting. For more information on the SMART goals that drive the work of these committees, check the HUUSD board web page.
Please visit www.wwsu.org/huusd-board for board agendas and packets  (including committees that are meeting), detailed minutes, HUUSD Smart Goals for the 2018-2019 school year, and to find the link to watch board meetings. The direct link to watch this and past recent meetings is: https://mrvtv.com/category/school-board-meetings/.  There is also an archive of older meetings which can be found here: https://archive.org/search.php?query=Harwood+Unified+Union+School+Board&sort=-date
Thank you for your continued support and engagement.

Respectfully,

The HUUSD Board
Caitlin Hollister (Waterbury)  *Chair
Torrey Smith (Duxbury)  *Vice Chair
Hannah Clark (student rep, class of 2019)
Jonathan Clough (Warren)
Carlton Cummisky (student rep, class of 2021)
Gabriel Gilman (Moretown)
James Grace (Waterbury)
Tim Jones (Fayston)
Jake Lynn (student rep, class of 2020)
Garett MacCurtain (Duxbury)
Maureen McCracken (Waterbury)
Theresa Membrino (Fayston)
Kristen Rodgers (Moretown)
Christine Sullivan (Waitsfield)
Alexandra Thomsen (Waterbury)
Jeremy Tretiak (Waitsfield)
Rosemarie White (Warren)

Saturday, April 6, 2019

Moretown School Update 4/5/19




Awe struck by this place we get to experience everyday.



School News:

  • Lost and Found.  Please take a minute to check the Lost and Found for missing mittens, hats, gloves and other miscellaneous items.
  • Instagram: check our new Instagram Account @moretownschoolvt



  • Units of Study: I love walking around the building and seeing what the students are working on:
    • 1/2 put on a short play based on the book Tops and Bottoms



    • 3/4 has been working hard on some cool geography


    • If you haven't seen the 5/6 Olympians, you should check them out:



Bataille Bulletin: 
Galactic Bowling is in full swing:









PTO


The PTO has organized a K-6 Skating Field trip to the Ice Rink in Waterbury on Friday April 12, 2019.  More information to follow


Community News

  • Mad River Valley Little League
  • Spring Basketball
    • Hello All --
    • I hope you are having an awesome day!  I know that some of you enjoyed seeing you daughter play basketball.  So, we decided to offer a 6 week session!  Myself ( Constancia Gomez ) and Garret Folsom will be offering an open gym starting this Tuesday April 2nd at The Sugarbush Raquel club , starting at 5:45-7pm.  Garret will be teaching some basic skills and we will be scrimmaging at the end of practice. We will be having open gym for 6 weeks! ( no class on April vacation)We will NOT have games on the weekends.  This will be a great way for girls to be introduced to the sport or refine some of their existing skills!  If your daughter is interested in participating, please let me know. The cost will be $30 and I'll have you fill out the necessary paperwork on Tuesday!If you know any other girl from 3/4 grade that will like to
    • Join us please let me know
    • Thank you and have a great day!
    • We will love to have your girl join us! 
    • Please let me know if you have any questions!
    • Constancia  802-917-1776


School Board

Have you participated in the HUUSD school district “3 words” survey? Next Friday, April 12 is the last day to do it!  The survey is the first step in the development of a vision and goals for our school district that will guide decisions at every level.Among other things, we really want to know: “What are three words that represent your hopes for what our school district will be like in the next several years?”

The survey is available online at: www.surveymonkey.com/r/HUUSD_VISION. Hard copies are also available at the town office and library in each of our six towns.

We have a big goal of getting 800 respondents for this survey and so far we have just over 400. Please help to us meet our goal, but more importantly to ensure that the decisions we make moving forward are informed by YOUR values!

Respectfully,
The HUUSD Board
Caitlin Hollister (Waterbury)  *Chair
Torrey Smith (Duxbury)  *Vice Chair
Hannah Clark (student rep, class of 2019)
Jonathan Clough (Warren)
Carlton Cummisky (student rep, class of 2021)
Gabriel Gilman (Moretown)
James Grace (Waterbury)
Tim Jones (Fayston)
Jake Lynn (student rep, class of 2020)
Garett MacCurtain (Duxbury)
Maureen McCracken (Waterbury)
Theresa Membrino (Fayston)
Kristen Rodgers (Moretown)
Christine Sullivan (Waitsfield)
Alexandra Thomsen (Waterbury)
Jeremy Tretiak (Waitsfield)
Rosemarie White (Warren)