School Update October 21, 2016

First and Second Grade Engineers designing and creating together!  

Dear Moretown School Families;

We are excited about a shift this year to engage you, as parents and families, in setting goals for your child during the Fall family/teacher conferences.  Instead of three  times per school year, we will now send report cards home only twice: in January and June. There are several reasons for this change. Foremost, by eliminating a reporting period in the Fall, we have more time to focus on student learning and instruction.  As we adhere to recent legislation(Act 77) we will focus on  personalized learning plans and goal setting to foster and support  21st century learning goals for our students.   Together we will build a culture more focused on the excitement of learning rather than traditional grading practices.   Research shows that a  strong emphasis on grades may actually reduce student interest in learning and may create situations where students are less likely to take risks or to explore creative solutions to tasks. We believe we will set the right tone by starting the year with an emphasis on student learning goals, strengths and interests.

To this end, the upcoming Fall Parent Conferences will  focus on students’ goals and interests. Our hope is to empower  students to take a role (this will look different depending on grade levels)  in reflecting upon and communicating about their learning. This practice helps to build dispositions and skills that will be vital to students’ education now and in their future years here in our school. To prepare for the Fall  conferences, we will ask that you spend some time with your child developing a goal for them to work on this year.

A specific goal setting guide is being sent home "today" with your child Friday, October 21st.  

Teachers will also work on a similar goal setting guide here at school.    The March Parent Conference will provide an opportunity to reflect on growth and new goals that have emerged.

We will use the “online” family conference scheduler this year as we have in the past to schedule times to meet.  If  it is necessary to provide separate meetings for families please let us know.   Directions for using the scheduler are attached as part of this packet of information and can also be found on our school blog.  

The Scheduler Portal will be open on Monday, October 24th for your use.

We look forward to getting to know your children better and receiving your feedback about these changes. To get your feedback, please look for a survey in the lobby or via email following your conference this Fall.

Sincerely,

Duane Pierson dpierson@wwsu.og

Moretown Shirts and T-shirts for Sale 

Our New Moretown School Web store is now available to purchases Bobcat Shirts, Sweatshirts and our new long sleeve hooded Gray T-shirt. Proceeds go to our sixth grade class trip fund. Here is the link: https://cart.deerfielddesigns.com/moretown_elementary_school

HALLOWEEN HELP NEEDED!

Sign up to help
with our Halloween Party
on October 31st!
Here is the link to sign up:
http://www.signupgenius.com/go/20f0d4ba9a722a4fd0-moretown4
Non- scary costume time - 4:30 - 5:00pm
All costumes - 5:00 - 6:00pm
At the Town Hall  

REMINDER:  Please return your School Ski information to the school asap!
The snow is about to fall..  

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.
 

Halloween Candy Donation Request    Please consider donating Halloween candy to be distributed to the residents of the Moretown Village.  The donations help offset the costs for the families who open their doors for all the gouls and gobblins on Halloween eve which is OCTOBER 31st.   The Town Hall will host our annual kids event  beginning at 4:30 for non-scary costumes and at 5:00 - 6:00 for all costumes.  Can't wait to see the kids in their costumes.  

What You Say - What You Do...Makes a Difference!    A workshop focusing on Parent/Child Interactions & Self Esteem.  Wednesday, October 26th 5:30-7:00 pm,  Fayston Elementary School. Featuring renowned speaker and educator Scott Noyes.   This lively workshop addresses many hot topics:-How we are talking with children; The difference between praise and encouragement; How to avoid self-defeating patterns; Time to consider responsibility and independence; Discipline approaches; Looking into a day in the life of a child; Humor and fast paced stories make this a workshop you'll be talking about.

This workshop is free and open to the public. We recommend that anyone who interacts with children attend.  Childcare and light snacks provided. To pre-register for childcare contact Amy Yavitz @ 496-3636. For more information e-mailbarbara@hannahshousevt.org       Event sponsored by Hannah’s House, Fayston PTO, The Waitsfield Children’s Center, and Spring Hill School.

Harwood Strong Benefit Concert      The Harwood Union Music Department will present a special evening of music on Friday, October 21st at 7:30pm. "Harwood Strong: A Benefit Concert" will feature many local performers, and all proceeds will go toward the Celebration of Life event the Harwood Junior Class and Teacher Advisors are currently planning honoring all five students. Special guests include: George Woodard, Inora Brass, Mad River Chorale, The Renegade Groove, Sarah Reid (Class of 2011) with additional performances by our student Assembly Band, Honors Choir, and our music faculty Bruce Sklar, Chris Rivers, and Stefanie Weigand. Harwood is mourning the loss of five vibrant teenagers from the community, but with a separate memorial celebration already in the planning stages, this concert will have a very different feel and purpose. "We are looking to provide the community with a place to gather, listen to some great music, and just take a breath." says Weigand. "Music helps us to heal and brings people together, which is what we all need right now." Tickets will be sold at the door with a suggested donation of $15 per person. 100% of the ticket sales will go toward the funding of the HUHS Celebration of Life event scheduled for Monday, October 24th. For more information on the concert, please contact Stefanie Weigand or Chris Rivers at Harwood Union HS (882- 1159 or 882-1160).
 

Mad River Youth Basketball Sign-Ups       All youth in grades 3-6 are welcome to sign up for this year's Youth Basketball League. Sign-ups will take place at theWaitsfield School from 6:00 - 7:30 on Tuesday, October 25th.  One of the goals of our scheduling process is to have half of the games take place on Friday nights to allow people to access more snowboarding and Skiing on Saturdays. Practices begin as early as the week of 11/14. Feel free to email us at madriverybb@gmail.com and we can send you a copy of our
registration form.

Mad River Valley Harvest Festival      Come join us at the Harvest Festival, October 22, 11:00-5:00 on the Mad River Green.  You will find all kinds of activities such as pumpkin carving/decorating (bring your own pumpkin or buy one at the market), bob for donuts on a string, join a sack race, blow some bubbles, listen to the live music in the gazebo, check out the Mad River food Hub(tours 12:00-2:00), see what Glenn Acker can carve with his chain saw, and join the baking contest(sweet or savory using some of your summer harvest).
 

Girls Soccer Players in Grades K-6       Harwood Girls Varsity Soccer Coach Mike Vasseur invites all girl soccer players in grades K-6 to the annual training with the Harwood Girls Varsity team on Friday Oct. 21 from 4:00 to 5:15 p.m. at Harwood Union High School. The varsity players coach this fun session for dozens of young players from across our school district. The big girls have games, drills and scrimmages planned. It’s a highlight of the season for everyone, and is a great way to how support for the Harwood Girls Soccer program. Players should come dressed for soccer, including shin guards and layers if it's cold. Bring a water bottle and a soccer ball if you’d like (with your name on them).

Warren School Dance on October 28th, 7-9pm        Dance for 5th/6th graders at Warren School, $3 entry fee and can bring extra money for snacks.         No costumes, please.

Discussions with an Astronomer Oct 23, 2016 "Infinity, the philosophically elusive vastness of endlessness, is a lot simpler and a lot deeper than the child’s triumphant answer: “Infinity PLUS ONE!”. While it must be embraced as a necessary element in understanding reality, we also have come to understand that we can manage it philosophically. We welcome back local physicist, astronomer, programmer and educator Dan Zucker to guide us through the practical problems of how we perceive the infinite. There is no expectation of a background in mathematics for you to enjoy this presentation.  At the Moretown School. 4:00 - 5:30pm.  

KidsACT Holiday Musical: The Lights of Jingle Bell Hill  Still has room for actors   Wednesdays & Saturdays at the Valley Players Theater, Rt. 100, Waitsfield     October 26-December 17       Dates & times: Students in grades 1-3 meet from 3-4 on Weds. and 9:30-10:30 on Saturday. Students in grades 4-6 meet from 4-5 on Weds. and 10:30-11:30 on Saturday. No classes on Weds Nov. 16 or Sat. Nov. 26. Class on Weds Nov. 23 will be held on Tuesday Nov. 22due to the Thanksgiving holiday. Class schedule will change on Dec. 10 to Sat. 9:30-11:30am and Weds 3:00-5:00pm for all students for the last 2 classes as we come together to rehearse the full show. The performance will be on Saturday, December 17, at 4 pm. Students should plan to attend a dress rehearsal from 2:00-3:00. Snacks and theater games will be provided before the final performance at 4:00 pm.    Tickets to the show are FREE and the show is open to the public for general seating.     Enrollment & tuition: $125. A limited number of scholarships for half the full tuition are available from the Valley Players. Please indicate on your registration form if you wish to be considered for a scholarship.
 Registration: Go online to kidsactvt.com/kidsact-registration/ and fill out the on line form. You may mail a check or pay by credit card through the ticketleap link on the Registration page. Tuition is requested at time of registration to hold your child’s place in the program.
Students who would like to try KidsACT may do so for free on Oct. 26! Parents should email fun@kidsactvt.com to sign up for the free trial. For questions or more information, email director Ruth Ann Pattee at fun@kidsactvt.com or call 802-793-4220.