Moretown School Update September 1, 2017

Moretown Students
Enjoying the New Playground
in the New School Year

A quick slideshow of our first day....




NEW FACES at The Moretown School

The Moretown School would like to welcome our new staff members for the 17-18 school year.
We feel very lucky to be able to attract and hire such energetic, qualified and skilled individuals to serve our students in a variety of capacities.

Mike Perry
Custodian/Maintenance
Part Time 

Robin Harris
Pre-School Assistant

Nicole Day
Instructional Assistant 

Christine Wulff
.5 FTE Special Educator 

Michelle Sismondo
Pre- School and
Instructional Assistant 

Cheri Lundblad
Instructional Assistant
Welcome Back!  

Kaitlin McDonagh
MECA
Assistant Director 

CALENDAR UPDATE

Sept 2017

September 4	Labor Day  No school :(
September 13	HUUSD Board Retreat Agenda/Location TBD
September 20	HUUSD Board Meeting 6pm Harwood Union
September 27	HUUSD Board Meeting 6pm Harwood Union
September 28	Spaghetti Dinner 4:45 (Hosted by the 6th grade as a fundraiser for their end of year trip)   Open House 5:30
October 6	Inservice Day - No school for students
October 12	Picture Day

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.

47th Annual Mad River Valley Craft Fair,   Sat. & Sun., Sept, 2 & 3, 10 am - 5 pm. Rain or shine Kenyon's Field Route 100, Waitsfield. 2/3 under a giant tent, 110 juried artists, four bands, door prizes, delicious food court and free kids activities! Browse handmade items from practical to whimsical and meet the artists. RELAX in our Man Cave: cocktails, beer & ping-pong (all adults welcome)! www.madrivercraftfair.com, benefits the Valley Players, a non-profit community theater.

Rocket Into Scouting!  Cub Scout Information Day Tuesday, September 12 at Waitsfield Elementary School, 4:30-6:00 pm.  Cub Scouts is an amazing opportunity for boys to experience outdoor adventures, like camping and hiking, as well as connecting with their community through family events and volunteer opportunities.  Come learn about Scouting and how it can expand your son’s friendships, communication skills, civic and environmental knowledge.  Contact  mrvpack798@gmail.com, cubpack798.org, or 802-371-9997.

Kids Clay Classes with Leslie, 3-5pm,  Mondays 9/11, 9/18, 9/25, and Oct 2,  Tuesdays 9/12, 9/19, 9/26, and 10/3, Wednesdays 9/13, 9/20, 9/27, and 10/4.  The cost for 4 classes is $150.  Call 496-6948 or email vtclaymobile@hotmail.com

Kids Yoga Classes: Offered by Mindy Pistacchio at Valley Glow Yoga,  on Fridays 9/15, 10/20, 11/17, and 12/8, at 5pm . Cost is $12 for kids Kindergarten through 4th grade.  Contact Mindy at Mindy.Pistacchio@gmail.com for more information.

Girls Night In with Mindy Pistacchio: a four class series for girls in 5th-8th grade to develope self-confidence, posiitive body image and gain tools to reduce stress.  Session 1:  September 15, 6-7:30pm, trust, team building, journaling, and yoga. Session 2: October 20th, 6-7:30pm, organic facials, healthy choices, and yoga.  Session 3: November 17, 6-7:30pm Mala Beads, medication and yoga. Session 4:December 8, 6-7:30pm, essential oils, bath melts, and yoga. Cost is $55 for all four classes and $16 for one class.  Pre -register at mindy.pistacchio@gmail.com

 "A Christmas Carol," Auditions, Barre Opera House, September 8, 9, 12-3pm,  adults and high school singers, dancers, actors with VYT Community Company, Artistic Director Mary List-Wheeler and Choreographer Taryn Noelle. Come experience a fun audition for the show on December 22, 23. Students ages 5-15 may participate through VYT Conservatory, now expanding into the Waterbury-Stowe area with Saturday classes. For more info: fineartsbarn@gmail.com or  272-7290 or website: vermontyouththeater.com

Mad River Park Celebration Party, September 9th: The party is a thank you to the community. The people of Moretown, Fayston, Waitsfield and Warren all voted to contribute to the purchase price for the fields AND 200 plus individuals from those towns plus Waterbury and many of our 2nd home owners donated money as well! There will be a soccer jamboree and a lacrosse demo between 9am and 3pm at the Mad River Park.  From 3pm to 7pm Sabouyouma (afro funk) and Big Ragged Shack (a combination of local bands) will be playing near the lacrosse field.  Yak it to me, the Hot Dog Guy and Luiza's Pierogis will be vending delicious food and Noah’s Fizzy and Cornerstone will keep us hydrated.  Sweet spot will be serving up their delicious ice cream sandwiches. Pick up games with MRV Disc and Old Folks Soccer will take place from 3-7 to make sure the adults get to play as well.

KidsACT Fall Musical classes will take place at the Valley Players Theater on Main Street (Rt. 100) in Waitsfield starting Sept. 12. Students in grades 3-6 will learn stage movement, songs, and dialogue to perform Through The Looking Glass. Classes take place from 3:00-4:30 on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Students may arrive at the theater starting at 2:30 for snack time and theater games. The performance will be at 5 pm on Thursday, Nov. 9. There are many featured roles and solos available.
Partial scholarships are available from the Valley Players. For tuition information, and to register, go to kidsactvt.com. All students must be registered prior to the start of classes. Early registration discounts and sibling discounts are also available.

School Begins August 28, 2017

Welcome to the 2017-2018 school year.  
School begins Monday, August 28, 2017.  
We can't wait to see you!

Important School Links:

To our Website:   www.moretownschool.com

Bussing: http://www.wwsu.org/bus-routes.php

Lunch Menus: Lunch Menu

School Calendar 2017-18 Calendar Information

Moretown School playground pics

Our new playground sitting area
getting its finishing touches

Our new upper field playground
days away from completion

Welcome to the 2017-18 school year

Welcome to the 2017-2018 school year!  

Hello Moretown School Families,

The Moretown School is eager to get underway for the new school year.  There are a host of initiatives, activities and improvements we have been preparing over the summer to create a dynamic and engaging school year for everyone.  Some changes and highlights include;

1. We need to say goodbye to two long time staff members who have made outstanding contributions to our school community.  Both Lisa Shephard and Pam Washburn left their positions this summer.  Both will be sorely missed - we wish them well with their next life adventures.  
2. We welcome Loretta DiMario as she transitions from her past role as our preschool instructional assistant to her new role as our school’s administrative assistant beginning this fall.   Loretta rose to the top of a very competitive list of candidates for this open position.  We are excited to growth with her in this new role.    
3. Continuation of our successful and community supported Educating Children Outdoors program (A North Branch Nature Center partnered curriculum) for grades Pre K – 2,
4. Continuation of our involvement with the Vermont Rural Partnership a grant providing agency supporting grant funded learning opportunities for our students, last year we updated and improved our cafeteria with a walled garden, trout in the classroom tank, new wall paint and a student powered STEM fan project.   
5. Continuation of our Moretown School’s STEM program through a Washington West Supervisory Union initiative supported by the Project Lead the Way program (https://www.pltw.org/).  This year all students grades K - 6 will learn about the world of design and innovation through PLTW program materials that are aligned with the Next Generation Science Standards.  We are very excited to offer this program to our students this year.      
6. Continuation of or 1:1 device program for grades 3 – 6 (combining netbook, ipads, and chromebooks for students to utilize).
7. Continuation of our successful and self- supporting MECA program.  MECA boasted over 84 students in attendance for our summer program,  The program, led by Moie Moulton and her excellent staff, continues expand and improve its offering.  
8. Continuation of our new progress report system guided by ACT 77 (personalized learning plans and proficiency based learning http://education.vermont.gov/flexible-pathways) which includes
1. Family conferences are built into the school calendar two times within the school year; once in late October/early November and once in March (see the school calendar for specific dates). These conferences focus on goal-setting. School staff work with students and their families to establish focus goals, based upon strengths, challenges and interests students have demonstrated. Academic, as well as social-emotional, proficiencies play an important role when establishing focus goals.
2. Progress on these goals, as well as general growth monitoring, is shared in report cards sent home in January and June.  Teachers may share information regarding student strengths and challenges outside of these established communication cycles and families are encouraged to reach out to teachers if they have questions regarding their child’s progress.  

9. Continuation of the responsive classroom system to support a positive school climate.
10. Working in partnership with the newly formed Moretown Town Recreation committee improvements are underway regarding the tennis courts, baseball field and new playground area.  A new Kiosk near the access road has information regarding upcoming work.   It has been a long time since any maintenance has been completed on our recreation fields - we are very excited about these improvements.  
11. Continuation of our school blog and new website to keep all of our community informed about our school events, learning and opportunities.   The blog will continue to be a great way to provide real time clips of student learning, up to date information and access to a wide variety of link that will help us help our families create a successful experience for our students.

.          

Important  School Information:

1. Main office of the school is open beginning at 7:15.  Our main contact number is 496-3742.  The school will be open beginning at 7:15 for early morning drop off of students, students will meet in the multi purpose room.   
2. School Day begins at 7:40 and Ends at 2:30.  
3. Design work continues on upgrades and improvements to our driveways, stormwater  and parking lot areas.  We will provide updates on this later in the fall.    
4. Lunch
1. Pre-school and MECA Lunches will occur a bit before 11:00
2. Lunch for grades 3- 4 begins at 11:15 and ends at 11:45
3. Lunch for grades K-2 begins at 11:45 and ends at 12:15
4. Lunch for grades 5 - 6 begins at 12:15 and ends at 12:45
5. $3.50 for Lunch and $1.75 for breakfast.  
6. Checks should be made out to the Harwood Food Service.  
5. A comprehensive information packet will be sent home during the first few days of school.  Please take time to review the information and send necessary information back to us so that we can make adjustments and updates to our school’s files.  

Important School Links:

To our Website:   www.moretownschool.com

To our Blog: http://moretownschoolblog.blogspot.com/

Bussing: http://www.wwsu.org/bus-routes.php

Lunch Menus: Lunch Menu (please note lunch menus will be updated the week prior to school’s beginning.  

School Calendar 2017-18 Calendar Information

**Here are some helpful tips with helping your child(ren) get ready for the school year...

1. Talk about school starting as a positive event – not a negative.
2. Have your child help pick out their own school supplies (backpacks, lunch box, pens, pencils, etc.)
3. Visit or revisit the school grounds so that your child feels comfortable in their school environment. Call us at 496-3742 so you know the school is open.  
4. Start tailoring your schedule now so that it matches your school schedule.  Earlier bedtimes and earlier rise times.
5. Engage your child in discussion about the upcoming school year – what are they looking forward to, what are they scared of?
6. Make sure your child knows emergency contact information.  This will help your child and you both feel more secure.
7. Take advantage of any back to school open houses, tours, or parent-teacher meetings that the school offers.
8. Familiarize yourself and your child with their teacher’s name, school room location, school office, and locker location.
9. Discuss your child’s school schedule.  When do they start, when is lunch, when does school get out?
10. If your child takes the bus, visit the bus stop and make sure your child knows what time the bus picks up.
11. If you have any specific concerns regarding your child, contact the appropriate party and make your concerns known.  This could be the teacher, school nurse, school counselor, etc.
12. Start building up their confidence by revisiting topics that they were learning last year.
13. Encourage your child to work hard this school year by setting up a study schedule and quiet area for them to work in.
14. Label your child’s belongings.  Many kids will have the same backpacks, lunch boxes, etc.  Print your child’s name, use stickers, or even use a luggage tag to help them identify their stuff.
15. Have your child’s backpack and lunch prepared the night before to help the first day of school go as smoothly as possible.  Enclose a special note with their lunch so they know you are thinking of them.
16. Make sure you enjoy these last days of summer!!!
17. Don’t forget about enjoying time with neighbors and friends at our 2nd annual Morefest Celebration - more to offer than last year - same amazing Fireworks!!  

Welcome to the 2017-18 school year (take one)

Hello Moretown School Families,

Welcome to the 2017-18 school year.  We are working hard to make sure our building and staff are ready for the first day of school.  The School's Blog is in the process of being updated to provide information regarding all items related to our school and our community for this school year.

We will send out a welcome letter soon.

We look forward to seeing everyone on the 28th of August.

Duane Pierson

August 26	2:00 - 9:00 Antique Car/Tractor Show, Family Activities, Great Food, Bingo, Music and Fireworks! At the Moretown Recreation Fields GREAT EVENT FOR FAMILIES!!
August 28	School Begins - we will send out welcome information, calendar information school information packets, lunch menus prior to the first day of school. More on this later.