Moretown School Update, September 22, 2017

SEPTEMBER 22, 2017 

Dot Day
International Dot Day is held
to encourage people of all ages to
harness their creativity.
The inspiration behind the event
is the children's book
The Dot by Peter H. Reynolds.

Family Conferences Information 2017-18

We are excited once again to engage you, as parents and families, in setting goals for your child during the Fall family/teacher conferences.  As conferences are occurring in the fall and spring, we will only send report cards home only twice: in January and June.  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.  The March Parent Conference will provide an opportunity to reflect on their growth and new goals for future schooling that have emerged.

We have scheduled our fall conferences to occur between October 23 through November 3rd, this school year. We will be sending out information regarding the student conferences in early October. Let us know if you have any questions.

Sincerely,

Duane Pierson

dpierson@wwsu.og

SKI PROGRAM MEETING ANNOUNCED 

Our winter sports program coordinator
will host our organizational meeting on 9/27 at 6:30.  We will send out
the meeting location early next week.  
  

MORETOWN SCHOOL HOSTS AUTHOR 

On the morning of October 10, local author Kate Messner will be giving a presentation to 3rd through 6th graders.  She will be talking to kids about two of her books “The Exact Location of Home” and “The Seventh Wish.”    She will give an inside look into her writing process including research, brainstorming, planning, drafting, and revision.  She will share examples of her writer’s notebook as well as marked up manuscripts to show the editing process.  She will have time to answer student’s questions and sign their books.  

Please see the attached order form to purchase Kate’s books.  She has a large variety of books available from middle-grade chapter books to picture books to amazing non-fiction nature books.  All checks should be made out to BEAR POND BOOKS.  Scholarships for books orders are available to eligible families, please see Duane for more details if you are interested. All order forms are due by Sept 29th.  

Kate Messner Author Visit Order Form

 

CALENDAR UPDATE

Sept-Oct 2017

September 27	HUUSD Board Meeting 6pm Harwood Union
September 27	Moretown Ski program meeting 6:30pm Location TBD
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 4	PTN membership Meeting 6:30 at the school
October 6 October 9	Inservice Day - No school for students No School
October 11	HUUSD Spelling Bee Hosted at the Fayston School 8am start time
October 12	Picture Day

Kindergarten students share their masks they
made after reading 
"Where the Wild Things Are" 
by Maurice Sendak  

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.

Fencing Instruction: adults and students grade 5 and up, 6:30-8:00, Waitsfield School Gymnasium, Mondays and Wednesdays, September 18 - October 23rd. Cost is $40 for students grades 5-12 and $125 for all others. Space is limited so register in advance.  For questions and more information contact Digger(Keith Puffer) at 802-989-8014, email at midvtfencing@gmail.com, or go to https://sites.google.com/site/midvtfencing/home

MAD DASH:  A benefit for the Mad River Path, October 8th, 10am start time. There will be a 5K and 10K Road Race, a 5K Fitness Walk, and a free Kids' Fun Run.  For information and registration visit www.madriverpath.com. You may also call 802-496-7284 for more information and to volunteer.

Baked Beads Jewelry and Scarf Sale: October 6-8, 10am-5pm, under the tent on Carroll Road near the Big Picture.  A portion of the proceeds will be donated to Mad River Valley Ambulance.

Mad River Youth Basketball Registration is now open for boys and girls in grades 3 - 6!   Fees:  $65 for early registration by October 3, 2017.  $75 for late registration after October 3, 2017 until registration closes on October 15, 2017.  
Register by email or in person.  Scholarships are available!
In person registration night is October 3, 2017, 6:00 - 7:30 p.m., at Waitsfield Elementary School.  There will be organized drills provided for the kids! Open gyms begin October 10, 2017, more details to come.
Regular season practices will begin in mid-November and games will start in mid-December.    Email:  madriverybb@gmail.com with any questions and to request a registration form.

Basketball clinic for boys and girls in grades 1-3 : Open gyms sessions (3) will be held on Wednesday 9/20, 9/27 and 10/4 from 3:30-5:00 at Fayston Elementary School. $8 per session/per kid, $10 max per family per session. Please bring sneakers and a water bottle. We will provide basketballs, but you can bring one too but we will not have a pump so please prepump. We are looking for a parent or two who are interested in becoming an assistant coach this coming basketball year. Nothing too serious, just helping during practices or more, depending on you. Boys and girls teams (grades 3-4 and 5-6) are looking for an assistant or two. For more information or questions contact Jesse Carst at Jeslee21@hotmail.com