Moretown School Update 3/29/19

Embracing Mud Season 

School News:

• The fifth and sixth graders have been working hard on 20% time projects. Students chose something they felt passionate about and wanted to learn more about. They spent several weeks setting goals, reflecting, adjusting their goals, and preparing for presentations. The projects ranged from make up and nails to making model RC cars.
• The April lunch menu is on the school website.  Remember you can check balances and pay through 
  https://www.myschoolbucks.com/

All that Jazz:

• Mark your calendar, the Spring Concert is scheduled for May 22 at 6:00pm.  
• We will also have our school BBQ that night!

Monster Mash

• Rock, Paper, Scissors:
• Mr. David organized a March Madness type Rock, Paper, Scissors Tournament to celebrate one of his favorite new classics:

Congratulations Mrs. Auger for being our Staff Champ!

PTO

Vermonte Carlo

Mark your calendars!  Moretown and Fayston PTO’s are collaborating to have the best night out in the valley! The Vermonte Carlo night is 7:00 p.m. April 6^th at Mount Ellen Lodge (Tickets $25).  Featuring live music by The Grift, BBQ buffet,  black jack tables and silent auction (seriously amazing things!). 

If you are interested in donating an hour or two of your time to help with the set up/dealing? Please click on the link for volunteer needs and details. https://www.signupgenius.com/go/30E044CA5AB2CA64-vermonte2

Upcoming PTO meetings:

April 24^th 

              5:30- 6:00 Advisory Committee- Chair: Jason Marring

              6:00-7:00 PTO meeting- President:  Lindsay Staples

May 22^nd 

              5:30- 6:00 Advisory Committee- Chair: Jason Marring

              6:00-7:00 PTO meeting- President:  Lindsay Staples

June 5^th

              5:30- 6:00 Advisory Committee- Chair: Jason Marring

              6:00-7:00 PTO meeting- President:  Lindsay Staples   

A Special THANK YOU to Pam Nelson for heading up the Winter Sports Program! It was an awesome season.   We all appreciate the work and care you put into the program!

Thank you to all the volunteers that made it happen!

Community News

Summer Camp Opportunities found  here.

School Board

Subject:  HUUSD School Board Meeting Recap March 27th

Dear members of our six town community,

At our last meeting on March 27, 2019, the Harwood Unified Union School District (HUUSD) Board took action on the six (6) items below (listed in order of the time in the meeting when the vote occurred):

1. Approved consent agenda including: approving minutes of 3/13/19, annual meeting (3/4/19) minutes and an out of state field trip; and accepting vouchers #1193, 1194, 1204 and 1213 equaling $636,610.96
2. Adopted these 2 motions related to the work plan and prek-12 plan after discussion and amendment:
• Task the Asset Management group to review the “Getting to yes” and “Questions” worksheets, compile the data, and report back to the board;
• Task board leadership, the superintendent, and board committee chairs to develop a draft timeline for the board to review; (related to the bond and the preK-12 plan) as early as April 10th but no later than April 24th.
3. Appointed Tim Jones and Maureen McCracken to the Fayston School Principal Search Committee.
4. Recapped, discussed, and heard public comment on the Superintendent’s report and approved incorporating such report into these minutes.The report can be found here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1157YDyP44frIp0x07Gajy781Q-Jtlsx-/view
5. Entered into executive session for purpose of discussing a grievance, because premature general public knowledge would clearly place the public body or a person involved at a substantial disadvantage. Upon returning to open meeting, no further action was taken.
6. Entered into executive session for the purpose of discussing an employee's contract, because doing so in public session would clearly place that employee at a substantial disadvantage. Returning to open meeting, the Board upheld the Superintendent’s recommendation for disciplinary action regarding an employee. The Board denied a leave of absence request from an employee.

Our next meeting is Wednesday, April 10th at 7:00 pm and will be held in the Harwood Union High School library. Starting at 6:00 pm, the Asset Management and Policy committees will meet, also in the library. Committees generally alternate meeting times and meet every other board meeting. For more information on the SMART goals that drive 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=mrvtv

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)

Moretown School Update 3/22/19

Watching the snowflakes fall, but welcoming spring all the same.

School News:

Hampstead Stage Company visited this week with a great performance of Treasure Island...
with some audience participation

Ms. H and Mrs. Riccardi's classes visited Shelburne Farms and learned a thing or two about sugaring:

PTO

Vermonte Carlo

Mark your calendars!  Moretown and Fayston PTO’s are collaborating to have the best night out in the valley! The Vermonte Carlo night is 7:00 p.m. April 6^th at Mount Ellen Lodge (Tickets $25).  Featuring live music by The Grift, BBQ buffet,  black jack tables and silent auction (seriously amazing things!). 

If you are interested in donating an hour or two of your time to help with the set up/dealing? Please click on the link for volunteer needs and details. https://www.signupgenius.com/go/30E044CA5AB2CA64-vermonte2

Winter Sports Program

The last winter sports program of the season is Tuesday March 26^th.  A very special thanks to all the amazing volunteers who make this incredible program work.  We are so lucky and fortunate to take advantage of our beautiful outdoor classroom all year round!  Please email the PTO if you have interest in volunteering for the program next year moretownpto@gmail.com

Community News

Summer basketball camp for kids entering 2nd grade through 9th grade.  There are 3 different sessions. A 2-4th boys and girls, 5-9 girls, and 5-9 boys.  The camp is at Harwood and goes from 6/24-6/28. The cost is $100 dollars if registered before April 15th.  Please contact Tommy Young for an application or questions. tyoung@huusd.org

Registration is now open for the 2019 Mad River Lacrosse Season!

Mad River Valley Youth Lacrosse offers a fun opportunity for boys and girls from kindergarten to eighth grade to play lacrosse. First timers are welcome at any level! The teams are divided up by boys and girls in grades 3-4,5-6, and 7-8. We offer a Sunday morning program called "Chill Lax" for boys and girls in grades K, 1 and 2.

Registration

Before registering your son or daughter to play 2019 spring lacrosse, all players must first register with the U.S. Lacrosse Association (www.uslacrosse.org) and obtain a U.S. Lacrosse Membership number.

Once you get the lacrosse number, please go to the Mad River Lacrosse (www.madriverlax.com) website and register your child.

Equipment

Players are required to provide their own equipment, which includes a stick and protective gear.  Boys protective gear: mouth guard, gloves, arm pads, shoulder pads, cup, and helmet. Girls protective gear: goggles and mouth guard.  Equipment will be provided for the 3-4 grade players as supplies allow.

Practices and Games

Official outdoor practices are held at Mad River Park, beginning in late April, while specific team coaches may schedule pre-season indoor sessions.  Games are conducted from the first week of May through mid-June.

Please send any and all questions to madriverlaxinfo@gmail.com

From the Children’s Room:

• There are two weeks left of our Family Winter Wellness Series at The Children's Room! Hope you can come join us for one, or both, of these caregiver education events:
• Thursday, March 28 (6pm-7:30pm), TBPS Cafeteria
• Movie Night for Grown Ups, Storytelling for the Kids
• Maroni Minter (from the Let's Grow Kids campaign) shares a powerful new documentary, NO SMALL MATTER, about the latest science around child development in the early years, and how the care we provide can affect it. He'll also give us a quick catch-up up on the big changes to the early care and learning system being proposed in Vermont's new legislative session, and talk about ways average folks can help steer the movement, because primary caregivers are the primary advocates for our young children!
• Children are invited enjoy a free evening of stories (and play) downstairs in The Children's Room with babysitters. Pizza & salad provided, all.
• Saturday, March 30, (10am- 12pm), TBPS Cafeteria
• "Meeting the Needs of Young Families"- a Whole Family Care Fair
• In Central Vermont, there are many organizations with the mission of helping caregivers find support, resources and family - friendly fun. Representatives from the Family Center of Washington County, Good Beginnings of Central Vermont, WIC, Hunger Free Vermont, local Food Shelves, Let's Grow Kids, Children's Integrated Services, Vermont Kin as Parents, plus postpartum doulas and yoga instructors, and more, come together to discuss what they offer and answer questions. Free onsite childcare available.
• Please register at childrensroomonline.org or childrensroom@wwsu.org or 244-5605
• The Children's Room is located at Thatcher Brook Primary School, 47 Stowe Street, Waterbury
• The Family Winter Wellness Series is made possible by a Spark! Connecting Grant from The Vermont Community Foundation

School Board

https://wwsu.org/huusd-board

Moretown School Update 3/15/19

Wishing you all a restful and joy filled weekend!

School News:

The last day of school is tentatively June 14 (assuming there are no more snow days). That would be a half day.
No School Friday March 22- Family Conferences
Speaking of conferences, looking forward to seeing families this week!
While you are here, take a minute to check Lost & Found for any missing mittens, hats, sweatshirts or other items.





5th and 6th graders held their Ancient Greek Olympics this week:

City state team chant

Olympic sport pictionary

Olympic basketball competition

Javelin throw

The sap is going to run soon and Zac and I are wondering if any parents might have 3 to 5 buckets and spiles to donate for us to use during ECO in the coming weeks.

We also will need a brace and a bit. I have one, but it would be good to have another one!


thanks!


Amy Butler

Director of Education

North Branch Nature Center

PTO

Winter Sports program will return this Tuesday. Should be some amazing 'spring' skiing.
We are still collecting Box Tops for Education. The box is near the mail office. Thanks for all who have clipped and sent in.

Community News

Helping Children Develop Healthy Sleep Patterns. A presentation/workshop for parents, providers and teachers
By Scott Noyes


The results of children not getting enough sleep are astonishing. Sleep deprivation can have serious effects on physical health and mental impairments. Inadequate rest impairs our ability to think, handle stress, maintain a healthy immune system and moderate our emotions. The loss of one hour of sleep for a child each night is equivalent to two years of cognitive maturation and development. In addition, sleep-deprived people fail to recall pleasant memories yet recall gloomy memories just fine. This presentation will review the facts about the importance of sleep and how to help children establish and maintain healthy sleep habits.


Tuesday March 19th


6-8 PM


Steele Community Room, Waterbury Municipal Building , 28 N. Main St, Waterbury


$5.00 per person, Please RSVP 244-5980 or thechildrensspace@comcast.net







Community Socrates Cafe!


On Thursday, March 28th from 6-8, Harwood Union HS and the Waterbury Libraries will be sponsoring another Socrates Café in the HUHS Library. All members of the community are welcome to join in the dialogue on the question: “What is the relationship between success and happiness?” Rather than being a debate or a discussion, a Socrates Café is a dialogue where participants are encouraged to listen to each other and to learn from one another.


This form of discourse and its focus on the search for knowledge, comes from Socrates, who observed that, "Wisdom Begins in Wonder." These gatherings are open to all members of the community, regardless of age, experience or background. Harwood students who are experienced in leading Socratic Dialogues will facilitate the discussions. Refreshments will be served!


For more information contact Kathy Cadwell at kcadwell@wwsu.org or Judi Byron, judi@waterburypubliclibrary.com or Megan Reed, HUHS librarian at mreed@wwsu.org













Registration is now open for the 2019 Mad River Lacrosse Season!





Mad River Valley Youth Lacrosse offers a fun opportunity for boys and girls from kindergarten to eighth grade to play lacrosse. First timers are welcome at any level! The teams are divided up by boys and girls in grades 3-4,5-6, and 7-8. We offer a Sunday morning program called "Chill Lax" for boys and girls in grades K, 1 and 2.





Registration


Before registering your son or daughter to play 2019 spring lacrosse, all players must first register with the U.S. Lacrosse Association (www.uslacrosse.org) and obtain a U.S. Lacrosse Membership number.


Once you get the lacrosse number, please go to the Mad River Lacrosse (www.madriverlax.com) website and register your child.





Equipment


Players are required to provide their own equipment, which includes a stick and protective gear. Boys protective gear: mouth guard, gloves, arm pads, shoulder pads, cup, and helmet. Girls protective gear: goggles and mouth guard. Equipment will be provided for the 3-4 grade players as supplies allow.





Practices and Games


Official outdoor practices are held at Mad River Park, beginning in late April, while specific team coaches may schedule pre-season indoor sessions. Games are conducted from the first week of May through mid-June.








Please send any and all questions to madriverlaxinfo@gmail.com

School Board

https://wwsu.org/huusd-board








Subject: HUUSD School Board Meeting Recap March 13th

Dear members of our six town community,

At our last meeting on March 13, 2019, the Harwood Unified Union School District (HUUSD) Board took action on the eight (8) items below (listed in order of the time in the meeting when the vote occurred):


Board Reorganization/Appointments/Newspapers of Record


Elected Caitlin Hollister as Chair, Torrey Smith as Vice Chair; Rosemarie White as Finance Officer; Gabe Gilman as Assistant Finance Officer; Maureen McCracken as Recording Secretary; and Christine Sullivan as HUUSD voting delegate for statewide health insurance.


Designated building administrators as truant officers for their building.


Designated the Valley Reporter, Waterbury Record, and Times Argus as the newspapers of record.


Confirmed board meeting schedule as 2nd and 4th Wednesdays of month.


Appointed our minutes-taker as the recording secretary for purpose of creating meeting updates.



Approved the following items as part of the consent agenda: Minutes of 2/20/19, 3/4/19 (as corrected)



Recognized and affirmed that:(a) That Harwood Union is in need of repairs and renovation and that a bond vote will be necessary in order to authorize that work; (b) That in order to make a decision on the content of the bond for Harwood Union, a decision must first be made with respect to which students will attend the school following the renovations; and (c) That although the board has previously voted on and rejected a motion to move grade 7 and 8 students currently attending Harwood to Crossett Brook, the question remains open and requires further study.


After discussion and amendment, confirmed Board consensus that: (a) the pre K-6 and/or Middle School questions cannot be decoupled from the Harwood Bond; (b) any plan we put before the voters for the amount to be bonded must be for pre-K through 12; and (3) the board will endeavor to get such bond by town meeting day 2020.



Discussed the motion below (as amended) and tabled further discussion until March 27th:

That the Board direct the Asset Management Work Group to study the feasibility of having a middle school on the southern end of the district and that the board acknowledge that the Asset Management Work Group may may need to consider impacts to PK-4 as part of this effort, and that the board authorize the committee to spend no more than $5000 in the completion of this study,and that the board request a report from the Asset Management Work Group no later than April 24th describing the alternatives considered and their costs.


Adopted the visioning engagement process as outlined in the timeline document


Authorized the Visioning Committee to act on the feedback articulated at the March 13th board meeting and to activate the survey when they feel ready.


Made new committee assignments as listed below.


Policy - Torrey


EPC/EFC - Tim, James


Asset mgmt - James, Maureen


Monitoring District Performance - Garett, Jeremy


Visioning - Jonathan, Kristen


Our next meeting is Wednesday, March 27th at 7:00 pm and will be held in the Harwood Union High School library. Starting at 6:00 pm, the Visioning, District Monitoring and Executive Project committees will meet, also in the library. Committees generally alternate meeting times and meet every other board meeting. For more information on the SMART goals that drive 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 can be found here: https://archive.org/search.php?query=mrvtv

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)

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)










ReplyReply allForward

Moretown School Update 3/8/19

"Play is the highest form of research"-Albert Einstein 

School News:

And more play by our oldest and youngest 'researchers' at MES: Puffer 5/6 with their preK buddies:

Speaking of Preschool.... (please read on or pass along to folks you know)

PreSchool Screening

This is an opportunity for us to get to know your child, as well as for him or her (and you!) to become more familiar with us. We ask that all children who will be three years old by September 1, 2019 and reside in Moretown participate in our screening, regardless of your plans for your child. Preschool screening will occur throughout the day of Friday, March 15th, 2019. Please contact Loretta DiMario at 496-3742, or ldimario@huusd.org as soon as possible to schedule your child for the screening.


At the screening, children have the opportunity to play in our preschool classroom using art materials, blocks, imaginative play materials and other supplies typically used in our preschool program. Please plan on joining us for approximately 45 minutes. You and your child will have an opportunity to meet with some of our early education staff, including preschool teachers Jenny Lyle and Heather Von Trapp, speech-language therapist Kelly Poulin, our school nurse Jean Andreson, and HUUSD Early Essential Educator Bridget Mahabir. Additionally, principal Mandy Couturier will be available to talk through universal preschool funding and the options available to your family.


Preschool choice is available throughout the state of Vermont. Per state law, you can elect for your child to attend any preschool in Vermont that meets state standards (the state maintains a list of all pre-qualified programs) and the town of residence will pay for up to 10 hours of this programming.

At the screening, you will be asked to complete an online registration . This registration is a required component for accessing universal preschool (act 166) funding; it provides us with the essential information we are required to gather, as well as the information we need for those who will be attending our program. The registration also requires a copy of your child’s birth certificate and vaccination record, along with evidence of residency (a utility bill with your address, a rental or home buying agreement, etc.) Please bring these with you to the screening. Again, all these documents are required even if you do not anticipate that your child will attend the Moretown School preschool program, but will be using universal preschool funding.

Reminder:
We'll be back on the slopes next Tuesday at Sugarbush!

All that Jazz
Next week on Tuesday, our district's 5th and 6th grade singers will converge upon Harwood for the annual choral festival. The festival will be held from 7:00-9:00pm.

Monster Mash

Please join The Moretown Public Library and The Moretown School Library in welcoming Daphne Kalmar, author of A Stitch In Time.

Daphne will be speaking at the Moretown School Library

Sunday March 10, from 3:00pm - 4:00pm.

Daphne’s 60-minute presentation will include a discussion of researching life in Vermont in the 1920’s, the art of taxidermy and how it crept into her novel, a reading and a question and answer period.

This event is free and all are welcome to attend.

PTO

We've extended the High Mowing Seed Sale!  We will accept online orders until Sunday, March 10th at 3pm!  Payments must be received at the school by noon on Monday, March 11th.  Checks are payable to Moretown PTO.  Seeds will be distributed by March 20th.

If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to email moretownpto@gmail.com. 

Next PTO Meeting: Tuesday, March 26th at 6pm

Community News

MECA Summer Camps:

Hi Everyone,

We are so excited to send this out! We have heard great feedback from your wonderful kids and families and have made some changes to programming here this summer.

*** Please note that these forms must be filled out based on the grade your child will be entering in the Fall of 2019***

Preschool Registration Form: https://goo.gl/forms/jriCZiNiioKetcEp2

K-3rd Grade Registration Form: https://goo.gl/forms/U2VLsP34oJT7av8F3

4th-6th Grade Registration Form: https://goo.gl/forms/3hjPq3VZkjRzmyOg2

Slots are first come first serve and you will receive a confirmation email from me before registration is complete. 

Bring on the summer!

~Moie LaRock

  MECA Director

  802-583-7854

Registration is now open for the 2019 Mad River Lacrosse Season!

Mad River Valley Youth Lacrosse offers a fun opportunity for boys and girls from kindergarten to eighth grade to play lacrosse. First timers are welcome at any level! The teams are divided up by boys and girls in grades 3-4,5-6, and 7-8. We offer a Sunday morning program called "Chill Lax" for boys and girls in grades K, 1 and 2.

Registration

Before registering your son or daughter to play 2019 spring lacrosse, all players must first register with the U.S. Lacrosse Association (www.uslacrosse.org) and obtain a U.S. Lacrosse Membership number.

Once you get the lacrosse number, please go to the Mad River Lacrosse (www.madriverlax.com) website and register your child.

Equipment

Players are required to provide their own equipment, which includes a stick and protective gear.  Boys protective gear: mouth guard, gloves, arm pads, shoulder pads, cup, and helmet. Girls protective gear: goggles and mouth guard.  Equipment will be provided for the 3-4 grade players as supplies allow.

Practices and Games

Official outdoor practices are held at Mad River Park, beginning in late April, while specific team coaches may schedule pre-season indoor sessions.  Games are conducted from the first week of May through mid-June.

Please send any and all questions to madriverlaxinfo@gmail.com

Community Socrates Cafe!

On Thursday, March 28^th from 6-8, Harwood Union HS and the Waterbury Libraries will be sponsoring another Socrates Café in the HUHS Library.  All members of the community are welcome to join in the dialogue on the question: “What is the relationship between success and happiness?”  Rather than being a debate or a discussion, a Socrates Café is a dialogue where participants are encouraged to listen to each other and to learn from one another. This form of discourse and its focus on the search for knowledge, comes from Socrates, who observed that, "Wisdom Begins in Wonder." These gatherings are open to all members of the community, regardless of age, experience or background. Harwood students who are experienced in leading Socratic Dialogues will facilitate the discussions.  Refreshments will be served!  

For more information contact Kathy Cadwell at kcadwell@wwsu.org or Judi Byron, judi@waterburypubliclibrary.com or Megan Reed, HUHS librarian at mreed@wwsu.org

School Board:

https://wwsu.org/huusd-board