Bobcat Bulletin 11/23/20

School Photos

Hello Moretown Families - We hope everyone had a nice weekend. We left our final batch of school photos for families at MES last week (completing make-up day, retake, late and misc/missing print orders). Although the school is closed to in-person learning this week, our photos are  available to pick up at the front desk of the school with Chelsea or Mandy during normal school hours on Monday or Tuesday. Alternatively, if/when MES re-opens for in-person learning after Thanksgiving, your photos will be sent home with your child(ren) at that time.  Thanks for ordering school photos with us this year…and for your patience! And please let us know if you need anything else.  Enjoy your photos, Thanks!  Brian and Emily

School News: Library Happenings  Bookfair Letter Fall 2020 I Heart Art Dear Moretown Families: On Monday and Tuesday there will be lantern kits available for you to pick up at school to make at home over the Thanksgiving weekend. Here is a link to the how to videos for lantern making. All Pre-K - 4th grade students will be making the Vellum lanterns. All 5th and 6th graders will be making Globe lanterns. We will let you know what to do with the lanterns once they are finished. We're very excited to participate in this event and are happy that our school lanterns will be featured at Red Hen Bakery and Camp Meade on Saturday, December 5th for the River of Light Lantern Extravaganza. Please let me know if you have any questions. Ms. VonTrapp hvontrapp@huusd.org Thanks... DROP OFF SPOTS FOR LANTERNS

Community News/Opportunities 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.

Whether you celebrate with turkey, tofurkey, or skip right to the pies, the Libraries of the MRV invite you to sit at our virtual Thanksgiving table for trivia fun! In order to play along, you must pre-register. Registrants will be emailed the Zoom meeting ID and only registered participants will be allowed in. Register by noon on November 25.

To make things even more festive we've selected a non-alcoholic drink to toast each other with during the event so feel free to make a batch for your crew to sip on as we play!  "The Bright and Bitter"

It will be easiest to play with two devices - one that is logged into the Zoom meeting and another that is logged into Kahoot! (The Kahoot! app is free and can be downloaded onto a mobile device or you can log in using a web browser.) It is possible to play with one device but may be a little trickier.

Pass the gravy and see how much you know about the fourth Thursday of November!

Thanksgiving Virtual Trivia Night Registration

"Among Us" with the MRV Libraries

Fridays, 4-5:30pm, 11/20-12/18

Calling all crew and imposters! The MRV Libraries invite students in grades 5-8 to play the online game “Among Us” in a trusted environment. Can you spot the imposter and stop them before they destroy your ship and crewmates?

Participation is limited to 10 players. You may register for one or more of the Friday sessions. When you register, you will receive a Zoom link and instructions for downloading the game before your session. 

Registration: https://forms.gle/72257dmWvmeb8g658

School Board Updates

 HUUSD Board Meeting Recap, November 11, 2020 

The HUUSD Board met remotely on Wednesday, November 11th. The meeting began with an update from the Superintendent regarding the administration’s current work, including budgeting, negotiations and COVID-19. One adult at HUHS/MS tested positive for the virus, and the protocol for handling this was outlined. All HUUSD staff will have access to voluntary testing through the district’s own mobile testing unit in the upcoming weeks. The Board voted to adopt policy C5, regarding Board relations with school personnel, as recommended by the Policy Committee. Additionally, the Board approved the charges for the Middle School Facilities Committee and High School Facilities Committee. The committees were formed in an effort to determine next steps in the middle school merger process and the high school bond.

 In an effort to prepare the Board for the upcoming budget season, the Director of Finance, Michelle Baker, offered a presentation on budgeting basics. The Board was invited to ask questions. The first look at a FY22 budget will be presented at the December 9th meeting. Finally, the Board took some time to discuss the idea of reducing its size. A Board Size Committee presented pros and cons of various board reconfiguration options that they had researched and the full Board discussed the options presented. 

The Board passed a motion directing the Board Size Committee to discuss next steps and bring information to the Board at a December meeting for what a Town Meeting Day article would entail. The next regular Board meeting will be November 18th, at 6:00PM. Remote meeting requirements have made it easier than ever to participate in or view School Board meetings, and we hope you will consider joining us. You can also email the board with your thoughts at cen-huusdboard@huusd.org -- To participate live through Zoom, simply click on this link at the meeting’s start time: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/386460007#success -- To view either live or after-the-fact on YouTube, use this link: tinyurl.com/huwebapp-youtube-live -- To view on Mad River Television, use this link: www.mrvtv.com Thank you for continued support, The HUUSD Board

School Board recap, 11/18/20

Our district continues to be in great need of more substitute staff. The pay is $140/day and substitutes can choose which days and in which schools they will work. If there is any chance you might be able to offer your time for this, please contact Laura Titus at ltitus@huusd.org.

The HUUSD School Board met remotely via Zoom on November 18. The meeting began with detailed reports from the Superintendent as well as the Board’s student representatives. Community members might be especially interested to watch the meeting’s first 30 minutes to hear more about the district’s response and plans related to Vermont’s most recent COVID developments. A link to the meeting is available here:   https://tinyurl.com/huwebapp-youtube-live

The Board discussed a number of district policies, including those with regard to class size, wellness, prevention of sexual harassment and electronic communications.

The Board discussed the Superintendent’s proposal to convert 5 paid work days to 5 paid vacation days for all HUUSD employees as a one time bonus due to the COVID pandemic in recognition and thanks to its employees’ significant additional work and efforts. The Board recognizes that many members of our community who deserve additional compensation during this time are not receiving such recognition and we are fortunate to have the opportunity to support our employees in this way.  A formal vote on the proposal will occur on 12/9.

The Board will meet next on December 9th at 6PM, also via Zoom. The meeting will include a first look at projected expenditures for the next fiscal year and preliminary estimates from the state tax commissioner. All are invited to join the meeting through this link (https://us02web.zoom.us/j/386460007), or to watch it on our Youtube channel, HU Webapp.