Monday, August 30, 2021

Bobcat Bulletin- Monday 8/30/21


 

Hello there!

It's Monday of our first full week at school! Exciting stuff.  I wanted to reach out with some reminders and updates that are important for you to know.


  1. As noted above, school picture day is Wednesday September 1 for all students in school that day.  If your child is absent, or their preschool is not scheduled to meet on Wednesday, we will have another round of picture day on 9/9/21.  There will also be retakes on 10/13/21.
  2. Preschool lunch orders will now be done in the classroom.  Please talk with your preschooler about their lunch choice in the morning and/or let the teacher know if they need to order hot lunch.
  3. Please send your child to school with a water bottle.  It has been quite warm and a water bottle provides the easiest access to thirst quenching.
  4. First day of school packets will have all gone home by this afternoon.  Please take a few minutes to look through the folder.  Some forms need to be returned while others are for your information.  Photo order forms are in that folder too!
  5. Once again this year, we will be spending time learning outdoors.  it is important for students to have sunscreen and bug repellent applied before school.  Our school nurse recommends applying bug repellent to clothes: shirts (long sleeves are ideal), pants and hats.
  6. New and improved bus routes are published here.  I think Moretown's are the same as last week. Thanks for everyone updating information in Pick Up Patrol!!!

Friday, August 27, 2021

Bobcat Bulletin 8/27/21

 



The final steps to get the building ready earlier this week... carpet installed,
wood chips spread, and...



and some fresh mulch for our plants!



School News:

Students brought all the joy this week!  

Food Service:
  • Breakfasts and Lunches remain free this year!
  • Sandwich choices this year:
      • Turkey and cheese
      • or hummus and veggie


PE

  • The students are psyched to have Ms Ally back! 
    • She will be in Moretown on Wednesday afternoons and all day Thursdays and Fridays.
    • PE will be outdoors as weather permits
Musical Notes
  • Mr. Hill will join us on C weeks this year.
  • Music will be heard indoors and outdoors at MES.
Library Happenings
  • Mrs. Willard is with us everyday, and will be teaching library classes on A weeks.
  • We are working on a browsing and borrowing schedule
  • The library got all new carpet and looks great!!
Bonjour
  • Madame will join us on B and D weeks.
  • French classes will happen in Kindergarten through 6th grade classes.
I Heart Art
  • Tuesday are going to be an Art filled day!!
  • Ms. Heather has the art room ready for student creativity.
School Counselor's Corner
  • Mr. Stevenson will be with us every day this year, as our full time school counselor.
  • He has great plans for wellness classes on Mr. Steve Mondays and/or Wellness Wednesdays.
Notes from the Health Office 
  • Nurse Claire returns for her second year at Moretown School.  
  • She will be sending out information about all things health related.
Buses/Transportation
  • Thanks everyone for bearing with us as we navigated new buses and new stops.  
  • Everyone had their Pick Up Patrol updated and ready to roll by first thing this morning.  
  • We ironed out all the wrinkles and today was just about seamless!  Thank you!!




ECO this week

Teachers learning in the forest.

ECO was for teachers this week!

Amy Butler lead the entire MES staff in a ECO Inservice.


PTO News

The MES PTO is gearing up for Morefest, Saturday September 25. Mark your calendar!!


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.

School Board Updates


 



Heading: 

School bond survey -- open through September 3


Body: 

The HUUSD School Board is in the process of developing a bond proposal to put before our 6-town community this November. The Board has created this brief survey to better understand our community’s perspective on the decisions ahead. 


If you are a parent, a student, a teacher, or a resident of our six towns, please consider filling out the survey so that your thoughts can be added to the mix. Encourage your friends, family and neighbors to do the same! Here is a link: https://forms.gle/e2iMW5A8kjrBY1Do9


The survey will be open through Friday, September 3. It takes 5 to 10 minutes to complete and no previous knowledge about the district’s work in this area is necessary. Thank you, in advance, for sharing your thoughts with the Board.


-Torrey Smith

Chair, HUUSD Board



Tuesday, August 24, 2021

Welcome Back Letter 2021

 

Welcome to the 2021-2022 school year! 



August 23, 2021

 

Dear Moretown Elementary School Families,

 

We are excited for another adventure year beginning Thursday, August 26th!  

 

While we were hoping for a year that resembled a regular, pre-COVID year, we are excited for all that is to come and know we will all tackle challenges together. Really, there is so much exciting stuff this year, as you will read below.  And during this year, we will continue our commitment to our core values of Joy, Community and Kindness!

 

Speaking of joy, our building is bustling right now.  We have the staff coming together to help expand our kindergarten programming; setting up a new classroom and welcoming new staff members who will be joining us.

 

We are thrilled to share about some new staff joining the Moretown School Community.  Mish Boreanaz will join the ⅚ team.  Lindsey Vandal joins the ½ team.  Lauren Gerber is our new kindergarten teacher.  Liz Ather and Mark Gedmin are our new interventionists.  Amanda Gates joins us as a preschool program aid.  And while Brenda Hartshorn is not a new face to MES, she will be in a new place, front and center in the main office as our new admin assistant! Join me in welcoming these folks to the Moretown School Community.  

 

As hinted at above, there are so many things to be excited about for the upcoming school year.  We will continue to appreciate and explore our environment and all that surrounds us.  MES looks forward to the expansion of our successful and community-supported Educating Children Outdoors program (A North Branch Nature Center partnered curriculum) for grades Pre K – 6!  ALL of our students will spend time learning in the outdoors and about the outdoors on the beautiful land that surrounds the school.  This is our 11th year in our partnership with North Branch, as we build toward being a nature based program from our youngest to oldest learners.   We also celebrate our partnership with the newly formed community group Friends of ECO at Moretown School, and their support of the programming.

 

In the world of technology, due to the guidelines around COVID last year, we were able to match each student k-6 with a device for learning.   These are learning tools,  great for many learning apps like SeeSaw and google classroom, which are used across our classrooms to document, record and share important learning.  Most classrooms are also now equipped with ipod touches to capture the amazing work going on indoors and outdoors.  We are fortunate to have all these tools for learning.

 

We will be expanding our intervention model this coming school year.  Our new interventionists Liz and Mark are ready to jump into our MTSS system here at Moretown School.  With the addition of WIN (What I Need) blocks for all classes k-6, we have built in time for ALL students to get small group instruction that meets their needs based on assessment and data.  Some groups will work in the classroom with a teacher or staff member,  and others will work with Liz or Mark. Through regular check-ins the adults will be assessing and adjusting to help every student progress and feel successful.

 

In our continued dedication to kindness and acceptance, we will be continuing our commitment to Responsive Classroom, restorative practices, and our established practice of building strong relationships to build classroom communities.  These approaches will be used proactively to build trust and connections, and will also be used in reaction to when things are more difficult.  These relationships build a strong foundation, even when things get a little shaky.  In building our social emotional learning we are increasing students' responsible decision making, personal responsibility, social awareness, self awareness, relationship skills, optimistic thinking, self management and goal-directed behavior.  Mr. Stevenson will join us full time this year to help build our SEL program and to respond to needs around these areas. 

 

The Neck of the Woods program continues to be an integral part of the MES community.  Their after school care for school aged students (k-6) will be onsite again this year.  They had a very successful summer program at MES, where fun and adventure were seen and heard all over the campus.  The school-aged program, led by Moie Moulton, Katie Alexander and their excellent staff, continues to evolve and expand.  If you haven’t yet, take a look at their site: https://www.neckofthewoodsvt.com.

 

We look forward to 3 rounds of family conferences this year.  Some of you may have even had your beginning of the year conference already.  While it started as a COVID practice last year,  to check in with students and families before school started, we found it immensely helpful and meaningful to hear from you all as we embarked on the year.  Because of this, we asked that it be part of our practice.  Conferences will also take place in November and March as they have for many years past now.  Those conferences will be around student goals, as they have been in the past.  

 

As you and your family prepare for the new school year consider these steps that can be taken to insure a smooth transition at the beginning of the year:


  • Talk with  your child about the school year to come. What is he/she looking forward to?  Is there anything he/she is nervous about? What does he/she hope for in the coming year?  The way you talk about school does much to shape your child’s perceptions. If you share excitement and positive thinking, it is likely that they will feel that as well.  These COVID years add another dimension to this conversation, understandably, and there are so many things to be excited about!

  • Build your child’s confidence by revisiting all that your child accomplished last year, as well as growth and accomplishments from the summer.  From learning to ride a bike, to reading, to public speaking, to understanding division, our children accomplish such growth that we sometimes take it for granted. It’s good to celebrate the accomplishments while we simultaneously offer even more challenges.

  • Help your child prepare by organizing a backpack for school,  looking over the lunch menu for the first week, going through before and after school plans and identifying a spot and time where reading or homework can be done.  Also help your child acclimate to the school schedule with earlier bedtimes and wake up times. And practice going to the bus stop to make sure you leave yourself enough time.


  • Label all of your child’s belongings.  Many kids will have the same backpacks, lunch boxes, masks etc.  Print your child’s name, use stickers, or even use a luggage tag to help them identify their stuff.  Help your child to learn  emergency information. This will help both you and your child feel secure.


The main office at MES is open beginning at 7:15 on school days.  Our main contact number is 496-3742 if you need to reach us in the morning.  The school will be open beginning at 7:20 for early morning drop off of students.  Students will meet in the multi-purpose room.  School begins everyday at 7:30 a.m. and dismissal is at 2:30 p.m.  If your child arrives after 7:40 a.m. they are considered tardy and are required to check in at the office upon arrival to obtain a slip that will notify their teacher that they have checked in.  Classrooms start their day promptly at 7:40 with most classes holding morning meetings to promote and reinforce the social curriculum. It is extremely important that each child be here on time so that he/she can participate in these activities. If your child will be absent, please complete the online absence tool, or if they are arriving after 8:15 a.m, we ask that you call us to let us know.

 

Drop off and pick up will look much like it did last year.  We ask that students be dropped off outdoors.  I will be there to greet folks.  One change is that we are not requiring a morning screening to be completed, although we still ask that you make sure your child is feeling well before sending them to school.  It sounds like many more students will be riding the bus to and from school.  Please check the new bus numbers and routes for your stops, and know that buses will require masks and have assigned seating, two of our strongest mitigation measures to help stop the spread of illness, including COVID 19.  Those families who pick up their student afterschool, please pull into the bus loop and stay in your car, and your child will be dismissed to you.

 

MES continues to be committed to safety and security, using the tools we have in place.  Our  main entrance doors will be locked everyday between 8:00-2:15. Please use the buzzer at the front door and smile for the camera.  Brenda will greet you and ask the reason for your visit.  We are excited to start to bring families, volunteers and visitors back into the building and learning spaces.  Note that we will proceed slowly, starting this fall with only limited instances.  Note that in order to volunteer or spend time in the building family members must be vaccinated against the COVID virus, show proof of vaccination and wear a mask.  

 
Many of our systems and routines will look a lot like last year.  Classrooms will be set up with distancing measures in mind, masks will be worn inside and outdoors to start off the year, and continued handwashing throughout the day will be practiced by students and adults.

Student meals are all free again this year.  Ms. Jeannie will return as our food service hero, serving up breakfasts and lunches for students every day.  We will be using our cafeteria for lunch times this year, with distancing measures taken while students are not wearing masks.  We also are exploring outdoor eating options. To find out more about local ingredients, payment options and, of course, the awesome Bobat Cafe menu, check out the food service website food.huusd.org 


I will continue to send out information to parents via Swift Reach every week.  Please take a moment to read through the post as it will be information important to know. This information will also be posted online in the weekly Moretown School blog (linked here). These emails contain important news and or other community information relevant to Moretown families. You will need to subscribe to the blog using your email address. In addition to the blog, you can now follow Moretown School on  Twitter @MoretownSchool and Instagram @moretownschoolvt.  For families without internet access, we are happy to send out these communications in an alternate format upon request. 

An important first day packet will go home the first day of school.  This packet will include a copy of this letter, a school photo order form, a free and reduced lunch form, a school calendar, a menu and other important forms.  Some forms that we used to send will now be part of the online registration, i.e.Health orms, a Field Trip form and a Photo Release form. .  Please take the time to review the information contained in the packet and send back the required forms to school as soon as possible.   Also, please complete the online registration as soon as possible.  When the links are live and ready, you will receive an email from HUUSD with directions to update your child’s registration information.   

Our handbook provides additional information regarding our school procedures and expectations.  It is accessible via our school’s website www.moretown.org  or by clicking here.  Speaking of our website, I am continuing to update the website, please be patient as we get it current. 

 

I am excited to have the kids walk in that first day.   I look forward to working with students, staff and families to ensure success for every MES student.

 

Sincerely,

 

Mandy Couturier

Principal

Moretown Elementary School


Monday, August 23, 2021

Bobcat Bulletin 8/23/21

 






School News:

A couple things to keep in mind as you plan for our first day, August 26 (Moretown Pines will start Monday August 30):



  1. DROP OFF AND PICK UP
    1. Until further notice, to reduce potential COVID-19 exposure, we ask that families do not enter the school during drop off and pick up. Mandy will greet you outdoors. Thank you for understanding that our preeminent goals are to keep children safe and schools open. We will continue to look for reduced risk ways to invite families to connect with the school & classrooms, just as we did with the before school conferences. Visitors are permitted in the building only with prior notice with the principal; only those demonstrating evidence of a COVID-19 vaccination are permitted.

  2. BUS SCHEDULES
    1. We encourage you to use our school bus system (routes can be found here). Moretown buses are #9, 10, 11. Also, because of the change in middle/high school schedules, only elementary students will ride the bus together.
  3. PICK UP PATROL   
    1. We use Pick up Patrol to keep track of students' afterschool plans,  as well as early dismissals.  If you haven't done so already, please register your child's afterschool plans for this year here. If you need help setting up your Pick up Patrol account, please contact Brenda Hartshorn (administrative assistant at MES) at 496-3742 or bhartshorn@huusd.org



FORUM ON HUUSD COVID PROTOCOLS
MONDAY 8/23 6:30 PM

The start of school is right around the corner and many of us are wondering what that will look like, especially as COVID numbers have been rising again. Our school leaders have been working to figure out protocols that will balance the health, wellness and academic needs of our students as we launch into the new year. Families, please look for a detailed note about the start of school from the superintendent before the start of next week.On Monday, August 23d, the school board will host a Q&A with our superintendent and other school leaders from 6:30 to 8PM to answer your questions about the return to school.

The easiest way to ask questions will be by remotely attending on zoom (https://us02web.zoom.us/j/386460007); the forum will also be recorded and broadcast on the district’s youtube channel (tinyurl.com/huwebapp-youtube-live)Questions? Contact HUUSD Board Chair Torrey Smith at tcsmith@huusd.org

Sunday, August 15, 2021

Guidance for Beginning of the School Year Conferences



 Hello Families:


As some classes begin their back-to-school conferences this week, we are mindful of the increasing uptick in COVID transmission in our community.  In line with Superintendent Nease’s earlier communication, we want to do everything we can to keep everyone healthy and safe, please review and adhere to the following:  

1) All parties must remain masked indoors. If outdoors and unmasked, you must remain 6 feet apart. If you are more comfortable outdoors with all parties masked, you can do so. 

2) Parents will need to present their vaccination card to the teacher if the conference is indoors, and still remain masked. 

3) Students can attend conferences masked indoors regardless of vaccination status (just like we will open school) and they may be masked or unmasked outdoors with 

4) If you are unable to comply with these district requirements, you are welcome to request a Zoom conference with your child’s teacher.


Thanks in advance for your cooperation.
Looking forward to a great yer,
Mandy

Thursday, August 12, 2021

Two weeks until the first day of school!

 August 12, 2021


Greetings Bobcat Families!


Things are happening around here to be ready for our opening school day on August 26th at Moretown School.  Yes, that is a giant pile of mulch to be distributed on our playground!


Greg Wagner and Don Cubit have been very busy getting the building and grounds ready for all of us to return.  Teachers are busy getting their classrooms ready, reaching out to their students with notes and emails to families, and setting up get-to-know you and check-in conferences prior to school beginning.


We’re sure you have many questions.  We have some answers, but not all at this time.

We do know that we will be wearing masks in school at all times.  We are not sure about the distancing policy as of yet.


Here is a link to the HUUSD Bus Routes 2021-22  Check out the bus routes for Moretown School in this document, as it contains bus routes for all of our schools.


Here is a link to our 2021-22 School Calendar.


Mark your calendars for School Photo Day.  September 1, will be school photo day for most classes.  The Willows and Pines will have their Photo Day on September 9.

Make-up Photo Day will be October 13, 2021.   More information about ordering photos will be traveling home.  We are fortunate to have Ember Photography again this year.


Arrival and Departure Plans

As you plan your child’s arrival and departure for school each day, please keep the following in mind:

-There will be coverage in the multi-purpose room each morning from 7:20-7:30.  

-Our school day officially begins at 7:40 each day, however, children are welcome in our classroom starting at 7:30.  Students are considered tardy if they arrive after 7:40

-Dismissal is at 2:30.  

We will be using Pick Up Patrol Again this year, you will get a welcome email soon to set up your child’s default plans for the end of the day.



We are excited to welcome all of our students and families back to school.  As we learn more about what our upcoming school year will look like. Look for more information from me very soon.


Please reach out at (803) 496-3742 with any questions you may have.


Best,

Mandy