Bobcat Bulletin 9/3/21

Additional outdoor eating space!

School News:

Please visit the MES Student/Family Handbook, as some sections have been updated.

A couple things to remember:

• If your child will be absent from school, please fill out the form linked above: NEW Absence Form.
• If you have questions about when to keep your child home or when to send your child back to school after being ill, please review this document and feel free to reach out to Claire Lindberg, our nurse  583-7856 or clindberg@huusd.org 
•  Bus routes are finalizing, but still in-flux as new students hope to hop on! Check here for updates: https://huusd.org/bus-routes

Musical Notes

Welcome back! I hope your school year is off to a great start. I am excited
to be back in person and able to deliver instrumental and choral instruction
at Moretown Elementary on a one-to one basis.
Our school band and choral program is a great opportunity for your 5 th or
6 th grade student to start what could become a lifelong journey in music.
Learning an instrument teaches resiliency, discipline and creative problem
solving skills. Studies have shown that students who participate in music
consistently score higher on tests, are less likely to engage in risky
behaviors and feel more socially secure.
Band, chorus and instrumental lessons are available to our 5 th and 6 th
grade students. Our band classes meet twice a week for 30-40 minutes
and chorus meets once a week for 30 minutes. Students can also study a
variety of wind or percussion instruments. Music lessons happen once a
week for 30 minutes. There is no cost for the music lessons ( a great
benefit!). Students may rent their instrument ( recommended ) or use a
school owned instrument if one is available.
Sign up packets were sent home last week with your 5/6 student. You
can also access music program information, instrument demonstration
videos, instrument rental information and a digital sign up form at
https://sites.google.com/huusd.org/band-mrvelementaryschoolsba/home
Check out this TED talk about the benefits of playing an instrument!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0JKCYZ8hng

Library Happenings

New carpet, new books, new year Oh my!  

Overdue notices are just reminders of what books your student has out.  There are no late fees.  

Please keep books safe from water bottles, pets, and younger siblings. 

Notes from the Health Office 

COVID 19 Health Guidance

Consider these Questions before coming to school:

• Have you been in close contact with a person with COVID 19 in the last 14 days?

• Have you felt unwell with any of the following symptoms: cough, shortness of breath, chills, fatigue, muscle pain or body aches, headache, sore throat, loss of taste or smell, congestion or runny nose, nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea?

• Do you have a temperature of 100.4 F or higher? If the answer to any question above is yes, keep your child home and contact your school nurse.

COVID-19 Symptoms If your child has any of these symptoms, we ask that you keep your child home. Please call your school's Health Office for guidance on returning to school.

• Runny Nose

• Cough

• Fatigue

• Headache

• Fever greater than 100.4

• Loss of Taste or Smell

• Difficulty breathing

• Sore Throat

• Congestion

• Nausea/Vomiting/Diarrhea

ECO this week

Classes headed outdoors this week to scope out their base camps and gear up for next week when our partners from North Branch Nature Center join us!

Kindergarten base camp

Kindergarteners on their way to base camp

 

PTO News

Greetings from the PTO! We are seeking new members and would love to invite folks to join us for a meeting Wednesday September 8 at 530 pm at the school's outdoor pavilion school behind the town hall. The PTO supports the school community in several ways- we fund the circus residency, the Halloween party, the annual skating trip, the ski program, as well as supporting teachers with requests for supplies and special activities. We fundraise with several annual events- Morefest, Cookie love, wreath sale, and others. We are seeking all kinds of volunteers- those with new ideas, those interested in leadership, logistical/ organizational support for the ski program, and those who just want to dip a toe in the water and find out what we do. Please join us!

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.

REC DISTRICT SPONSORS MAD MARATHON RELAYS   The Mad River Valley Recreation District (MRVRD) is supporting the 10th Annual Mad Marathon as a sponsor of the Relay event, September 12, 2021. The MRVRD is encouraging teams of family members, friends, work colleagues, school groups, sports teams, service clubs or really any collection of runners and walkers. MRVRD will recognize four relay teams, and allow these winners to designate $250 to one of the MRVRD’s Recreation Partners:

• Bill Koch League 
• Brooks Field 
• Couples Club 
• Mad River Basketball 
• Mad River Lacrosse 
• Mad River Little League 
• Mad River Path 
• Mad River Ridge Runners 
• Mad River Soccer
• The Skatium 
• Warren Skate Park. 

The categories for winning these min-grants are: fastest team, best costumes, best T-shirts or the biggest age difference between youngest and oldest runners.    Find yourself a ringer, get creative and build a team. Runners of all abilities can participate in relay teams of five or two people. Legs for the five-person relay are: 3.6, 3.8, 4, 6.4 and 8.5 miles.  The two-person relay has a first leg of 5.8  then a final leg of 7.3 miles. The race begins and ends at the Mad River Green in central Waitsfield Village. Relay teams will use their own transport to get to handover locations. You’ll run past gorgeous meadows, curious cows, mountains, covered bridges and friendly faces cheering you on. To sign-up: www.madmarathon.com/shop by September 6, 2021. 
With questions regarding the Recreation District or the relay contest email laura@mrvrd.org. Make this your community race and help showcase our beautiful valley to runners from all around the globe!

GREEN MOUNTAIN PERFORMING ARTS 2021-2022 ENROLLMENT OPEN:  Let's Dance! Green Mountain Performing Arts will be offering a wide variety of weekly dance classes and after school activities for ages 5 and up. Dance styles that are offered include:
- Ballet (Ages 3 and up)
- Hip Hop (Ages 5 and up) 
- Modern (Ages 7 and up)
- Irish (Ages 7 and up)
- Highland (Ages 9 and up)
- Tap (Ages 6 and up)
- Jazz (Ages 5-8)
Registration is now open! Please visit or website to see our full schedule: https://www.greenmountainperformingarts.org/2021-2022-class-schedule.html
Want to know more about the dance styles offered? Visit our Programs page here: https://www.greenmountainperformingarts.org/programs.html
Contact Us-   Email: gmpavt@gmail.com   Phone: (802) 244-8600

School Board Updates

The HUUSD School Board met in person (with an option for remote participation as well) last Tuesday, August 24th.

Most of the meeting was dedicated to a presentation regarding the upcoming HUHS/CBMS bond. The Board heard from the architect, construction manager, director of facilities, and building administrators regarding the plans and reasons behind the scope proposed, as well as associated cost estimates. Board members had a chance to ask questions and share reactions to the proposal.

Later in the meeting, the Board approved a plan for community engagement around the bond. The first element is to launch a bond-related survey that will remain open through September 7th. 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

In other agenda items, the Board:

1. Discussed moving forward with a hybrid meeting model. It was generally agreed that Board members should prioritize attending in-person, with the option of participating remotely if unable to attend. For community members, remote participation will continue to be offered.
2. Put the policy committee on hiatus until March 2022 when a new Board will be seated and additional volunteers might be available.
3. Discussed the role of students on the Board and heard from new student representatives.
4. Delegated planning for the district's COVID-19 mitigation measures, including masking requirements, to the superintendent for the 2021-22 school year.
5. Voted to amend the Superintendent's contract to provide a per diem wage for unused vacation days not to exceed a total of 35 days.

As always, the Board welcomes feedback from our community. One of the easiest ways to share your thoughts is to send an email to cen-huusdboard@huusd.org, which will go to every Board member. There is also time at every Board meeting for public comment. Alternately, reach out to one of your neighbors who is on the school board and share your thoughts in a personal email or phone call (see a list of Board members and contact information at https://tinyurl.com/523wtrnj).

The Board's next meeting will be on Wednesday September 8th at 6PM. Community members may attend in person in the Harwood library or remotely via zoom (https://us02web.zoom.us/j/386460007#success), or watch it broadcast live on YouTube (http://tinyurl.com/huwebapp-youtube-live). Agendas and other related documents are available at https://huusd.org/huusd-board.