Weekly News Letter, September 13, 2013

Weekly News Letter from The Principal’s Corner

September 13, 2013

Important Dates to Add to Your Calendar

Veteran’s Day Program K-8-Mon., Nov. 11, 2013 8:15 to 9:15 am in gym

Holiday Sing-Along K-8-Wed., Dec. 18, 2013, (snow date: 12-19-13; same time) 1:00 to 2:00 pm in gym

Winter Concerts K-3-Tues., Jan. 28, 2014, (snow date: 1-29-14; same time) 6:00 to 7:00 pm in gym

4-8-Thurs., Jan. 30, 2014, (snow date: 1-31-14; same time) 6:00 to 7:30 pm in gym

Spring Concerts K-3-May 6, 2014 6:00 to 7:00 pm in gym

4-8- May 8, 2014 6:00 to 7:30 pm in gym

Memorial Day Program K-8 – Friday, May 23, 2014 8:15 to 9:15 am in gym

Lock Down Drill

Today, we had our first Clear the Hall, Secure the Building drill of the year, (6 are required by state law now). The students were given advanced notice of the drill by Principal Oakman, at 7:45 am, so students and teachers could review the process in a calm and relaxed way. The students, faculty and staff responded quickly and safely after the command was called. After the drill, the teachers spoke with the students about the drill, how it made them feel, why we practice safety precautions and to answer any questions students may have. It was an excellent practice drill. Please feel free to ask your children about it at dinner tonight!

Survey

There are many changes at our school this year from starting the new school year on a Monday, to keeping the building locked 100% of the school day, to our K-4 classical music lunchroom, to the way we now do parent pick-up and more.  By next week, we will have lived with the changes for nearly three weeks, enough time to know how well things are going and if we need to tweak the process.  Look for a survey called* Changes in the New School Year FY 14*.  I will send it out electronically on September 12th and in hard copy to every family on September 13th.  I need the survey returned to me by Monday, September 16th as the School Board and I will review the data at our monthly meeting that very night.  Please be honest and tell us how you feel about these changes, as we promise to review ALL input carefully! Don't hesitate to ask your children their thoughts about the changes because their opinions matter greatly to this school, too!

Act One Law – Protecting Children from Child Abuse

Act One is a legislative requirement and educational law which mandates that Vermont schools educate students on how to recognize and prevent sexual abuse and violence through the school’s comprehensive health program. This law is intended to step up the protection of children against sexual abuse by involving ALL in the school setting. The law requires that schools train all employees on what to look for in an effort to identify and report sexual abuse. In August and September of this year, WS bus drivers, kitchen staff, custodians, secretaries, faculty and staff were trained. Emily Stevens, WS School Nurse, and Beth Sprague, WS Guidance Counselor, are working together to create and implement a K-8 curriculum which addresses sexual abuse prevention, to include things like “Assertiveness and Personal Safety” , “Good Touch/Bad Touch”, “Safe Adults to Turn To”, “Making Healthy Choices”, “Relationship and Internet Safety” , “Drug and Alcohol Awareness” , “Know Your Body” and other topics and resources. I will be sharing information with parents on reporting suspected abuse and neglect and the 6 tips on keeping children safe at an upcoming PTA meeting. I will be providing hot line information, family service links, hand-outs and other resources to help the school community combat this serious issue. WS is dedicated to the safety of all students and has made a conscious effort to make this information available to ALL. This training will be done every year, in accordance with the law. For more information, please feel free to call Emily, Beth or JeanMarie at 674-5400.

No School

There will be no school on Friday, September 27^th, as the teachers will be involved in a WSSU Inservice.

Open House

The WS Welcome Back Open House will be on Tuesday, September 24^th from 6 to 7:00 pm. This event is open to the public, so come one, come all!

Math Magic

Our afterschool program for K-8, called Math Magic, has begun! Math Magic is offered every Monday through Thursday, from 2:30 to 3:40 pm and run by our Math Specialist, Mrs. Carol Foley. The program is a hands-on math inquiry based exploratory, offering lots of FUN through project based learning, brain teasers, math games and more! For more information, please call Mrs. Foley at 674-5400.

Service Group Responsibilities

Special thanks to Deb Gurney for being our Service Group Advisor again this year. This group works hard to be good school role models and community servants. The following students will be helping with Afternoon Fruit and Veggie Snacks this year:
Tuesday and Wed.: Ben French
Thursday: Serene Martens
 Recycling Responsibilities for the year:
 Monday: Chris Gurney and Rand Frazer
Tuesday: Daniel Dexter
Thursday: Gideon Spikes
Tutoring Younger Students:

Mon. and Wed.: Sarah Gurney and Tori Amsden will be tutoring with Lora Powers in her looping grade one class.

Instrument Rental Night

All fourth graders are invited to meet with representatives from Ellis Music to begin renting a band instrument.  Any fifth or sixth grader who will be joining the band as a new member who needs an instrument is invited, too. Instruments available: flute, clarinet, saxophone, trumpet, trombone, and percussion. This will take place on Tuesday, September 17, 2013 at 7:00 pm in the Weathersfield School AP Room.

Enjoy your week-end,

JeanMarie K. Oakman, WS Principal