Weekly News Letter from The Principal’s Corner
October 25, 2013
After many years of superb and expert service to the WS PTA, Kelly O'Brien has stepped down as WS PTA President! Her leadership has taught us about attention to detail, excellent follow through, student-centered decision making, and the definition of the good of the order. It has been my privilege and pleasure working with Kelly these last four years. Please join me in thanking Kelly for her dedication and expertise. Please share our gratitude when you see her at the school or around town! She is an amazing leader and friend to the school.....Thank You So Much, Kelly O'Brien!
Picture Retake Day
November 26th is Picture Retake Day!
SES
Please bear with us as we continue to try and figure out the new SES, (Supplemental Educational Services) requirement of schools in Year 2 School Improvement. We have several requests from parents to date and we are trying to contact the many providers from the approved state list, in an effort to see what we can access, when and how much, so a contract and an educational plan can be developed. We didn't want you to think we weren't on top of it, but we are finding it to be a vast project. We want to do it right and make the experience meaningful for all students who participate. We will announce more specific information when we are ready. Thank you so much for your patience!
New PTA Officers
Congratulations to our new PTA Officers:
Jim Rice - President
Krissy Preston - Vice President
Crystal Thibodeau - Treasurer
Tammy Rice - Secretary
These positions are all two year terms. Best wishes to each of you. Thank you for your willingness to serve!
Apple Crunch Day
Weathersfield School participated in the Big Apple Crunch to kick off the nationwide Food Day celebration on Thursday. The Big Apple Crunch was an attempt to set the world record for the "Most Participants in an Apple-Crunching Event" by having 1,000,000 New Yorkers crunch apples at Noon. Weathersfield School joined the growing number of states who have joined New York in this yearly tradition. We crunched our apples during lunch. Teachers were given a packet of information containing apple facts, recipes, and activities for students. Here is more about the day:
Food Day is a nationwide celebration of healthy, affordable, and sustainably produced food and a grassroots campaign for better food policies. It builds all year long and culminates on October 24. Food Day aims to help people Eat Real. That means cutting back on sugar drinks, overly salted packaged foods, and fatty, factory-farmed meats in favor of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and sustainably raised protein. Food Day envisions shorter lines at fast-food drive-throughs—and bigger crowds at farmers markets. This annual event involves some of the country’s most prominent food activists, united by a vision of food that is healthy, affordable, and produced with care for the environment, farm animals, and the people who grow, harvest, and serve it. With Food Day, we can celebrate our food system when it works and fix it when it’s broken. Across the country, 3,200 events took place in 2012 and 2,300 in 2011, from community festivals in Denver, Savannah, and New York City, to a national conference in Washington, DC, to thousands of school activities in Portland, Minneapolis, and elsewhere.
Boy and Girl Scouts
Please wear your uniforms for our Veteran's Day ceremony on November 11th!
District Chorus
Congratulations to the following 8th grade girls who made district chorus:
Kylee Charest
Carissa Kinsman
Meghan Snide
Elizabeth Godin
Sarah MacLachlan
Autumn Sanville
Way to go, Girls!!!
School Helpers
A very special thank you to Ruth and Roger Newhall, (BJ's parents), for spending HOURS of their evening time at home to cut and bag box top labels for the school. You two are wonderful...thank you so much! Tyler Greenwood, Grade 6, was a tremendous help to our school nurse and guidance counselor today when he helped label hundreds of water bottles that we now own thanks to a grant. Tyler, your community service was a big help to us! Many Thanks!
Interview Committee
WS is inviting parents, faculty, staff, community members, and students to serve on one interview committee to look at possible candidates to cover two anticipated professional openings:
Long Term Kindergarten Substitute, Jan 30, 2014 to Last day of school in June 2014
Long Term School Nurse Sub., Nov. 26, 2013 to February 25, 2014 - Tuesdays ONLY
If you are interested in serving on this committee, please call the school at 674-5400.
Budget Advisory Committee
The Weathersfield School Board is inviting teachers, staff, parents and community members to be a part of the FY 15 budget process. We are accepting letters of interest from folks who would like to serve on the Budget Advisory Committee this fall. The bulk of the work will be done in the month of November, with some carry over work into December. The committee meetings are held at the school in the evening, usually an hour or two in length. Please address your letter of interest to the WS School Board and Principal Oakman and submit by November 1, 2013. We promise to get back to each and every person who submits a letter of interest.
Welcome to Erica Yuengling, Paraprofessional
Erica Yuengling joined our school family on October 22, 2013 as a regular education paraprofessional in our school. Welcome Erica!
STUDENT ATTENDANCE
- Vermont statute and local regulations require that all students attend school each day.
- Parents should call the school whenever their child will be absent. If no call is received, the school will call home.
- A student who is habitually absent may be considered truant. The school will contact the student’s family when a student has three unexcused or five excused absences or days tardy. Once a student reaches five unexcused or seven excused absences or days tardy, the truancy officer and the principal may be notified. The student’s family will receive a follow-up letter.
- If a student has been absent two or more days due to illness, a note from a doctor will be required, or the absence will be considered unexcused.
- In order to avoid being considered tardy, students must be in their homerooms by 7:50 or immediately following dismissal from the all purpose room. All students are expected to be in class at all times.
- Parents of students who miss school on a regular basis or exhibit a pattern of absence will be contacted by the school principal, guidance counselor, and/or nurse. Excessive absence may be reason for retention.
- If a student leaves school early due to illness or is out sick more than half the day, he or she may not participate in any afterschool events or activities that day.
- If parents elect that their students miss school for religious reasons, parents must notify the school in writing at least one (1) day in advance. If parents elect for religious reasons that their student remain in school but not participate in a particular activity, they must inform the school principal in writing at least one (1) day in advance, and the school will provide an alternate educational experience for that student.
APPROVED ABSENCES
- Absences due to immunization and/or medical records attendance restrictions.
- Confirmed religious observances.
- Documented appointments (i.e. counseling appointment, court appointment, doctor’s appointment, etc.) that couldn’t be scheduled outside of school hours.
- Documented family emergencies.
- Documented illness.
- School nurse’s documented recommendation that a student be sent home because of illness or injury.
- Offsite educational activities approved by the principal or superintendent
MAKE-UP WORK
Students who are absent may have up to five days, based on their teacher’s discretion, in which to make up any missing work, including any classroom-based assessments.
VACATION DURING SCHOOL DAYS 16 V.S.A. 1123
Families who choose to schedule vacations when school is in session must request permission in writing from the superintendent of schools in advance of the trip, specifying the exact dates that their student will not be in attendance. If the absence is approved, the student is encouraged to obtain the schoolwork he or she will be missing before beginning the absence. In the case of extended prearranged absences, it is the student’s responsibility to complete all schoolwork and assessments within five (5) school days of their return to school. Requests must be in written form to: Dr. David Baker Superintendent, 105 Main Street, Windsor, VT 05089
DISMISSAL
- Students are expected to be quiet and orderly during dismissal.
- Students must walk when boarding the bus.
- Walkers and other students who do not ride a bus will remain in their homerooms until dismissed.
- Students involved in afterschool activities and sports may not change into uniforms or leave their homerooms until notified.
New Popcorn Popper and Grafton Museum Trip Approved
The PTA has purchased a new popcorn popper for our school. Mrs. Fuller and her children will be enjoying a trip to the Grafton Museum, thanks to PTA!
PTA Annual Fund Raiser and Pizza Party
The PTA will be hosting their annual fund raiser from October 25th to November 11th. The classroom making the most dollar sales from the fund raiser will celebrate with a pizza party, courtesy of the WS PTA!
Car Show - October 2014
The PTA is looking into the possibility of having their annual Car Show on October 4, 2014. Stay tuned for more on this later! This event is what makes it possible for 8th graders to attend Boston on their class trip at the close of the school year.
Happy October,
JeanMarie K. Oakman, WS Principal
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