Swoop Scoop

Happy First Day of Spring Wise Owl Families!

Last Thursday, we welcomed some of the MHS Boys Basketball Champs to UES. They spent their morning participating in Meet & Greet sessions with each grade level. They were asked to come and share about their big accomplishment with some of their littlest fans. These young men decided to spend their time here talking to our students about the big picture: teamwork, dedication, perseverance and having big dreams. They talked with our learners about "having the big dreams" and never giving up on them. They also talked about what it feels like when things are challenging and you want to give up. These young men inspired so many of our Wise Owls last week and are a true example of community. Students were also super excited to have a chance to touch their trophy. A huge thanks goes out to each of them!

Family Conference sign ups are now live. We are looking forward to connecting with you next week. Reminder NO SCHOOL on Friday, March 31st. Have a wonderful week ahead.

Warmly,

Principal, Katie Barea

Learners will have no school on Friday, March 31st as this is our designated Family Conference day. UES conference sign-ups are now live.

Please reach out to your learner's teacher directly if you are unable to make any of the open time slots work. We look forward to connecting with you about your Wise Owl and their learning journey thus far this year.

We were gifted MANY delicious pies to celebrate last week. A huge shout out to our UESCA and their ongoing support. We sure are lucky!

The MRPS 2023-2024 School Calendar is now published. Our first day of school will be Wednesday, August 30, 2023. Please see the full calendar here.

The Union Elementary School 2023-2024 school year Pre-K Lottery and Kindergarten Registration window is now open! Visit www.mrpsvt.org/enrollment to apply for the pre-k lottery (applications are due April 7th!) or to enroll your student in kindergarten! Visit www.mrpsvt.org/enrollment for more information.

Kindness Club at UES is a group that meets once a month on Wednesdays after school from 3-4pm in the school library. Our mission is to spread kindness throughout our school community, and beyond. We start each meeting with a light snack, and discussion, and spend the rest of our meeting time engaged in a kindness project. Students sign up for each individual meeting that they are able to attend.

Any student in 2nd-4th grade is welcome to attend. Next meeting is Wednesday, March 22nd. Sign Your Wise Owl Up Here!

Last week our grade 3 learners stepped into the role of interplanetary performers and artists during their performance of "Return of the Audi". They put on a wonderful intergalactic spectacular. A big shout out to all of our grade 3 learners, 3rd grade teachers, Mrs. Kane, and Mrs. Lefleur-so much hard work and time went into to make this show a success.

The UES Caregivers Alliance (UESCA) is a collective of caregivers who support a welcoming, inclusive UES community. We provide support for all caregivers, educators, staff, and family-centered school activities. You can access UESCA materials and notes on our webpage, here. Have a question or need? Have an idea you want to share? Email us at ues.families@gmail.com.

March 23 Literacy Discussion, 7-8pm

We invite families to join for an open discussion on literacy supports for our learners this Thursday March 23 from 7-8pm in person (at UES Cafeteria, come in through lower playground) and via Google Meets (follow this link). Recently, we heard from several caregivers about challenges they’ve experienced and questions they have around literacy struggles some learners are facing. We are inviting caregivers to share those questions and concerns with us and create a set of next steps. We intend to bring these questions and feedback to Principal Katie Barea after the discussion, who is supportive and interested in hearing from caregivers. This will be a great opportunity to both show our appreciation for the tremendous work of our teachers and voice questions and concerns we may have. Childcare and light snacks will be available. If you do need childcare, or have any other needs, please email us at ues.families@gmail.com so we can have enough care available.

Harassment, Hazing & Bullying Community Forum

Thursday, March 23 at 5pm - Montpelier High School - More info here.

UES LOVES BOOKS is almost here - April 18-21

This year, UES Loves Books will be in person! And thanks to the hard work of the UESCA and a grant from the Vermont Humanities, no money will be exchanged at the book fair & every learner will get to take a book home from a diverse selection curated by Bear Pond Books. UES students will also have a visit from an award-winning guest author (announcement coming soon). Caregivers will be essential to the success of this event as we will need volunteers to help set up, oversee the fair during the school hours, help students select their books, etc. Volunteers will need to have MRPS Level 2 clearance (cost for the volunteer fingerprinting can be covered by UESCA if needed, contact us to learn more at ues.families@gmail.com) & stay on the lookout for the volunteer sign up.

There are still opportunities for Staff Appreciation support!

UES caregivers once again listed staff appreciation as our top priority for the school year. Let’s show UES staff some love for all the tremendous work they do day in and day out. Follow this link to sign up.

The federal government has approved Pandemic-EBT benefits for the current school year, until the end of the public health emergency. Because our district offers free meals to all students this year, this makes all students eligible to get P-EBT benefits for any days they had an excused COVID-related absence or if there was a COVID-related school closure. Please read this important letter for information regarding this benefit, eligibility, and who to contact should you have questions.

Email: katiebarea@mpsvt.org
Website: mrpsvt.org/ues
Location: 1 Park Avenue, Montpelier, VT, USA
Phone: (802)225-8200