Updates from U-32

Dear U-32 Community,

It continues to be a privilege and pleasure to get to know the students, families, educators and other members of this school community. Please let us know how the school year is starting for you students. TAs, counselors, teachers - and administrators like me! - are curious to know what you hear at home and how things are going.

Wishing you a good weekend,

Elijah

T. Elijah Hawkes, Principal

The U-32 Booster Club is kicking off our 2026–2027 school year and we need passionate neighbors, alumni, students and community members like you to keep our programs thriving.

If you are interested in volunteering in our concession stand please contact Kent Lowden at u32boosterclub@gmail.com or sign up to join the concession stand here.

To help ensure students are in class on time and engaged throughout the period, we have been updating our procedures for tracking attendance in classes. We have also updated how we will respond when students miss class or a big chunk of class unexcused (“cutting class”).

• The updated procedure is now in our Family/Student Handbook. You will see that in addition to meeting with students to discuss how to address the problem, we are putting in place an after-school consequence when there is a pattern of missing/cutting class. In some schools this is called “detention;” here at U-32 it has been called After School “LOFT,” which stands for Loss of Free Time.

• If students are assigned a detention it will include time for teachers/TA to check in with students to ensure they have work to do, and it will end in time for students to catch the late bus. Families would be notified in advance. For detail, please see our Student/Family Handbook - or reach out to me with thoughts or questions.

U-32 offers Advanced Placement (AP) classes to students in the upper grades, which culminate in exams taken across the nation, and which are viewed favorably by many colleges as signs of excellent work in academics. Looking at the data from last year’s scores in various subject areas, we see that more than 60% of tests taken by U-32 students scored at the 4 or 5 level (out of 5). Also of note: for Physics 2, every student scored a 4 or 5. U-32 is currently the only school in the state that offers that course, so the eight students in Vermont who took that test were our U-32 students. There are many pathways to graduation, many reasons for students to feel pride in their work - and these scores from last year are among the many achievements worth celebrating.

Our Personal Electronics / Cell Phones FAQ has been updated based on helpful questions from families, students and staff. (Thank you!) So far it seems to me and other administrators that our students are doing a very good job following the new expectations.

• Cellphone & Personal Electronics Procedure and FAQ

Are you a parent of a student who received special education services between July 1, 2025 to December 1, 2025? If so, please complete the special education parent involvement survey provided by the Vermont Agency of Education. Your feedback helps to improve special education services and student outcomes in your supervisory union or district and is completely anonymous.

To take the survey visit: VT AOE Special Education Parent Survey Webpage

Welcome back families!

As we kick off the new school year, this is a gentle reminder to please submit your child’s Annual Health Update form. Completing this brief form every year helps ensure our health office has the most up-to-date medical and contact information to keep your child safe and well cared for while at school. As well, gives permission for OTC (over the counter) medications to be administered by the health office.

If you have already turned yours in, thank you! If not, please complete at your earliest convenience.

Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions or need a hard copy of the form.

This is the link to the Google Form: Annual Health Form

• Medication Drop-Off: All student medications must be brought directly to the health office by a parent or guardian and signed in. Students are not permitted to bring medications to school themselves unless specifically cleared by a school nurse.

• Updated Orders Required: A new physician's order is required each school year for all daily and PRN (as-needed) medications. Please have your healthcare provider submit updated orders before or at the start of the year. As well, updated action plans for Asthma, Epi Pens, Diabetes and Seizures are required. These can be faxed to 802-223-7411

• State policy requires Vaccine Exemption forms to be updated and resubmitted every year a student is enrolled at school. If your student requires a medical or religious exemption, please submit the completed form to the Nurse's Office as soon as possible to ensure your child's health records remain up to date. Link: Vaccine Exemption Form

We look forward to a healthy and safe school year ahead!

STUDENT/PARENT resources:

IC PLP courses- all students have a course called PLP in the AS (After School) slot in their IC schedule. There is a lot of info so we hope you will check it out.

Naviance - Remember to frequent Naviance as this site helps U-32 students explore post high school planning options, build a resume, manage timelines and deadlines for making decisions about colleges and careers. This is also where all of the scholarship opportunities are housed. Each student will work with his/her TA and school counselor in Naviance to create his/her Personalized Learning Plans (PLPs).

If you have forgotten your password, you can reset it yourself. If you have misplaced your registration code, please notify Student Services.

WOMEN CAN DO

Annual Conference Promoting Stem & Trades Careers

October 8, 2026 at Vermont Technical College

Women Can Do is an annual career exploration conference for high school girls and gender-expansive youth. Students are invited to Vermont Technical College in Randolph, VT for a day of hands-on exploration of STEM and trades careers, and networking with VT professionals, employers, and organizations to learn about secondary education and career opportunities in the state.

Women Can Do is returning in-person on October 8th, 2026!

If you want to attend, please sign up in U-32 Student Services by Sept 16th

All Scholarships are available on Naviance

and the scholarship list is updated weekly.

PreACT

October 7, 2026 from 8:15-12:15 AM at U-32

All sophomores can take the PreACT.

The PreACT gives students an estimated ACT

score and can be used as an indicator of college

and career readiness.

PSAT

Wednesday, October 7, 2026 from 8:15-12:15 AM at U-32

All juniors can take the PSAT.

It is a practice test and scores are not reported to colleges.

It allows students to become familiar with the SAT format.

Senior In-school field trip on October 7th: (More info to come)

Workshops being offered:

Common application time

Essay feedback

FAFSA /VSAC grant application

Interviewing skills, Job Search, Resume writing

U-32 College Fair

in the U-32 Atrium on

October 14th from 11:00am-1:00pm

NEACAC Fair

Saint Michael's College Tarrant Center
October 14th- 6:00pm-8:00pm over 200 colleges/universities attend

Use http://www.strivefair.com/ to register and make your time at the college fair more efficient.

Things to Do Before Attending the College Fair

1.Look over the list of college fair participants. Use Naviance College Search feature to find colleges that match your interests. Choose the colleges you most want to find out more about. If you have time, research those colleges by checking their websites.

2. Write up a short list of questions to ask admission representatives. To compare several schools, plan on asking the same questions at each table. The questions you ask should be unique to your interests and not easily found in standard college materials:

a. What are the two or three most popular majors? (This can give you a good idea of the main interests of a majority of the students.)

b. Ask about the availability and quality of the program(s) or major(s) you are interested in. What are the opportunities for undergraduates to participate in research with faculty members or to do internships? What courses would you take your first year in a particular major?

c. Students who are undecided should ask about what services and support are available to help them explore various majors.

d. Ask about: extracurricular activities, what kinds of students the college is looking for, what percentage of students receive financial aid (not including loans), are merit scholarships available, how they look at AP scores, and other concerns unique to your interests and situation.

3. Make sure you have the following supplies:

a. A small notebook and pen or a handheld device with your list of colleges and questions

4. Print up a sheet of self-stick address labels. Include (in small font, as much as you can of the following): your name, address, phone number, e-mail address, high school, year of graduation, intended major(s), and any extracurricular activities you’re interested in. At the fair, slap the address labels on the college information cards to save you time in filling out the same information over and over at each college. You may want to create an email account just for college purposes that you and your parents/guardians can access. You can delete the account after you choose which college to attend. Thus not cluttering your inbox!

5. After visiting the fair, jot down your impressions of some of the most interesting colleges you saw as well as some of the answers they gave to your questions. Try to do this as soon as possible, while your impressions are still fresh.

College Calendar / Checklist for Seniors

September

• September 18: Registration deadline for Oct 3 SAT www.collegeboard.com

• ACT information: Register at www.actstudent.org

• Make sure your schedule meets your needs. Be sure all graduation requirements are met. Maintain a rigorous program through your senior year.

• Make an appointment with your counselor to discuss your postsecondary plans. Become familiar with the application procedure.

• Compile / fine tune your college lists to include reach, middles & safety schools

• Meet with college representatives visiting U-32

• Students applying for Early Decision should approach teachers for recommendations as soon as possible.

• Student athletes should check with their counselor or coach about recruiting procedures.

• Seek out scholarship information and apply as appropriate.

• Use Family Connection as a resource for college searches

October

• October 3: SAT

• October 23- Registration deadline for Nov 7 SAT

• Start filling out the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid). File VSAC application. For more information, visit fafsa.ed.gov.

• FAFSA and VSAC Applications should be filed as soon as possible.

• Complete CSS Profile if you haven’t already done so

• ACT information

• Check out commonapp.org to see which colleges accept the Common Application.

• Meet with college representatives virtually.

• Many colleges use data from CSS/Financial Aid PROFILE to provide nonfederal financial aid. Begin applying online at profileonline.collegeboard.com.

• Finish a draft of your essay.

• Ask teachers for recommendations. Have a resume to give teachers to help them out.

• Heads up for Early Decision and Early Action deadlines – they usually fall on either November 1 st or 15th. Early Action deadline at UVM is November 1.

• Arrange campus visits

November

• November 7th - SAT

• SAT information

• ACT information
  
  

• Meet with college representatives virtually.

• Check with your teachers, coaches, and/or TA to ensure that letters of recommendation are sent on time.

• Mail applications for colleges with “rolling” deadlines as soon as possible.

• Keep polishing your essay.

• Continue to attend meetings with college representatives .

• Check in with your counselor.

• Remember: Colleges take senior grades seriously.

SAT / ACT Test Preparation (FREE On-line)

Photo retakes will be on

Thursday, October 22, 2026,

in the Atrium between 8 AM and 2 PM.

Senior Families!

Recognize your student with a Recognition Ad.

Celebrate your student for their accomplishments and achievements this year!

Purchase today! OFFER ENDS February 5, 2026

Open this LINK to see all the information you need for your yearbook submissions.