SCS Weekly Newsletter 9/15/23

Dear Salisbury Families:

This week featured one of the best nights of the year here at Salisbury Community School- Open House! On Wednesday night we opened up the school for families and friends to come in and tour the building, meet teachers and staff, see students' classrooms, and learn a bit about what happens here every day. We are excited to say we had over 110 visitors spanning all ages!

It's just such a fun event, and important too. The joy and energy that our students have while showing their friends and families their favorite places, the happy conversation between community members who run into each other and swap news or stories, the memories that adults share with me of their time at Salisbury Elementary Schools- they all reinforce to me the importance of our school to the community, and the importance of the community to our school. I feel very fortunate for these connections, and for the support of the community, and I know our staff feels the same way.

We were also happy to host several visitors to Open House, including ACSD School Board member Jason Chance, SEPAC (Special Education Parent Advisory Council) member Mary Slosar, and representatives from our very own Parent Teacher Organization- Friends of Salisbury Community School! It was great to see people connecting with these groups. Please look for information about SEPAC, and the first meeting of FOSCS, later in this newsletter.

And have wonderful weekends!

Best,

Bjarki

Look below for:

• Notice of our first FOSCS meeting
• School House Savings is back!
• 3-4 made an arcade!
• Salisbury Art explorations
• A message from Physical Education teacher Sierra Thornton
• Information and opt-out for Panorama survey
• Important information from ACSD nurses.
• September's Lunch Calendar
• The 23-24 School Year Calendar

Important dates coming up:

• First meeting of Friends of Salisbury Community School (FOSCS) Thursday, September 21st, 6:00. SCS Library.
• Wednesday, October 4th: ACSD Early Release Day- school ends at 1:00.

The first meeting of Friends of Salisbury Community School is Thursday, September 21st at 6:00 PM in our library! Come learn about FOSCS events, and how FOSCS contributes to the well-being of our children (and staff!) throughout the year. Fall Foliage Fun, Holiday Dollar Store, Clear the Trails, Bingo Nights, Movie Nights, Spring Fling- there's a lot going in! Come be a part of it with FOSCS!

Whether students are depositing a few cents or emptying their piggy banks, this is a great opportunity for them to increase financial literacy and learn about savings.

Our weekly Banking Day will be on Tuesday mornings during arrival, in the gym.

Now is the time to sign up if your student has not participated in School House Savings in the past! It’s simple to do!

Students can open their account with the pamphlet that came home in Friday Folders or with this link:

See-Think-Wonder is the theme as Salisbury Fourth Grade students explore “mystery” objects during their art class. They observe, apply their observations, and take it to the next level by coming up with wonderments about what the object is used for. Students even had the choice to make up fiction narratives with illustrations. Creative thinking is fun!

Hello everyone!

PE is scheduled for 1st through 5th graders on Mondays.

All students have PE on Wednesdays, and Kindergarten has PE on Fridays.

Please be sure to send your student with sneakers for PE so they can participate with their class and get in some physical activity!

Best,

Sierra Thornton (Miss T)

As parents, teachers, and caregivers, we know that social emotional learning (SEL) is crucial for our students’ success in school and in life. To support this learning, we first need to understand how students are doing. Last year, a group of teachers and administrators identified research-backed SEL measurement tools and selected the Panorama surveys. This year, we will again be using Panorama as a tool. The survey will be given a total of three times (fall, winter, spring), and it takes students about 10-15 minutes to complete. We will use the data we collect to reflect on student learning and strengthen our programs and instruction to help all students succeed.

In the next month, we will provide a survey to our students. Students in 3rd-5th grades will self-reflect on skills related to self-management, self-awareness, responsible decision-making, relationship skills, and social awareness. For grades K-2, teachers will complete a much shorter survey on the same topics about each student in their class. We prefer that all students participate, because their feedback will provide valuable insights to help us improve and adapt our district to support all students.

Please notify us if you wish to opt your child out of taking the survey by emailing Donna at dsimpson@acsdvt.org with your child’s name, grade, and class by September 15, 2023.

Thank you in advance for supporting this important work. If you have any questions please contact Principal Bjarki Sears (bsears@acsdvt.org; 802-352-4291) or Courtney Krahn, ACSD Director of Teaching and Learning (ckrahn@acsdvt.org; 820-382-1276).