The Swoop Scoop

It's looking to be a VERY rainy week. Please make sure your wise owl is dressed appropriately to be outside in drizzly weather. Getting fresh air and movement is so important for our learners. With that being said, unless it is pouring, they will be outside for Recess this week!

A huge thank you to our Caregivers Alliance for putting on an educational and fun filled UES Loves Books week! All of our UES learners were able to take one new book home at no cost to their families, thanks to the UESCA.

This week our 3rd and 4th graders will begin to take VTCAP for the first time. This new test was rolled out to us by the AOE this Spring. Students will take the ELA test for the very first time this week.

ELA VTCAP Schedule: 4th Grade ELA 5/2 & 5/3 3rd Grade ELA 5/4 & 5/8

Please note some important details:

• VTCAP is not timed
• Students may take as long as they need to complete the test, which has a part 1 and part 2 (each done on different days).
• Teachers have been working hard to ensure this will not be a stress provoking experience for students
• We ask that families do not make a big deal about this with learners as it can be stress inducing.
• Snacks will be provided thanks to our UESCA

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. The final meeting is Wednesday, May 24th. Sign Your Wise Owl Up Here!

With the nicer weather, we typically see lots of learners and families sticking around our playgrounds after school hours to play and socialize. This is a reminder to all families that there is no supervision on either of our playgrounds for learners after they have been picked up at 2:50pm. If you choose to stick around, please note learners must be actively supervised. We appreciate your attention to this for the safety of all our learners.

Summer is just around the corner and MRPS is once again hosting a variety of summer camps for incoming 1st - 12th graders! Visit https://www.mrpsvt.org/summer-2023 for all the details about this year's ultimate frisbee, basketball, strength and conditioning, and lacrosse camps!

Vermont Family Network (VFN) and the Agency of Education Special Education Program Team will be hosting a series of virtual town hall sessions to support families of students with disabilities. These sessions are scheduled on Wednesday May 17th, May 24th, and May 31st from 10:00 – 11:00. We will discuss July 1, 2023, Special Education Rule changes including adverse effect, functional skills, and specific learning disability eligibility. Register here.

The federal government has approved Pandemic-EBT benefits for the current school year, including this summer. Because our district offers free meals to all students this year, this makes ALL STUDENTS ELIGIBLE to get P-EBT benefits for 1) any days they had an excused COVID-related absence or if there was a COVID-related school closure ($8.18/day) AND 2) for the summer ($120/student). Please read this important letter and visit our food service webpage for information regarding this benefit. Please contact (insert the name and contact info for your school registrar) by May 10th to update your contact information for the mailing of the benefit card should you need to do so.

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.

May Coordinating Meeting & April Notes

Thank you to all the caregivers who participated and gave valuable feedback during our April 20 literacy discussion & monthly meeting. Thank you to Mike Berry for presenting. See below a full update and notes on the literacy update and discussion. Click Here for our April meeting notes. We have two months left before summer! Join us for our final meeting in May and a caregiver celebration in June. Dates and details to come. Stay tuned!

Notes & Caregiver Survey for District Literacy Approaches

The Caregivers Alliance hosted a second presentation & discussion on April 20th to better understand current and future district approaches to literacy. Please see the notes here from that discussion as well as a full page of resources, presentations and tools, here. The document of resources includes the presentation (linked here) by Mike Berry, Director of Curriculum & Technology. Finally, the district would like to hear from caregivers about their learner's experience as well as feedback on the presentation and plan for changes. Click Here to take this short survey. Please respond by May 5. Thank you to Mike Berry, Katie Bera and all the caregivers who participated and gave valuable feedback during the past discussions, and for the years of advocacy and learning done together.

BRAIN FOOD - Snack Donations for Testing:

From May 2-May 12th, our 3rd and 4th grade learners will be taking the Cognia test - a standardized ELA and Math test that is required by the state. They are not timed so students can take as long as they need. Click here to learn more. Snacks can help our learners feel more comfortable and perform better during testing. We welcome donations of healthy snacks (pretzels, fruit, bars, etc) ideally in packaging that generates minimal waste. There will be boxes by the main door starting May 1st to drop off donated items. Thank you!

Staff Appreciation Continues in May & June!

“One book, one pen, one child and one teacher can change the world.” - Malala Yousafzai. UES staff are amazing! Let’s thank them for their hard work. May 8-12th is National Teacher Appreciation week, UESCA will start off the week with the annual breakfast on May 8th (thank you caregiver volunteers!). Remember that spontaneous and simple acts of kindness (a short email, a thank you card) are all ways to show your appreciation for all their hard work. There will be one more appreciation event in June. Follow this link to sign up & help out!

UESCA community event: Bingo Night

We are postponing Bingo Night until the 2023-2024 school year. If you are interested in taking the lead then or helping out, contact ues.families@gmail.com

The MRPS Board of School Directors is meeting Wednesday, May 3, 2023 at 6:30pm. Everyone is welcome to attend. Find the meeting agenda, minutes from past meetings, information about the work of the various School Board Committees, and more by visiting www.mrpsvt.org/school-board

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