SCS Weekly Newsletter 9/3/23

Dear Salisbury Families:

Well, the year started with a massive rainstorm right as our students were getting to school, which seemed quite appropriate given the way the summer went, but luckily the sun came out and we had lovely weather for a great first week back at Salisbury Community School!

Early that first morning it struck me just how quickly everyone got settled down into their new spaces and routines. We have had tremendous consistency in terms of staff, students, and practices (how we do things) moving from last school year to this one, and that has contributed to a really calm, organized start. Also contributing to that start was the planning of our teachers. I enjoyed the variety of activities and lessons our students took part in over the first three days. Whether practicing handwriting in 1st, watching caterpillars emerge from their chrysalises in 2nd/3rd, making a cardboard arcade in 3rd/4th, playing games to practice teamwork and listening in 5th grade, using repurposed materials to make name tags in Art, or just learning how on Earth Kindergarten works, our students did a lot this week.

One area that was a little tricky at first was bussing. Over the summer Betcha transit switched the routes our drivers drive. It was made more confusing by our habit of calling the old routes "Sue's bus and Doug's bus", and by the fact that the drivers parked in their old spots (which was really a new spot, given the old routes- see, now you're confused!) Anyway, the new routes resulted in some later drop-off times than we would have liked, but it gets better and faster by the day. We are happy to say that no one got on the wrong bus and everyone made it where they needed to be! I do apologize to anyone who got worried because of the bus timing, though.

One last word: a big thanks to Peter Maloy, our custodian. I don't have a picture of him to include right now, but I will soon, and people should know about his contributions to the school. Over the summer he singlehandedly cleaned the school from top to bottom, including jobs like buffing and waxing all the floors, cleaning every window, and moving practically every piece of furniture to do so. He's a member of the staff that not everyone meets, but he is essential to what we do. Thank you Peter!

That's it for now. Looking forward to next week!

Best,

Bjarki Sears- SCS Principal

Look below for:

• A call for all back-to-school forms
• Info on Open House
• A message from Librarian Megan Sutton
• Important information from ACSD nurses.
• IB at ACSD
• September's Lunch Calendar
• the 23-24 School Year Calendar
• pictures from the week!

Important dates coming up:

• Monday, September 4th: Labor Day (No School)
• Wednesday, September 13th: SCS Open House (6:00-7:30)

At the beginning of the year, we always send a packet of forms home. Some teachers sent them home the first day, some sent them home in "Friday Folders". Please fill them out and return them to school, as they contain important information we need for enrollment. Also, BE SURE to fill out the Free and Reduced Lunch paperwork, even if you would not qualify. It is important for our lunch funding (and don't forget, lunch continues to be free for all families this year!). If we don't receive paperwork back, we will reach out- not to harrass, but to emphasize the importance of having these in. We are working toward a goal of 100% of forms being returned.

If you need help filling out anything, stop by our front desk, and Donna and/or Bjarki will be happy to assist you.

On Wednesday, September 13th we will be holding our annual Open House! We hope as many families as possible will come tour the school, meet their child's teacher, and see our learning and activity spaces! At Salisbury Community School we believe that the home/school connection is incredibly important to student success, and Open House is a great opportunity to connect, and re-connect, with each other as we get into the year.

Hello Salisbury Community School Families! It is lovely to have students in the Library and the enthusiasm for choice books and reading is strong! Some SCS students have returned books that were borrowed for the summer, and some are still checked out. Please help your children locate and return those books so they can choose new ones. As always, please contact me (msutton@acsdvt.org) if you have any questions, and feel free to stop by in the morning if you're at school and would like to check out some books. I am at SCS Mondays, Thursdays, and every other Wednesday, and Library Assistant Nancy Velez is there Tuesdays, Wednesday mornings, and Fridays. Hope to see you in the Library!

So wonderful to see all of our students back and ready to learn! As we start they year, we want to set ourselves up to provide the best care possible for our children, including the administration of medications. Please remember that prescription medications need to be accompanied by a doctor's note- parental permission is not enough for prescribed medicines.

Have questions about IB? Check out this newsletter about the International Baccalaureate (IB). We hope this newsletter gives families an overview of IB, answers many of the common questions we receive and sets our community on a path to help our families understand IB and how it is working at ACSD.