SCS Weekly Newsletter 5/29/25

Dear Salisbury Community School Families and Friends,

Well, I will admit that it has been a very fun couple of weeks being the principal of Salisbury Community School and Ripton Elementary School. I've gotten to spend some really awesome time with our combined students, most notable at KEEC (Keewaydin Environmental Education Center) with ACSD 5th Graders, and on Wednesday afternoon during "Spring Fling", an event that brought Ripton and Salisbury Elementary Students together for an afternoon of fun and games. I have said, all along, that I think Salisbury and Ripton kids, and adults, will gel together really, really well, and we have seen that at these events. One of my favorite part of "Spring Fling" was Salisbury 5th graders getting really excited when they saw the Ripton 5th graders getting off the bus- their connections from KEEC were really holding! It was great.

A major focus of this newsletter is on a future event that will keep this community connection building and growing. As you will see below, I think it will be the most important event of our year- our Salisbury and Ripton Community Potluck that is happening next Tuesday. I am hoping families from both communities will see this potluck as a great opportunity to come together, support each other, and move into a future (a really good future!) together.

Please read below for more details!

Best,

Bjarki

• Tuesday, June 3rd: SCS Band/Choral In-School Concert 1:50 PM- TIME CHANGE!

• Tuesday, June 3rd: FOSCS/FORS Community Potluck at SCS

• Friday, June 13th: 5th Grade Promotion: Begins about 1:00

• Monday, June 16th: SCS and RES go to Waterhouses in the morning. Last Student Day!

As mentioned above, and in previous communications, next Tuesday, June 3rd, is a really big day at Salisbury Community School! In the evening (5:30- 7:00ish) we will be bringing together the Salisbury and Ripton Communities for a potluck, so we can break bread together and get to know each other as we come together for schooling next year! We've had some great opportunities for kids to come together now, but not the whole family- let's do it!

Friends of Salisbury Community School have put together a sign-up for the potluck- just to help manage things a little and make sure we don't end up with 1000 rice crispy treats and nothing else! Here's a link to the sign-up, and there is a "button" link to the sign up as well. Hope to see as many people as possible there!

As we do every year, SCS sent its 5th graders to KEEC, a week-long environmental education program held at Camp Keewaydin (actually, really it's at Songadeewin, for those paying close attention). It's a great opportunity for kids to get outside, get away from screens, meet other kids (most of whom will all be 6th graders together at MUMS next year), and learn about the natural communities that exist around us, and that we exist in. It was a bit cold and wet (but it didn't actually rain that much), but I think there was a secret advantage to the cold- there were very few bugs! So glad our 5th grade went- the 4th graders should be stoked for next year!

What do you get when you combine 90+ students, about 20 adults, and an afternoon of beautiful weather? Why, "Spring Fling', of course! RES and SCS students got together to play yard games, visit the SCS wigwam, run relay races, build obstacle courses, and make art! It was a very fun time, and we hoped it helped bring our communities together! Thank you to ACSD faculty and staff, FOSCS parent volunteers, and future SCS principal Tracey Harrington for working together to give our kids a nice afternoon!

Our teachers and staff are amazing! At ACSD, we turn Teacher Appreciation Week into Teacher & Staff Appreciation Month. You can help! Share an appreciation HERE.

• Parents ~ Ask your child if a teacher or grown-up has done something to make their school day better. Open the form and fill it out together or share something you have appreciated!

• Students ~ ALL appreciations matter...but hearing your words is especially meaningful!

The form will be open all month. You can also nominate our ACSD Teacher & Staff of the Year awards (presented at our August 2025 staff Welcome Back week)!

Substitute teachers are crucial for our students, staff, staff, and schools! We are increasing our daily substitute teaching rate to $160/day for unlicensed subs and $200/day for licensed subs. This flat rate replaces our sliding rate of pay for subs depending on the number of days worked. To apply, email HR@acsdvt.org with subject: "Substitute Position". Or visit this listing.

This year, we thought it would be fun to chronicle the changes of the season at Salisbury Community School by taking the same picture, at the same time, from the same spot, every week. At the end of the year it will hopefully be a fun thing to look at and share!