UES Swoop Scoop
September 5, 2023
November Monthly Focus - Working Together!
Last week, we had our monthly Community Time for November. During the assembly, students and staff sang the Power of Yet together, after learning it during the month of October as we focused on Growth Mindset. A huge shout out to the many staff members who stepped outside of their comfort zone and learned various parts of the rap, modeling the Power of Yet for learners in the most authentic way possible. Ask your learner about this!
Our monthly theme for November is Work Together and was introduced through a read aloud and skit during which Swoop our mascot visited. Learners enjoyed the story, "When Pencil Met Eraser" written by Karen Kilpatrick, Luis O. Ramos Jr and illustrated by German Blanco. "This funny, clever picture book tells the true story of how Pencil and Eraser became the best of friends. When Pencil draws on the pages of this book, Eraser erases parts of Pencil’s work, and the book itself becomes a canvas for their different takes on creativity―until the two discover their artwork is even better when they work together."
We are Better Together at UES!
In The Schools Podcast - Literacy Work at UES
Episode 17: In this episode we hear from Rachel Whalen, UES Literacy Interventionist, and Katie Barea, UES Principal. We talk about the tremendous work in literacy the UES faculty are engaged in this year and next year with LETRS - a whole school intensive professional development process that focuses on the foundational processes of reading and spelling. Click here to listen!
Picture Day - November 30th
We are excited to have Lifetouch Photography take portraits of your child on Thursday, November 30th. Caregivers may pre order their child’s Lifetouch school portraits online using your credit or debit card. Go to mylifetouch.com and enter this Picture Day ID: EVT4MV4KP. If you wish to pay with a check, order forms will be sent home in backpacks this week.
Girls on the Run Coaches Needed at UES!
Volunteer to be a Girls on the Run coach for Union Elementary School this spring! The impact of a Girls on the Run volunteer coach is as boundless as it is beautiful. Girls on the Run is an afterschool program that uses a research based curriculum to empower, increase self-worth and spark joy in its participants.
Not a runner? Haven’t coached before? No problem! Girls on the Run VT (GOTRVT) provides training, easy to follow lesson plans, supplies and support for a transformational season. Our season begins the week of March 18, 2024, and ends with a celebratory 5K on Saturday June 1st. The team will meet twice weekly for 90 minute sessions to connect, move, learn and have FUN! Fun fact, this is GOTRVT’s 25th anniversary season!
Visit gotrvt.org/coach to learn more or sign up to volunteer. Questions? Contact GOTRVT at info@girlsontherunvermont.org or 802-871-5664.
News From Nurse Megan
The updated Covid vaccine 2023-2024 is slowly becoming more available at pharmacies, primary care practices and some vaccine clinics. It is recommended for children age 6 months and up. Below are dates of three Covid and Flu vaccine clinics that are walk in only. They are put on by Waterbury Ambulance:
November 8th: 4:00-8:00pm Spaulding High School
November 18th: 9:00am-4:00pm Montpelier High School
November 19th: 9:00am-4:00pm Harwood Union High School
For more information on the clinics see this website:
https://www.waterburyambulance.org/vaccinations.html
MRPS follows the Vermont Department of Health guidance regarding Covid-19, which can be found here: https://www.healthvermont.gov/disease-control/covid-19/covid-19-symptoms-treatment. In summary, the date symptoms started or the positive test (whichever came first) is day 0, and the student can return to school on day 6 if they are feeling better and have not had a fever (100.4 or higher) in the last 24 hours without the use of fever reducing medicine.
A negative Covid test is not required to return to school.
If a student is exposed to Covid, they can still attend school. The Vermont Department of Health recommends that a close contact test if they develop symptoms or 5 days after exposure, if they do not have symptoms.
We encourage families to let the pediatrician or primary care provider know when students test positive.
Annual Family Support Fund - Please Donate and/or Share
Every year, the MRPS PIE community raises money to directly support families in the Montpelier Roxbury School District. This is a meaningful way for neighbors to support neighbors and to share the love during the cold days ahead.
Our goal this year is to raise $10,000 by December 8th! If you can help, please donate here. And consider sharing this page - on social media, email, or any way you can! You might share with friends and family who live out of state, as our community has been supporting one another throughout the flood recovery, and while the need is greater, the resources may be depleting.
The Future of MRPS Facilities
MRPS has partnered with TruexCullins to conduct a robust community engagement process and help the district assess future options and opportunities for the facilities within our school district. We are hosting two community workshops in the coming months to gather thoughts from our community. Please visit www.mrpsvt.org/future to learn more and to RSVP to attend. Childcare will be provided at the workshops.
News From UESCA
The UES Caregivers Alliance (UESCA) is a collective of caregivers who support a welcoming, inclusive UES community. If you are a caregiver of a UES student, you are a UESCA member! We provide support for all caregivers, educators, staff, and family-centered school activities. You can access UESCA materials and notes on our webpage, here. Most of our coordinating activities are done through our Slack channel, which is open to all. This year, we will periodically meet in person to coordinate specific events and activities. Have a question or need? Have an idea you want to share? Email us at ues.families@gmail.com.
Caregiver School Year Priorities
Based on your feedback, UESCA will be focusing on four (4) areas this 2023-2024 school year:
Advocating on behalf of families and students
Organizing staff appreciation activities
Coordinating free, fun community events for UES families
Funding programs and supplies for kids during the school day (in coordination with the school)
UESCA will be open to any emerging issues and opportunities throughout the year. Want to support or lead these efforts? This could be baking something for a staff appreciation event, volunteering for one of the fun events or bringing supplies to school. Email us at ues.families@gmail.com or join our Slack channel. Thank you!
Volunteers Needed! Staff Appreciation & Lip Sync Food Organizers
UESCA will once again be sponsoring staff appreciation events/activities this school year. If you would like to volunteer and support by gathering or making food, or coordinating acts of appreciation, email us at ues.families@gmail.com. Also, the amazing UES Lip Sync event is scheduled for January 19. UESCA will be coordinating food for the event. If you would like to volunteer and help with preparation or the evening of, email us at ues.families@gmail.com. Join us at our next coordination meeting on November 30, from 6:30-7:30pm in the UES cafeteria, where we'll focus on food coordination for this year’s Lip Sync event. Childcare is available. All are welcome. If you can’t make it, but would like to join in coordinating activities, join our Slack channel.
November Kindness Club
Kindness Club Returns! 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. Learners sign-up for each individual meeting that they are able to attend.
Any student in 2nd-4th grade is welcome to attend. Sign Up Here for the November 15th meeting.
UES Caregivers Council Info
If you are interested in becoming a member of The UES Caregiver Council, please take a moment to fill out this form. We had our first meeting last week. Here is our agenda!
Meeting Information
For the 2023-24 school year, all meetings will occur on the first Wednesday of each month from 11:00am-12:00pm. Meetings will be held at UES in the Conference Room. Meeting dates for the 2023-24 school year are: 11/1, 12/06, 1/03, 2/07, 2/15, 3/06, 4/03, and 5/01.
Next MRPS School Board Meeting
The MRPS Board of School Directors is meeting Wednesday, November 15, 2023 at 6:30pm at RVS. 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