SCS Weekly Newsletter 1/15/25

Dear Salisbury Families:

Wow! It's the middle of January already? My how quickly the year goes (and, on a personal note, they seem to go faster and faster every year). Just last week I was writing about how there weren't many events on the horizon- and then we turn around and have quite a few! We have some neat stuff coming up: Chief Don Stevens of the Nulhegan Band of the Coosuk Abenaki Nation is visiting 4th grade on the 15th, we will have all-school skiing on the 23rd, and FOSCS is hosting a movie night on the 24th! We also have a few school-wide assessments going on: our FAST screener, which we do three times a year to track how all students in ACSD are doing academically when it come to literacy and math, and Panorama- a social-emotional screener you can read about below. I look forward to sharing pictures and some details on how those events go!

Thanks for reading- be well!

Bjarki

Monday, January 20th: MLK Day (No School)

Tuesday, Jan 21st: Faculty Inservice- (No School)

Thursday, January 23rd: All-school Nordic Skiing at Rikert in Ripton. (Other days: 1/30, 2/13)

Friday, January 24th: FOSCS Movie Night!

Thursday, January 23rd, Salisbury Community School is going Nordic (cross-country) skiing at Rikert Outdoor Center in Ripton! The Kindergarteners through 3rd grade will be going in the morning, and returning by lunchtime, and the 4th and 5th grades will be going in the afternoon. Rikert has a great group of volunteer instructors who will be helping fit and teach our students, and join them while they ski!

School will begin and end normally, with regular drop-off and pickup. If you have any concerns about your child taking part, or have questions in general, please reach out!

We know there will likely be questions about whether parents can join. It is likely that the answer depends on how many folks are interested. If you are interested in joining skiing, please email principal Bjarki Sears at bsears@acsdvt.org. Once we have a sense of how many folks might be interested, we will ask Rikert about it.

To add to the fun, on Friday the 24th FOSCS will hold another movie night! Doors will open at 5:45, and we will begin the movie at 6:00. We have not selected a movie yet, but we will have students do so by Friday, and we'll share the information with you then. So put on those pajamas, grab those sleeping bags and stuffed animals, and come on over!

1/15/24

RE: ACSD Panorama Screener

We know that social emotional learning (SEL) is crucial for our students’ success in school and in life, so across ACSD we are working on systems to support strong SEL teaching and learning in our schools. As part of that work, we are using Panorama surveys, research-backed SEL measurement tools. We will use the data we collect with this assessment to reflect on student learning and strengthen our programs and instruction to help all students succeed.

ACSD students have been taking this survey for several years now, and we are actively using the data at the school and district level. At Salisbury Community School it helps us to know both how students are doing as well as respond with whole class, grade, and individual supports as needed.

This survey will be given to ACSD students in grades 3-12 between this week and February 6th . The survey asks students to self-reflect on skills related to self-management, self-awareness, responsible decision-making, relationship skills, and social awareness. We ask that all students participate, because their feedback provides valuable insights to help us improve and adapt. K-2 students do not participate directly in the survey. Instead, K-2 teachers complete an SEL Teacher Perception checklist for each student.

Please notify your child’s teacher as well as Administrative Assistant Donna Simpson as if you wish to opt your child out of taking the survey. Thank you in advance for supporting this important work. If you have any questions please contact SCS Principal Bjarki Sears at bsears@acsdvt.org or 802-352-4291.

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!