SCS Weekly Newsletter 9/10/23

Dear Salisbury Families:

For as long as I have been working in Addison School District (even back when it was Addison Central Supervisory Union, and each town had its own district), we have kicked off the year with a sequence of a 3 day week, followed by a 4 day week (with Labor day), and then a 5 day week. There was one or two years along the way that weren't like that, but most always that's what we do.

And I really do think it makes a ton of sense. While we obviously hope that students have a lot of fun at school, and that all of our students are engaged and happy, it's also a lot of work! School, especially for our youngest students, takes stamina! By building up the weeks, students are able to build up that resilience for school.

And so, in some ways, this next week really kicks the year off! Students will have all of their specials, teachers will work through their whole week schedule, and we will welcome everyone in for our Annual Fall Open House! We are really excited to have everyone come in and see their students' classrooms, meet teachers and staff, and really see where your children spend their days! The ACSD School Board will have a representative at Open House, as will Addison Central's Special Education Parent Advisory Council (SEPAC). Come to talk to them, and learn about what they do!

Please note a change in time. In talking as a staff, we thought that a 5:30 start time might be better for families, especially with young kids. We will run the open house from 5:30- 6:45. Please come!

Best,

Bjarki Sears- SCS Principal

Look below for:

• Our All-School Lunch and Fun Film Time!
• Some fun pictures from 1st grade
• A final call for all back-to-school forms
• Info on Open House- please note time change!
• A message from Physical Education teacher Sierra Thornton
• Information and opt-out for Panorama survey
• Important information from ACSD nurses.
• September's Lunch Calendar
• The 23-24 School Year Calendar

Important dates coming up:

• Wednesday, September 13th: SCS Open House (5:30-6:45)
• First meeting of Friends of Salisbury Community School (FOSCS) Thursday, September 21st, 6:00. SCS Library.

On Wednesday, our classroom teachers took part in a training together focused on the teaching of the newest edition of the Bridges math program (more on this soon!). We took that opportunity to have students eat lunch together in the Gym together, and then we watched an "all-school" video together- short films from the "Sean the Sheep" series of British claymation (stop-motion movies made using clay). It was only about an hour of time in total, and then student went off to specials and classes, but it was fun to get together!

As mentioned before, 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". Almost all are in, be we are looking to get 100% back! Please fill them out and return them to school, as they contain important information we need for enrollment. If you aren't sure where they are, we can give you more!

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 everyone!

PE is scheduled for 1st through 5th graders on Mondays.

All students have PE on Wednesdays, and Kindergarten has PE on Fridays.

Please be sure to send your student with sneakers for PE so they can participate with their class and get in some physical activity!

Best,

Sierra Thornton (Miss T)

As parents, teachers, and caregivers, we know that social emotional learning (SEL) is crucial for our students’ success in school and in life. To support this learning, we first need to understand how students are doing. Last year, a group of teachers and administrators identified research-backed SEL measurement tools and selected the Panorama surveys. This year, we will again be using Panorama as a tool. The survey will be given a total of three times (fall, winter, spring), and it takes students about 10-15 minutes to complete. We will use the data we collect to reflect on student learning and strengthen our programs and instruction to help all students succeed.

In the next month, we will provide a survey to our students. Students in 3rd-5th grades will self-reflect on skills related to self-management, self-awareness, responsible decision-making, relationship skills, and social awareness. For grades K-2, teachers will complete a much shorter survey on the same topics about each student in their class. We prefer that all students participate, because their feedback will provide valuable insights to help us improve and adapt our district to support all students.

Please notify us if you wish to opt your child out of taking the survey by emailing Donna at dsimpson@acsdvt.org with your child’s name, grade, and class by September 15, 2023.

Thank you in advance for supporting this important work. If you have any questions please contact Principal Bjarki Sears (bsears@acsdvt.org; 802-352-4291) or Courtney Krahn, ACSD Director of Teaching and Learning (ckrahn@acsdvt.org; 820-382-1276).

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.