Swoop Scoop

Good Afternoon Wise Owl Families,

I hope everyone is having a nice start to their Spring. We are looking forward to seeing families this week for conferences. If you haven't already signed up for a conference, please do so here: UES conference sign-ups.

Learners will have no school this Friday, March 31st as this is our designated Family Conference day. Please don't hesitate to reach out to your learner's teacher directly if you are unable to make any of the open time slots work. We look forward to connecting with you about your Wise Owl and their learning journey thus far this year.

As we head into April, learners will continue working hard on reaching proficiency for each of their grade level prioritized standards and will also engage in quite a few school wide enrichment experiences. First up next week, grades 1-4 will head to MHS on Tuesday to see The Vermont Youth Orchestra perform. Followed by our very own MHS Mask Theater group, visiting UES next Friday to perform Once Upon a Wolf, their children's theater performance, for all of our learners.

Looking forward to the learning and fun that lies ahead for our Wise Owls during the coming weeks.

Warmly,

Katie Barea

Last Friday, we had a school wide celebration for our safe bodies challenge. Two special dinosaurs visited UES and spent time at each recess inviting students to join an outdoor dance party! Students loved celebrating working hard to ensure they are having safe bodies both inside and outside our building, over the past few months.

Many Wise Owls have been able to reunite with some of their lost items over the last few weeks but we still have many items looking for their owners. Please stop by UES if you are missing something. We will be DONATING all remaining items over April break as part of our 3 times per school year donation cycle (as mentioned in our handbook).

This afternoon, we had our March safety drill which was an all school fire drill. All of our Wise Owls got out of the building safely and quietly. Then proceeded to wait for directions at their class meeting places. When they were informed that it was safe to go back inside, they entered the building quietly and got right back to learning.

The Jumping Beans began in 2013 as a way to bring kids together in celebration of jumping rope skills, community and performance. This group forms every spring and consists of 4th grade students selected randomly from each classroom. The group rehearses twice a week for four weeks and collaboratively puts together a jump rope routine for the school. In honor of 10 years of Jumping Bean performances, a new t-shirt design challenge among the fourth grade students recently took place, with each student voting on their favorite design. We are pleased to share the new logo that has been chosen and some photos from a recent practice.

The MRPS Board of School Directors is meeting Wednesday, April 5, 2023 at 6:30pm. 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

Central Vermont Little League offers programs for boys and girls between the age of 4 and 12. The league serves the communities of Berlin, Cabot, Calais, East Montpelier, Marshfield, Middlesex, Montpelier, Plainfield, and Worcester. Visit our website at https://www.cvtll.org for more information or to register.

The UES Caregivers Alliance (UESCA) is a collective of caregivers who support a welcoming, inclusive UES community. We provide support for all caregivers, educators, staff, and family-centered school activities. You can access UESCA materials and notes on our webpage, here. Have a question or need? Have an idea you want to share? Email us at ues.families@gmail.com.

March 23 Literacy Discussion & Committee Meeting Notes

Thank you to everyone who attended last Thursday’s literacy discussion! Click here for the full notes of the discussion. Our next step is to share with Principal Barea and Curriculum and Technology Director Mike Berry. If you would like to be involved in ongoing discussions, email us at ues.families@gmail.com. To read our monthly updates/notes, click here. Our next meeting will be April 20 from 7-8pm at UES and through Google Meet

UES LOVES BOOKS is almost here - April 18-21

This year, UES Loves Books will be in person! And thanks to the hard work of the UESCA and a grant from the Vermont Humanities, no money will be exchanged at the book fair & every learner will get to take a book home from a diverse selection curated by Bear Pond Books. UES students will also have a visit from an award-winning guest author (announcement coming soon). Caregivers will be essential to the success of this event as we will need volunteers to help set up, oversee the fair during the school hours, help students select their books, etc. Volunteers will need to have MRPS Level 2 clearance (cost for the volunteer fingerprinting can be covered by UESCA if needed, contact us to learn more at ues.families@gmail.com) & stay on the lookout for the volunteer sign up.

UESCA community event: Bingo Night

Many caregivers have already signed up to volunteer in different areas of this great event but more are needed, especially someone to take the lead. Bingo night will take place sometime in May. Contact ues.families@gmail.com if you would like to sign up or simply learn more.

There are still opportunities for Staff Appreciation support!

Let’s show UES staff some love for all the tremendous work they do day in and day out. We are planning our last two appreciation events for May and June. Follow this link to sign up!

Email: katiebarea@mpsvt.org
Website: mpsvt.org/ues
Location: 1 Park Avenue, Montpelier, VT, USA
Phone: (802) 225-8200