Family Newsletter

🌿 District Updates

Message from Mark
Volleyball State Champions!
Supporting Local Producers
School Closing/Delays - How the Decision is Made
How EWSD Filters the Internet on Student Devices
Bully, Harassment, Hazing, and Retaliation Definitions
We Are Hiring!

✨ Happenings

📰 EWSD in the News

📌 Upcoming Events

No School Reminder
SEPAC Educational Session & Community Gathering
Blood Drive to Honor Coach O'Neil
EWSD Inclusive Holidays & Recognition Days Calendar

Congratulations to both EHS girls' and boys' volleyball teams on their 2025 state championship victories! This is the fifth consecutive year that the EHS girls' volleyball team claimed the state championship title, and the boys' first championship win.

The Essex Westford School District is among 12 districts and supervisory unions across Vermont recognized for achieving the highest rates of local purchasing through the 2025 Local Foods Incentive Grant program.

To celebrate our collaboration with local producers, the EWSD Child Nutrition Program hosted its fourth annual District-wide Vermont Harvest Menu! We extend a special thank you to all our local vendors and partners for helping make this happen.

As winter weather approaches, we want to remind families that student safety is always our top priority when deciding whether to delay or close school. These decisions involve careful review of road conditions, weather forecasts, building readiness, and transportation safety in collaboration with local partners.

Learn more about how these decisions are made on the EWSD website.

To help keep students safe online, the EWSD uses two layers of web filtering: a District-wide firewall on our network and web-filtering software on student Chromebooks. When students are off campus, the software filter continues to protect them on their school-issued devices.

This web filter is active for all students in grades 6–12. Students in grades K–5 do not take devices home, and grades 6–8 students may occasionally bring theirs home at a teacher’s recommendation. To learn more about how this filter works, visit the Technology page on the EWSD website, and look for the drop-down section titled 'How EWSD Filters the Internet on Student Devices.' Please reach out to the Helpdesk with any questions!

While EWSD works with all students to better understand their impact on others and seeks to grow social-emotional skills needed to be an upstander, get support when needed, and be kind and supportive community members, incidents of harm still happen. We encourage families to discuss concerns with teachers as they arise. In addition, we ask for your partnership in supporting students in reducing unkind behaviors and being a part of their school community. It is important that students and families understand definitions of behaviors that meet the definitions of bullying and harassment.

Going over these behaviors with your students at home to help them reduce incidents and understand that these behaviors will result in formal investigations is helpful. In addition, please support students in reporting incidents at school to trusted staff and be sure we are aware of incidents taking place to address them. Definitions of bullying and harassment can be found within the EWSD Policy on the Prevention of Harassment, Hazing and Bullying of Students.

The Essex Westford School District has exciting opportunities for parents, family, and community members - apply today! Take a look at the following positions, and visit www.ewsd.org/jobs to learn more.

Currently Hiring:

Worksite Wellness Award

The EWSD District Office and Founders Memorial School recently won the Gold Excellence in Worksite Wellness Award.

Math Time

In math class, Fleming’s 4th graders practiced building and understanding large numbers to get ready for adding and subtracting up to 1 million using the standard algorithm.

Water Quality Testing

As part of the AP Environmental Science curriculum, EHS students recently conducted water quality testing of Indian Brook. The class also had a visiting student from Tottori High School, Japan join the class for some macroinvertebrate identification!

EWSD opposes consolidation of Chittenden County Schools (Essex Reporter)
Vermont Agency of Education celebrates Farm to School Month (Vermont Biz)
Med flight helicopter visits Essex students in new EMS program (WCAX)
Local helicopter sighting: EMTs in training help life flight touch down at EHS (Essex Reporter)
Parents share concerns over school redistricting proposal (WCAX)
Essex Westford school board empowers advocacy committee to work against harms of Act 27 (Essex Reporter)
Essex, Middlebury girls, Essex boys claim H.S. volleyball crowns (WCAX)
2025 VPA Volleyball Playoff Bracket and Schedule (MyNBC5)

🔔 Reminder there is no school on Monday, November 24 through Friday, November 28 for fall break. Please plan accordingly.

School will resume on Monday, December 1. For a full list of planned school closures, visit our school calendars online.

Join the EWSD Special Education Parent Advisory Council for an opportunity to learn about special education basics and connect with other families on Monday, November 17! The educational session will feature Cassie Santo, Vermont State Director of Special Education, Katie Ballard, SEPAC Chair, and Erin Maguire and Dylan McNamara, Co-Directors of Student Support Services.

Please register for this event using this form.

Please consider giving the gift of life in honor of former coach William O'Neil. Your donation will carry forward his spirit of kindness, compassion, and service to others. There will be two opportunities to donate:

November 18 from 10-2 p.m. at St. Mary's Parish Hall in St. Albans
November 21 from 9-2 p.m. at the EHS Gymnasium

Nov. 20 - Transgender Day of Remembrance: To honor the many people lost because of anti-transgender bigotry and violence
Nov. 27 - Thanksgiving Day (USA): A time for gratitude, family gatherings, and shared meals.
Dec. 2 - Giving Tuesday: A global movement encouraging generosity and community support.
Dec. 3 - International Day for People with Disabilities: An annual observance to promote the rights and well-being of persons with disabilities in all spheres of society.
Dec. 10 - International Human Rights Day: 'Human rights' are basic rights or freedoms, including the right to live, health, education, freedom of speech and thoughts, and equal rights.
Dec. 12 - Feast Day of Our Lady of Guadalupe: A major Mexican religious celebration honoring the Virgin Mary’s appearance to Juan Diego.

For more information on each of these dates, visit the EWSD Calendar. If you’re aware of additional inclusive holidays or recognition days that are not already included on the EWSD calendar, please contact Sarah Warrington.

Event Information

EWSD Board Meeting

More information on the work of the EWSD Board, which includes, agendas, minutes, and meeting takeaways, can be found online. Watch the meeting thanks to the Media Factory!

When?

Tuesday, Nov 18, 2025, 06:30 PM

Where?

EHS Library/Facebook

EWSD Tip Line (click here)