EWSD News
News for EWSD Families and Community Members
School Start/End Times
With the new changes, the Transportation Department hopes to lessen the number of drivers needed and be able to deliver more consistent and reliable service. They also look forward to this change to shorten the duration of the longer routes and improve drop–off and pick-up times.
Register for Transportation
Families can register their students for EWSD bus transportation services for the upcoming school year!
The EWSD Bus Transportation Survey was sent out on July 31 and as of August 15 we have had 1,314 requests for transportation. The Transportation team has been working diligently to enter all requests into the Transfinder program to assign students their bus assignments.
Back to School
The countdown to school has begun! Visit our Back 2 School page for helpful school information and resources, including:
- Upcoming Back to School Events
- Frequently Asked Questions
- And how to stay connected to the EWSD!
EWSD Every Day Counts!
The start of a new school year brings excitement and new beginnings, and it may also bring anxiety over school attendance or other challenges for your student and family with attending school. We look forward to partnering with your family to find solutions to any challenges your child is experiencing and improving attendance and on-time arrival at school for our school district. Please contact your child’s school counselor, nurse, principal, or other school resources if you have any questions or need additional information or resources to assist your child in developing a habit of daily attendance and on-time arrival at school. We are committed to working with you to ensure that your child has a successful school year. Thank you for your partnership and everything you do daily to help our students succeed.
Regular attendance and on-time arrival help students build strong relationships with teachers and peers.
- If your child has an appointment, please have them attend school before and after the appointment to set them up for success in their school week.
- Students missing one to two days a month from school are at significant risk for challenges in achieving academic and social-emotional goals.
First Day Smiles!
We are so excited to welcome everyone back to school starting on Wednesday, August 30!
Share your first day of school photos with us by emailing them to communications@ewsd.org 😁📸
Download the New EWSD App!
The EWSD is launching a new mobile app to help students, parents, and community members stay up to date on what is happening in our schools from your phone! On the app, you can read the latest announcements, view lunch menus, and review upcoming events!
The EWSD app is available to download free from the Apple App Store or the Google Play Store.
2023-24 District Handbook
The EWSD is pleased to present the updated handbook for Essex Westford School District. This handbook serves as a guide to our school policies, procedures, and expectations and is a valuable resource for both students and their families. Visit www.ewsd.org/handbook to review it online.
Technology Update
The Technology Dept. has been hard at work this summer, readying classrooms and the technology for the coming school year. We've got some new interactive screens in many classrooms at the K-8 level and we're piloting a couple of new individual computing devices at various locations. We're excited and ready to return to serving our students and staff in their technology needs!
Read more for updates and reminders about Chromebook use, loaner Chromebooks, PowerSchool Portal annual update processes, and more.
EWSD and 802 Smiles Team Up!
We are excited to share that our District is now piloting a project with 802 Smiles to improve the oral health of our student population. Poor oral health is linked to increased absenteeism and poorer academic performance.
An 802 Smiles hygienist will be conducting quick screenings by grade level with students over the course of the upcoming school year, starting with students in the elementary school. Follow the link to learn more.
Update on State Assessments
As you may recall, our grades 3-9 and 11th grade students participated in the new state assessment process last spring. As we have done in the past, I would have liked to have the results available to share with students and families as part of our "back to school” information.
We are still waiting for these results to be shared by the Agency of Education. We will coordinate and send the results to all our K-9 and 11th grade EWSD students’ families as soon as possible. Based on what we are hearing from the Agency of Education, this will be sometime after September 16.
Literacy Leadership Committee Meets Best-Selling Author
The EWSD K-5 literacy leadership committee had an exciting opportunity to virtually meet with Kari Yates, a co-author of the best-selling book, Shifting the Balance: Six Ways to Bring the Science of Reading into the Balanced Literacy Classroom. With Yates' ongoing consultation, the committee continues to work on improving literacy in the EWSD K-5 schools through research-based best practices.
Thank You!
Big shoutout to the incredible EWSD Facilities Department! We want to take a moment to appreciate the hardworking individuals who maintain our school buildings.
We cannot thank them enough for their hard work and dedication. Let's show our appreciation for our incredible facilities team by giving them a big round of applause!
New Transportation Director
The EWSD is pleased to announce that Hunter Eddy joined the District as the new Director of Transportation.
Eddy comes to the EWSD after spending the past nine years at Green Mountain Transit.
EWSD Parent/Caregiver Night
On Tuesday, September 5 starting at 7 p.m., all EWSD parents/caregivers are welcome to attend a presentation by John Halligan, a national speaker on cyberbullying and suicide prevention.
If your student has a phone or social media, this event is valuable for adults to attend. This event for parents/caregivers will be held in the Essex High School auditorium.
Learn to Skate
The Vermont Skating Academy fall 2023 session is open for registration! Registration information and forms can be accessed on the website. See you on the ice!
About Us
Email: aboutwell@ewsd.org
Website: www.ewsd.org
Location: 76 Pearl Street, Suite 201, Essex Junction, VT 05452
Phone: 802-878-8168