SCS Weekly Newsletter 9/24/23

Dear Salisbury Families:

Wow! It's really starting to feel like fall. As the temperature starts to swing, we now go from jackets and sweatshirts at drop-off to sweating during recess! We'll take the warmth while we can, I suppose.

And with the onset of fall comes some fun activities at SCS. One of those, our Fall Foliage Fun, is coming up soon, on Thursday, October 12th. From 1:00- 2:30 our students will take part in games and activities on or near our soccer field, and Friends of Salisbury Community School is organizing volunteers to help us run it! Anyone interesting in helping out or running an activity either reach out to me or SCS co-chair James Clark (jamesearlclark@gmail.com).

One other thing: we'd really like to create a student and family directory, a document that includes contact numbers for students and their families so folks can reach out to each other. Certainly there are many reasons why this can be helpful: sharing birthday invitations, setting up a ride to an activity, finding the owner of a missing glove- and many more.

Don't feel that you have to share all information- I know people have different comfort levels with that, but even just putting an email or phone number in the directory an be really helpful! Please click on the "button" below to submit info to our directory.

Best,

Bjarki

Look below for:

• A call for Fall Foliage Fun volunteers!
• Info on our "Clear the Trails" work event.
• Info on our upcoming School Safety Drill
• School House Savings

Important dates coming up:

• Thursday, September 28th: School Safety Drill (info below)
• Wednesday, October 4th: ACSD Early Release Day- school ends at 1:00.
• Thursday, October 5th: FOSCS Meeting: 6:30 in SCS Library
• Tuesday, October 10th: "Clear the Trails" work event. 5:00-7:00
• Thursday, October 12th: Fall Foliage Fun 1:00-2:30.

On Thursday, October 12th, we will hold our second annual Fall Foliage Fest from 1:00- 2:30 on our "Secret Soccer Field". We had a blast last year, and we look forward to doing it again! Activities will include: soccer, kickball, hikes on our trails, tug-of-war. egg races, art stations, and more! Parents and caregivers interested in volunteering should reach out to FOSCS co-chair James Clark at jamesearlclark@gmail.com, or attend the next FOSCS meeting on 10/5/2023 at 6:30.

On Tuesday, October 10th, bring your work gloves, loppers, saws, and other trail clearing tools to SCS as we do our annual "clear the trails" evening. Last year we had a lot of fun, and re-claimed some trails that had been disappearing in brush and blowdowns. All of the storms this year have dropped some trees across our trails, and it would be great to clear them out, especially before our "Fall Foliage Fun". To help coordinate tools, please consider signing up here. Even if you don't sign up, please come on by!

Earlier this week, the district shared an overview of our ACSD safety practices and efforts to keep our community safe. You can find that information on the website here.

We practice safety drills designed to ensure that students and staff are familiar with how to be safe in an emergency. Some months, we practice what to do if we need to evacuate the building for an event like a fire. Other months we practice options-based drills or what to do when unsafe people or hazards enter our school.

We are going to practice two options-based drills - one in September and one in January. Options-based drills introduce students to various strategies in response to a threat, such as how to respond to cues and listen to and follow safety directions from a trusted adult such as a teacher. Please know that all options based drills are trauma informed and age appropriate. This means the drills are performed in a way that is sensitive to the emotional well-being of our students.

We will be holding our first options-based drill on Thursday, September 28, 2023 at roughly 2:00.. To help everyone feel safe and calm, no visitors will be allowed to enter the building while the drill is taking place. Also, please know that this will NOT be a simulation. While we will be using our in-school communication networks, and reviewing and slowly walking through various possible responses, we will not be acting like there is an active threat or emergency. We want to build our students’ comfort with these drills before we do anything that feels “real”.

We know that this may be an emotional topic for parents and caregivers and want to assure you of a few things:

• The adults in our building work together to plan and ensure students feel safe and we remind them that the drill is practice.

• We talk with students in a developmentally appropriate way before and after each drill and our practice is developmentally aligned.

• We are available to support families. Please see the resources below to help you talk with your child about these experiences.

1. Talking with Your Children about Safety Drills (Johns Hopkins)

2. Talking with Children about Violence: Tips for Parents and Educators (NASP)

If you have questions, please reach out to me directly at 802-352-4291 or bsears@acsdvt.org

Thank you,

Bjarki

Whether students are depositing a few cents or emptying their piggy banks, this is a great opportunity for them to increase financial literacy and learn about savings.

Our weekly Banking Day will be on Tuesday mornings during arrival, in the gym.

Now is the time to sign up if your student has not participated in School House Savings in the past! It’s simple to do!

Students can open their account with the pamphlet that came home in Friday Folders or with this link: