UES Swoop Scoop
September 5, 2023
Community & Belonging at UES
Across the building, as we head into week two of the 2023-2024 school year, we are continuing to focus on teaching routines and building the foundations of strong classroom communities. We strive for all Wise Owls not only to feel safe at school each day but to also feel a true sense of belonging.
Last week, learners’ in Ms. Voorhis' 3rd grade classroom engaged in a low stakes activity where they had an opportunity to share some of their "favorites" and then learn more about their new community members as well. The activity was done by using chart paper for topics and post it notes for student answers-because of this, the activity didn’t end there. For the time being, Ms. V has these posters hung on her wall as a visual reminder for learners that there are commonalities amongst classroom peers and this will in turn intentionally support continued connections during the beginning days of school.
Learners' in Ms. Reed's second grade classroom completed large all about me puzzle pieces. These puzzle pieces were then put together and displayed outside of Ms. Reed's classroom, all fitting perfectly together.
Many wonderful stories such as, "We're All Wonders" by R. J. Palacio and "A Tiger Tail" by Mike Boldt, have also been spotted being read aloud in our classrooms to support creating community and fostering belonging as well. These types of activities are happening all across our building as we are actively working to build our new classroom communities and learning about one another.
See if your Wise Owl can name one routine they have in their classroom!
UES September Specials Report
Hello from the Specials Team here at UES! We are excited to teach you this year! Here is a quick introduction of who we are and what our classes are all about. Each month, you will receive “The Special Report” of fun things happening in our classes. Keep your eyes out for some exciting highlights from Specials this year!
Special Education Resource For Caregivers
The district has developed a resource for caregivers to help with understanding and navigating the special education process. This can be found on the district website on the Student Support Services page or through this link.
News From Nurse Megan
My school office hours are 7:30am-3:00pm Monday through Friday. You can reach me by email: Meganspaulding@mpsvt.org or by phone at 802-225-8206. The fax number is 802-223-9219.
If your child becomes sick after school hours or on the weekends, please call your child’s pediatrician or primary care provider. Someone on call can walk you through the next steps. If your child has MILD symptoms, they may come to school. I do recommend that you test them for Covid with symptoms. Antigen kits come with 2 tests and are meant to give one right away and then the next antigen test, given 24 hours later.
UES Students should not come to school with cough drops, lozenges or hard candies. These are a choking hazard and make it really challenging to manage during the school day. We encourage you to send in a water bottle to help quiet a minor cough or sooth a mild sore throat.
For moderate to severe symptoms, please keep your child home until they are feeling better and are ready to learn. If a child develops a fever of 100.4 or more or is vomiting, please keep them home until these symptoms are gone for a full 24 hours without using fever reducing medication before having them return to school.
Please feel free to contact me with any questions that you have and I’ll get back to you during school hours. I look forward to working with you to support your children’s health care needs.
Join Our UES Team!
We have a few openings not yet filled for the 2023-2024 school year.
- Building Substitute
- Recess/Lunch Monitor
- Instructional Assistants
Are you interested in joining our MRPS family of passionate and dedicated educators and support staff?! Browse our open positions and reach out to Heather Michaud, Human Resources Coordinator, if you have any questions: heatherm@mpsvt.org
Universal School Meals & Menus
Please visit the MPRS Nutrition Site for the UES August Menu.
Thank you to the VT Legislature for passing the Universal School Meals Bill! This provides free meals for all VT students this school year. There are exceptions though, please read on.
According to VT AoE and USDA regulations; each school day, each VT student is entitled to one breakfast and one lunch, free of charge, regardless of eligibility status. These meals must consist of at least three items one of which must be a minimum half cup portion of fruits or vegetables. Individual items, like milk or fruit portions, are not free of charge. A student's first full breakfast and lunch is free of charge. Individual items and second meals will be charged to student accounts at the a la carte rate. Meal charges may be avoided by selecting a complete meal. All items available in our school’s cafeterias are eligible components of a free school meal, no strictly a la carte items will be offered.
Funds may be added to student accounts with cash or checks made out to MRPS Food Service at school or online at Myschoolbucks.com. Negative balance notifications will be system generated and emailed automatically to avoid surprise charges.
Next MRPS School Board Meeting
The MRPS Board of School Directors is meeting Wednesday, September 6, 2023 at 6:30pm at MHS. 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