Super News

January is recognized nationally, as School Board Recognition Month (Vermont celebrated it in February last year!) As someone who works with 6 different school boards and 30 board members (including 2 students at L&G), I want to express my gratitude to the work that these folks do every day to serve the students and families of WCSU. Generally, it’s a pretty thankless job for our board members, as they develop policy, budgets, and set the vision for the districts and supervisory union. While some members serve short terms and don’t return, others have served our districts and SU for decades! So, here’s to all of you board members - I am honored to work with you and I genuinely thank you for your time, dedication and service to the communities that you serve.

As we close in on Town Meeting day and Annual Meetings of districts, boards are often looking for new people to run for vacant positions. Consider this work as something that a parent might want to do as a way to engage with your child’s school.

The challenges of budget season are never over! As the AOE begins to finalize the LTWADM numbers for each district, and we start to model budgets (particularly for the operating districts) we are beginning to see a trend that requires somewhat severe reductions in order to get below the spending threshold, which will certainly put stress on our systems and potentially impact programming for our students. These decisions will require thoughtful and diligent (and possibly creative) board members using input from our communities. Please support our board members (and staff) through these difficult times by staying positive and working together for our students.

EL Education in Action!

Ms. Traci Bartlett, our dedicated school counselor, has gone above and beyond by leading a crucial initiative to bring school-based clinicians into our schools. Her vision and leadership in this project demonstrate her strong commitment to supporting our students' mental health and well-being. This initiative aims to provide accessible mental health services within the school environment, ensuring students receive timely and professional support. Traci's efforts reflect her passion for creating a nurturing and responsive school community, and her work will undoubtedly have a lasting positive impact on the lives of our students and their families.

This has been an exciting year in the Curriculum and Instruction world of WCSU. We have come together around a coordinated curriculum that focuses on project based learning, promotes student voice, and is responsive to the needs of our classroom communities. Project based learning at Leland and Gray is expanding with teams of teachers working together to plan expeditions for their students that cross grade levels and content areas. Our K-8 teachers have begun implementing the Expeditionary Learning (EL) Education ELA program and many classrooms have presented their first performance task (or exhibitions) to their school communities. This is also the first year in the WCSU we have a coordinated math curriculum, K-8.

We have work ahead of us as we plan out our other content areas, create our MTSS system within the new curricula, figure out schedules, (etc. etc.) but we are taking it one step at a time and doing it TOGETHER. I could not be more proud of or more grateful to the teachers in our WCSU. Throughout all of these changes our teachers have been enthusiastic and willing partners, choosing to support and lift one another up, even when they themselves may feel overwhelmed or frustrated. They are role models to our students and an inspiration for our profession.

• December 23-January 2 - Winter Break
• January -National School Board Recognition Month
• January 20 - MLK Day - No School
• January 21 - Teacher Report Card Day - No School