Weybridge Family News
Weybridge Family News
Weybridge Elementary Calendar
Calendar notes:
Pizza and play nights - 5:00-6:00 - Informal grade level gatherings for parents and children, a time to eat, chat and play together.
Wednesday, 8/20 - K/1
Thursday, 8/21 - 2/3
Monday, 8/25 - 4/5
Tuesday, August 26, 1:30-3:30 - Students and families are invited to drop by to check out their classrooms and say “hello”.
Wednesday, August 27, 7:45 - First day of school! FOWE will provide coffee and treats for families in the library at drop off time. This has traditionally been a lovely time to welcome new families and catch up with others
Thursday, September 18, 6:00pm - Welcome back potluck hosted by FOWE. All are welcome.
Revised: Back to school nights, Thursdays, 5:30-6:30
9/25 - K/1 Back to school/curriculum night
9/30 - 2/3 Back to school/curriculum night
10/8 - 4/5 Back to school/curriculum night
ACSD Board dates - MUHS - 73 Charles Avenue, Middlebury
Monday, August 25, 6:30-8:30
Monday, September 8, 6:30-8:30
Monday, September 22, 6:30-8:30
Classrooms are being prepared for students return
Dear Families,
The pace quickens as we gear up for the opening of school. The school is sparkling clean and the classrooms are nearly all set up and ready for the students to arrive! Monte has done a beautiful job as usual - the floors are gleaming! Rachel Chapman, our new administrative assistant, is settling in. She had an opportunity to work with Samantha a couple of days last week to get the lay of the land. Kathleen, our new nutrition specialist, has transformed the kitchen.
Meals: Once again, thankfully, for this school year all students qualify for free breakfast and lunch through a Vermont state law. We are changing our ordering process, moving away from families ordering online. Instead, students will order their meals as they settle in each morning. This will hopefully reduce confusion for students about what they ordered, reduce waste, and increase the efficiency of the lunch service. The menu for each week will be linked in the newsletter should you wish to go over it with your child ahead of time.
Breakfast for the first day will not need to be ordered as an ample array of breakfast choices will be available.
Bus routes: Please see the linked WES morning and afternoon bus routes. Bobbie Jo and Stitch will be our drivers again. They will also be published in the Addison Independent and available on the ACSD website.
**Please note that we expect that all students in Kindergarten and 1st grade will have an adult meeting them as they get off the bus or that they will get off with an older sibling.
Our bus drivers this year are the following:
Morning route (EAST side of town) and transport to/from MUMS/MUHS - Stitch (Mike Blake)
Morning route (WEST side of town) - Elias Delthias
Afternoon elementary route - Bobbie Jo Sawyer
Attendance:
Please build the habit of consistent attendance.
If your child is going to be absent due to, for example, illness or a medical appointment, please contact Rachel Chapman as soon as possible - rchapman@acsdvt.org or text or call 802-349-5305.
In Vermont, children between the ages of 6 and 16 are required to attend public school, an approved independent school, a home school program, or another approved educational program for the full number of days that school is held (ACSD - 176 days) unless they are excused from attendance as provided in state law. (Note: While enrollment in kindergarten is not required, if students enroll in an ACSD kindergarten, they enroll for the program as offered which is the full 176 days.)
Vermont Agency of Education Attendance (AOE) Procedures: As a district we are adhering to the definition of excused absences provided by the AOE.
An absence is considered excusable when it is the result of:
Personal illness;
Appointments with health professionals that cannot be made outside of the regular school day;
Observance of recognized religious holidays when the observance is required during a regular school day;
Emergency family situations such as a death in the family;
Planned absences for personal or educational purposes which have been approved.*
Absences due to suspension or expulsion
*Important recent clarification: Planned absences for personal or educational purposes” must be approved by the principal for 1 or 2 days; by the superintendent for 3 or more days. Generally, these are approved unless the requested absence is during a testing window. When requesting approval for 3 or more days, please submit the request directly to the superintendent (email is fine) and copy the principal. Attending programs such as the Forest School are not excused absences.
Teachers are not expected to send work home for students who are going on a trip unless the situation is outside of the family’s control.
Extra clothing reminder - All students (K-5) need the following:
Sneakers - especially for P.E Tuesdays and Fridays to insure safe movement
A complete change of clothes (yes, for all grades!) including socks and underwear (to be kept in their backpack) - various spills and muddy play are part of school life
Rain boots, rain pants and rain jackets
Snow boots, snow pants, winter coat, hat, mittens or gloves
**We do have extra clothes on hand, but it is often much more comfortable for students to have their own gear/clothing and changing takes much less time.
Playground work:
The beaver lodge: James Landenberger and Mike Newkirk have worked over the summer, putting their creative vision and sense of play into the redesign of the beaver lodge. There are a few finishing touches yet to be completed. Also contributing, Pete James of Monument Farms did some excavating to create space around the beaver lodge structure to contain an adequate depth of chips for cushioning. He also dug a new drainage ditch; hopefully the ditch will reduce the run off in heavy rains and the persistent sogginess in the spring. Mike Fallis also arranged to have a Limbwalker Tree Service crew drop off an extra load of chips and JP Carrara & Sons, Inc. donated the sand for the base of the structure which the town delivered.
Repair/upgrade work: Mike Newkirk also made repairs and additions to the castle to meet safety requirements and Rowan Nelson sussed out what needed to be done to the monkey bar/rings structure to meet safety requirements and arranged for Aidan Nelson (WES alum) and Elvis Macintosh, both Wind Ridge Builders employees, to do the work.
Wonderful community collaboration. So much appreciated! 💐
Please email me cjohnston@acsdvt.org or call if you have any questions (802-545-3301).
See you very soon! Christina
