Principal's Newsletter
SALISBURY COMMUNITY SCHOOL
Thursday, September 3rd 2026
Dear Families,
Whew! We made it through our first four day week. What a blur it all is. The year is fully under way now, and in many ways it feels like we've gone "zero to sixty" in the blink of an eye. The kids must be tired, because the adults sure are. It'll be nice to have a four day weekend to rest and refuel a bit.
This week's newsletter has information about getting started with academic learning and collecting some "baseline" data on students. Teachers have many ways to collect beginning of the year data on their students' academic skills, plus there are some standardized tools we use as well. Please read about the roll out of ACSD's Multi Stage System of Supports and what it will look like at SCS. In short, students will continue to get the amount of support they need to make progress. We will give them lots of time and opportunity to make this progress in class with their peers. Adults will work together to teach students in small groups or from different "angles" --but students will be working on the same standards and the same objectives. After we've collected some data (on especially reading, writing and math skills), there may be some students that need a little extra instruction, outside of class, and so we'll reach out to parents about scheduling that.
Learning new things is hard work. We want students to feel confident about their abilities and persevere. Making one year's worth of progress from September to June is hard enough, but making more than a year's worth of growth is very hard. For these students, we want to partner closely with families and commit ourselves to supporting them and ensuring they feel good about their progress, not frustrated. It's a delicate balance and I am hopeful we can get there together.
Thanks for reading the info and updates below.
Have a wonderful four day weekend and Happy Labor Day,
Tracey
This Week's Photos
Kindergarteners made name art and drew pictures of themselves going to school for the first time.
Mrs. Cunningham has a lot of names to learn in our Extended Day program. Kids had fun getting to know each other, playing games and doing art this week.
Students are hard at work --learning sight words, observing monarch caterpillars, building arcade games, reading about current events and solving tough problems. We're back!
Who's Who at SCS
Last week I highlighted three of our academic support teachers at SCS, and this week I want to give a shout out to Jenn Larocque --former classroom teacher turned academic interventionist! Jenn has jumped right into her new role and is excited to be putting her instructional expertise to work. She's helping coordinate our fall assessments, sharing her knowledge about curriculum and instruction with classroom teachers, and is working directly with students to support their reading development. It's nice having Mrs. Larocque in this teacher leadership role. She is as dedicated as ever to ensuring students make as much progress this year as possible!
Mr. LaFerriere and Mr. Bernhardt were both PE teachers today! We're lucky to have Mr. Bernhardt shadowing Mr. LaFerriere for a few days before he heads out on paternity leave. The kids are very excited to have two young positive male role models here at school. We're grateful for them as well!
ACSD's New Student Support System
The Multi Stage System of Supports
ACSD and Salisbury Community School are committed to ensuring all students succeed in the general education classroom. Academic and behavioral support is provided through the ACSD Multi Stage System of Supports (MSSS) for all students. This system of supports is being rolled out during the 2026-2027 school year and will look different in different schools. After a two year implementation process, we anticipate having an aligned K - 12 system for all students.
🟢 Stage 1 | Universal Core Instruction: High-quality first instruction provided to every student daily in the general classroom. Teachers regularly analyze student work and assessment data to ensure all students have access to a guaranteed and viable curriculum.
🟡 Stage 2 | Collaborative Teacher Support: When students show inadequate learning progress, a Stage 2 Team convenes to ask, "What else might we try?" The goal is to explore alternate instructional approaches that keep students in the classroom with their teacher as much as possible. This can take different forms—for example, an instructional specialist might step in to assist the classroom teacher with a new idea, or another colleague might model a new strategy. The team draws on content-specific expertise, whole-class strategies, and small-group interventions, keeping students learning alongside their peers whenever possible.
🟠Stage 3 | Targeted Data-Driven Interventions: When universal and Stage 2 supports aren't enough, a specialized team conducts a deep-dive review of student data, prescribes targeted interventions, and tracks effectiveness in structured cycles. Interventions are provided as in-class adjustments or targeted pull-out instruction that necessitate a change to the student’s daily/weekly schedule. Parents/guardians are included in this process and are notified before a change is made to a student’s schedule.
🔴 Stage 4 | Comprehensive Evaluation & Disability Review: Stage 4 begins when documented Stage 3 interventions do not produce sufficient progress. The Stage 3 Team and parents/guardians meet to discuss possible underlying factors—such as an undiagnosed disability—and decide whether to initiate the formal special education evaluation process.
Student Support Teams
The school’s Stage 3 Team, or Student Support Team, meets regularly and consists of the principal, the learning specialist, academic interventionists and school counselor. Teachers who work with the student being discussed also participate. If it is determined a Student Support Plan is necessary, a meeting will be held with the parents and the school team. The plan will include goals for student progress, the frequency and duration of services, and a timeline for review.
From FAST to Star --student screener data is a good place to start
Star Assessments Info for Families
This year at SCS, we are replacing the FastBridge screening assessments with Star Assessments in reading and math.
Star Assessments are short tests that give teachers personalized learning data for each student:
In Kindergarten and 1st grade, the assessment consists of short, 1-minute tasks administered by a teacher.
In 2nd–5th grades, students take computer-based assessments. Because the test is adaptive, questions automatically adjust in difficulty based on a student's responses. This ensures a personalized experience that isn't too easy or too hard, and takes most students between 20 to 30 minutes to complete.
Why do we use Star Assessments?
To Guide Daily Instruction: Teachers use the results to tailor classroom activities, small-group learning, and individual support to match your child's exact needs.
To Track Progress Over Time: By assessing students a few times throughout the year, we can measure steady skill growth rather than relying on a single snapshot.
To Keep Testing Time Brief: Both the computer-adaptive tests and CBM measures are designed to be fast and low-stress, keeping classroom instruction the main focus.
The best way to prepare for Star Assessments is simply to encourage your child to do their best. Students' results will be sent home later this fall, and families are welcome to connect with teachers to discuss next steps for their child's learning.
For more information, visit the Star Assessments Family Resources page.
Bus Route Adjustments
Thank you for your flexibility and patience as we work out the bus routes that have been adjusted in some towns due to driver shortages. The document below is being updated, so check back in if you have questions. We will continue to be in communication with families about new tweaks, if/when they get made.
SCS Family Handbook
Upcoming School Related Events
No School Friday, September 4th and Monday, September 7th (Labor Day weekend)
No School Monday, September 21st --Yom Kippur
Fall Open House, Tuesday September 22nd, 5:30 - 7:00 PM
FOSCS Info & Updates
We Want to Hear From You!
Keep an eye out for a FOSCS letter coming home in student folders this week! We're hoping to learn more about what works for SCS families — what kinds of events you enjoy, ways you might like to pitch in, skills or ideas you'd be willing to share, and what you'd like to see FOSCS support this year.
Please take a few minutes to fill out our FOSCS survey — we'd really love to hear from every family, even if your answer right now is “not sure yet!”
District News
Welcome Back All District Family Event September 18th
Please join us on Friday September 18th for a special welcome back event hosted by the Flynn Center and ACSD! This Whimsical interactive back-to-school party will feature PEARL by Plasticiens Volants. FREE and open to everyone in the ACSD Community. 6pm at Middlebury Union Middle School
Share your experience with 2026-2027 Bus Transportation
Across our district, we are facing significant transportation challenges caused by driver shortages on multiple bus routes. You can find revised bus routes here based on Week 1 changes. We hope the changes we made in Week 1 will offer stability moving forward and we will continue to make adjustments as needed and hope to get back to our normal bus routes as quickly as possible. However, we are also working to capture the full impact this challenge has had on our families as we escalate this situation to the the Secretary of Education and BetCha’s parent company, STA. Please use this form to document the impact any bus disruptions had on your family so that we can act on and/or pass along the information as we seek resolution.
2026-2027 ACSD Districtwide Calendar
The 2026-2027 ACSD Calendar is available and can be found on the website here.
