Happy Friday the 13th!

This week I want to spotlight some student leadership in our building. Our 5/6 classroom has put an intentional focus on what it means to be a builder of strong communities and their role in that community as leaders. They have demonstrated this focus in a number of ways. Our kindergarten class has had a few bumps in the road since the beginning of the year. I’m not sure if folks are fully aware of this but….the transition to Kindergarten and a full day of work and expectations…is super HARD! We have found that when an older student leader lends a helping hand by working with students while their teacher is engaging in professional development or joining in on ECO, it makes kindergarten an even better place to be.

I’ve also had students in 5/6 reach out wanting to address concerns on the buses. They asked to meet with me and have been working hard on helping me to develop a plan to hold bus expectations meeting with students and bus drivers. The intention is to identify agreements about what it means to be safe, be kind, and work hard on the bus then have every rider sign an agreement.

The last example of leadership is maybe one of the things I’m most proud of. I was walking down our very messy hall one afternoon this week. Things can get very messy with the wet grass and bits of mud getting tracked in on shoes after recess. Tuesday afternoon I spied 6th graders Austin Robbins and Charles Grzankowski out in the hallway with brooms, sweeping up the mess so it was clean for travel and to not overburden our evening custodians. They weren’t asked, they just did it. I don’t even know where they found the brooms! They weren’t looking for credit, just stepping up to do their part in the community. This exemplifies what it means to be a leader and show care for your community. You do it, because it’s the right thing to do, and you conduct yourself like nobody's watching. Well done Calais Cougars!

Ms. Cat, CES principal

Given the challenges of declining enrollment, expense inflation, the sunset of pandemic-related federal funding and other factors, budgeting for the 2024-25 school year promises to be especially challenging. As our school board prepares for this year’s process, we want to let you know the best ways to be informed and share your perspective. Here is an overview:

• On October 18, we will host our annual school budget training. You are welcome to attend this and all school board meetings and meeting information can be found here: Meeting Resources / Board Meeting Resources (wcsu32.org)

• We will host a Connecting our Vision to Budget Realities community meeting November 1. This will be an excellent opportunity to provide the board with early input on what you see as priorities for the coming year.

• On November 15 the board will receive a first draft of next year’s budget and provide guidance on next steps.

• We will host another forum on December 20 to further discuss our budget and take further community feedback.

• We expect to finalize the budget January 17 in order to prepare for a community vote by Town Meeting Day.

Please note that the budgeting process will coincide with the final stages of our strategic planning process which is designed to establish our priorities well beyond next year. As always, you are encouraged to contact any school board member to ask questions and share your thoughts. Our contact information is posted here: Board Members / Board Members (wcsu32.org). We look forward to hearing from you. Thank you for supporting our schools.

This week we are seeing a drastic change in the weather. Children are needing boots for outside play, and we have very limited boots available to loan. Please send your child with layers and boots every day! We have also turned the heat on, which means I am seeing a lot of chapstick requests and kids who forgot their water bottles. Please make sure your children have a water bottle and anything else they may need every day. Sneakers can be left on hooks for the entire winter if that is easier than sending them in every day.

We have Covid-19 in the building, along with a stomach bug. Please remember to keep your children home if they are showing signs of new illness, and remember that if your child has a fever (over 100.4F), vomiting or diarrhea they must stay home for at least 24 hrs after those symptoms go away - WITHOUT THE USE OF MEDICATION. Our goal is to keep children in school whenever possible, but they must be available for learning. No one can learn if they feel sick. If you have questions about the Health protocols or when to keep your child home, please reach out to Nurse Maria at mmelekos@u32.org or 802-454-7777 ext. 116.

If your child tests positive for Covid-19, they must isolate for 5 days. After that they may return to school, and the CDC and the State of Vermont Department of Health is recommending wearing a mask until the full ten days is up. We are all exhausted with dealing with Covid, and yet we still need to remain cautious and remember how contagious and potentially life-threatening this disease can be. We appreciate your continued cooperation. We do have a few Covid-19 tests if you would like me to send one home with your child. We are NOT testing this year in the Health Office.

Community Bank and Montpelier Rotary Club are having a coat drive and asking for donations as well as distributing coats.

Anyone who wants to bring in: Donations are being accepted now through October 20, 2023, at our Barre Office and Montpelier City Hall, 39 Main Street, Montpelier, during office hours.

Anyone who would like to pick up: All of the items will be distributed on Saturday, October 21, 2023, at Bethany Church in Montpelier and at the CNB Barre Office from 9am-noon.

Link to flyer:

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/community-national-bank_community-national-bank-and-the-montpelier-activity-7112076733574471680-roUK?trk=public_profile_like_view

In Vermont, 57,150 people are facing hunger - and of them 12,040 are children.

Calais Elementary has a long history of partnering with the East Montpelier Fire Department to help ensure Calais families have a bountiful Thanksgiving and holiday season. This year is no different, and after the summer flood we have plenty of families who can use some community love. We will be collecting non-perishable food items now through mid-November to donate to the Fire Department for their Thanksgiving baskets. There are bins in the lobby for donations. Please enlist your children to help pick out items and bring them into school! Community outreach begins at home. We also accept gift cards to grocery stores.

For the holiday season, we will be collecting new and gently loved toys for families needing assistance creating some holiday magic. We also accept gift cards to grocery stores or places like Walmart or Amazon. More info to come on the holiday season drive!

If you are a Calais Elementary family in need, please reach out to our counselor Ruth Frisenda at 802-454-7777 ext. 105 or rfrisenda@u32.org. If you would like to help in any additional capacity with these two events, please reach Ms. Danielle in the front office.

10/20 - Picture Retake Day

10/25 - Fire Safety Day

10/28 - Friends of Calais Halloween Spooktacular

11/9 - Friends of Calais Meeting (Time changed to 6:30pm - 8:00pm)