The Lamoille Ledger

November 10th - EMUU Board Meeting (5:30 PM ) @ MES

November 11th - Veterans Day (No School / Professional Development)

November 12th - EMUU / SSD Merger Study Committee (12 PM) @ central office

November 17th - LSSU Board Meeting (5:30 PM) @MES

November 19th - EMUU / SSD Merger Study Committee (12 PM) @ central office

November 23rd-24th - Family Conferences (NO SCHOOL)

November 25th-27th - (Thanksgiving Break)

November 26th - Annual PAML Turkey Trot

December 7th - Act 170 Merger Study Committee (6 PM) @ Stowe Middle/High School

December 24th to January 1st- December Break (NO SCHOOL)

Dear Lamoille South,

November is a month for gratitude and we have a lot to be thankful for. Our schools are off to a strong start and many of our recent changes around technology and literacy appear to be having a positive impact on student learning.

Writing has been a major focus this fall. Over the past two weeks, students in grades 3–12 completed our first of three writing assessments this year. Students respond to a prompt in a single sitting, which shows us how their writing grows over the year. We’ve also intentionally reduced screen time in classrooms, and it’s been exciting to watch students dig into paper-based work and build the focus to write longer and more thoughtfully. Writing has always been a priority, but this year we’re adding more targeted support, and our teachers have led the way with highly skilled instruction.

Congratulations to the Peoples Academy Boys Varsity Soccer team on their state championship! Their overtime win over Winooski was an exciting finish. Watch Schuyler “Sky” Grant, who scored the winning goal, talk about the game in this interview. We’re proud of how this team represented Lamoille South on and off the field.

We’re also celebrating Bryn Fisher and Kelly Saphier, who were honored Wednesday at UVM’s Outstanding Teacher Day (more below). Both go above and beyond every day for our students and families.

Finally, we know many of you are following the statewide conversations about school district mergers. Below you’ll find an update on where things stand and what it could mean for Lamoille South. We’ll keep you informed as things develop. As always, please reach out with any questions.

Sincerely,

Ryan Heraty

Superintendent

802-888-4541

ryan.heraty@lamoillesouth.org

It is with great honor that we recognize Early Childhood Special Educator Bryn Fisher and Multilingual Specialist Kelly Saphier as our UVM Outstanding Educators of the year.

Bryn goes above and beyond to tailor educational experiences to the unique needs of every learner. She provides a safe, nurturing space where patience meets possibility. Through her creative teaching methods and deep commitment to inclusive practices, she inspires a lifelong love of learning and helps students build the independence they need to thrive.

Kelly is a master of differentiation, tailoring plans to meet the unique linguistic and cultural needs of every student. Beyond the curriculum, Kelly acts as an advocate and a mentor, seamlessly building trust with newcomer families and creating an inclusive environment where every student feels safe and valued. Her patience, empathy, and innovative teaching methods allow students to find their voice and thrive in their academic journeys.

We proudly honor both Bryn and Kelly for their impact on our school community.

There are two separate merger conversations happening right now. Act 170 requires our two districts to meet with representatives from the Lamoille North and Orleans Southwest Supervisory Unions to discuss a large merger that would involve the entire county and more.

Simultaneously, the Elmore-Morristown and Stowe School Districts have formed a joint merger study committee to explore the potential for merging our two school districts. The boards passed resolutions last year indicating they would be in support of a Lamoille South merger as when our districts were merged, we maintained a high-functioning district and students still attended the same local schools.

We have created an Act 170 website to answer questions about the larger mergers. The next meeting for our group is December 7th at Stowe High School (6-8 PM).

Last week, I joined leaders from the entire county as we received training in the Situation Table model. This community-oriented approach brings together education, law enforcement, and social service organizations to share information in a weekly meeting to address acute crises in the community. You can read more about this model HERE and a special thank you to Morristown Police Chief Jason Luneau for spearheading this effort and securing the grant funding to make this happen.

It's hard to believe that we are approaching snow season and the potential for delay or canceled school. Please know that these decisions are not made lightly, and we recognize that every time we cancel school it puts a hardship on our families. When a weather event impacts school, there are several steps we take to ensure we make the right call. As the superintendent, I typically attend a 4:30 AM call with the National Weather Service. We then connect with our local road crews and transportation company to confirm the roads are safe for travel. We always aim to alert families before 6:00 AM.

Since conditions can sometimes change quickly, there may be times when the call is made after this due to new, critical information that impacts student and staff safety.