November Newsletter
A message from the Principal~
Hello Craftsbury Families,
Time does fly by once the school year is underway. Our first quarter is over and the first trimester for our elementary students ends on November 30th. Our fall sports have ended for the year and our student-athletes experienced great success both on and off the field of play. Our winter sports are starting on November 30th.
One of our 5th-grade students is trying to collect donations for a local nursing home. The student has identified the following items that would be helpful: writing supplies, art supplies, books, magazines, stationery, body wash, shampoo, cards, washcloths, and winter clothing. The student has a box to collect donations at the academy's main office.
I hope everyone has a safe and happy holiday season,
Matt Foster
Principal
OSSU Calendar
December 23-30 ~ No School
Picture Retake Day~
Please see Cora for the order forms.
Farm-to-School
GMFTS also provides fresh food for cafeterias, supports local farms, educational programs for students, and activities for building community. They do this by conducting monthly taste tests in schools, planning farm field trips and activities, and leading garden activities and in-class, hands-on food, and agriculture workshops!
Sweet Potato Fries!
All About Cows!
Pumpkin and Pumpkin Seeds!
Second Grade News
The second grade is doing a social studies unit centered on the Craftsbury School community. Building community is one of the three school-wide expectations in Craftsbury Schools. Over the next few weeks, students will interview a variety of people who make our school community work. Students brainstormed a list of people to interview, wrote letters inviting them to come in, and generated questions for the interviews. The class selected the name SGN, Second Grade News, for our building community program, and we hope to create a video of our findings. We practiced in mock interviews this week. Stay tuned for the Building Community Documentary, produced and directed by our second-grade news team!
Another Busy Month for the 3rd Grade
There was freshly fallen snow for the 3rd grade's weekly trip to the woodlot! Madame Considine, Mr. Foster, and Ms. Jess were able to join the class for lunch. The students enjoyed teaching their teacher French songs. Ms. Jess taught the students how to tie a clove hitch knot and a figure eight knot. The Third-grade team is very thankful for their visits to the woodlot for Forest Friday!
In addition to Outdoor Education, Bruce from the Morrisville Rotary Club continued the tradition of providing the third graders with their own dictionaries. If you see a third grader ask them what is the longest word in the English Language.
Students are continuing to earn many Pom Poms by Protecting Safety, Engaging in Learning, and Building Community.
A Trip to Sterling College Library
Rome and Roads in 6th Grade
Charger Winter Athletics Shop~ The end is near! Order now!
Bowling:https://bsnteamsports.com/shop/CABowling
Basketball: https://bsnteamsports.com/shop/CAbball
OSSU Has an Instagram Page!
As learning knows no bounds, OSSU is pleased to announce we are expanding our social media presence to Instagram! Join us on the journey at @orleans_southwest as we continue to showcase student learning and connect with our community.
Please follow us on Facebook and on our OSSU News webpage as well!
#OSSU #EmpoweringStudents #StrongerTogether
Message From The School Nurse
Hello OSSU families,
We are seeing many of the usual childhood communicable illnesses spreading in our buildings. Please remember that although masks are not required, you may choose to send your child to school with a mask to help reduce the spread of all respiratory illnesses. At school, we continue to practice frequent handwashing, covering coughs with the elbow, and frequent cleaning of any contaminated surfaces.
We do continue to see cases of Covid19 and expect that we will continue to see Covid19 as well as all of the usual seasonal illnesses throughout the year.
Currently, we have many individuals experiencing respiratory symptoms - coughs, runny noses, scratchy throats, watery eyes, etc. Many of these students who have seen their medical provider have been diagnosed with the common cold, and some have been diagnosed with viral upper respiratory illnesses, including RSV (respiratory syncytial virus).
RSV is a common respiratory virus that usually causes mild, cold-like symptoms. We are all exposed to this virus many times throughout our lives, and most older children and adults will experience this illness as nothing more serious than a nasty cold. Most people recover in a week or two, but RSV can be serious, especially for infants and older adults. Nationwide, medical providers are reporting an increase in RSV cases and severity in preschool and young elementary-age children. This is most likely because they have not been previously exposed to RSV, due to the use of masks and social distancing during the peak of the Covid19 pandemic.
CDC surveillance data has shown an increase in RSV detections and RSV-associated emergency department visits and hospitalizations in multiple U.S. regions (additional information on RSV). Please contact your child’s medical provider for any serious illness, including fever that does not respond to treatment with Tylenol or ibuprofen, difficulty breathing, or other concerning symptoms.
Please review our Current OSSU Illness/ Covid19 Info to understand when to stay home related to illness. We are following current Vermont Department of Health guidelines to keep our school community safe, healthy, and ready to learn. Rapid antigen Covid19 test kits are available to all families, please contact your school nurse for more information.
Thank you,
Your OSSU school health team
Healthy Lamoille Valley (HLV)
No Vape November
Youth use of tobacco products in any form is unsafe and e-cigarettes have been the most commonly used tobacco product among youth since 2014. This November, help encourage the youth in your life to stay vape-free. Visit our Youth Resources page to get support and tips for quitting vaping. Visit ParentUpVT for tips on how to talk to your kids about substance use.
Live Your Why: Passport Edition - 3rd-8th graders can earn a $30 valued prize! Must submit by December 30th!
3rd-8th graders, complete and submit all 6 Share Your Why activity sheets for a $30 valued prize: an art supply kit or gift certificate to Power Play Sports. These activity sheets are a way for you to explore new interests and deepen ones you already have with the option to share those interests with other local youth. Submit your activity sheets before November 30th and be entered to win a $100 Amazon gift card! To learn more about the program, including activity ideas and where to pick up and submit the sheets, visit www.healthylamoillevalley.org/passport.
Volunteer Opportunity!
We’re looking for coalition member perspectives on prevention to submit to local papers, we will help with editing and send them in. Work with us! Email Jessica at jessica@healthylamoillevalley.org for more information and to share your thoughts.