Essex High School
September 18, 2020
Weekly announcements will be sent via email every Friday for students and families to stay up-to-date on the happenings inside the school.
In This Issue:
- A Message from EHS Co-Principal
- Emergency Drills
- Attendance
- Late Arrivals
- Wednesday Synchronous Learning
- Health Forms
- Closed Campus
- Academic Support
- Advisory
- Yearbook Information/Senior Deadlines
- Free Meal Service
- Pep Band Club
- First Congregational Food Pantry
A Message From EHS Co-Principal
Dear Families,
What a joy it has been to have the students back at school these two weeks! The strength and resiliency in this community is obvious and it's inspiring to see the care shown for others in so many interactions. At EHS, we are all moving forward with our core values of community, collective efficacy, high expectations and making a positive impact. In everything we do, our mission is to engage students in learning that is intellectually vital, personally meaningful, and socially valuable. As we head into the weekend, we want to make sure to continue sharing information with our families so everyone is informed and prepared for the upcoming week. Please see the announcements below and enjoy the beautiful weather this weekend!
Sincerely,
Tamara Parks
Emergency Drills
In the next couple of weeks, we will be holding a few emergency drills.
FIRE DRILLS
This year we will be holding two fire drills, one with the Blue Cohort and one with the Gold Cohort. These are scheduled for Tuesday, September 22 and Thursday, September 24. For this drill when outside, we will continue to encourage and support students' social distancing and mask wearing.
LOCKDOWN DRILLS
Lockdown drills this year will be an "educational" drill only. When we hold our drills teachers will review how lockdowns occur, what to do and how to do it. More information about lockdown drills will be coming soon.
Attendance
Teachers will take attendance for Blue students on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, Gold students on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, and Fully Remote students on Wednesday.
Students need to fill out the attendance Google form by 3:00 p.m. on their remote learning days to verify their attendance.
The attendance Google form is sent via student email at 8:00 a.m. daily. If your student is scheduled to be in the building but needs to stay home, please email our attendance specialist, Mr. Ricigliano at wricigliano@ewsd.org so he can make the necessary adjustments. Your student may still access learning through Google classroom that day, but for safety reasons, we need accurate attendance information for students scheduled to be in the building each day.
Late Arrivals
Students who are arriving past 8:00 a.m., after getting their temperature checked and sanitizing their hands, must stop at the attendance desk in the main lobby. Our attendance specialist will be able to check-in the student, and provide them an admission slip (blue slip) to give to their first block teacher. To notify the main office of changes in your student’s attendance, email ehs_attendance@ewsd.org
Wednesday Synchronous Learning
Health Forms
Health Forms can be accessed by clicking the following link:
https://www.ewsd.org/Page/4532
Email our Health Department at ehs-nurses@ewsd.org with any questions.
Closed Campus/ No Senior Privileges
Due to COVID-19, EHS is now a closed campus. Currently students cannot leave the building without a teacher during school hours. For safety reasons, all external doors must be closed (do not prop open).
Academic Support
We will begin providing targeted academic support for students in the next few weeks. Students will be scheduled into this time by their teacher if it is determined they could use some extra help or intervention. Students will be notified if they are scheduled for academic support and given instructions for the room assignment. We plan to ensure all students have access to rigorous instruction and the support they need to succeed.
Advisory
It can be a challenge to make friends and maintain connections while wearing masks and being socially distanced. To ensure all students make and maintain these important connections, and continue to build their socioemotional skill set, we have provided a scheduled time during lunch time called “Advisory”. The team that plans Advisory activities includes our SocioEmotional Learning Coach, School Counselors, Teacher Leaders, SAP Counselor, Academy Leaders, College & Career Coach, an Assistant Principal, and a Principal. Each Advisory is led by a staff member who makes important school wide announcements for students and leads advisory activities in a safe and welcoming space.
Yearbook Information & Senior Deadlines
Visit ewsd.org/ehsyearbook for directions on submitting a Senior photo. Click the link Submit Senior Photo. We will only accept VERTICAL photos that are 300DPI (minimum 1200 x 1800 pixels). Photos directly from social media platforms or screenshots will NOT be accepted. You will receive a confirmation email from Jostens when you upload your photo.
DEADLINE IS OCTOBER 21, 2020.
Baby Pictures/ Recognition Ads
Celebrate your Senior by purchasing a student recognition ad! Parents can submit baby pictures and create a page to celebrate student achievements and milestones! A link is available on ewsd.org/ehsyearbook to view ad options and pricing. Josten's is managing this portion of the book so please DO NOT send any photos to the yearbook staff directly. Please feel free to email us with questions!
DEADLINE IS OCTOBER 31, 2020.
SENIOR QUOTES
Visit ewsd.org/ehsyearbook for directions on submitting a Senior Quote. Click the link Submit Senior Quote. It must be school appropriate and not more than 200 characters (including spaces and punctuation). The yearbook staff reserves the right to deny/edit any quote that we deem is inappropriate or too long.
DEADLINE IS OCTOBER 21, 2020.
BUYING A BOOK
Yearbooks are available for purchase at the introductory price of $65 from now until December 31, 2020. After this date, yearbooks can be purchased for $70. Purchase a yearbook online using the "purchase yearbook" link at ewsd.org/ehsyearbook, or by mailing an order form and a check payable to EWSD. NO CASH PLEASE.
Breakfast and Lunch
Breakfast and Lunch are FREE for everyone until further notice.
Stop by a Kiosk (located throughout the building) and grab one on your way to class in the morning. All the kiosks have the same menu/choices.
Lunches are part of the double advisory block.
Advisories in odd numbered rooms will go to the closest kiosk for their meals during the first part (at 11:15 a.m).
Advisories in even numbered rooms will go to the kiosks for meals during the second part (at 11:40 a.m).
Remember to social distance at the kiosk and to return to the classroom as soon as possible.
Remember not to congregate, and to wash your hands often.
Masks can be lowered while eating, and should be put back on when not eating.
Pep Band Club
Attention All Musicians!
Do you play a band instrument? Our music department would like to help you stay connected to an activity that you love: making music. We're figuring out many ways to provide fulfilling music-making activities. Any student at EHS can fill out this survey to express interest in our pep band club that will practice outside only. That means if you aren't taking a jazz or band ensemble, you can still play pep band music!
Any current or former band student who can't wait for semester 2 to begin can email Mrs. Trutor at htrutor@ewsd.org if you'd like her to organize: outdoor chamber music groups, Zoom/outdoor groups to help prepare audition music, or any other idea you have that Mrs. Trutor can help you with.
Students already enrolled in any credited EHS ensemble this year, keep an eye out for applications for our chapter of the National Music Educators Association Tri-M music honor society chapter on the Tri-M bulletin board in the music hallway soon.
First Congregational Food Pantry
First Congregational has a twice monthly food pantry takes place on the second Monday of the month and the fourth Thursday of the month (except in November and December then it is the 3rd Thursday).
On the second Monday of the month, we prepare bags of produce from 2-3 p.m. and then from 5-7:30 p.m. distribute the food to clients in our church parking lot. Clients are supposed to stay in their cars and pre-packaged groceries are placed preferably in the trunk (though, sometimes the groceries are placed in the back seat).
Here is a link to our Sign Up Genius for Monday Food Pantry dates, https://www.signupgenius.com/go/60B0A48AAAD2CA2FF2-monday
The fourth Thursday of the month is a bit different. We prepare bags of produce at 10 a.m. -11 a.m. and then distribute food from 2-6 p.m. We’ve split the afternoon distribution into two time slots 1:30-4 p.m. and 4-6 p.m. We try to stay six feet apart at all times, wear gloves, and masks are mandatory. Also, we do not proselytize to our clients or to our volunteers. With many folks going back to work and we’re restricting people 65+ from helping, we are finding it a bit more difficult making sure we have enough helpers. Our client numbers have been lower than we expected; however, we anticipate as Federal dollars run out our client numbers will increase.
Here is a link to our Thursday Food Pantry signup dates: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/60B0A48AAAD2CA2FF2-thursday
Essex High School
Email: hornets@ewsd.org
Website: www.ewsd.org/ehs
Location: 2 Educational Drive, Essex Junction, VT, USA
Phone: 802-879-7121
Facebook: facebook.com/ehsvt/