EWSD News
News for EWSD Families and Community Members
February 15, 2022
*Reminder: No school February 21 - March 1 (winter break)
In This Issue ...
District Updates
Take-Home Antigen Tests for Winter Break
EWSD Budget and Open Board Seats
Upcoming State Assessments
PreK Lottery Open for 2022-23
February Inclusive Holidays and Celebrations
Curriculum Connection
Vermont PBS: February Resources to Celebrate Black History Month
Happenings
Upcoming Events/Resources
EWSD Social Media
Take-Home Antigen Tests for Winter Break
The Vermont Agency of Education has supplied the EWSD with antigen test kits for students to use before they return to school after winter break (February 21 - March 1). The kit includes two tests and students are encouraged to test twice (at least 24 hours apart) in the days before returning to school following winter break. This testing is voluntary and not required for students to attend school.
For PreK-8 students, the kits will be delivered to the student’s classroom, for CTE they will be delivered to individual programs, and for EHS they will be given out during blocks three and four on Wednesday. If an EHS student does not receive the test kit, they can pick one up from their advisory or at the health office.
We ask that you please report any positive cases to your school nurse, who can also answer any questions that you may have.
EWSD Budget and Open Board Seats
Thinking about running for a seat on the school board? |
Board Meeting Agendas & Minutes
Stay up to date with the Essex Westford School District budget process for FY'23 with meeting presentations, minutes, and more at: www.EWSD.org/budget
If you or someone that you know would like to run for a seat on the Essex Westford School District Board, the process is slightly different once again this year because of COVID. Petitions are not required this year, as candidates will just need to complete a Consent Candidate form (download the form here).
Board members to be elected this year are:
- One Essex Junction Resident: Three-year term
- Two Essex Town Residents (outside the Village): Three-year terms
Completed consent candidate forms must be returned to the Essex Town Clerk's Office (81 Main Street) for Essex Junction and Essex Town residents by mail, left in the dropbox in front of the building, or emailed to clerk@essex.org. The form must be in by Monday, March 7, 2021, at 4:30 p.m. in order to have a name placed on the ballot.
The EWSD Annual meeting will be held on Monday, April 11, 2022. Don't forget to vote on Tuesday, April 12, 2022.
Upcoming State Assessments
This is a reminder that all Vermont students are required to participate in state assessments and we have included a summary of each below. Individual results for these assessments are expected to be available in the summer.
Math and English/Language Arts Assessment: All students in grades 3-9 are required to take the state test called the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC). The SBAC is a computer-adaptive assessment measuring each student’s performance against the Common Core State Standards in mathematics and English/language arts. This year schools will administer the SBAC between March 15 and June 10.
Vermont Science Assessment (VTSA): All students in grades 5, 8, and 11 will take this assessment. Like the SBAC, the science assessment is administered on a computer and is designed to measure each student’s performance against the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). This year, schools will administer the VTSA between March 15 and June 10.
Vermont Alternate Assessment (VTAA): This assessment is for a small number of students with significant cognitive disabilities who will take the assessment in the following areas: English language arts, and math for students in grades 3-9 and in science for students in grades 5, 8, and 11. This year schools will administer the VTAA between March 15 and June 10.
For more information about each of these assessments, please visit:
- SBAC: Smarter Balanced
- VTSA: Next Generation Science Standards or Science | Agency of Education
- VTAA: Alternate Assessments Agency of Education
Schools will be designing their own testing schedule based on the state testing windows and will communicate those schedules to you. If you have any questions or concerns about your child’s participation in this assessment please feel free to contact your child’s teacher or principal.
With warm regards,
Jackie Ramsay-Tolman M.Ed C.A.G.S
Director of Learning and Instructional Impact
PreK Lottery Open for 2022-23
The EWSD is now accepting registration requests for prekindergarten enrollment for the 2022-2023 school year. Space is limited in our pre-K classrooms and placement is determined by a lottery drawing. The window to submit a registration request will be open until Friday, February 25.
Use this form to request that your child be entered into the EWSD school-based prekindergarten lottery drawing for the 2022-2023 school year. You can also click on the Pre-K Lottery Form button on the EWSD website to submit a pre-K registration request.
Questions can be directed to Johanna Simmons at: jsimmons@ewsd.org
February Inclusive Holidays and Celebrations
Lantern Festival/Yuan Xiao Festival (recognized in China and various Asian countries) and Nirvana Day (celebrated within the Buddhist faith) both take place on Tuesday, February 15 this year.
Utilize these links with helpful resources to talk about and recognize March awareness months at home:
Curriculum Connection
Be a Scientist! Scientists make predictions about what they will see, collect data, and record observations. As your children work through the science curriculum they will learn about patterns in the world around them, recognizing and learning about changes that occur over time. This can be done at home too!
Moon Cycles: Use observations of the moon to describe patterns that can be predicted. Keep a daily journal of your observations of the moon or graph your observations. Draw what you see each day and write about it. Try and predict what it will look like the next day based on the patterns you see in your journal. To observe how the pattern repeats, continue observations for more than one month.
A website that has other videos and experiments for children is Mystery Science. Many children may be familiar with these videos. Also, check out the library for some nonfiction books related to topics in which your child shows an interest.
Vermont PBS: February Resources to Celebrate Black History Month
The Vermont Agency of Education has updated its Vermont PBS webpage for February 2022. Celebrate Black History Month with resources from PBS Parents and PBS Learning Media. Other topics of interest include social-emotional learning for students and teachers, being outside, current events, and climate change. The webpage will be updated monthly, so check back often to find new featured resources related to monthly themes and organized by grade band and subject area.
Also, visit the Vermont PBS Kids and Education page to find more online and printable resources.
EWSD in the News
- Help Wanted: CTE reboots building trades program (WCAX)
- Students continue 42-year tradition by making quinzhees, as beloved teacher is set to retire (MyNBC5)
- Essex Westford School District shares new plans for equitable learning, teacher evaluation (Essex Reporter)
- How Pandemic Need, Federal Dollars and Local Collaboration Are Driving Better Ways to Help Food-Insecure Vermonters (Seven Days)
- Diving into pandemic learning loss among students (WCAX)
EHS students Justin Lee and Elizabeth Messier are Vermont Youth Orchestra's senior soloists (Essex Reporter)
- Essex powers to sweep at Vermont indoor track and field state championships (Burlington Free Press)
Happenings
GLP Speaker Series - Aarti Shahani
Chasing Coral
PreK Fundraiser
Thank You!
Peace and Kindness
Winter Carnival
Upcoming Events/Resources
Youth K-N95 Masks Available for EWSD K-5
The Essex Westford School District has purchased youth K-N95 masks. If you would like your child to receive these masks to wear at school, please fill out this survey.
Masks are free to families and will be delivered to your child's classroom. Please notify the school when you need additional masks or resubmit this form. Please submit a form for each child. Older students can request a K-N95 from their school nurse.
Weekly COVID-19 Vaccination Clinic in Williston
If you are looking for a COVID-19 vaccination (Pfizer) for a child between the ages of 5-11, the Vermont Department of Health holds a clinic weekly in Williston (300 Interstate Corp Center) on Mondays (9-12 and 1-7 p.m.) and Tuesdays (9-12 and 1-3 p.m.).
Appointments can be made through the Vermont Department of Health website, but walk-ins are also welcome! UVMMC pediatric nursing staff help provide a friendly, kid-centered environment. Learn more: www.healthvermont.gov
EWSD Board Meeting
The Media Factory will broadcast the meeting on Facebook Live and it will also be available via Zoom Webinar.
More information on the work of the EWSD Board, which includes, agendas, minutes, and meeting takeaways, can be found online.
Tuesday, Feb 15, 2022, 06:30 PM
Zoom/Facebook Live
EWSD Social Media
About Us
Email: bdickie@ewsd.org
Website: www.ewsd.org
Location: 58 Founders Road, Essex Junction, VT, USA
Phone: 802-878-8168
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/essexwestford/
Twitter: @EssexWestford