We have had such mild weather that it is hard to believe that next week is February break! I hope students and families have a time to rest, relax and enjoy each other over the next week and we'll see everyone on Monday, February 27th.

Dates to Remember:)

2/16 PTG Meeting in the Library @5:00

2/16 School Board Meeting @ 6:00

2/20-2/24 February Break; No School

2/27 Last Winter Sports day

2/28 & 3/1 Ms. Coleman's Class to Studio Y

3/2 & 3/3 Ms. Fallon's Class to Studio Y

3/7 Town Meeting Day; No School

3/9 & 3/10 Dena's Class to Studio Y

3/9 Secure Drill

3/13 & 3/14 Mrs. Perry's Class to Studio Y

3/15 Early Release; 11:45 Dismissal

3/17 Mrs. Hallock's Class to Studio Y

3/20 Ms. Luopa's Class to Studio Y

3/22 Ms. Paula's Class to Studio Y

3/23 Ms. Stack's Class to Studio Y

3/28-3/30 Mrs. Lisai's Class to Studio Y

3/31 Report Cards to Home

Our Westminster After-School Program (ASP) has been having fun out in the snow! ASP students have been searching for tracks, looking at different trees, building, and playing in the snow with our Outdoor Adventure Club. The students have been having a great time in our Arts & Crafts Club making different animals out of toilet paper rolls. Our Painting Club students really showed us their artistic side by painting beautiful nighttime winter barns. In our Active Games Clubs, the students have been running, playing, and learning different team-building games. We have two Junior leaders from our very own school that have been guiding ASP students around new skills with bracelet making and box building.

On March 7th we will be offering new ASP clubs! We will welcome two more junior club leaders who teach younger kids how to make slime. We will be adding a Sports Club. We will offer a Building Club that will include some carpentry skills. We are pleased to announce that for the first time, Main Street Arts from Saxtons River, VT, will be coming to work with students related to performing arts! In addition to our new clubs, we will continue to have an Arts & Crafts Club and an Active Games Club. The WCS ASP community is very excited about this next session!

If you have questions about the After-School Program at Westminster Center School, please contact Kim Budzik the WCS ASP Site Coordinator, or Sarah Doran, the WNESU Director of After-School Programs.

Join members of the Westminster Town School District board of directors, Principal Liz Harty, and WNESU Superintendent Andy Haas for an informational meeting about school-related budget items, including opportunities and recommendations for using significant surpluses from recent budget years. Come to the Westminster Center School, 301 School Street, on Saturday morning, February 25 from 9 – 11am for refreshments, conversation and questions about the proposed 2023-2024 school district budget and the additional articles that will be voted on at Westminster Town Meeting March 4. Questions in advance? Contact Cheryl Charles, Westminster School Board Chair, Cheryl.charles@wnesu.com or call 802-376-8093.

WHEN

Friday, February 17th at 8:00am

WHERE

In the Gym entrance

MORE INFORMATION

Come join me, Mrs. Harty, for coffee. Bring questions, concerns, suggestions or just come to chat! We will meet outside and can move in between the gym lobby doors if it is too cold:)

Come join a great group of teachers and parents to discuss needs of the school and plan opportunities for our students!

We meet every third Thursday at 5:00 in the library. Our next meeting is Thursday, February 16th at 5:00.

See you there!

The Kindergarteners returned to Studio Y just in time to help Matilda Mapletree support her friends, The Gaurdian Owls. Our Kindergarteners, full of creativity and imagination, made beautiful, artistic owls. Best of all, their art owl wings actually moved. Our young students showed such kindness and collaboration on this project. Our Kindergarteners really took flight in helping others.

Stay Tuned for more adventures at Studio Y.

First graders have been getting outside to cross country ski during their PE classes!

In celebration of the end of our math unit about geometry and fractions, we had a second grade pizza party! During our math workshop, students created their own personal pizzas. They had to decide how many equal pieces to divide their pizza into. They also had to decide what fraction of their pizza would have the provided toppings. It was a really delicious way to show all of our learning.

Third grade had the pleasure of having BFUHS juniors Tela (Mrs. Perry’s former student) and Hannah as guest teachers this week. We learned about basic nutritional practices and were taught about balanced meals. Tela and Hannah introduced the concept of My Plate as a guidance for healthy eating. We also enjoyed a healthy snack.

This week the Giant Map of Vermont is visiting fourth grade. It covers most of the classroom floor! We are doing activities where we walk on the map (or pretend to swim or kayak) as students become more familiar with different towns and the location of the fourteen counties. We used the scale to measure distances, used the legend to find out about different features on the map, learned a little bit about latitude and longitude, and compared the population of different parts of the state. Fourth graders also learned that the location of our state capital changed many times. We love learning about Vermont, and we are so glad this incredible resource is available for us to use!

Fifth graders were very creative making their valentines bags!

This week, sixth graders celebrated Black History Month through music. We learned about the history of jazz and listened to black jazz musicians. While listening, we completed a jazz bracket, similar to the ones you might see during March Madness. Students chose and shared about their champion jazz musician from this project.