THE PRIDE PRESS
Essex Elementary School Newsletter
June 5, 2020
EES Car Parade! Thursday, June 11th
Save the date!
The end of school is an exciting time of year. Students and teachers spend time celebrating a year of hard work and enjoying fun times with friends before moving to a new class. This year we can't celebrate together, however, our staff still wants to celebrate with our students - their accomplishments from the year, their flexibility during distance learning and the beginning of summer! To do this and maintain social distancing we have decided to have an EES car parade. We will drive through Essex neighborhoods on Thursday June 11th, leaving from EES at 1pm. We are finalizing the parade route and will share that next week. We wanted families to save the date and we look forward to seeing as many of you as possible, while maintaining social distancing.
PRINCIPAL NEWS
Hello Families, and Happy Friday!
First, I’d like to offer a huge thank you to the staff who were here on Wednesday, June 3rd to help distribute student belongings and help collect library books. None of this could have been possible without the help of: Laura Green, Celia McHose, Pete Picard, Gretchen Fields, Carol Scrimgeour, Paulette Thibeault, Pam Harnish, Jennifer Borthwick-Leslie, Jen Redmond and Michelle Rovnak. Your help is so very appreciated!
Families, if you missed the chance to turn in books and collect belongings, fear not, as we will be repeating the process this Friday, June 12th and again on Monday, June 15th. These are also the dates we need you to turn in Chromebooks and chargers borrowed from the district! Please see the article below this for details on Chromebook returns.
On Friday, June 12th and Monday the 15th, from 8:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m and again from 2:00 p.m to 4:00 p.m. we invite parents to come and pick up student belongings and drop off Chromebooks and library books using virtually the identical system we used for picking up printed packets way back when the lockout started. (which seems like a whole other lifetime right now!) The system will work this way:
All pickup/dropoff will be in the driveway on the route 128 side of the building
This is curbside pickup only; nobody should or needs to leave their vehicle
Please pull into the driveway at the end by the dumpsters (there will be signs!)
Pull up to the stop sign where someone will ask for your students name and their teacher’s name. On the driver’s side of the car there will be a cart to place library books on. (no need to leave your car!)
At the opposite end of the drive you will be met by the person who has collected your child’s belongings. They will place the bag(s) in your trunk, front or back seat.
Pull away and enjoy the rest of your day!
If you have any questions about belongings, please contact your child’s teacher. If you have questions regarding library books, please contact librarian Carol Scrimgeour and if you have questions about the process, please contact me.
Thank you in advance for following the protocol and helping to ensure the safety of us all!
Returning Chromebooks
General Procedures for Returning Chromebooks
The Technology Department, working with each of the school building principals and staff, will be collecting Chromebooks (and chargers) that were sent home with students from select grade levels beginning the second week of June (June 8-12). Parents will be receiving detailed information from each of their schools that indicate the precise dates that these devices, as well as other items, will be collected.
Please note - We are taking back Chromebooks and chargers from students in the following grades ONLY:
Grades K-8
Current seniors (or 12th graders)
There is one exception that has been made in this pattern:
Students attending Extended School Year will be able to keep their Chromebooks and chargers.
As mentioned above, each school has developed a protocol and schedule for parents and students that will be returning devices to schools. To help the Technology staff ‘check-in’ devices, we ask that parents/students take the following measures:
Parents/students should label the Chromebook by tucking a sheet of paper into the Chromebook with the student name and school on it, it will make returns go that much smoother. It is sometimes difficult through masks or with drive-by situations to get names heard and recorded.
Make sure the charger is included with the Chromebook. Families will be charged for missing chargers. To expedite this, consider putting both the Chromebook and charger into a plastic grocery bag for return.
Students/parents with transportation issues or that have difficulty returning devices during the school-based schedules can contact the Help Desk at 802-857-7777 and request an alternate solution to get the devices returned. These will be handled case by case.
We are doing the best we can at making the upcoming school year start as smoothly as possible in a situation with many unknowns. We appreciate your cooperation in making the Chromebook returns function smoothly and we will do all we can to accommodate parent/family needs in conjunction with this schedule.
Message to Second Grade Families
Dear Second Grade Families,
Usually on one June evening you could find the FMS 3rd grade team at school hosting a Welcome to Founders night for second grade families. This is an exciting night for all of us as we begin new relationships with incoming students and families who are curious and sometimes a little anxious to begin their three years of learning and growing at Founders. We understand that you still may have lots of questions about Founders, the school day, and how school may look different next year. Although we can’t be together right now, we haven’t forgotten you! We want to be able to welcome you into our school and provide you with the most up-to-date information about the school year. To that end, we have no choice but to move the Welcome to Founders night to August. We will notify families as soon as we can about how and when we will meet. In the meantime, we wish your families well and look forward to partnering with you in the future..
Learning Center News
EES Book Return Box
We are pleased to announce that we have an official EES Library Book Return box where families may now return library books. A huge thanks goes to our custodians Tony Smith and Brad Snow for their enthusiasm and carpentry skills. A few more details are still to come, such as a sign, and rubber bands to secure the books before being dropped in. It is located under the roof overhang to the right of the front door, where there is a picnic table and a secondary entrance.
Summer Checkouts from EES
We will be offering summer checkouts again this year.
If your family would like to borrow books from the EES Library, you will need to fill out this online form.
- Students may borrow up to 5 books
- Use the Library Catalog to look up books
- Fill out the online form to let me know which books you wish to borrow.
- Submit the form by Wednesday, June 10th
- Pick up your new library selections on Friday, June 12th and Monday, June 15th (Note this is a change of date). Stay tuned for a specific pickup location.
- Return books at the beginning of the school year.
- Second graders moving on to FMS may return their EES books to the FMS Library at the beginning of the school year.
- Tentative plans are being considered for periodic checkouts over the summer months. More information will be posted on the library website.
- Questions? Contact Mrs. Scrimgeour at cscrimgeour@ewsd.org
HEALTH OFFICE NEWS
2020 -2021 Pre-K and Kindergarten
All 2020-2021 Pre-K and K students are required to have updated immunization records and Health Information Forms on file in order to be registered for next year. This includes returning students. Your students registration is not considered complete until these are received.
Please fax or email them to Niquette Bergeron, our registrar. nbergeron@ewsd.org
FAX (802) 879-0602
Feel free to call or email me with any question or concerns regarding your child’s health needs.
(802) 857-2104
Take care,
Kimberly Bullock, BSN, RN
EES Nurse
Fostering Resilience & COVID-19
A message to parents & caregivers - Week 4
Joelle van Lent, Psy.D
We have a healthy instinct to repeatedly think about and tell the story of a startling event. The instinct guides us to integrate and master the experience. Providing time for children to begin to narrate their experience of the pandemic can encourage them to shift focus to the part they can control, consider the positives, and to take ownership over the outcome. A stance of curiosity will guide this process. First and foremost- take care of yourself!
SCHOOL COUNSELORS
Dear Families,
Like so many of you we continue to watch, listen and reflect on what is happening across our country. As school counselors and educators it is our responsibility to ensure a positive, safe and inclusive environment for our students, free from discrimination. We will continue to work towards supporting and teaching empathy, compassion, and respect for one another. We understand that talking about racism, traumatic events, and violence can be difficult for families. Here are a few resources that may help with supporting your children. The first resource is a partnership between CNN and Sesame Street who will hold a Town Hall for families happening this Saturday morning at 10am.
Please reach out to us if you have questions or need support.
Kindly,
Kim, Sarah & Brea
CHILD NUTRITION
ESSEX ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
We take care of each other
We take care of our school
Email: dsturgess@ewsd.org
Website: https://www.ewsd.org/EES
Location: 1 Bixby Hill Road, Essex Junction, VT, USA
Phone: (802)-878-2584