It's Official!
Week 1 donations= 209 pounds!
Week 2 donations= 601 pounds!
Week 3 donations= 365 pounds!
TOTAL donated to the SB Community= 1,175 pounds!
The previous record was 912 pounds.
Congratulations to the 5th grade class for organizing the food drive and to RMCS students and families for your food donations. I'm proud of you for caring for the SB community. Thank you for this team effort and your hard work!
In early September, 5th grade students sent me a letter asking me to bring chocolate milk back to the lunch program. I told them they would have to back up their reasons for the change with accurate data and develop a presentation. Next, we would have to invite decision makers to listen to their request for change. Students have been working on their presentation ever since, and they hosted an assembly for 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders on Friday, November 18th.
KJ and Cassidy presented their case to an esteemed panel of experts on schools, nutrition, health, and wellness. Panel participants included Violet Nichols, Superintendent, Rhonda Ketner, Director of Nutritional Services, Kate Garneau, RMCS Kitchen Coordinator, and Kristen Courcelle, teacher and Iron Man competitor. This event showcased student leadership & voice, public discourse, persuasion, and was an opportunity for student agency around what happens at school. I hope this is a model for more student engagement like this in the future.
Our next step is to form a task force to determine solutions for this complex matter. Thank you to our student presenters, the panel participants, and to the audience for their professional and respectful discourse. We'll keep you posted on future developments concerning this matter.
Dear RMCS Caregivers,
We are reaching out to share reminders about safety during student drop-off and pickup and ask for your help in keeping our students safe while they are entering and exiting vehicles. We have noticed a few driving habits that are concerning related to our student drop-off/pickup routines. If there are other caregivers who pick up your student, please share this information with them as well.
Please review our requests and updated procedures below:
At ALL pickup locations:
- Please enter slowly!
- Please stay in your vehicle.
- Please pull ahead to the most forward spot, as indicated by an adult monitor or traffic cone.
- Please do not pass vehicles in front of you! We have many vehicles pulling around the left side of other vehicles and this is creating safety concerns as students and caregivers are often walking to that side of the car to load.
At the Pre-K, K pickup location:
- Please follow the requests above.
- Additionally, we will be placing cones alongside the left side of the loading area to indicate Spots 1, 2 and 3 as our designated loading spot. Please pull ahead to the furthest open spot when you arrive.
- The cones will prevent passing on the left.
- If you need to exit your vehicle to buckle your student in, please do so as efficiently as possible.
We know that the end of the school day can include many events and appointments. If it is essential that you get out of the parking lot quickly, it is recommended that you pick your child up before dismissal to reduce the speed and passing issues being observed in our parking lot. Our last request is to ask that drivers extend grace and patience with our dedicated faculty and staff members who are in the parking lot to ensure a smooth and safe process. If they are asking you to slow down or refrain from passing, it is to ensure the safety of all students and adults in our RMCS community.
Thank you in advance for your observance of these routines.
We had our first snow of the year on Wednesday, and students had a blast playing in the snow at recess. Being a Vermont parent takes on a whole new meaning in November. As the temperature drops, we will need warmly dressed students for recess. Students can no longer wear shorts and short sleeves outside. Please be sure your child is equipped with Vermont winter gear – snow pants, boots, hats, mittens and a warm coat. Our students go outside every day, except if the wind chill or temperature is below 0 degrees. There is not an indoor recess option. If students are too sick to go outside for recess, please consider an early pick up.
Use a permanent marker to write your child’s name on EVERYTHING. Many times, students have the same kinds of boots, coats and snow pants, and it gets confusing in the cubby areas. You can support the reduction in winter gear loss by practicing at home. Teach your child to put their mittens in their hat, and their hat in the sleeve of their coat. Make it fun by having timed practices to see how fast they can get their snow pants on, coats on and zipped, everything off and hung up on a hook…who can do this faster, you or your child?
We also have some donations of winter gear. Please contact a school counselor, school clinician, or the main office if your child needs winter gear. We greatly appreciate your support with making recess a positive experience for all of our children!
Note: This kindergarten student came to recess with all his winter gear. His mittens are missing in this photo because he was the official whistle blower on Friday, calling his classmates together at the end of recess. His hands needed to be free of mittens to squeeze the blue whistle ball hanging from the lanyard. Rest assured, his hands were bare for just a minute, and he was a great helper!
Aimee Perkov joined RMCS as a recess monitor! She started on a snowy Wednesday and will continue to be on the playground as a recess monitor 5 days a week. Welcome, Miss Aimee!
We continue to welcome volunteers to help us at recess. We are fortunate to have a large playground and appreciate the parent volunteers who sign up to help us with supervision from time to time. If you have availability, please visit the Sign Up Genius to schedule the times you are available to join us in late November through the next winter break. Thank you!
For those in need of assistance during the winter months, we ask that parents and caregivers reach out to Guidance Counselors Laura Standard & Meaghan Rice, School Nurse Michelle Cannon, or PrinciPALs Lissa McDonald or Stephanie Sumner.
- Laura= lstandard@sbschools.net
- Meaghan= mrice@sbschools.net
- Michelle= mcannon@sbschools.net
- Lissa= lmcdonald@sbschools.net
- Stephanie= ssumner@sbschools.net
We will keep your information confidential, and reach out to our wide network of resources to provide you with assistance. Please don't hesitate to ask!
This month in our Farm to School lesson, we are learning about how we prepare our bodies for winter with foods like squash. We’re bringing gratitude to our experience by recognizing the Abenaki people for carrying the seed of squash for hundreds of years, selecting the most nutritious and delicious fruits to save seed from, and thus cultivating a Vermont staple. Did you know some vitamins are only absorbed if they are eaten with fat? We are learning about the importance of fat during the winter months, and Vitamin E, a fat soluble vitamin that is a powerful antioxidant in our bodies and keeps our skin glowing. We made Pumpkin Pie Pudding this month!
Here’s the recipe:
1 Butternut squash, roasted
1 tbsp Cinnamon
2 tsp Cloves
1 tsp Salt
¼ cup Maple Syrup
1/2 cup Oat Milk
Blend all ingredients in a food processor or with an immersion blender! Enjoy warm or cold!
If you’re interested in receiving care specific to you and/or your family’s needs please feel free to reach out to moonbellynutrition@gmail.com or visit moonbellynutrition.com, I am currently taking clients at my office in Common Roots’ Wheeler House in South Burlington!
Kayli O’Donnell, RD
Learn about RSV and Flu Season on Vermont Public's Interview with a Pediatric Critical Care Doctor and School Nurse.
Listen to the Vermont Edition episode HERE.
Dr. Rebecca Bell is a Pediatric Critical Care Physician at the University of Vermont Children's Hospital and
President of Vermont Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics.
Once Upon a Mattress has captured the hearts of theater-goers for over 60 years. Written by Marshall Barer, this musical version of The Princess and the Pea is a fun, family-friendly show set in a medieval kingdom.
The shows are Thursday November 17, Friday November 18, and Saturday November 19 at 7pm
Please come support SBHS drama!
Tickets can be purchased at the show or go to this website to purchase in advance:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/once-upon-a-mattress-tickets-401944566017
Opportunities at Rick Marcotte Central School
RMCS is still hiring. Please contact us about joining our team if you qualify for these openings. Training will be provided for all new hires.
- PE Teacher (4 weeks only)
- Clerical Assistant
- Special Educator
- Interventionists - working 1:1 with students who have Individualized Education Plans
Stephanie Sumner, Assistant Principal & Lissa McDonald, Interim Principal
Email: ssumner@sbschools.net; lmcdonald@sbschools.net
Website: https://www.sbschools.net/Domain/11
Location: Rick Marcotte Central School, 200 Market Street, South Burlington, VT, USA
Phone: 802-652-7200
Twitter: @lmcdvt