ACSD Newsletter March 2023

Cornwall Kindergarteners host a "Gallery Morning" and share artwork from their "How We Express Ourselves unit!

The past few weeks have been full of civic engagement - from town meeting, to our superintendent hiring forums, to recent hiring committees. Thank you for sharing your thoughts, time, and expertise. We have many positive developments to share because of your engagement.

First, I want to extend a warm welcome to our two new principals who were approved by the ACSD Board last night: Caitlin Steele was hired as the principal at MUHS, effective immediately, and Megan Cheresnick will be the principal at Ripton Elementary school beginning on July 1, 2023. You can find more information about both below. We also begun the search for an Assistant Principal for MUMS and tonight is the deadline for superintendent candidates to fill my position. We will share updates with you on these positions as we know them.

As the discussion around International Baccalaureate (IB) continues in our community, we recognize that there are questions to answer and misunderstandings to address. In early April, we will devote a newsletter to understanding IB at ACSD. We hope this newsletter will be a first step to reset as a community toward a common understanding of IB and how it is working at ACSD. Below there is a form for you to submit questions that you have about the IB program.

If you are looking for an impactful way to support our schools, I encourage you to consider substitute teaching (or encouraging someone you know to apply to substitute.) The spring is especially busy with staff absences and substitutes play a crucial role in meeting the needs of all of our students.

If you are curious about next year's 2023-2024 calendar, you can find that below!

With gratitude,

Peter Burrows, Superintendent

Caitlin has been a public school educator for over two decades. She was appointed as Interim Principal in January of 2023 while maintaining her role as Assistant Superintendent of Teaching and Learning at ACSD. She earned her Ph.D in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies from UVM. brings a wealth of experience, intellect, and energy to the leadership of MUHS, and will be 100% committed to doing what's right for the students, staff, and community of MUHS. Having worked alongside Caitlin for many years, I know that she will listen intently, learn deeply, and lead with heart as Principal of MUHS. This evening, the Board will be taking formal action to approve Caitlin's position.

Thanks to the MUHS Hiring Committee for their work throughout this process: Jay Nichols (lead); Ben Weir, Joseph Crodelle, Tara Martin, Jason Chance, Piper Harrell, Debra Hurlburt, Adrien Preston, Emma Morrissey, Atticus Peterson, Nicole Carter, and Lindsey Hescock

Megan is currently a literacy interventionist in Bridport, where she is a leader on many fronts both in and outside of the classroom. She received her BA from New York University, her Master of Art Education from Pace University, and her Masters in Teaching from Roosevelt University. She is a passionate, student-centered leader, and is thrilled to be coming to Ripton.

Thank you to our Ripton Hiring Committee for your work throughout this process: Nicole Carter (chair); Joanna Doria (Board Rep); Jen Kravitz (Principal); Tammie Johnson (Teaching Faculty), Alex Cox and Erin Robinson (Staff), Steve Cash (Parent)

Last Friday, our MUMS and MUHS staff came together for a professional development day focused on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. We were led by four incredible MUHS student leaders: Jonathan, Narges, Joshua, and Xavier, and three facilitators from Middlebury College, Justice Elijah, Khuram Hussain, and Jonathan Miller-Lane, who led workshops titled “Disrupting racism, how to embrace culture, and build rapport”; “The ‘beautiful struggle’ for inclusive, joyful and humanizing classrooms”; and “Facilitating text-based discussion in hard-hearted times.”

Michaela Wisell, Co-Principal MUMS; Ben Weir, Asst. Principal MUHS; Brandi Corbett, PYP Coordinator; and Eileen Sears and Pam Quinn, MYP coordinators, joined school leaders and teachers from across the globe to deepen their understanding of how to apply and enhance the International Baccalaureate's Primary Years Program, Middle Years Program, and Diploma Program to meet the needs of students and teachers in our schools.

Earlier this month, Avery, a 6th grader at MUMS did an amazing job planning activities and presentations and speaking to the ACSD board to raise awareness about neurodiversity. She was helped by MUMS school counselor, Ms. Burrows and I&S Teacher, Ms. Ambrose. Avery shared that a lot of students may feel alone, but she hopes that the events this week help neurodivergent students see more people like them, increase knowledge, and celebrate our strengths and differences!

A group of MUHS 10th and 11th graders attended a VSAC event about College and Career Pathways. While learning about career, trade, and college pathways, they met Representative Becca Balint and were interviewed by @abc22fox44 - you can watch the clip here!

Ripton students designed the Addison County piece to a statewide “Clay Mural” that is on display at the VT Statehouse this month! One school from each county designed a section of the clay mural to represent their respective counties. Ripton students designed a piece with mountains, otters, a trout, and Champ! There will be a reception on March 31st in Montpelier. Thanks to Ms. Gombosi @art.tra123 for supporting the students’ creativity with this project!

We know that our ACSD community has questions about the IB program and we hope to increase the conversation and understanding about IB in ACSD. In early April we will send a newsletter designed to help you understand the IB program. You can ask questions with the button below which will help us shape that newsletter, our website information, and future updates about IB.

Thank you to the hundreds of staff, students, parents, and community members who took part in the stakeholder forums and survey during February. The position was posted for the month of March and the deadline to apply is March 28th. The ACSD Board is currently working with a consultant to determine which candidates to interview. You can find updates, and the full document with stakeholder feedback here.

ACSD has opened the interest survey for its preschool programs at Mary Hogan and Bridport schools. Enrollment is open to residents of Bridport, Cornwall, Middlebury, Ripton, Salisbury, Shoreham, and Weybridge.

More information about the ACSD preschool programs can be found here along with a link to the Interest Survey. Interested families should complete the survey before the end of March.

We keep an "ACSD Events" calendar, which you can find here and download to your personal calendar. It holds all school breaks, early release days, and other dates that are helpful to our ACSD community. Here are a couple of important upcoming dates:

• Weds. April 5 - Early Release Day
• April 24-28th - School Break

You can find board meetings, agendas, and the zoom link to watch every board meeting on this webpage. The School Board's quarterly updates are sent to all ACSD community members by email, and can be found on the website here. Please note that the board meetings have returned to their start time of 6:30pm and are always available on zoom. You can find them on our events calendar, here.

We use our newsletter and social media to stay connected and give you a peek into our classrooms. For more regular connection and lots of photos, follow us: Insta: @acsdvtschools FB: @acsdvt TW: @acsdvtschools

Remember to send a note in advance or call if your child will be late, absent, needs to leave early, or has a change in their after-school plans. Here are the numbers to every front office:

• Bridport Central School 802-758-2331 | 3442 VT Route 22A Bridport, VT 05734
• Cornwall Elementary School 802-462-2463 | 112 School Road Cornwall, VT 05753
• Mary Hogan School 802-388-4421 | 201 Mary Hogan Drive Middlebury, VT 05753
• Middlebury Union High School 802-382-1500 | 73 Charles Avenue Middlebury, VT 05753
• Middlebury Union Middle School 802-382-1600 | 48 Deerfield Lane Middlebury, VT 05753
• Ripton Elementary School 802-388-2208 | PO Box 155, 753 Lincoln Road Ripton, VT 05766
• Salisbury Community School 802-352-4291 | 286 Kelly Cross Road Salisbury, VT 05769
• Shoreham Elementary School 802-897-7181 | 130 School Road Shoreham, VT 05770
• Weybridge Elementary School 802-545-2113 | 210 Quaker Village Road Weybridge, VT 05753