First, I would like to thank Engage EMS for hosting the November meeting. Engage EMS meets the second Wednesday of every month at 6pm. This month, the meeting was held via Zoom. We encourage all families to log in for this monthly opportunity to communicate and collaborate.
I would like to address two topics in this newsletter: health and quarter grades.
Health
We continue to keep "health" at the forefront of our minds. Even though we can't "see" coronavirus and many people want to be "done with it," this is our current reality. The best way to mitigate is:
- Masks
- Physically distance
- Hand washing
- Surface disinfecting
Please continue talking to your kids about these mitigation strategies that should be implemented both when they are in school as well as when they are not in school.
Quarter Grades
Families should have received quarter grades. If your child received an "incomplete" grade, please communicate with the teacher as soon as possible in order to make arrangements to have your child demonstrate mastery of the missing learning targets. We are in the process of conducting conferences; if you have not received information regarding conferences, please contact the teacher as soon as possible.
If your child needs additional assistance, there is information within this newsletter. We have reassigned staff in order to provide more support in math, science and humanities when the students are off-site. Also, EMS provides after-school academic support. We have also reached out to the Boys and Girls Club and King Street Center in order to get information to assist students. Please read this newsletter for all details.
I know that I mention this each month, but it is something I think about each day. We are grateful for the privilege of working with your kids. Your kids have been wonderful at navigating the new AOE guidelines that have been implemented, and their spirit inspires each day.
With gratitude,
James Kiefer
 |  |  |
 |  |  |
A Message from School Health
Thank you, families, for continuing the challenging work of screening your children each morning to ensure that we all do our best to keep our school community healthy and COVID free. Please continue to review the symptoms for which to keep your children home. Also, please remember that fever-reducing medication such as acetaminophen (Tylenol) or ibuprofen (Motrin/Advil) will treat and mask a fever, and that students should be fever-free without medication for at least 24 hours before returning to school. If you have not returned your screening contract, please do. If you need another one, or a copy to keep at home, please contact your school nurse.
We work closely with the Vermont Department of Health to keep our community healthy. The VDOH conducts necessary contract tracing for positive cases by phone call. Please pick up the phone if the VDOH calls you. Please call the VDOH back as soon as possible if you receive a message from them.
In-person learning is immensely valuable for the academic, social and mental health of our students and school community. As we approach fall and winter school vacations, please partner with us to prioritize remaining in-person in school. Please plan thoughtfully and with the health of our school community in mind. It’s hard to balance the desire to celebrate the holidays or vacation time with loved ones and the growing risk of COVID-19 infection. Travel and gathering increase your chance of getting and spreading COVID-19, so please think about how you can make your holiday and vacation plans safer.
Make safety a priority for your family and take these steps:
1. Decide if the risk is worth it for your family,
2. Plan to have a safe trip or gathering, remain flexible and get your flu shot and
3. Quarantine when you return.
You can celebrate the holidays and vacation time, but like other aspects of our lives right now, they will likely look different. Take extra precautions when attending or hosting an event and insist that people wear masks, keep gatherings small, and cancel if anybody in your family or group is sick.
If people are coming to visit you:
Tell your visitors about the Vermont requirements for quarantining. They will need to quarantine at the place they are staying for 14 days. Or they can quarantine for 7 days, get a COVID-19 test, and end their quarantine after receiving a negative test result. (Check the Health Department website in advance for testing availability). Visitors can also complete these quarantine options in their home state if they are driving to Vermont in their personal vehicle.
If you are hosting travelers under quarantine in your home, you do not also need to quarantine. But if you’re sharing space, you should stay at least 6 feet from the people under quarantine. People under quarantine should wear a mask in common spaces. They should eat in separate spaces and use separate bathrooms. Be sure to disinfect commonly touched surfaces, and check yourself for symptoms for 14 days.
Discuss your expectations for visitors during their stay. Will people wear masks, stay 6-feet apart, keep the gatherings small?
Ask your visitors to get a flu shot two weeks before they arrive.
The ACCD Map is no longer in effect per the governor’s press conference on 11/10/20. All travelers who go outside of Vermont’s borders are expected to quarantine upon their return.
Vermont public health officials, University of Vermont infectious disease experts, and local pediatricians HIGHLY discourage travel over the upcoming vacation time and holidays, and advise minimizing the size of all gatherings. Please consider that your personal choice to travel may impact more than just you and your own family members.
More information can be found on the Health Department website and you can email with questions: AHS.VDHPublicCommunication@vermont.gov Please also don’t hesitate to call or email your school nurse with any questions.
Thank you for your care and thoughtfulness this season!
Gratitude Camp and Love Burlington Challenge
Hey folks!
The ONE Arts Center is pleased to offer a camp on Monday and Tuesday of Thanksgiving week. We’ll create a collaborative gratitude tree and do other art projects with a focus on appreciation. Brian Letizia will teach these days and is looking forward to it!
Sign up below for camp!
https://www.hisawyer.com/one-arts-center/schedules/activity-set/168347-gratitude-camps?source=camp
Love Burlington Challenge
Also if you do sign up for camp or any of our other classes in the month of November, you could win a prize from the city’s Love Burlington Challenge! Burlington just recently launched a website called Love Burlington with a focus on the city’s local businesses. Over $3,500 in prizes are available to customers who support any business listed on the website. When you buy something, upload evidence of your purchase to loveburlington.org/challenge. Prizes are awarded weekly and the more you spend, the bigger the prize. Any and every purchase can be entered. Support local!
Free Start with Art Class!
We are still offering new customers a chance to try out after school art for free before signing up. Please let me know if you are interested! After school art is currently running on Mondays and Tuesdays and we have room in these classes. If you are interested in Thursday or Friday, we will start running classes on those days when we have 3 kids interested in signing up, so please share with anyone you think might be interested.
Wednesdays
We have room in our Wednesday program at the ONE Community Center! This program runs 8am-3pm. We also provide after care from 3-5:30 on these days.
sign up here:
https://www.hisawyer.com/one-arts-center/schedules/activity-set/168865?source=semester
Mondays for Middle Schoolers
We are currently running a class for middle schoolers on Mondays 8am-12pm and we have room for a couple more. Some of our recent activities in this class have included stiff life observational drawing in pastels, value and shading to express form, and pencil compositions with shapes. please share if you know any middle schoolers interested in developing their artistic skills! Learn more and sign up below.
All of our weekly classes are prorated, so kids can join in anytime.
Stay tuned for a holiday gift making camp coming up Dec 23rd. While they are enjoying creative activities, you could be finishing your holiday preparations!
Contact: Becca at oneartscollective@gmail.com
