THE PRIDE PRESS
Essex Elementary School Newsletter
January 20, 2022
PRINCIPAL NEWS
Greetings EES Families!
I hope this finds all of you healthy and staying warm. It has been a pleasure to have our students back in school after the winter break. 2022 is off to a great start at EES. Please see a few important updates below.
Enjoy the weekend,
Ashley
Progress Reports
As you are all aware, the COVID-19 pandemic has placed an enormous strain on our learning community. We want to thank you for your partnership and understanding as we have all done our best to navigate these unprecedented times.
We have had to respond to the COVID surge in our buildings with understanding and flexibility.
In response to the COVID stressors, we are going to be extending the progress report window by one week for our K-5 schools.
This means that instead of student progress reports being sent out on January 21, they will now be sent out to you on January 28, 2022.
Your child’s progress report will come to you electronically. Please reach out to myself or your classroom teacher if you do not receive it on January 28th.
COVID Testing
Many of you have likely heard about the shift in our COVID Testing protocols. The shift will be made from Test to Stay (our current plan) to Test at Home. As soon as our district has enough tests to get this program fully operational, you will receive communication from EWSD about the full plan. Thank you for your continued support and cooperation as we navigate this and work hard to keep your children in school.
Valentine’s Day
Many families traditionally plan to send in Valentines and treats with their children to share with classmates. We would like to request that families do not send in Valentines with students on Valentine’s Day. Classrooms will provide supplies and time for students to create these for each other rather than making this request of families. Thank you for your understanding.
START USING PICKUP PATROL AT EES!
Remember to sign up for the PickUp Patrol app and start using it by 2/1/2022. If you have any questions, feel free to email the office staff at nbergeron@ewsd.org, dsturgess@ewsd.org, and lwignall@ewsd.org.
If you are having trouble logging into Pick Up Patrol, please reach out to support@pickuppatrol.net
MESSAGE FROM THE HEALTH OFFICE
Please remember to send the health office a copy of your students vaccination card after they have received their 2nd dose of the Covid vaccine.
Thank you,
EES Health Office
Email: dmorris@ewsd.org
LEARNING CENTER NEWS
THE RED CLOVER BOOK AWARD PROGRAM AT EES
Beginning in January, EES students in grade K-2 will be reading, discussing, and voting for their favorite Red Clover picture book. What a range of books there is this year! The ten Red Clover nominees were selected by a group of children’s literature experts from all around Vermont, and include such books as If You Come to Earth, All the Way to the Top, and The Barnabus Project, along with six other exemplary picture books published in 2020. A list of the ten books may be found here. Copies of these ten books are also available at local public libraries and bookstores.
It’s a “children’s choice” book award, meaning that the students in Vermont pick the winner, which is determined by the number of votes a book receives. Last year, thousands of K-4 students from all over Vermont participated in this program, and the winner of the 2021 medal was Crab Cake by Andrea Tsurumi. The Red Clover Book Award is under the auspices of the Vermont Department of Libraries, and can be found on their website here:
If you have any questions, please contact me at cscrimgeour@ewsd.org.
WHAT'S NEW IN ART?
After winter break, we created winter paintings. Kindergarteners used tape and white crayon to mask off snowflakes in their winter scenes. First and Second graders created birch forests. Some classes added little Vermont animals with collage to their scenes. We used different watercolor techniques to make the experience extra special. One fun thing we did was sprinkle "magic snow" (salt) into the paint!
Over the next few weeks we are focusing on Peace and Kindness in art in recognition of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Students are listening to peaceful music and painting what they imagine and feel. This is a fun dive into colorful tempera paint and also has brought with it good conversations about how we can "pass on" kindness.
Yay for art,
Ms. Blain
UPCOMING EVENTS/ REMINDERS:
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ESSEX ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
*We take care of each other
*We take care of our school
C*A*R*E*S
Cooperation Assertion Responsibility Empathy Self-Control
Email: dsturgess@ewsd.org
Website: https://www.ewsd.org/EES
Location: 1 Bixby Hill Road, Essex Junction, VT, USA
Phone: (802)-878-2584