Ghost Update
November 16, 2021
Dear RU Families,
This evening it feels like winter is on its way. Although I haven’t seen snow yet this year I know that it has fallen in our area and that several student hunters have been successful this weekend. Next week we students will be home, Monday through Friday to observe the Thanksgiving holiday.
This school year has thrown many challenges to our students, families, educators and community, but we continue to come to school, work together and move forward. This pandemic has been hard, but we as a community are capable of doing hard things. That doesn’t mean that we don’t need time to pause, breathe, and think about how to improve, but it does mean that we continue to be capable of navigating the challenges ahead, together.
In this newsletter, there is information about students who have continued to excel academically regardless of the circumstances of their education. Some of our newest National Honors Society inductees were in the spring of their Freshman year of high school when schools were ordered remote because of the pandemic, yet, they have continued to learn and grow.
Our Cross Country team competed at the State Championships in Thetford a few weeks ago, but middle school students are not eligible to compete in that race. The team wanted to host a 5K to wrap up their season as a whole team, and also include the community. When they heard that a scholarship fund had been created in memory of Brenda Flint, who loved running, they knew that the race needed to be about more than their team. They organized the race in less than 10 days, and were able to raise over $13,000.00 for the scholarship fund.
I have been reading a lot about self care during the pandemic, but recently came across an article about collective care, the ways in which we take care of ourselves by taking care of each other and continuing to build our community. This reminded me of one of the important foundational principles of project based learning; the idea that learning in a way that helps our community helps students build their own self efficacy skills and confidence. I have seen the effectiveness of this work and the ways in which it helps our students through their connections with our community and their peers. To this end, we will be celebrating the end of fall with a staff vs. varsity athletes soccer game on the afternoon of November 19. Advisories are being encouraged to make signs to cheer for their favorite team, organize to bring snacks to share and plan to come help our community celebrate fall and have fun!
The first quarter has wrapped up, report cards are going in envelopes and home with students. We are a week into the second quarter of this school year, and basketball season is on the horizon. We wish you all a happy Thanksgiving.
Sincerely,
Caty & Lisa
Academic Spotlight: NHS Induction
Grade and Report Card Update
Brenda Flint Memorial 5K/8K
“Brenda (Flint) loved running amongst many other things. She led by example and inspired others to push themselves. She especially liked races that were supporting worthy causes.” This reflection was shared at the first annual Brenda C. Flint Community 5K/8K on Friday, November 5th. Brenda would definitely have endorsed her own race! The outpouring of community support was a testament to Brenda’s impact on the larger Randolph community. The race was put together in about 10 days with the help of the Randolph Union Varsity Cross Country Team, RU Sports Boosters and Vermont Technical College. This unique collaboration allowed for a large and healthy fundraising event to happen quickly and successfully. Donations were given in lieu of an entry fee, and thanks to the generosity of the community, over $6500 were raised. Furthermore, Vermont Technical College offered to match all of these funds, so the scholarship earned more than $13,000. VTC will continue to match funds until December 31st of this year, so it is not too late to contribute to this effort.
Winners: 5K Female: Tanner Drury, Lydia Garrow, Maeve Kennedy; 8K Female: Kara Merrill, Paige Allen, Harmony Bradshaw; 5K Male: Owen Schulz, James Abbott, Drew Best; 8K Male: Ben DeFlorio, David Mattern, Cameron Kennedy.
Interact PBL is Fundraising
The Interact class is doing a fundraiser for Together We Rise, an organization that help children in foster care have the things they need. They are selling sweatshirts for $28 . Order now, pay later. Let's all wear these around school in December. Please use this link to see the image they have designed and order your shirt!
Contact Us!
Caty Sutton - csutton@orangesouthwest.org
Lisa Floyd - lfloyd@orangesouthwest.org
Co-Principals