E-News April 2021 Vacation Edition
Vergennes Union High School
Increasing In Person Instruction
Thank you for your feedback on the survey last week. Results were somewhat split between the parent and student surveys with a majority of families favoring increasing in-person instruction. As we consider opportunities to increase in-person instruction, it is our top priority to keep students as safe as possible or we run the risk of actually having to close classrooms and quarantine students, the opposite of what we are aiming to achieve. We know the April break may have an impact on our ability to make a change due to the number of students who may travel, and due to the change in quarantine requirements upon return. To that end we plan to begin PHASE ONE of the plans to increase in-person instruction after the break and move into PHASE TWO only if conditions allow. Below we have shared the travel guidelines and a description of PHASE ONE and PHASE TWO. Thank you for your patience as we work to safely bring back as many students as we can.
Travel Guidance: Vermonters Traveling Out of State (for more information review the Vermont Forward Roadmap to Reopening)
Fully vaccinated Vermonters (14 days since final dose administered) may travel out of state and do not need to quarantine upon returning to Vermont
Unvaccinated Vermonters may travel out of state and do not need to quarantine but must be tested within 3 days of returning to Vermont
As always, if anyone is experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 they should contact their primary care physician and stay home until they are cleared to resume their daily activities.
PHASE ONE: Weeks of April 26 and May 3 - Modified Hybrid: Alternating Cohorts For In-person Wednesdays:
- Cohort 1 will come on 4/26, 4/27 and 4/28
- Cohort 2 will come on 4/29 and 4/30
The following week, Cohort 1 will come for 2 days and Cohort 2 will have three days of in-person instruction.
AFTER WEEK ONE WE WILL DETERMINE WHETHER OR NOT WE WILL SHIFT TO PHASE TWO OR REMAIN IN PHASE ONE BASED ON THE FOLLOWING CRITERIA
Sufficient staffing levels to follow health/safety procedures and meet the needs of students
No or low COVID-19 activity in our school communities
Ability to maintain compliance with the guidance from VDH/AOE
New routines are efficient, effective, assessed and adjusted to meet the needs
Vermont Department of Health guidance and data supports an increase to full in-person instruction
PHASE TWO (IF CONDITIONS ALLOW): Fully In-person - Combining Cohorts For In-person Learning five days a week for the remainder of the year.
COVID Vaccinations For Ages 16+
Starting Monday, ages 16+ are eligible to receive their COVID-19 vaccine. Registration for 16-18 year olds starts tomorrow, April 17th, at 10 am through the VT Department of Health. Appointments can also be made through your local pharmacies.
*16 and 17 year olds will need parental consent to register
Appointments through the Vermont Department of Health
Here is the link to link to register through the DOH. Please watch this Video for registering and making appointments
After you register, you can make an appointment. Students who are under 18 may need to register under their parents. How to add a dependent video
Appointments through pharmacies
Appointments by phone
Call Center Hours
Monday - Friday, 8:15 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.
Saturday and Sunday, 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
855-722-7878
Classroom Highlights - Walden Apprenticeship
Hello parents,
My name is Summer Chabot and I’m a senior at VUHS, and I’m an active member at Walden. I recently acquired an internship with WomenSafe here in Vermont. My title is the WomenSafe Youth School Prevention Intern, and I’m funded through the RPE (Rape Prevention Education) grant. I plan on sending out this survey to students in grades 9-12 about healthy sexuality to understand better what areas kids need support, and what areas kids feel comfortable. It is a time of asking questions in the world, and we want everyone’s students to have access to answers they want. This survey will be anonymous, and I plan to review the data with my WomenSafe co-workers. Once we’ve analyzed the data, I will move to the next phase of my internship, in which I will create a youth workshop, art piece, or other support system based on the data collected. I really appreciate your support in supporting all the kids here. If you decide to opt out your student or have any questions, please contact Stephanie Taylor at staylor@anwsd.org.
News From the School Counseling Office
Newsletter Items from School Counseling
April 16th, 2021
Have a lovely break everyone!
A leadership Opportunity:
Please take a moment to look at this leadership opportunity for students ages 15-18.
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VT Fish & Wildlife Teen Conservation Weekend
CASTLETON, Vt. -- The Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department is offering two new Teen Conservation Weekends to be held at the Edward F. Kehoe Conservation Camp in Castleton this August.
“We are pleased to announce a fun and exciting opportunity for teens ages 15 to17,” said Hannah Phelps, Camp Coordinator. “The new Teen Conservation Weekends will allow us to provide teens with an exciting weekend of quality environmental education. Campers will arrive Saturday morning and immediately begin participating in Hunter Education programing, before backpacking out to a remote pond for an evening of camping and fishing.”
“Teen Conservation Weekends are the perfect way for teens to unplug and engage with peers outdoors before heading back to the classroom,” Phelps added.
Each weekend is limited to 25 participants. Girls can attend on August 14 and 15, and boys will be there August 21 and 22. Arrival time is 8:00 a.m. on Saturday morning with departure time 4:00 p.m. on Sunday afternoon.
All participants are required to complete their Hunter and Bowhunter certificates ahead of time to allow for more hands-on fun throughout the weekend. Teens will also be expected to only bring gear they can carry themselves while backpacking.
The cost for the weekend is $100, which includes all meals. Sponsorships are available on a limited basis.
To register for the weekend, email a completed application found at https://vtfishandwildlife.com/learn-more/conservation-education/teen-conservation-weekend
to Hannah.phelps@vermont.gov. Any questions can be directed to Hannah Phelps at 802-249-3199.
Media Contacts: Hannah Phelps 802-249-4199; Corey Hart 802-505-5562
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Artificial Intelligence Summer Program for high and middle school students by Stanford and MIT grad students.
As artificial intelligence transforms all disciplines, healthcare and medicine have experienced some of the most exciting and impactful innovations! We’re excited to launch a series of new projects in the medicine area including: (1) using computer vision to accurately diagnose lung disease, (2) tracking smart phone data to predict mental health crises, (3) parsing genomic data to trace the origins of different coronavirus mutations, among others!
High school and middle school students in our summer programs work with mentors from Stanford, MIT, and Harvard to learn the basics of AI and apply them by building a project in an area they’re passionate such as healthcare and genomics. Others areas where students may do projects include sustainability, economics, art, media, political science, astronomy, and more!
As applications for our summer program close on April 30th, we wanted to invite your students of all disciplines to apply here, whether they’re interested in medicine or any of our other project domains! We would really appreciate it if you could share the short note below with your students from grades 5 to 12.
Let me know if you or your students have any questions, and I’d also be happy to set up a call to chat more!
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AP testing information for students taking AP exams
All testing will be done in the auditorium at Vergennes Union High School. Please arrive at least 15 minutes early to your test.
Please note that cell phones and/or electronic devices are not permitted in the AP testing room. It is advised that students do not bring these items to testing. We will be collecting all cell phones and electronic devices before testing starts. Phones and electronics will be returned to students at the completion of the test.
- Tuesday, May 4 - Calculus AB
- Thursday, May 6 - US History
- Wednesday, May 12 - Language & Composition
- Friday, May 14 - Biology
All tests run 8:00am - 12:00pm
Please contact Ashlee Monk if you have any questions, amonk@anwsd.org or 802-471-2301
News from the Career Center
Thinking about the career center? Please check out our most recent newsletter at this link.
VUHS
Email: staylor@anwsd.org
Website: www.vuhs.org
Location: 50 Monkton Road, Vergennes, VT 05491
Phone: (802) 877-2938
Facebook: www.facebook.com/anwsdvt
Twitter: @Steph_Taylor