Dear EMS Families,

It was lovely to see so many of our families at Open House last night and to have the opportunity to mingle and catch up at the Community Dinner. If you have any feedback about Open House, please provide it in this survey.

As a Burlington School District we continue to work toward becoming a Restorative community which starts with fostering strong and trusting relationships. As articulated in the Scott Foundation report, “Restorative practices are processes that proactively build healthy relationships and a sense of community to prevent and address conflict and wrongdoing.” The intention behind starting Open House with a Community Dinner was to do just this. Similarly, we are prioritizing this during the school day with Community Time, when students have a mix of circles and other activities to connect with their peers and teacher.

This week we gave a quick one question survey to assess where we were as a community in regard to our goal of having all EMS community members feel connected - safe, seen, heard, understood and respected. See the results below:

As we continue to work toward ensuring that all students feel connected and safe, our student leaders will also increase their ability to facilitate repair circles in order to support the inevitable challenges that come from adolescents, and in some cases, come from being part of such a diverse community where perspectives and life experiences differ so greatly. Our leaders have already started keeping these circles and supporting their peers in repairing harm, and will continue to do so with the guidance of Restorative experts.

At the last Engage EMS meeting, a parent asked for resources to better understand the Restorative philosophy. Please see below.

• The Agency Of Education overview

https://education.vermont.gov/sites/aoe/files/documents/edu-integrated-educational-frameworks-whole-school-restorative-approach-resource-guide_0_0.pdf

• Report from the Scott Foundation.

http://schottfoundation.org/sites/default/files/restorative-practices-guide.pdf

• “Understanding the Why" by Annie O’Shaughnesey (RP consultant for BSD)

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1uoxNR4SN09aQGH4KTrZ0ENpvGRPQEUA9/view?usp=sharing

Our work to become a Restorative Community requires collaboration. Thank you for taking the time to strengthen your understanding of this approach.

In partnership,

Meg

Friendly Reminders

• 10/08 PTO meeting EMS Makerspace/Library - 6:00-7:30 p.m.

• 10/10 Somali/Somali family meeting EMS Makerspace/Library - 6:00-7:00 p.m.

Community Announcements

• Between 10/15 and 10/21, the state will be conducting the required lead testing for all schools in Vermont at EMS. Please see here for details from the state.

• All EMS students have now received their chromebooks and chargers. This device is what 7/8th graders used last year, and for 6th graders it will now be theirs for the duration of their middle school experience. Sixth graders are expected to pay a one time $10 fee for their chromebook use. Families should reach out if this is a hardship. This fee should be given to student’s team teachers.

Dear Families,

It is time for you to complete the online Annual Student Information Update for your child. The form asks you to update critical information such as emergency contact information, medical information, etc.

Please go to the following link to Powerschool to update their information; if you do not already have an account in Powerschool (most of you do), then please refer to the directions below in order to create the account.

NOTE: If student information has not been updated by Thursday, September 26, that student may not be allowed to return to school until their update is complete. If a student without updated information comes to school after September 26, they may be sent home.

If you have questions or need assistance, please contact your child's school.

Thank You

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If you are not certain if you have a Powerschool account, follow these steps:

1. Go to bsdvt.org or to your school’s home page.

2. Click on the Powerschool image in the upper right hand corner of the webpage (pictured below).

3. Enter your username and password.

4. Follow the steps for “Forgot Username or Password?” if needed.

5. If you have never created a Powerschool account, instead call your school and ask for an access ID and Access Password; when given these, click on create account, and enter the ID and Password as directed.