Thank you to all of the community members who voted for our school budget. We will continue to provide a quality education to the children of Westminster. We are forever grateful to learn and grow in such a supportive community!

This week we had our monthly safety drill. We practiced the crisis command 'secure'. We would use this command in the event there was a safety concern outside of the building. Students and staff are expected to come into the building, secure perimeter doors, and continue business as usual.

Dates to Remember:

3/9 & 3/10 Dena's Class to Studio Y

3/9 Secure Drill

3/13 & 3/14 Mrs. Perry's Class to Studio Y

3/15 Early Release; 11:45 Dismissal

3/17 Mrs. Hallock's Class to Studio Y

3/20 Ms. Luopa's Class to Studio Y

3/22 Ms. Paula's Class to Studio Y

3/23 Ms. Stack's Class to Studio Y

3/24 Glow in the Dark Dance Party, 6-8:00

3/28-3/30 Mrs. Lisai's Class to Studio Y

3/31 Report Cards to Home

Dear Families of Preschool-Aged Students,

As many of you may know, WNESU and its school districts have decided to put support behind a full time free public preschool model. We are adding a classroom and going to full day/full week slots.

We will have two classrooms at Central Elementary School in Bellows Falls and one classroom at the Westminster Center School. We will provide free preschool full days/full weeks (Monday through Friday 8:00 am to 2:45 pm). Part time options will be available for families who prefer a shorter schedule.

Some information:

-Your child must be 3 years old by Sept. 1, 2023 to be eligible.

-You must be a resident of Athens, Grafton, Rockingham, or Westminster.

-We operate on the WNESU school year calendar.

-We have three classrooms and a finite number of preK slots. If we receive more applications than available slots by the due date (4/17/2023), this is our process:

• 4-year-olds will be placed first.
• After all 4-year-olds are placed, remaining slots will be filled through random selection.
• All placement decisions will take into account:
• district of residence; we strive to have the preschool student population reflect the membership of our school districts in proportion to their representation in the WNESU.
• family preference for site and schedule.

Please use this link to apply. Either way this application is due by April 17.

Feel free to reach out with any questions.

Thanks for all you do,

Jennifer Keenan

Early Education Program Principal

WHEN

Friday, March 31st at 8:00am

WHERE

In the Gym entrance

MORE INFORMATION

Come join me, Mrs. Harty, for coffee. Bring questions, concerns, suggestions or just come to chat! We will meet outside and can move in between the gym lobby doors if it is too cold:)

Come join a great group of teachers and parents to discuss needs of the school and plan opportunities for our students!

We meet every third Thursday at 5:00 in the library. Our next meeting is Thursday, March 16th at 5:00.

See you there!

Millions of students run the risk of losing Medicaid and CHIP coverage as regular renewals restart. Since the pandemic’s Public Health Emergency began in March 2020, children and families enrolled in Medicaid have not been required to complete renewal paperwork in order to stay covered. But with this pandemic-era policy ending, students enrolled in Medicaid or CHIP could lose their coverage starting anytime after April 1st if they do not submit renewal paperwork on time or if they are no longer eligible and need to transition to another form of coverage.
In order to protect their child and their family’s health care coverage, it is important that parents/guardians with children on Medicaid act quickly to confirm or update their contact information for every member of their family on Medicaid with Vermont Health Connect and provide necessary information to complete their Medicaid and CHIP renewal when notified. Families could be notified about their renewal paperwork beginning April 1st.
If Vermont Health Connect does not have correct contact information for a family, parent’s/guardians may not receive their renewal notice and their children could lose coverage.
To verify or update contact information, parents should go to https://portal.healthconnect.vermont.gov/VTHBELand/welcome.action or call 855-899-9600 It is also important for parents to open and respond to all mail from Medicaid and CHIP over the next year to avoid losing their health care coverage.

If you need any help with this, please don't hesitate to reach out to me.

Kat Goodell, RN

School Nurse

Westminster Center School

Wellness Coordinator, WNESU

802-722-3241 x103

A huge THANK YOU to the amazing Compass students who visited WCS last week. This group of students had our kindergarteners full attention as they read and performed a story. WCS is so glad to welcome back this tradition!

This week first graders read an article about Alma Thomas to start Women’s History Month. Alma was an artist who painted using tiny spots that looked like dabs of paint. She did not become a famous artist until she was almost 80 years old. Alma’s story taught us about perseverance. We tried our own painting in Alma’s style.

Our second graders began their adventure when they received the Sunnyside Gazette, a newspaper featuring characters we have met at Studio Y. In this issue, we discovered that there is going to be a significant gala event and that Dino Dan has disappeared. Thankfully, Mr. Foxwoods (a merchant) showed up to explain what was happening and to sell the students art supplies and materials so they could continue the work of decorating their dinosaurs. Students developed a budget and used their coin-counting skills to buy materials. They even learned to barter. The result was a rainbow of dino-mite creativity that gave their dinosaurs an extra flare.

We look forward to using our imaginations to uncover more adventures at Studio Y.

Stay Tuned!

Last month on Groundhog Day, Scarlett was inspired to write a letter to Punxsutawney Phil. This week she received word back from Phil and his committee! Phil included a photograph from this year's festivities at Gobbler's Knob, a copy of the prognostication read during the ceremony declaring 6 more weeks of winter, and a letter thanking Scarlett for her enthusiasm. What an exciting day!

Fourth graders were excited to meet our Vermont State Representatives, Michelle Bos-Lun and Leslie Goldman, who visited our classroom this week! They told us about their work at the State House, and we practiced brainstorming ideas, making a proposal, and voting on what we thought should be the Vermont state ice cream flavor. Maple creamee won! Fourth graders had some great questions for Michelle and Leslie, and students also shared their thoughts about a bill in the legislature now to continue universal (free) breakfast and lunch for all public school students. Finally, Michelle and Leslie gave each student a booklet about Vermont.

It was a wonderful visit, and we are excited that we'll see Michelle and Leslie again when we visit Montpelier in April!

Fifth graders are learning about colonial times. What better way to learn about this time period than learning the different ways colonial children had fun! Some games that students learned were pick up sticks, jacks, marbles, and writing with quill pens.

6th graders got to work this week clearing the basketball courts. Many hands makes light work!