EWSD News
News for EWSD Families and Community Members
February 15, 2021
*Reminder: There will be no school from Feb. 22-26 for winter break!
In This Issue ...
District Updates
EWSD Free Meals
State Assessment Updates
EWSD Budget Update and Open Board Seats
National Career and Technical Education Month
Traveling During February Break
Essex Westford School District is Hiring!
EHS to Offer Live Streaming for All Home Athletic Events!
Remote Academy Circus Smirkus Finale!
Happenings
Upcoming Events
EWSD Board Meeting
EHS/CTE Virtual Hiring Fair
VSAC College & Career Pathways
Important Links
EWSD Social Media
EWSD Free Meals
The EWSD Child Nutrition Program will continue to provide FREE meals for the rest of this school year! On January 29, the EWSD surpassed half of a million meals served since COVID hit.
There is no pre-ordering, registration, or sign up necessary, just show up at any of our open sites listed below. The meals are intended for children 18 and under, but the child does not have to be with you to receive them.
Pick up times, locations, and more can be found here.
If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to EWSD Senior Child Nutrition Manager Scott Fay at sfay@ewsd.org or 857-7263.
State Assessment Updates
The State assessment window for SBAC (math and literacy) and Science will be opening soon.
At this time, Federal requirements for SY'21 assessment, accountability, and reporting have not been waived or made flexible, though guidance from the federal level is still evolving.
All students enrolled in the EWSD in grades 3-9 and 11 are required to participate in statewide assessment, as per usual. As you know, this year in the EWSD our schools are facilitating a variety of instructional models. For clarity’s sake, the AOE is addressing the requirements for participating in statewide assessments (in person) by instructional model.
In our District, we are aligning our testing schedules to be in compliance with the AOE's requirements. No remote testing options are available, so this means that all students who are required to participate in testing must participate in person. Students in the hybrid model, four days per week in-person model, and the fully remote model will all need to test in person.
Each school with students who are required to test are developing their own schedules. More information about the testing schedules for these individual schools will be coming out soon.
We will be updating our EWSD community about the State assessment plan again on March 1. In the meantime, if you have any questions, please reach out to EWSD Director of Learning and Instructional Impact Jackie Ramsay-Tolman or your building principal.
EWSD Budget Update and Open Board Seats
Learn more about the proposed EWSD FY'22 budget with slideshows, video recordings, and minutes from each Board meeting on our EWSD Budget page.
There are three openings on the EWSD Board this year. If you know someone who might be interested in running for a seat, please be sure to read the latest update, as there are some changes due to COVID this year.
Board member Liz Subin recently provided an update from the CTE proposed budget presentation at the February 2 meeting.
National Career and Technical Education Month
If you know of any students who might be interested in attending CTE, the application ‘priority deadline’ is set for March 5, but CTE will be accepting applications after that - space dependent. Check out these virtual tours to learn more about each program offered!
Traveling During February Break
The guidance from the Vermont Department of Health has not changed in regards to out of state travel. All travel to and from Vermont requires quarantine, with the only exception being essential travel. The Health Department and the CDC strongly recommend not traveling right now.
If you choose to travel, you must quarantine after your return home. You have two options:
Quarantine for a full 14 days
Quarantine for 7 days and then schedule a COVID-19 test. The quarantine can end after receiving a negative PCR test result.
If your family needs to quarantine, be sure to let the school know what dates your student will be out of school.
Essex Westford School District is Hiring!
Come join our team of instructors and support personnel who are committed to providing the highest quality education for our students. Our mission is “growing hearts and minds for a better today and tomorrow: every day, every way, every one.”
EWSD serves approximately 4,500 preschool through 12th-grade students in 10 schools across the Essex Junction, Essex Town, and Westford. Come be part of one of the state’s largest and most highly-respected school districts!
We are seeking individuals for the following positions, as well as for other opportunities:
Bus Aides and Substitute Bus Drivers: transporting and supervising students to and from school
Substitutes: working as teachers, paraeducators, or food service staff, among other positions
If you want to make a difference in the community, please visit www.ewsd.org/jobs to learn more and apply!
EHS to Offer Live Streaming for Home Events!
Following the recent updates from the state concerning athletics and competitions now being allowed, we wanted to share that all Essex High School indoor home competitions this winter will be streamed live and for free.
Without fans being allowed inside, we hope this can help families, friends, and community members stay connected with the teams that they like to follow.
You can view, and subscribe so that you don’t miss a game, to the new EHS Events YouTube channel here!
Remote Academy Circus Smirkus Finale!
Happenings
Mapping it Out
Scholarship Earned!
Don't Pollute
International Virtual Exchange
Black History Month
Snow Lessons
Upcoming Events
EWSD Board Meeting - Budget Focus
Accessing the Zoom Meeting
Register in advance for this meeting here.
More information on the work of the EWSD Board, which includes, agendas, minutes, and meeting takeaways, can be found online.
Tuesday, Feb 16, 2021, 06:30 PM
Zoom/Facebook Live
EHS/CTE Virtual Hiring Fair
EHS and CTE are planning a Virtual Hiring Fair for their students. They are looking for businesses interested in finding part-time summer employment, full-time year-round employment, and full-time employment for 2021 graduates not attending college.
If you know someone at a local business who might be interested in receiving more information, please contact Pam Hemingway, EHS Career Development Coordinator, at phemingway@ewsd.org by Friday, February 19.
VSAC College & Career Pathways
The VSAC annual College & Career Pathways event will be taking place virtually this year in March. Whether you’re college-bound, training-bound, or not sure, this event is for you. This year’s event will include:
- Videos and reflection activities to walk you through planning for life after high school
- Live workshops for students on identifying career interests, building and communicating skills, and finding the right fit
- Live workshops for families on paying for college and career training, scholarships, navigating the admissions process, apprenticeships and careers in the skilled trades, and more
- Virtual tours and info sessions of Vermont colleges, universities, and short-term training programs
- Weekly contests with the opportunity to win prizes for watching videos and attending workshops or tours
Find out more and register online.
Important Links
EWSD Social Media
About Us
Email: bdickie@ewsd.org
Website: www.ewsd.org
Location: 58 Founders Road, Essex Junction, VT, USA
Phone: 802-878-8168
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/essexwestford/
Twitter: @EssexWestford