From The Principal's Desk...

Welcome Back and Important Reminders for Our School Community

We hope that all of you had a restful break! As we embark on this new year, we want to express our gratitude for your ongoing communication and positive partnership with the school. Your involvement makes all the difference in creating a supportive and thriving learning environment.

Winter Assessment Window: Important Dates and Information

We will be starting our winter assessments next week, and we wanted to keep you informed about the schedule and what to expect. These assessments are an important opportunity for us to gauge student progress and provide the best possible support moving forward.

Assessment Schedule:

• Amira Assessment: January 13-17
  This assessment will take about 15-20 minutes. Teachers will decide which day they will conduct the assessment within this timeframe.

• i-Ready Reading and Math Assessments: January 22-24
  These assessments will last about 45 minutes. Some teachers may divide the assessment into two days per content area.

• K-2 Literacy Skills Assessments: These will be completed by January 31.

We ask that you ensure your child gets plenty of rest and comes to school ready and alert for these assessments. A good night’s sleep is important for their focus and performance.

We also appreciate your support in ensuring that your child is at school during this time, so they can complete the assessments with their class. The results of these assessments will be shared with you in February.

If you have any questions or concerns regarding the winter assessments, please don’t hesitate to reach out.

Attendance and Tardiness Concerns

As we review our attendance data, we’ve noticed that some families are struggling with ensuring students arrive at school on time. We want to emphasize how important it is for your child to be at school by 7:50 AM to start the day on time.

Being on time allows your child to get settled in, enjoy breakfast, and participate in Morning Meeting, which is a valuable time for building connections with peers and developing relationships within the classroom. When a student arrives late, it disrupts their routine and makes it harder for them to fully settle into the day’s activities.

Important Attendance Information:

• If a child has more than 7 unexcused absences, we will begin the truancy protocol, which will involve scheduling a meeting with you.

• If a student accumulates more than 10 unexcused absences, we will be required to involve the State of Vermont to address the situation.

We understand that occasional absences are unavoidable, but we ask that you please try your best to ensure your child is in school and on time each day. Regular attendance is critical for students to build academic, social, and emotional skills that are essential for their growth.

If your child will be absent, please remember to communicate with the school as soon as possible. We appreciate your support in helping your child be present and ready to learn each day.

JISP Week 2 News

Next JISP Day will be Tuesday, January 14, 2025

Dear Families,

Cases of the flu, Covid, RSV and the stomach bug are circulating in our community. This is to be expected this time of year, and it is a great time to remind everyone of our Illness Procedures. Please take the time to review them. If your child is symptomatic of illness, please keep them home and call the school. It might be tempting to send your child and have them check with the nurse, but unfortunately that will expose other children on the bus and classroom, which are small spaces with many children and staff. I am more than happy to speak with you in the morning and help you make a decision about whether or not to send your child to school. People are most contagious during the early days of their illnesses, so keeping a child home during this time goes a long way in preventing others from getting sick. We really appreciate everyone's combined efforts in keeping our school community the healthiest it can be during the cold and flu season.

Thank you,

Mandy Mayer, RN, BSN, School Nurse

BRSU Illness Procedures 2024-2025

Important Announcement for Parents regarding

the Mettawee After-school Program

We are thrilled to announce that Morgan Williams will be joining us as the director of the Mettawee After-school Program. We aim to open the program before the end of this month. Although we do not yet have an official start date, please be advised that all paperwork and tuition must be completed and paid before your child can begin at the program. To ensure a smooth and timely start, we ask that all necessary documents and payments be submitted as soon as possible. Scan the QR Code below to access the Registration forms.

Basketball

Basketball game schedules can be found here

Grades 1 / 2 - Starting Jan 15th, Practices will now be 2:30 - 3:30

Grades 3/4 - Friday Scrimmage Jan 10 has been cancelled

Grades 5 / 6 Game (Home) vs Salem 5:30 Friday Jan 10

We would like to dismiss all basketball players K-6 outside after basketball practices are over.  The coaches will bring the team outside at the end of practice. This will save the parents from coming inside.  There will not be anyone at the front desk after 4:00 to let the families inside so we are asking that you wait patiently outside.  

For basketball players in grades 3-6, please bring basketball shoes with your child to practice and games.  Please wear boots or other footwear to the gym.  This will keep our floors clean and floors safe for our basketball players.  Let me know if you have any questions or concerns.  We are looking forward to a fun and successful basketball season. 

We are in critical need of support staff in many of our schools!

Please keep us in mind if you are looking for a job, or know someone that is,

Our openings can be found here.