Friday, March 6, 2015

Friday Notes 3-6-15

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SCHOOL INFO:


Spirit Week 2015:

Spirit Week 2015 will be taking place the week of March 16th - 20th! 

 This years theme is "Cities Around the USA". Each class has chosen a city to represent by designing/choreographing their float/skit for a school competition. There will also be Olympic Games and Dress Up Days. 

All students in grades 7 - 12 are invited to our Spirit Week event "A NIGHT IN VEGAS" on Friday evening, March 20th, from 7:00 - 10:00pm. Admission is $5.00. All students will be given raffle tickets for their winnings while taking part in games like Black Jack, Craps, Roulette, Poker, slots, and a 4 person Game Show. We will then have a raffle drawing for many prizes. The top three classes with the best percentage of attendance will earn additional spirit points. Music will be provided for those kids who just feel like dancing! Concessions available for sale. Hope to see the whole student body there!

Introduction to College Studies (ICS):

Are you thinking about college, but still not sure? Are you wondering if you’re prepared to succeed?  Are you assuming that college is too expensive for you? Intro to College Studies is a free CCV class that helps you wrestle with these questions, sharpen your skills, and prepare for college.  It meets once a week for 13 weeks and is offered at all CCV locations in Vermont and at other Vermont state colleges.  More information can be found here.

Leland & Gray Peer Review Team:

Leland and Gray’s Peer Review Team of students, staff, and a community member completed an evaluation from August through December 2014. The peer review project resulted in five distinct findings all supported by evidence. The topics include: (1) Communication and Relationships, (2) Democratic Practices, (3) Real-world Education, (4) Student-centered Learning, and (5) Equity and Instructional Differentiation. We will present the findings in depth to the School Board on Tuesday, March 10th and to the Parent Advisory Group on Tuesday, March 17th. Both presentations take place in the school library, beginning at 7 pm, and are open to the public. Please attend!

Parent-Teacher Conferences:

Leland and Gray Parents and Guardians:  please e-mail: pbrissette@lelandandgray.org if you would like to make an appointment for Parent Conferences on March 26th.

7th Grade:

You can find a link to the 7th Grade Homework Chart on the Leland & Gray homepage. It is the first option under the "Teacher Web Pages" menu:https://sites.google.com/a/lelandandgray.org/7th-grade-class/

Please contact Johanna Liskowsky-Doak, Rence Ricohermoso, Amanda Dixon or Joe Towle with any questions!



Wellness Fair:


Wellness Fair at Leland and Gray Union Middle and High School March 6th.
Mark your calendars now for a Wellness Fair to be held at Leland and Gray Union Middle and High School, 2042 VT route 30 Townshend VT, from 4pm to 7pm.


The Wellness Fair is free and open to the public and will provide education and connection with services available in the community such as; Alcoholics Anonymous, American Red Cross, VT Food Connect, Women’s Freedom Center, Youth Services and more. 

Free blood pressure screenings will be available.

For more information or to become a vendor, you may call 802-365-7355.


LEAF Meetings:


L.E.A.F. - Leland & Gray Environmental Action Force
Want to farm?
Want to reduce how much trash L&G generates?
Want to make upcycled crafts with elementary students?
Want to attend student centered summits to make our school more sustainable?
Want to plan, build and plant a greenhouse at L&G?
Want to watch movies on science, art, nature, and other cool stuff?
Want to bring local produce to your cafeteria?
JOIN US! - We make things happen.

Middle School students - Thursday lunch meetings with Ms. Davis
High School students - Fridays lunch meetings with Ms. Nyzio

The Rebel Clefs:

The Middle School Chorus and our a cappella group, the Rebel Clefs, will be traveling to the Kurn Hattin Homes on March 18th to participate in the Middle School Choral Invitational. The concert starts at 7 PM.


Penny War:

The Above the Influence group will be organizing a Penny War. How it works is each class gets a jar. A penny gives your class a point, but a dime would take away 10 points, a nickle 5 points and a quart 25. The money raised will be split with a local prevention charity, and the Above the Influence group. So if you have some extra change kicking around please bring it. The winning class will get 50 spirit points, second place 40, third 30 and so on until last place. Thank you for your support. 


Leland & Gray Players:


Open Auditions for the Leland & Gray Players’ A Servant of Two Masters. 

THE STORY: A cross between traditional Italian commedia and postmodern vaudeville, this new version of Goldoni's classic pits the madcap servant Truffaldino against masters, mistresses, lovers, lawyers and twenty-seven plates of meatballs. Imagine a Bob Hope or Woody Allen comedy written by Monty Python and performed with the physical bravura of Chaplin or Keaton—with places in the script for ad-libs and audience participation.
“A circus of styles tumbling backwards, forwards and sideways…full of ancient, hooting laughs zapped together with up-your-alley anachronisms. Shower flowers on director Paolo Landi and Jeffrey Hatcher for their re-working of the eighteenth-century Italian script. Broad, bold, whacked-out and wild! A tour-de-farce! Unforgettable, undiminished delight!" —Milwaukee Weekly.

Come to one of these sessions: Tuesday, March 17, 2:45-5; Wednesday, March 18, 2:45-5; Thursday, March 19, 2:45-5 and to CALLBACKS: Friday, March 20, 2:45-4:45.
Scripts available in B4.  More info? See Ms. L. or write alandenberger@lelandandgray.org.  Production dates: May 14-16.

HATS OFF!:

The Leland and Gray Players celebrate their 19th season with HATS OFF 2015! on March 6 and 7 in the Dutton Gymnasium on the Leland and Gray campus, Route 30, Townshend.

An eclectic parade of music, dance and comedy Hats Off  offers Leland and Gray Players in grades 7-12 an opportunity to select what they want to perform, to display their strengths, to hone new skills, and to discover different ways to contribute to the performance.  Many students also direct, choreograph and design for Hats Off.

This year’s show includes classic comedic skits by Mike Nichols and Elaine May, Dorothy Parker, Charlie Chaplin, Monty Python, Alan Alda.  Other sketches include modern comedy of Saturday Night Live and MadTV, as well as company improvisations and parodies.   Songs and dances will include musical numbers from Avenue Q, West Side Story, Jacques Brel is Alive and Well..., Music Man, Aladdin, Tom Leherer, Rocky Horror Picture Show… and more.
Featuring several new faces as well as a host of veterans,  the Hats Off ’15 company includes Adam Culver,  Jesse Cannella, Madison Cannella, Maria Gropler,  Rebekah Winot,  Susie Francy, Caroline Mehner, Tino Benson, Gabrel Vanni-Phillips,  Vince Ferrizzi, Nathaniel van Osdol, Nathan Claussen, Bradford Cutts, Giannina Gaspero-Beckstrom, Sam Dutton, Emma Urbaska, Julia Barton, Nastia Stevens, Corrin Broussard, Trey Crego, Veronica Stevens, Rachael Turner, Zoie Brooks and Fairen Stark.  Producer is Ann Landenberger and assistant director is Alexa Litchfield’ 15. Crew includes Olivia Reilly, Emily Thibault, Rachel Spence,  Sam Thibault, Skyler Nupp, Sam Harrison, Kaylah Jacobs, Emily Frost, Kayla Gibbons.  Dale Stevens is Tech Director; Nastia Stevens is costumier and Nathaniel van Osdol, prop master.  Kenny Cashman and Ana-Cate Harrison  are on lights; Grant Cullen,  Sage Hall and Susie Francy on sound. Dan DeWalt is accompanist.

Tickets are $5 for adults and $3 for students and seniors; available at the door. Performances of  the two-hour Hats Off! are Friday March 6, 7:30 PM; Saturday March 7, 3PM and 7:30 PM Information: verbatim@svcable.net;  802-365-7355 x 204


Science Fair:

Prize money is  available to the top participants in Leland and Gray's first Science Fair, which will be held on March 28. The top high school and middle school students will win $125.00 each for their display of their scientific experiment.  Last day for signing up is Monday 3/9/15. If you have any questions please see Mr. Paytas.

Word of the Week:


Word of the Week

fa·ce·tious

fəˈsēSHəs

Adjective

1.      Treating serious issues with deliberately inappropriate humor; flippant.

2.      used to describe speech that is meant to be funny but that is usually regarded as annoying, silly, or not proper

Root: Middle French facetieux, from facetie jest, from Latin facetia
Related Forms: fa·ce·tious·ly adverb — fa·ce·tious·ness noun
Prefix: None
Suffix: -ious
Synonyms: clever, witty, humorous, jocular, smart
Antonyms:  earnest, sincere
Picture: Draw this word and represent it in a picture
Sentence: The students at Leland and Gray had a facetious response to learning that there would be extra days added to the school year because of missed snow days.

Interesting fact:  There are two words in the English language that have all five vowels in order: Facetious and ??

AFTER SCHOOL INFO:


Late Bus:

The late bus will be running the following dates:
Monday - Thursday: February 23- April 16th
     It will not run on: March 9th, March 11, March 18 and March 26
Monday - Thursday: May 4-May 28th



Ultimate Frisbee:


Join the fastest growing sport in the U.S.! Ultimate combines elements of basketball and soccer, with a strong sense of sportsmanship. Leland and Gray is hoping to have a club team this spring  to compete against other teams in the area, such as Brattleboro, Bellows Falls and Compass.

If you want to learn more, come to B-13 on Tuesday at 2:45 to watch a video, have some snacks, ask questions and hopefully sign up. 

Both female and male students from 7th-12th grade are welcome and no experience is necessary. Questions, see Mr. Paytas. 



COMMUNITY:





Upcoming Events:

The West Townshend Country Store will be holding the following events:

Poetry Night- March 27th at 6:00
Bee Keeping- March 9th at 5:30
Movie Night(bee movie)- March 16th at 6:00
Book Club April 13th
Plant Walk with Sally April22nd
Permaculture Discussion April 30th at 6:00
Kimchi Workshop April 16th at 6;00
Worm composting and Vermiculture May18th
Seed Swap and Seed Bomb workshop May 4th

Guiding Good Choices:

Parents of children 9 – 14 are invited to participate in a FREE parenting workshop.

Monday March 16, 23, 30 and Monday April 6 & 13 at Townshend Elementary School from 5-7pm.

Guiding Good Choices is a five session workshop that is designed to assist parents and caregivers in helping their “tweens and teens” through the multiple challenges and choices that they encounter on the road to a successful adulthood. The program will cover:

·         Setting clear expectations and consequences for behavior
·         Managing conflict
·         The teenage brain and why teens engage in certain behaviors
·         Helping your kids resist peer pressure
·         Strengthening family bonds
·         Sharing ideas with other parents

This workshop has an excellent track record for helping prevent youth alcohol and drug use and abuse.

Pre-registration required • Free childcare available with advanced notice • Snacks provided
REGISTER NOW!
Call Julia at 802-365-4700 or email wrvtdirector@gmail.com

Bowl for Kids Sake:

Team sign-ups sought in March for BOWL FOR KIDS’ SAKE benefit!
Families, friends and teams from work are invited to celebrate the 34th Annual Bowl for Kids’ Sake to benefit Youth Services’ Big Brothers Big Sisters program on Saturday, April 4.  The fundraising event will be held from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. with teams signing up in March for a one-hour time slot at Brattleboro Bowl on Putney Road. 
Call Youth Services at (802) 257-0361 for pledge sheets and to reserve a lane or for more information about becoming involved.  To download everything you need to organize a team, visit www.youthservicesinc.org/bowling.

Tax Preparation Assistance:

United Way Windham County is offering two programs that provide FREE federal and state income-tax preparation services to eligible taxpayers: the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) Program and MyFreeTaxes.  

For eligible households earning $53,000 or less per year, a VITA sitewill be available in Brattleboro where IRS-certified volunteers provide FREE tax preparation. UWWC is also partnering with MyFreeTaxes.com, a FREE on-line tool available to eligible households earning $60,000 or less a year. Call 2-1-1 for more information.

Sue Graff, M.S.
Community Investment Director
United Way of Windham County
1 Holstein Place, PO Box 617
Brattleboro, VT 05302

Exchange Opportunity:

Ms. Suquet has received information about a French boy who would like to come to the US for three weeks this summer and stay with a family with a boy his age.  The boy who hosts the French student would then go back to France and experience French life with the boy's family.  French is not required though it would add to the experience.  Please see Ms. Suquet for more information if you are a boy open to this kind of great adventure! 

Community College of Vermont:

Community College of Vermont is offering a free course in Bellows Falls for high-school aged youth and young adults living in Vermont and New Hampshire.  Introduction to College Studies is a 28-hour course that provides an orientation to the college experience and career exploration.  This course helps participants make the transition to college and careers by exploring the skills and expectations necessary to succeed in academic and professional settings.  Introduction to College Studies is being offered in response to many requests we've received to provide a presence in the Bellows Falls area and make education and career development opportunities available locally. 
If you know of high-school aged youth, parents of youth and/or young adults who may benefit from this course, please share this information with them.   Individuals interested can contact me directly or self-enroll at www.ccv.edu/apply
Please contact me with any questions or for more information.
Debra Grant
Academic Coordinator
Community College of Vermont
802/885-8372
Debra.Grant@ccv.edu

Jobs Available:

West River Transportation is in need of bus drivers for home to school and trip drivers. Anyone that has any interest in training for this position, please contact Bernardine at 802-365-9240 or by email at westriver22@yahoo.com.


Center for Creative Youth:

APPLICATIONS BEING ACCEPTED FOR CCY 2015!!   For details, visit our website at www.crec.org/ccy
This is a great program, with a long history of having a lasting, positive impact on the lives of young artists!
Center for Creative Youth (CCY), a nationwide award-winning model of quality education through the arts, provides a pre-college intensive arts residency during June/July. Approximately 150 sophomores, juniors and seniors from rural, urban and suburban areas of Connecticut, across the United States and abroad, spend 4 weeks at Wesleyan University in Middletown, CT, where CCY has taken place for the past 38 years (since 1977).  Students from divergent geographic, ethnic, economic and racial backgrounds grow and learn together through the commonality of art. This program increases artistic and academic skills with an advanced and rigorous arts curriculum as students share a positive, enlightening educational and social experience living on a college campus.
Students interested in Creative Writing, Dance, Theater, Musical Theater, Filmmaking, Photography, Music and Visual Arts can apply now:  https://secure.infosnap.com/family/login.aspx?ReturnUrl=%2ffamily%2fdirectaction.aspx
Application Deadline in March 2, 2015. Auditions are March 14th and March 28th, 2015.
Online submissions/auditions are accepted. Email Program Coordinator Lisa Foss at lfoss@crec.org for details.

ATHLETICS:


Snowboarding Results:


The snowboard team had a great season this year, qualifying for the State Finals at Mount Snow this past Monday and Tuesday. 

The results from the State Finals can be found here:



Day 1 - Alpine Skiing and Halfpipe (mentioning Andrew Weitzel) http://www.wcax.com/story/28243693/day-one-of-the-hs-alpine-snowboarding-championships


Softball Players:


Attention girls:


There will be four Softball Open Gym Sessions from 6:00pm - 8:00pm on the following dates:  March 10 and 11.  Bring your glove, and everything else will be provided!  Get a chance to throw, hit, and work on skills with Mr. Gouger!  THINK SPRING!!

High School Baseball:

Pitchers and catchers season will begin on Monday March 16th. Please check Digital Sports for the practice times.

High School Softball:

Practice will begin on Monday March 23rd. Please check Digital Sports for practice times.

Wellness Fair:

All students interested in participating in a spring co-curricular that didn't participate in fall or winter activities must attend the Wellness Fair on Friday March 6th from 4-7pm in the Main Gym. We encourage all students to attend this exciting event!