SCHOOL INFO:
April 9, 2021
Dear L&G Families:
Yesterday, the VT Agency of Education (AOE) released some new guidance for the rest of the school year, and we are very excited about some of the changes. We don’t have all the details worked out yet, but I will be proposing to the school board Monday night (7pm) our plan for reopening 3.0 - 4 days a week beginning shortly after April vacation. I will share more next week in Friday Notes about what to expect at that time. All other protocols and procedures will remain the same until that time.
Travel Guidance
Travel Guidance has changed with the introduction of the Vermont Forward Plan.
“No quarantine is required for unvaccinated visitors with a negative test within 3 days prior to arrival. Unvaccinated Vermonters [students] must be tested within 3 days upon return to the state.”
We recommend waiting to attend school until a negative test result is returned. It is incredibly challenging to manage contact tracing after the exposure, then it is to quarantine and get results prior to returning to school.
SBAC
The state of Vermont has announced that we will be conducting SBAC assessments with students this year, per usual. We will be assessing math and ELA in 6-9th grades and science in 8th and 11th grades. Details and schedules will be sent out in the next few weeks. Remote students will have the assessment scheduled here at the school (remote administration is not allowed under the SBAC rules).
Report Cards
Hopefully you have already received your child’s report card for Q3. For parents of HS students, please read through the enclosed letter carefully and take the time with your child to review their transcript and report issues to Sarah Grasso.
ESSER Money
Many of you have heard, I’m sure, about the influx of funds into the state education system for COVID relief. Here at L&G, while we don’t have all of our approaches totally figured out, we do have two pretty significant plans in place:
We are hiring for a Recovery Case Manager beginning this spring, to help guide students and families who have incompletes due to COVID to develop a plan of attack for clearing those and earning the credits they need. This will be for HS students only.
We are hiring an Academic Resource Center Teacher as a strategy to support our rising 9th graders as they transition to high school with (likely) gaps in their learning due to COVID. Parents of current 8th grade students may find that their child is scheduled into the ARC next year in 9th grade.
End of Year Events
I said this last week, and we’re still waiting:
While the governor has already announced that we’ll have “normal” graduations, the AOE has yet to publicize any guidelines for end of year events, like proms and graduations. This is expected to happen in the next week or so, and, as with the distancing guidelines, we’ll study the release and plan accordingly. So, please stay tuned for information about these events. We really want to celebrate the class of 2021 who have had two of their most important years of schooling dramatically interrupted by the pandemic.
Thanks and have a great weekend!
Bob Thibault
Principal
West River District At-large Position:
On MONDAY, April 12th at 7pm on zoom ,
the West River Education District Board will be appointing a person to fill the
first year of a three-year term for an At-Large position.
https://zoom.us/j/95544176970?pwd=bHJJWU1VRk5vS29hdisrV0wwdW5rZz09
The appointee can be any eligible citizen that resides in Brookline, Jamaica, Newfane, Townshend, or Windham.
The Board encourages any interested citizens to simply email Board Chair, Al Claussen, and express their interest and reason for their interest. aclaussen@windhamcentralboard.org
At the meeting, the board will discuss the applicants and a motion will need to be made to appoint ONE person. If several applicants are interested, the board will discuss all of the applicants before a motion to appoint is made.
16 V.S.A. § 706l(b)
states in part:
(b) When a vacancy
occurs on the board of directors:
(3) If the member was
elected at large to represent the entire union district, the union school board
shall, within 30 days of the creation of the vacancy, appoint a person who is
otherwise eligible to serve as a director to fill the vacancy until an election
at a special or annual district meeting is held.
Don't Drive Distracted Virtual Program:
Spring Sports:
Here are the start dates for Spring Sports:
April 17th-HS games/meets begin
April 26th-MS Spring Sports practices begin (Baseball, Softball, Track and Field)
Please remember to check the following Events and Activities calendar for practice times and game schedules.
Rebel Gear:
Hello All-I am including a link to the Spring Store with cool gear on it for everyone. Our Booster Club receives a percentage of the items purchased and they have been instrumental in helping the Athletic Department purchase big ticket items that have not been in the budget.
So get your Rebel Nation gear and hey.....buy something for a friend or your child...or children!
If you have any questions, you can let me know!
Yearbooks:
YEARBOOKS!!!!!! Due to the limited amount of content available at this point, we have decided to delay yearbook distribution until the summer so that ALL spring activities, including graduation, can be included! We are really excited about being able to include things we generally cannot. You can order your yearbook at any time! Here is the purchase link and the passcode is 1014126117141122.
Please contact Sarah Grasso if you have any questions.
Scholarships:
Attention Seniors! New applications for local scholarships have arrived. The Brattleboro American Legion, Valley Lions Club and Lisa's Love scholarship applications can be picked up in the front office. See Mary Martin for more information.
Attendance Surveys:
HEY Help:
Lunch Menu:
COMMUNITY:
Green Up Day:
Hold the Date!
Community Hope & Action is helping to host Green Up Day, Saturday, May 1st. Bags are available for pickup at Townshend Elementary School late April and will be available for touch-free pick up at Leland & Gray on the day of the event from 9 am to noon.
Green Up Day, by nature, is an activity of social distancing as citizens of all ages get outside and clean up miles of Vermont roads. “Participating in Green Up Day is one small way to find some normalcy in our tilted world,” says one Green Up Day Coordinator, Robin Rieske. Green Up Day provides a sense of commitment to where we live and to each other. It is about healthy surroundings, and connecting our communities with a goal for common greatness. This well-loved community event will help contribute to the physical, social and mental health of Vermonters as much as their Green Up activities will help beautify our state.
So, swing by Leland & Gray on Saturday May 1st from 9am to noon to pick up your trash bags and receive a goodie bag as well!
Filled bags can be dropped at Townshend transfer station on Saturday May 1st free of charge from 8am - 2pm. Please use the correct locations at that site, practice social distancing and protect yourselves with masks and gloves.
For local locations to get bags and more information: https://
The Nature Museum: Summer Camp Assistant Positions:
Up to 40hrs/week during camp season, primarily from June 21th - August
13th. Preparation and training will take place during the week of June 21st. Total of up to 300 hours over the course of the summer. Hourly Rate: $12-15/hr. Rate of pay dependent upon experience. This is a seasonal position that is not eligible for benefits.
More details/job descriptions are available in the L&G main office.
