August 30, 2024
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Once again, smiles have filled our hallways
as students reconnected with friends and supportive adults. This time of year is always so special; filled with anticipation and excitement. Not even a flood or a delay could take away the joy of welcoming our students back from summer break.
Getting students back into our building this year was
no easy feat. As you know, we experienced some hold ups that made it impossible for our teachers to get their spaces ready for students. It was, quite literally, Wednesday afternoon before our building started to look more like a school and less like a construction site. I'd like to take a moment and thank our dedicated staff members for the countless hours .jpg)
they gave to put our school back together for Thursday's opening. It meant long days, late nights, weekend hours, leaning on friends and family and a lot of stress. I'm not sure if there is an accurate tool to measure resilience, but Moretown staff have written the manual. Our students are incredibly fortunate to be able to learn from these individuals and I'm blessed to count them as colleagues.
This year we welcome two new faces to the Moretown staff. Stephanie Jenkerson is not new to Moretown at all but joins our staff this year as our newest lunch lady! Stephanie has been a member of the food service team at Harwood for a few years and has made the decision to transfer over to Moretown. Stephanie lives in Moretown and has had two students attend Moretown Elementary; a newly minted graduate (current seventh grader) and a fourth grader. She brings to us a love of cooking and a desire to make things run smoothly in our cafeteria.
MJ Wright comes to us from Fayston Elementary
School and will be serving as a special educator here in Moretown. MJ lives in Waterbury and has years of experience as a classroom teacher, interventionist and special educator. Our students are sure to benefit from MJ's expert instruction, warm personality and genuine desire to do best by kids.
The Moretown PTO is hosting a fundraiser at Lots O' Balls on Monday, September 2nd from 3-7pm. We hope you'll consider attending this fundraiser where all proceeds will benefit the students and staff of Moretown Elementary School. Read below for other ways you can support this wonderful organization.
Mark your calendars! We will host an Open House on Thursday, October 17th. This open house will be extra special as we unveil our (almost) new building to you all and celebrate the learning that will happen between now and then. We hope you'll consider joining us for this community event.
Each week I will send out the Bobcat Bulletin,
highlighting learning from that week and things to look ahead to. At the end of each bulletin will be a section titled "Community Offerings" where you can look for sports registrations, workshops, camps, library offerings, etc. If you'd like to submit something to be shared in the bulletin, please email me at [email protected].
Please note that we do not have school on Monday, September 2nd in observance of Labor Day. We look forward to welcoming our students back on Tuesday, September 3rd. We wish you all a joy-filled long weekend.
Warmly,
Ms. Kate
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Upcoming Dates:
September 2- No School, Labor Day
September 7- Morefest!
October 17- MES Open House
PTO Update
Welcome back to school, MES families, both returning families and new! We look forward to seeing you throughout the school year. We're always looking for volunteers, so if you're interested in learning more about helping out with PTO activities and events, please get in touch with us at [email protected]. There is no commitment to attending monthly meetings - you can choose to volunteer as little or as much as you wish.
Here are some upcoming PTO events and activities:
Here's to a great year!
Eastern Equine Encephalitis
For those of you following the news on EEE, the VT Dept of Health just put out some guidance on how to protect against this rare but serious disease. Interim Secretary of Education Zoie Saunders has released the following information in a note to Superintendents and Heads of School about the matter:
Even if you don’t live in a high-risk area (Alburgh, Burlington, Colchester and Swanton), everyone in Vermont should take steps to prevent mosquito bites and protect themselves from mosquito-borne illness:
- Limit the amount of time you spend outdoors at dawn and dusk.
- Use EPA-registered insect repellent labeled as effective against mosquitoes. Apply repellent when you are going to be outdoors, especially at dawn or dusk.
- Wear long-sleeved shirts and long pants when outdoors.
- Fix any holes in your screens and remove standing water around your home.
The risk of mosquito bites is lower when temperatures are below 60 degrees and mosquitoes are less active.
Vermont continues to see much higher numbers of mosquitoes testing positive for EEE virus this year compared to previous years, affecting more areas of the state. Risk levels are based on the sustained numbers of EEE-positive tests of mosquitoes in these towns. The risk level of Vermont towns is expected to change over the coming weeks and months. For the most up to date information on high and moderate risk towns, please visit Mosquitoes in Vermont on the Health Department website.
We hope that you all take steps towards protecting your family this holiday weekend.
Explore Nature with Family-Friendly Hikes at Mad River Glen!
Join Stark Mountain Foundation and Mad River Glen this summer and early fall for three, exciting nature hikes! Guided by naturalist Amanda Palumbo, these hikes are a fantastic opportunity to explore local plant life and enjoy the beauty of Stark Mountain’s environment.#FamilyHikes #Botany #MadRiverGlen #StarkMountainFoundation #Vermont
Hike Details:
Mad River Valley Craft Fair
Great family day at the 53rd annual Mad River Valley Craft Fair, Labor Day weekend, Aug. 31 & Sept. 1, 10 am - 5 pm, at Kenyon’s Field, 3337 Main St., Waitsfield to benefit Valley Players Theater. Great food court, four live bands, door prizes and shopping galore for handmade items! From practical things like furniture, pottery and clothing to decorative items like framed art, jewelry and whimsical keepsakes, we have it all! Free kids’ show, Dinoman with giant blow-up dinosaurs and real fossils at noon each day, face painting, kids 12 and under get in free (adults and teens $5 per person, free parking). Stay for lunch, great music, an adult beverage and great mt. views! www.madrivercraftfair.com
After School Art at Camp Meade
Local artist Fiona Sullivan is offering after school sessions at Camp Meade- along the bus route! To read more about these offerings visit https://www.oneartsstudio.org/afterschoolart.
