The hallways on Monday morning were a buzz of excitement as students recapped their experiences of the Lantern Parade on Saturday night. A huge thanks to Rachael Wells and MK Monley, BPS art teachers of the present and past and the rest of the Makersphere-artist-community collaborative that make A River of Light Lantern Parade a success year after year!
Please enjoy a sampling of photos from Gordon Miller, above. Thank you to all who came to join in the magic!
On Wednesday morning this week, the entire school joined together for our December All School Morning Meeting (ASMM). The practice of morning meeting is one part of our schoolwide commitment to SEL (social emotional learning). Our universal schedule protects daily, sacred time for classrooms to hold daily morning meeting, an essential and ongoing component of a strong classroom community. Once each month, the entire school engages in ASMM. We celebrate birthdays, share news and announcements, show our school spirit with a BPS cheer, and classes share learning connected to Second Step, our SEL program. This month, most classes focused on skills for learning: listening, focusing attention, using self-talk to stay on-task, and being assertive when asking for help with a learning task. Ms. Greenberg, Mr. Thurston and Mrs. Diller's classes all presented learning from Second Step during this ASMM.
BPS Ski Program
In case you missed it, here is our proposed Alpine and Nordic ski plan for this year:
First graders will cross country ski weekly in the field across from the school with a possible date at Trapp's at the end of the season.
2nd graders will cross country ski weekly in the field across from the school AND take 4 trips to Trapp's throughout the winter.
Trapp's: 2/1, 2/8, 2/15, 3/8
3rd and 4th graders will take 4 trips to Trapp's and 4 trips to Sugarbush.
Sugarbush: 2/6, 2/13, 3/13, 3/20
3rd grade Trapps: 1/5, 1/12, 1/19, 1/26
4th grade Trapps: 1/6, 1/13, 1/20, 1/27
The only way we can operationalize this idea is if we have enough volunteers. If you are already an approved volunteer, please take a look and see if you are available on any of the above dates. If you are not yet approved, you will need to go through the HUUSD volunteer approval process. Here's what you need to do:
All not-yet-approved volunteers should fill out this online google doc. This is not a sign-up, it is exclusively for the volunteer process. Sign-ups for volunteer days will be shared next week.
Second, meet with Alyssa Dybala in order to complete a background check.
You will need a photo ID and a check for $13.25 made payable to HUUSD.
Alyssa will be at BPS December 13th from 7:15am-9am to make this process easier. You may also schedule a time to meet with her at Central Office at your convenience.
After you complete the above steps, you will also need to be fingerprinted at a local police station. Stowe, Montpelier, and Williston are all options.
More info about the volunteer process can be found here.
This program will be free to all students including equipment rental for anyone who needs it. Right now our goal is to get enough volunteers. Please reach out with any questions; we will be sharing much more info in the coming weeks.
BPS Backpack Program
Thank you to everyone who has donated to our Backpack Program! Our community never fails to help out when called and we are grateful to everyone who sent items to the school. We are always accepting donations and have not changed the list yet. We will try to keep it as updated as possible so that those able to donate know what we need. We are currently in need of the following:
- Canned Vegetables
- Canned Soup
- Canned Chili
- Tuna Helper
- Cornbread Mix
- Macaroni and Cheese
- fruit cups
- Granola bars
- individual servings of Cheez-Itz, Goldfish, Popcorn, Trail Mix
- Fruit Leathers
If it is not on the list and you feel there is a snack you would like to donate that children may enjoy then please send it in! Changing it up can be fun as well.
There is a bin in the main entrance to place donations. You can also order items online and ship them to: Backpack Program, 47 Stowe St, Waterbury, VT, 05676. Any help is appreciated.
If you have any questions or need to enroll in this program, please contact Aimee Smith at asmith@huusd.org or Michele Ballard at mballard@huusd.org.
Be well and enjoy the more seasonal weather this weekend,
Sarah & Chris
COMMUNITY POSTINGS
Please note that the opportunities/events listed below are not specifically endorsed or screened by school staff. As always, families should use their own standards and review processes to determine appropriate activities
MakerSphere has had an excellent start to the afterschool year. We still have some spots in our afterschool programs that start in January 2023. These make excellent holiday gifts to the students in your life.
Register now for Session 3 Kids After School Classes. Session 3 starts January 10 and includes two new classes for Middle Schoolers:
Studio Art on Thursday at Seminary for K-2
Studio Art on Friday at Seminary for grades 3&4
NEW - Print Making on Tuesdays at CBMS for grades 5 through 8
NEW – Acrylic Painting on Thursdays at CBMS for grades 7 & 8
Cooking at CBMS on Wednesdays for grades 5th-8th
Youth Clay at Seminary for grades 7 -9
MakerSphere Gift Certificates are available now and make a great gift for the holidays! Purchase them online at: https://www.makerspherevt.com/gift-certificates
