"To appreciate the beauty of a snowflake, it is necessary to stand out in the cold." - Aristotle
The bustle of December has been heightened with our recent uptick in positive cases. Luckily, the recent snowfall and excitement on the playground have reminded us of the beauty and joy to be found during these winter months. There is so much going on right now, but there is also so much to be grateful for.
We'd like to offer a HUGE shout out to the team of Close Contact test to stay personnel who conducted around 250 tests to keep kids in school this week!
Vaccines are the best way to prevent quarantine in the future. HUUSD is working with OSCO/Shaw's Pharmacy to provide a vaccination clinic for children 5-11 at Crossett Brook Middle School. The vaccination clinic will be held in the cafeteria at CBMS on the following dates:
December 16, 2021 from 3:30-7:30pm: Pfizer #1
January 6, 2022 from 3:30-7:30pm: Pfizer #2
Registration for the vaccine clinic is open. You may register for the clinic at this link: www.mhealthsystem.com/CrossettBrookPediatric. There are still slots available.
You are invited to join an upcoming Zoom vaccination question conversation with a pediatrician from the Burlington area on Monday sponsored by the American Academy of Pediatrics.
Monday, December 13th with Stanley Weinberger, M.D. (Burlington)
Check out COVID Vaccines for Children. Getting vaccinated is the best way to protect all in our community and reduce the risk of missing school due to quarantine. Parents, you can help protect your kids and your community by getting vaccinated and receiving a booster.
Finally, there is a new testing site serving the Mad River Valley opening tomorrow, Saturday, December 11 in Waitsfield at the United Church of Christ, 4355 Main St.
Testing will occur weekly, on Fridays and Saturdays from 9:00 am - 2:00 pm.
Additional Nurse Notes:
We are looking for donations of gently used or new girls underwear sizes 4-10 and elastic waist pants sizes 4-10 (no jeans please).
Please send your child with multiple masks to school. Masks become wet during recess and need to be changed. It's great for kids to have a spare.
Please join us in welcoming Maria Campbell to support us in the nurses office as a School Nurse on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. She is an RN with great pediatric experience. She lives in Waterbury Center with her husband and two kids, and loves baking!
Please also welcome back Betsy McGinty, RN! We were fortunate to have Betsy work with us last year in a long term sub capacity, and she has been available to support BPS on Mondays and Fridays!
Third and Fourth Grade iMove!
When: 1/19, 1/27, 2/1, 2/9 (2/16 make up date) Who: We need level 3 volunteers for these iMove ski/snowshoe days.
What Time: 11:00-2:00pm
Where: Meet at Trapps
As of now we are still hopeful to get enough volunteers to make this program happen. We need over 20 parent volunteers. If we are not able to get enough volunteers before the winter break we will not be able to get this program going! Please email your child's classroom teacher to sign up for dates to ski or snowshoe!
Please see the HUUSD Community Bulletin from 12/6 with details about Test to Stay and guidelines for community events for the winter season.
From the Office:
SCHOOL DAY STARTS AT 7:50AM.
Our doors open at 7:30am so students can come in and get breakfast for free if they would like to. Students need a little time to get off their winter wear and get settled so they are ready at 7:50 for the start of class. When students are arriving late, it is very disrupting for the class and also hard for the student that is late to walk into their class when it is already in session.
Music Notes:
BPS Chorus Announcement
BPS Chorus has gotten off to a great start! Here is some important information:
Permission slips are due on December 21st.
Encourage your child to eat breakfast at home on the day they have chorus. If they get breakfast at school that day, they will not be able to eat until after rehearsal. If they receive services in the morning, they will not be able to eat until after those services, so best to have them eat at home, if possible.
Chorus Rehearsal Schedule:
3rd Grade - Tuesdays from 7:40-8:10
4th Grade - Thursdays from 7:30-8:00
Contact Lizzy Carlson - ecarlson@huusd.org with any questions.
Finally, some joyful moments shared by our Preschool teachers:
Have a healthy and joyous weekend.
Sarah & Chris