Planning Meeting
Location: Flex
Space
Attending: Amy Frost,
Suzan Locke, Jeff O’Hara, Carla Wuthrich,
Kristin Miskavage, Amanda Pacilli, Chrysanna Burke, Mary Beth Harris, Cindy
Fay, Paul Rocheleau, Jim Goldsmith, Kate Dodge, Stacy Riley, Barb Spaulding,
Rachel Kring
Celebrations and Principals' Report
· 4 HCS students participated in the
district jazz festival
· UVM Watershed Alliance helped 5th
graders with an awesome water study unit – lots of hands-on experience outdoors
· Parent reported that her 5th
grader got to play school sport this year and was pleasantly surprised that he actually
participated at games
· Principals’ report (attached)
o New development in town = more students;
already have large numbers in some classes, and parents questioned what can be
done about to alleviate the situation:
§ School Board approves new hires, so concerned parents can
contact the Board
§ Offer to help out in the classroom
o Suggestion to have time for teachers to
meet w/ person leading VEEP in their classroom
Staff Grant Reviews
·
All
applications posted here so anyone can review: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/0B8p5Y8F0P258cWs0Uzh6SWVHZmM
· 13 applications received this year with
$21,000 total requested
· $2,500 available to grant
· Grant process raises the awareness of
all the needs, and sometimes we can help find solutions, even if no grant
awarded
· The PiE Fundraising Committee reviewed all applications and
recommended seven projects that fit well within the grant guidelines and
narrowed down some that were too expensive or could be funded through other
sources
· PiE received no applications in the spring cycle last school year
· The applications were heavy on older grades this fall, but in the
past many projects have been funded for the younger grades, so the committee
thought it seems balanced overall
· Brought to the meeting for consideration:
o Barb Spaulding – sewing materials for messenger bags that kids use
for their Chromebooks; 7th grade UVM campus visit
§ The messenger bag project has become a tradition that the kids
really like, and materials are very specific and not easy to get donated
§ The funds for the UVM visit are for mostly for bus transportation
to and from the campus for a visit in the spring, which is a great opportunity
for students who have never visited a college campus
o Cindy Fay – instrument repairs and replacement
§ Budget for the whole music department is very small
§ Lots of instruments in need of repair, and lots of donated
instruments that need attention to be useable for students
o Danielle Sertz – soundboard
§ Question was raised if drama program could pay for this equipment through
ticket sales, fundraising in the play program, etc. – most other potential
grantees don’t have access to revenue in that way
o Kate Myhre/Jen Roth – seating options and mindfulness supplies
o Paul Rocheleau – visiting artist “crankie” show
§ used in the study of American history with the 5th
grade; the crankie is essentially a mural on a long roll of paper that’s
cranked to musical accompaniment
§ Project takes the kids a few weeks to create and has become a 5th
grade tradition that kids are looking forward to
§ Money is to pay the artist in residence
o Steve Heney – visiting author writing project
§ first time ask
· Meeting attendees agreed that it helped to have potential grantees
present to explain their projects, answer questions and brainstorm other
possibilities where PiE funding was not possible
· From the projects selected by the committee, PiE decided to fund:
o $150 for Barb Spaulding’s messenger bag project (encouraged to
apply in the next cycle for the UVM visit)
o $1,300 for Cindy Fay’s instrument repair/replacement
o $250 toward Danielle Sertz’s soundboard
o $800 for Stephen Heney’s visiting author project
o Paul Rocheleau generously offered to re-submit his proposal during
the next grant cycle and conduct his project in the spring
o It was agreed by the group that since some supplies exist in the
classrooms the proposal submitted by Kate Mhyre/Jen Roth would not be funded
this cycle; the suggestion was raised that older students could help build
“wobble chairs” (a project they have done before), which was one of the
requested items
· Stacy Riley motioned to approve the above allocations, and
Chrysanna Burke seconded to call the vote – a vote was taken by a show of hands,
and the grants listed above were approved
Unified Arts Family Curriculum Night &
Harvest Dinner- Nov 1
· For families
· Change from past years – families used to go around to classrooms;
this year will be more of a presentation about the curriculum, and then
families can tour classrooms afterward
o 5-5:30 presentation in the gym
o 5:30-5:50 classrooms open
o dinner to follow at 5:45
· Admin. will send out a Connect 5 to notify families of different format/timing
· Jr. Iron Chef Team from CVU is cooking; lots of food donated from
local farms again
· Still opportunities to sign up to help (especially need parents to
help kids prep the food): http://www.signupgenius.com/go/5080a4bacaf292-uafamily
· Some parents requested that the organizers think about a more “kid
friendly” dinner option for picky eaters; most parents though the food was
great last year, but some kids didn’t end up eating dinner
· Suggestion to collect food for the food shelf at the event; or
families could bring snacks for kids in need at HCS
Going on now/upcoming:
·
Box tops are being collected
·
PiE is selling spirit wear T-shirts
· Election Day Bake Sale at Town Hall, 11.8. Sign Up Here.
· Genevieve's orders arrive at school on Friday, 11.11.
·
Nov. 16 – PiE learning event “School Climate” –
stay tuned for more information!
October 2016 Principals’ Report
K-2
● Kindergarten
has been studying fall. This week we have worked on apples, tasting different
types making applesauce, and tasting other apple things. Yummy!! Kindergarten has also implemented “All
Kindergarten Morning Meeting”every Friday.
Each class takes a turn to lead a morning meeting for all three
kindergarten teams. The components include:
A greeting, a song, a game, and a share.
Today we shared our favorite animal and the most popular was a cat!
● Second
graders continue to learn about plants.
We were able to spend a fall afternoon in the garden finding parts of
plants that we can eat and recorded our findings in our science journals. We will be visiting the Shelburne Museum to
begin our study of life long ago.
3-4
● 3rd:
We are finishing up our weather unit this week.
The students identified and classified different cloud types and world
climates. We are also getting ready to
move onto our next unit in math, which is our introduction to
multiplication. We are continuing to
practice reading fluency and retelling / summarizing.
7/8
● In
science students are culminating their forces across a distance (static
electricity, magnetism and gravity) by showing that they can generate a
testable question and plan and conduct an investigation independently.
UA
● Spanish: 7th and 8th students have been
working on a project related to the Hispanic Month. Sixth grade students
researched about the importance of learning a new language and have been
practicing numbers 1-1000 and classroom commands.
○ Games,
songs and immersion stories have been used in Elementary classes to practice
numbers, body parts, clothing, colors and calendars.
● 5-8 Music: Students are working on counting rhythms and
ear training using solfege syllables.
Bands: Students are working on concert pieces. Advanced is preparing for Halloween Songs at
lunches on Oct 31st.
Extra Curriculars
● Spelling Bee- Hats off to the HCS
Spelling Teams who showed NERVES OF STEEL and great sportsmanship at the CSSU
Spelling Bee! The 7/8 Team tied for 2nd place, missing 1st place by only two
points despite beastly-hard words and TWO flawless rounds. The 5/6 Team also
faced tough competition and tied for 2nd despite THREE perfect rounds. Each
player took a risk, gave it their best shot, high-five’d their teammates, and came
out smiling.
● The
Connecting Youth Vermont Kids Against
Tobacco Group has started up and has an enthusiastic group of 6th,
7th, and 8th graders. The
group has been active at HCS for the past 12 years. This year is the first year that the
Connecting Youth did not get the VKAT grant because tobacco use rates in the
region have dropped. The group will
therefore be changing its name to CY-LEAD (Connecting Youth-Leadership
Education the Anti-Drug) which will be consistent with all of the other CSSU
middle schools and CVU’s prevention group.
Without the grant there are no grant requirements or training
opportunities so the group is currently determining how they can be most
impactful for the coming school year.
Plans are underway for a Red Ribbon Week celebration as well as other
prevention initiatives.
● The
HCS GLOW (Gay, Lesbian, or Whatever)
Group has also started meeting this fall.
The group is open for 6th-8th graders as a safe
place to come as you are. A couple of
students will be participating in a statewide conference in November.
Other
● PBIS Award- HCS was recognized at the
annual VTPBIS (Vermont Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports) for being
an exemplar school for four consecutive years. This is a fantastic school-wide
achievement that we are very proud of for many reasons. During the conference,
Jen Bradford and Kate Myhre were asked to run a session on what our Be a STAR
program looks like at HCS to schools that were in the initial stages of
implementing PBIS in their schools.
● Early Release / Professional Development- The
first two Tuesdays this month were once again centered on Proficiency Based
Learning. We have continual support from our .5 PBL coach, Monica Carter, and
periodic support from CSSU coaches, Emily Rinkema and Stan Williams. Not only
do these coaches help plan and develop the professional development portion of
the faculty meetings, but they also make themselves available during the day to
work directly with our classroom teachers. They are an additional resource as
teachers plan, develop and teach to learning targets. Having them as a
building-based resource has proved to be most effective in moving us forward.
● Pumpkin Sale- In very short order, PiE
once again organized and ran a very successful pumpkin sale. In just two short
days, they were able to raise over $700. It’s great to work with such an
incredible parent group who are able to organize such events in such a quick
and efficient time period.
● Curriculum Nights- At this point, many
of our teams have now invited parents/community in for grade-level curriculum
nights. Informing and building understanding for our parents is crucial as we
continue to build strong and cohesive working relationships. Also, as a parent,
understanding not only what our child is learning, but how we can help support
this learning at home is also a critical component of the home to school
relationship.
● UA Curriculum Night / Harvest Dinner- Once
again, our UA teachers and PiE have teamed up to offer a fun and informative
night for our community. On November 1st, the UA teachers will present their curriculum
to interested parents directly prior to our annual Harvest Dinner. We are
hoping that as many parents as possible come to be part of this wonderful
event.
● Number of Students:
○ Pre-K-
12
○ K-
47 (3)
○ 1st-
63 (3)
○ 2nd-
49 (3)
○ 3rd-
67 (4)
○ 4th-
53 (3)
○ 5th-
65 (3)
○ 6th-
65 (3)
○ 7th-
49 (2)
○ 8th-
58 (2)
○ Total- 528
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