MORETOWN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL NEWSLETTER

March 13, 2008

School Website: www.moretownschool.org

Dear parents and friends,

I hope this finds you and yours healthy and well. If you have seen even the first signs of spring, please let me know and I’ll share it with everyone. Mud doesn’t really count but if it’s enough to sink a car, then it does.

Report cards will be sent home on Monday and conferences are Thursday afternoon and evening as well as Friday morning. Other times are offered individually by teacher throughout next week and the week after.

When reviewing your child’s report card and considering your concerns or celebrations for conferences, please keep in mind the meaning of our rating system.

A rating of "1" usually means that your child does not exhibit enough knowledge or skill to be judged in relation to the standard.

A rating of "2" means that your child is just beginning to learn the skills and knowledge associated with the standard.

A rating of "3" means that your child demonstrates he or she is approaching the standard but is not quite there yet.

A rating of "4" means that your child has consistently demonstrated the skills, concepts and understanding to meet the standards.

A rating of "5" means that a child has demonstrated the skills, concepts and levels of understanding that exceed the standard and does this consistently.

Please do not confuse ratings with letter grades. They do not translate well. Letter grades had traditionally been based on how well students perform against each other. For example, in a given class there would be a few "A's" some more "B's", mostly "C’s", some "D’s" and a few "F’s". As our culture became more aware of the importance of education, grade inflation came with it. So, rather than a "C" reflecting how most students performed, it took on the negative connotation of mediocrity and "B’s" became expected. Nowadays, we seem to live in a world where everyone needs to get an "A" or somehow they just aren’t cutting it.

So, enough of that foolishness!

We all want the best for our children. Let’s move away from seeing the report card as some kind of judgment about who a child is and instead, about where they need to be going.

Sincerely,

RB

Soccer

Mad River Soccer has teamed up with the new premier club AC4472 to offer a soccer circuit training program.  This is an effective new way to improve your soccer skills.

The program will start on March 10 or March 11 (see below).  It will run for 6 weeks, and will cost $60.  Your child will receive a ball and shirt as part of the package. 

Training will be provided by Harwood High School boys’ coaching staff and varsity players to ensure a good participant/coach ratio.

3rd and 4th grade:    two locations – Waitsfield Elementary and Thatcher Brook Primary School

                            Monday nights starting March 10

                            Girls – 6 to 7 pm, Boys – 7 to 8 pm

5th thru 7th grade:    Crossett Brook Middle School

                            Tuesday nights starting March 11

                            Girls – 7 to 8 pm, Boys – 8 to 9 pm

Contact Mark Ewald (calcio19@comcast.net, or 244-1137) or Don Haddox (578-3587) for more information.

To sign up send your child’s name, age, phone#, email address and a check to Mark Ewald, 4270 Vt. Route 100, Waterbury, Vt. 05676.

From the Health Office

The Vermont Department of Health has set new regulations for the immunizations required for school entry, effective with the school year starting August 2008. This change will affect all students enrolling in kindergarten, 7th grade, and any student newly enrolling into a school, regardless of grade.

Students entering kindergarten will be required to have received the following vaccinations prior to August 2008:

5 DTaP- 4 if the 4th dose was given on/after the 4th birthday

4 Polio- 3 if the 3rd dose was given on/after the 4th birthday

2 Measles

2 Mumps

2 Rubella

3 Hepatitis B

2 Varicella- waived if the parent or guardian presents a Department- supplied form indicating the student has a history of disease.

Students entering 7th grade will be required to have received the follwing vaccinations prior to August 2008:

5 DTaP/DTP- 4 doses if the 4th dose was given on/after the 4th birthday. For students who, after the 6th birthday, have not completed thses requirements three doses of Td or 2 doses of Td and one dose of Tdap is acceptable.

4 Polio- 3 if 3rd dose was given on/after the 4th birthday

2 Measles

2 Mumps

2 Rubella

3 Hepatitis B

2 Varicella- waived if parent or guardian presents a Department- supplied form indicating the student has a history of disease.

1 Tdap booster

If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact Karyn Kaminski at 496-3742 M/W or by email karynk@moretownschool.org.

Thank you!

FULL MOON FROLIC COMING SOON--MARCH 22

The Full Moon Frolic is just around the corner: Saturday, March 22 from 7 to 10 p.m. at the Town Hall! The PTN is hosting this community-wide contradance as a fundraiser to upgrade our playgrounds. Come have a great time and help liven up your  kids' outdoor fun, too! We'll have live music and a silent auction with lots of great items from local retailers: The Warren Store, Moretown General Store, Shaw’s, Artisan's Gallery, Badger's Co., Bongiorno's Pizza, Clearwater Sports, The Collection, Fitness on the Run, High Country Hair Salon, Waterbury Ice Center, Jay's Restaurant, Jennifer Tripp Mead Knits, Mad River Glass, Miss Lissa's Salon, Ole's Cross Country, Patricia Lynne, Sweetwood, Tile Decorating with Tina Palmerio, Reggi Orr's Metal Shop and Village Grocery, to name just a few.

Please bring a dessert to share and a beverage. Green Mountain Coffee Roasters will provide coffee. Admission is $10 per person; children are free. For more information, call Sarah McNamee at 583-4134.

Kids and Critters Camp

We have begun taking registrations for this years Kids and Critters Camp!  Once again we will have a week just for younger children (4 and 5 year olds) beginning June 23rd.  The weeks of July 14th, July 21st and July 28th will be for children 6 to 10 years old.  The camp runs from 8 to noon Monday thru Thursday and cost $125.  We do many activities with animals from horseback riding to holding bunnies, nature crafts, hikes, swimming and archery!  For more information or to register please call Karen Crowley at 496-3043 or Lisa Moreno at 223-4164, or email plnmdj@comcast.net .

 

Lacrosse Registration - Registration for Mad River Valley Youth Lacrosse will be held on Tuesday, March 18th, at the Waitsfield School gym from 5:30-7:00pm.  Boys and girls in grades 3 through 8 are invited to participate.  The cost of the program (including U.S. Lacrosse membership) is $70 for 3/4's, and $85 for all other teams.  MRVYL will loan out a full set of equipment for the season to the first twenty registered 3rd and 4th graders for NO CHARGE!  For more information, please contact Kari Dolan (3/4 Girls) – 496-5020, Mark Woolley (3/4 Boys) – 583-2623, Anne Macmillan (5/6 Girls) – 496-7150, Jeff Beosse (5/6 Boys) – 229-0229, Sarah Ibson (7/8 Girls) – 496-3860, or Neil Nussbaum (7/8 Boys) - 496-5677.  Lacrosse – the fastest game on two feet!

Like working with high school students? Know a little bit (or a LOT) about tennis? Harwood is looking for a girl's tennis coach for this spring. We have a great group of student-athletes, practice and play at the Bridges, and the season is fairly short (March through May).

Even if you've never coached, but love the sport and would like to get involved, please contact Sue Duprat by email: duprats@harwood.org , or call 882-1156!

Summer Camp Scholarship Application

Dear Students and Families,

Your local teachers of the Washington West Education Association would like to provide four scholarships of up to $125 each for summer camp during 2008.

Possible camps might include:

Wheels Around Waterbury (a biking camp: jbrightnow@yahoo.com.)

Waterbury Recreation Mini Camp (www.waterburyvt.com)

Mad River Glen Naturalist Summer Camp (www.madriverglen.com)

Warren School Summer Program (ljones@warrenschool.org)

Lotus Lake (central-vt.com/web/lotuslake)

Harwood Basketball Camp for boys and girls going into third grade through ninth grade for girls and tenth grade for boys. (tyoung@gmavt.net)

Alligator Summer theater Camp & Science Camp (thommca@gmavt.net)

Another camp of your choice:_______________________________________________

Please complete the following and return by APRIL 11TH to one of the following people:

Warren Elementary: Beth Young

Fayston Elementary: Erin Koch or Justina Boyden

Waitsfield Elementary: Liz Belknap or Tom Young

Moretown Elementary: Kathi Orr

Crossett Brook Middle School: Eric Eley or Alex Houston

Thatcher Brook Primary School: Tom Thurston

What do you hope to gain from a summer camp experience?

 

Name______________________________________________Age_______

Parent/Guardian Name_______________________phone number________

Parent/Guardian Signature________________________________________

Parent/Guardian Signature________________________________________

 

BRING YOUR FAMILY

To the

FAMILY COUNCIL MEETING

WORKSHOP

WHEN: SATURDAY, MARCH 29, 9:30 – 12:00

WHERE: MORETOWN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

A FAMILY COUNCIL MEETING IS WHERE ALL FAMILY MEMBERS ARE HEARD AND VALUED. FAMILY MEETINGS ENCOURAGE COOPERATION AND MUTUAL RESPECT AND AT THE SAME TIME REINFORCE FAMILY VALUES. THIS IS A CORNERSTONE OF ADLERIAN PARENTING.

THIS WORKSHOP WILL EXPLAIN FAMILY COUNCIL MEETINGS, DEFINE THE ROLES OF THE PARTICIPANTS, GIVE YOUR FAMILY AN OPPORTUNITY TO CREATE TOOLS TO USE DURING YOUR MEETING, AND TIME TO PRACTICE A FAMILY COUNCIL MEETING.

Open to 10 families. All children attending must be 5 years or older.

Cost: $60 per family including materials

Call Deborah Feldman with questions or to register: (802) 223-2288

Deborah Feldman, MA holds a Master’s degree in Counseling Psychology from the Adler-Dreikurs Institute in Bowie, MD and is a Certified Parent Educator. Deborah’s learning includes a B.A. in Education, an M.A. in Applied Healing Arts and over 30 years working with children and families.

Marlene Goldstein, BS is a Certified Parent Educator in Applied Adlerian Psychology. Marlene has been working with parents and families for 20 years and will be co-leading this workshop.

Important Dates

March 20 – 21 Parent / Teacher Conferences

March 21 NO SCHOOL

March 26 Early Dismissal

April 9 Early Dismissal