District Communications

Important Upcoming Dates

• Kindergarten through 5th grades remote April 5 – 7
• Tuesday, April 6 and Friday, April 9 – Early dismissal for all students at 11am. (Parent-teacher conferences for JFK students)
• Veggie VanGo April 7 & 14 9-10am at the WSD
• No School April 19 through 23
• View the updated WSD School Calendar

Dear WSD Families,

A high percentage of our elementary school staff will be getting their 2nd COVID-19 vaccine next Monday and Tuesday. Because many people in the age range of our staff have experienced harsh side effects after the second vaccine, coupled with a lack of substitute teacher availability, our leadership team has made the decision that all students in Kindergarten through 5th grade will move to a fully remote learning schedule on Monday, April 5 through Wednesday, April 7.

Next Monday through Wednesday are learning days for students. Teachers will communicate learning plans for those days this week. Please make sure your child is at school on Friday to get any necessary take-home school work for next week. Parent/Teacher conferences will still be held as scheduled on Tuesday.

Middle School Four-Days-Per-Week In-Person Starting April 26
Grades 6 through 8 will begin their four-days-per-week in-person schedule on April 26. Current in-school schedules will be staying the same. Students will have the same teachers and their same pod, however, some pods are moving rooms. Teachers will be sharing any classroom updates with their pods. If you have questions, please contact your student’s Podvisors or Principal Kate Grodin ([email protected]).

Construction Updates – New Main Entrance & Health Office
Starting Friday, April 2 all late students and visitors who arrive after 9am must enter the building through the JFK entrance.

The Nurses’ Office has also moved to JFK until the end of the year. Watch this video to see exactly where the new nurses’ office will be located.

Health Updates from COVID-19 Coordinators
Good news! No positive cases in our learning community have been reported to the WSD COVID-19 Coordinators. We have to keep it up by following health guidance including handwashing, diligent mask-wearing, and social distancing. As we see an end in sight to many of the incredible challenges of the past year, we can’t lose focus on keeping everyone healthy and our schools open today.

Vaccine Eligibility in Vermont
The Vermont Department of Health (VDH) continues to make vaccines accessible for more Vermonters every week including People 16 years or older with high-risk health conditions, primary caregivers of children with high-risk health conditions, and Black, Indigenous and people of color (BIPOC). Read about the eligibility criteria and how to register.

SRO Decision by the WSD School Board Postponed Until Next Week (Take 2)
Yesterday, over 130 people tuned in to the Special Board meeting to listen and share their thoughts about the district’s School Resource Officer (SRO) program. It was record-breaking board meeting attendance. We were excited to launch Zoom interpreter channels so that our meetings could truly be inclusive for all members of our community. However, technology let us down and we weren’t able to make the meeting accessible to all families. In fact, the meeting didn’t happen at all. Don’t worry – we’re still working on it!  We will follow up on Monday with a new link for the meeting that is scheduled for Wednesday, April 7 at 6pm. Thank you to everyone who plans to attend the second meeting.

Superintendent McMannon’s Letter to the Board about the SRO
If you haven’t read it yet, please take some time to read Superintendent McMannon’s recommendation to the board about the SRO program.

Preschool Skills Screening & Pre-registration
If your child is or will be 3 by September 1st, 2021 and you are interested in one of our Winooski Preschool Programs or to pre-register for ACT 166 Publicly Funded Pre-k, please complete a Preschool Skills Screening & Pre-registration Form. For more information about Preschool, opportunities visit our WSD website. ELL families may contact their liaison for help with registration.

Thank you,

Sean McMannon

Important upcoming dates:

• TONIGHT – March 25 at 7pm – Winooski’s Got Talent Show (Join via the link found here)
• March 31 at 6:30pm – Special Board Meeting to make a decision about the SRO
• Tuesday, April 6 and Friday, April 9 – Early dismissal for all students at 11am. (Parent-teacher conferences for JFK students)
• View the WSD School Calendar

Dear WSD Families,

We are pleased to announce that Winooski Middle School is preparing to move grades 6th through 8th to a 4 days-per-week in-person schedule. Currently, Monday, April 26 will be the first day of the new schedule.

Students will stay in their current pod structures. Student in-person days will be Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. Wednesdays will stay remote learning days for everyone.

Due to scheduling issues, some teachers may switch classrooms. Students will still remain in their assigned classrooms with the same pod teachers. While we are working to maintain all students’ current classes, we appreciate everyone’s flexibility as we work through potential scheduling changes. Read more about the increase of in-person instruction for middle school students.

Celebrate Winooski’s Talent TONIGHT at 7pm!
Watch amazing Winooski students show off their talents here: www.tinyurl.com/winooskitalent

Outstanding Teachers of the Year
Congratulations to Matt Gile (Librarian) and Amanda Babcock (JFK Behavior Coach), who’ve been nominated Outstanding Teachers of the Year!

Save-the-date for the 40th Annual Outstanding Teacher Day which will be broadcast live on Wednesday, April 7, 2021 at 4:00pm. (More details, including the link to access the event, program, and additional information will be shared soon.)

Penguin Plunge
Sadly, after careful planning, the WSD Plunge team has decided that due to COVID-19 restrictions, they’re not going to hold a live event this year. We ask that supporters share a video of why Special Olympics VT is important to them on your social media pages and tag @specialolympicsvermont and @Winooskilearns. And watch for a special video of Superintendent McMannon doing solo plunge (coming soon!)

2021/2022 School Calendar
Pending board approval on Wednesday, April 14 the 2021-22 school year will start on Monday, August 16 for teachers, Thursday, August 19 for school-year support staff, and Wednesday, August 25 for students.

WSD COVID-19 Updates
Since last week there have been no positive cases of COVID-19 reported to the WSD COVID Coordinators. Keep up the good work following health guidance! Read up on current guidance and find out when you may be eligible for the vaccine.

Special Board Meeting about the School Resource Officer (SRO)
The school board would like to announce an upcoming Special Meeting on March 31 at 6:30pm, where they will make a decision about the WSD’s armed SRO officer. The board wants to hear from you. (Please note, public comments will be limited to two minutes.) Join the meeting via this link: https://wsdvt.zoom.us/j/98079957632

For more information about SROs in schools, please review this memo from WSD Board Member Steven Berbeco and visit our website.

Antiracism Steering Committee – First meeting planned
Congratulations and gratitude for this year’s Antiracism Steering Committee members. The Antiracism Steering Committee members will meet on the first Monday of the month from 5-7pm. Their first meeting is planned for April 5.  The first meeting will be an opportunity to begin to build connections with one another, review their work as a Steering Committee, and think about why working in partnership (youth and adults) is essential to the work of the Steering Committee. For more information about Equity and Antiracism work in our district, check out the Equity and Antiracism website.

WHS Graduation Planning Underway
Our Graduation planning team is excited to be preparing for an outside graduation celebration to honor the Class of 2021. There will most likely be a ticket system for families to attend in person as well as live streaming. More details will be coming soon.

Preschool Registration
The Winooski School District has two tuition-free preschool opportunities for families for the 2021-2022 school year. If your child is or will be 3-years-old by September 1, 2021, please complete a Pre-Registration application.

Thank you for reading these updates and strengthening our district and family partnership.

Take care,
Sean McMannon, Superintendent

Important Upcoming Dates:

• Friday, March 19 – Early Dismissal for all students at 11am (WMHS Parent Teacher Conferences)
• March 25 at 7pm – Winooski’s Got Talent Show (Join via the link found here)
• March 31 at 6:30pm – Special Board Meeting
• View the updated WSD School Calendar

Dear WSD Families,

This week, shootings at three Georgia spas took eight lives, six of whom were women of Asian descent. My heart breaks for the victims and their families.

While the deranged motives of the killer are still being investigated by law enforcement, the violence is a distressing reminder of the harassment and assaults against members of the Asian American community taking place across our country.

The uptick in violent incidents is connected to anti-Asian xenophobia in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. As a district committed to antiracism, we condemn any rhetoric or action that threatens the security of Asian Americans in our learning community and beyond. The group Stop AAPI Hate (Asian American Pacific Islander) is a good resource to learn more about the acts of hate against AAPI individuals and how you can help.

WSD COVID-19 Updates
Since last week there has been one positive case of COVID-19 reported to the WSD COVID Coordinators. No line list was necessary because the individual was not at school while infectious.  While we’re all eagerly anticipating the “return to normal” it is critical we continue to follow the guidance of the Health Department to keep everyone healthy. Read up on current guidance and find out when you may be eligible for the vaccine.

Special Board Meeting about the School Resource Officer (SRO)
The school board would like to announce an upcoming Special Meeting on March 31 at 6:30pm, where they will make a decision about the WSD’s armed SRO officer. The board wants to hear from you.  There have been multiple forums and community engagement opportunities.  If you missed these and want to share your perspective, there are a couple of ways to do this:

• Public Comments will be open to 2 minutes per speaker at the meeting.
• If you feel your comment will take longer than 2 minutes, you are welcome to share your thinking in writing or by phone message to the Board Chair Tori Cleiland – [email protected] or 802-655-7678. (Please provide your input before March 24.)
• You can fill out this questionnaire.
• Join the 3/31 meeting via this link: https://wsdvt.zoom.us/j/98079957632

WSD Summer Opportunities
Traditionally, our district offers a very robust K-5 summer school program for four weeks, a partnership with Burlington School District for middle school opportunities, specific ELL Newcomer programming for grades 6-12, and Spartans Hoops basketball camp. This summer we will continue our regular programming, and expand opportunities, targeting specific student needs in the areas of literacy, math, social-emotional and mental health, and learning engagement.

Our summer programming plans will be shared with families by early May. We appreciate your patience and collaboration as we thoughtfully plan to support our students through the end of this school year and summer, and in the years beyond, to address the impacts of the pandemic.

Antiracism Steering Committee
The WSD Antiracism Steering Committee members have been selected and the Planning Team is in the process of finding a monthly meeting time that works for all of the youth and adults involved.  The goal is to have the first meeting during the last week of March. The Planning Team has also created opportunities for those who are not on the Steering Committee to co-facilitate one of the Demand Action Teams.

Spartans Make State Tournament
Congratulations to the Winooski Varsity Boys and Girls Basketball teams for earning home playoff games for the state tournament! Watch the Winooski girls’ playoff game vs. Vergennes this Saturday 3/20 at 2pm. The game will be broadcast live via NFHS Network: https://www.nfhsnetwork.com/schools/vergennes-union-high-school-vergennes-vt

Spring Assessments Are Expected
Schools across Vermont have been informed that the federal requirements for SY21 summative assessment administration have not changed, although there has been flexibility granted for accountability purposes. Here in Vermont, we use the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC) to assess in the areas of English Language Arts and Math for all students in grades 3-8 and in grade 9. If flexibility related to testing administration is not granted by the US Department of Education, students enrolled in a public school and/or funded through public funding will be required to participate in statewide summative assessments, as per usual. All statewide summative assessments will be administered in person. All remote learners will be participating in SBAC testing. Fully remote students receiving instruction through schools’ virtual academies are required to test in person at their school. Virtual academies will need to coordinate and communicate schedule adjustments that will allow remote students to attend the scheduled test administration at the school, as well as access the practice test in advance of the testing date. SBAC will provide our school with important information that will inform our efforts to focus on a learning recovery plan for our students.

Demand Equitable Education Across Vermont Zip-codes
The Vermont Coalition for Equitable Education Is circulating a petition urging the 2021 Vermont General Assembly to adopt the recommendations made in UVM Pupil Weighting Factors Report of 2019, which would greatly benefit the Winooski School District. Read more here.

New Gym Transformed into Classroom Space & Middle School Tour
The nearly completed gymnasium will serve as a temporary home to eight classrooms, and a few office spaces, which will be used as renovations begin on their current locations in the building. To see how the new gym looks with eight classrooms inside watch this video: bit.ly/NewGymClassrooms

The middle school wing is nearly complete. To get an inside look at the construction process, watch this video: bit.ly/MSTourMarch

Thank you,
Sean McMannon, Superintendent