District Communications

Important Upcoming Dates:

• WSD Fully Remote Learning 12/9 through 12/23. The current plan is for all students to return to the previous in-person schedule 1/4/21.
• December 23 through January 3 – No School

• Student Meal Kit distribution – Tuesday, 12/22 from 9-10am and Tuesday, 12/29 from 9-10am (more details below). 
• Find the WSD’s updated school calendar here. 
• January 6, 2021 and February 3, 2021 – WSD Staff COVID-19 Surveillance Testing (additional details TBD)

Dear WSD Families, 

The last few weeks have been tough for all of us. 31 members of our learning community have tested positive for COVID-19. Our amazing staff have rushed to fill the academic, emotional, and nutritional needs of our students. The WSD COVID-19 Co-Coordinators have meticulously made line lists and called families and staff. This is challenging work, both mentally and emotionally. 

Based on the information we have now, there has been no transmission of COVID in our school district and the Vermont Department of Health (VDH) will notify us if this changes. Everyone who is considered a close contact of the COVID-positive people has been notified. 

Some positive news is that we seem to have contained the spread of the virus within our learning community, preventing other people from becoming infected with COVID-19. Families are getting the support they need, staying home and quarantining. Our district’s health and safety procedures are working. We look forward to welcoming our students back to in-person learning as soon as it is safe. 

Our leadership team will be working with the WSD COVID-19 Response Team and the Vermont Department of Health to make a decision by December 30 about remote or return to 4-days of in-person instruction for our Kindergarten through 5th graders, and our previous hybrid schedule for WMHS students. As soon as a decision is made we will notify families. 

Struggling through the pandemic? You are not alone. 

There are two ways to get the help you need: free one-on-one counseling, for emotional support and a listening ear, as well as connections to community resources, and weekly Wellness Groups to learn self-care strategies for coping and relaxing.

Other COVID Resources

• Free COVID-19 Testing Winooski 
• Additional resources on the City of Winooski website.

Meal kits available for all children in Winooski

During remote learning, WSD will provide meals for all children in Winooski. Meal Kit distribution will take place on TUESDAY, December 22 from 9-10am and TUESDAY, December 29 from 9-10am so families have meals during the break. 

Is your child’s Chromebook/iPad not working?

Read about the IT team’s process for repairs and/or replacement devices. 

Basketball Updates from Athletic Director Dennis Barcomb

Hello Winooski Students and Families, Thank you for your interest in our basketball programs for this winter season. For the safety of our students and coaches the Winooski School District has decided that the earliest date for which the basketball season would start would be Monday, January 4th. If there are any changes to this date we will send out another message. Any students who have not submitted their required athletic paperwork can scan the forms to [email protected] or fax them to 383-6097. 

Safety and Security – Presentation and Public Forum

• What:  Presentation and discussion about safety and security in the Winooski School District (WSD). Each public forum will include a 30 minute presentation by WSD Superintendent Sean McMannon and City of Winooski personnel about the current state of school safety and security, followed by an hour of community input and discussion. The public forum will take place via Zoom. Please note, all public comments and questions will be submitted via a Q&A chat box feature and will be asked live via a meeting moderator. If you are not able to attend either forum, you may submit a comment or question. 
• When: Monday, December 21 and Tuesday, December 29 from 6-7:30pm.  
• Where: https://wsdvt.zoom.us/j/92977627353
• Who: All Winooski community members are encouraged to attend. Interpreted meetings will be held for families with limited English proficiency at a separate date.

School Board Update

On Wednesday, December 16 the board rescinded their prior appointment of Tula Kadariya as a board member because he is not legally eligible to hold this position. Later in the meeting, the board appointed Steven Berbeco to our fifth board member position. Welcome, Steven!

The board will be meeting Wednesday, December 30 for their next budget meeting.  All board agendas and FY22 budget information can be found by clicking on these individual links.

Thank you for reading this information and strengthening our school and family partnership. 

Take care,
Sean McMannon

While the School District is fully remote, we are still committed to providing healthy meals for our students, and all children in Winooski. In order to better meet the needs of our families, our food service providers will be offering “make your own meal” kits so that students can make their own meals at home with the groceries provided through the district. 

Each child in your family, ages 0-18, is eligible for one meal kit which has enough food for seven days for that child. The kits include breakfast and lunch. Meal kits typically include two pre-made meals, as well as bread, milk, meat, cheese, vegetables, fruit, and other staples. 

These meal kits will be available for pick-up at the dates listed below from 9-10 am at three locations:

• Winooski School District
• Winooski Family Center 
• O’Brien Community Center

Additional Meal Kit distribution will take place on TUESDAY, Dec 22nd from 9-10am and TUESDAY, Dec 29th from 9-10am so families have meals during the break. 

If your family is experiencing extenuating circumstances (due to quarantine or health issues, for example) please contact your child’s teacher or guidance counselor to arrange for home delivery.  Due to staffing issues, families must request meal delivery every week by the deadline listed below. Delivery is not guaranteed. 

• 12/16 (Wednesday) – deadline to request a meal delivery is Monday, 12/14 at 12pm
• 12/22  (Tuesday) – deadline to request a meal kit delivery is Monday, 12/21 at 12pm
• 12/29 (Tuesday) – deadline to request a meal kit delivery is Monday, 12/28 at 12pm
• 1/6   (Wednesday) – deadline to request a meal delivery is Tuesday, 1/5 at 12pm
• 1/13  (Wednesday) – deadline to request a meal delivery is Tuesday, 1/12 at 12pm
• 1/20  (Wednesday) deadline to request a meal delivery is Tuesday, 1/19 at 12pm
• 1/27  (Wednesday) deadline to request a meal delivery is Tuesday, 1/26 at 12pm

If your ChromeBook or iPad and needs to be fixed, please tell your teacher.  The people in IT have a way to give you a replacement even though we’re all working remotely.  This Google Doc will tell you more.

Dear WSD Staff and Families, 

December 13, 2020 – I am writing to you this evening with some important information. Throughout the entire weekend, the WSD COVID-19 Response Team has been working closely with the Vermont Department of Health (VDH). Unfortunately, at this point, fifteen (15) members of our learning community have confirmed positive cases of COVID-19. Our hearts go out to everyone who has been impacted by this relentless virus. 

Community Transmission

WSD’s understanding from the VDH contact tracing team is that each positive case in our district is due to community transmission. That means that the infected individuals did not catch COVID-19 at school. Rather, they contracted the virus through close contact with an infected person at home or out in the community. This is important to mention because that means that our district’s virus mitigation strategies are working. We must all continue to avoid in-person visits with anyone we do not live with, including extended family members, close friends, and people in our “pods” until public health experts consider it safe.

Extension of Fully Remote Learning 

Our district will remain in our fully remote learning model through Tuesday, December 22, which will lead to winter break. Our hope is to return to our previous in-person instruction schedule on January 4. While VDH has assured us that because of our success at following safety procedures our schools are safe for in-person learning, we have made this difficult decision due to staffing challenges and out of an abundance of caution. 

The health and safety of our students and staff is our top priority. Our learning community is counting on you to continue doing everything in your power to keep us all healthy. 

If you have any questions or concerns, please call the COVID-19 hotline: 802-556-2243

Take care,

Sean McMannon, Superintendent