District Communications
District communications including weekly updates, COVID-19 & more.
WSD Leadership Takes a Capital Project Tour
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- WSD leadership team outside the new administrative office trailer.
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- A quick lesson on the site’s underground drainage pipes.
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- Principal Jean walking in the construction site.
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- The leadership team in the newly-walled gym.
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- Blue prints of the new construction.
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- Freshly poured concrete slabs of the Middle School wing.
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- Co-Principals Jean and Kate in the steel frame of a new science classroom.
Veggie VanGo New Schedule at WSD
The Vermont Foodbank will be at the WSD again this year with the Veggie VanGo (VVG) produce drop twice a month. Students will go through the VVG line by grade level and will be offered a variety of produce. Any student may decline to take food if they so choose.
- Sept 2, 16
- Oct 7, 21
- Nov 4, 18
- Dec 2, 16
- Jan 6, 20
- Feb 3, 17
- Mar 3, 17
- Apr 7, 21
- May 5, 19
- Jun 2, 16
Foundation, Steel Construction, and Gym Walls
We are in an exciting phase of construction, according to ReArch Assistant Project Manager, and Winooski resident, Danylo Whalen. “This is my favorite time in a project. This and ‘Turn Over’, when we finally get to share the finished project with the end-users (like students and staff). I like this phase because the foundation is built, and we have a real sense of what the finished product will look like,” said Danylo. “We’ve already addressed many unknowns in the ground and in construction planning and can really start to see the end product.”
The walls of the new gymnasium (picture above) are nearly complete and measure 24 ft tall. The finished space will be 67’-3” x 104’-4”. Danylo is pictured near the back wall in a yellow vest for scale.
As you can see from the video, on the northwest side of the school, the construction team is working hard to erect the new steel structure for the Middle School addition. Due to close proximity to occupied spaces, the construction team installed safety measures necessary for the protection of students and staff in the form of a translucent curtain hung over the north facing windows of the two-story Middle/High School Wing (pictured above). This solution allows natural lighting to reach the classrooms, while also screening staff and students.
As cold weather approaches, the building construction will start to look more and more like the final, finished product that staff and students are so eagerly anticipating. Danylo explains, “I’m always excited for the next phase of construction, but coming up next we’ve got steel framing of the elementary school, roof structure for the new gym, and walls for the middle school wing. Once the buildings are ‘dried-in’ (roofs installed, and walls waterproof) we can give our working crews some more comfortable space for the winter-time while we work on the interior.”
Family Updates – Sept. 24, 2020
Dear WSD Families,
We are so proud of our students for adapting so well to our new learning environment. As a district, we are still looking at our health and safety systems and procedures and adapting if needed. We need to stay safe to stay open. Your support and efforts at home to reinforce the recommendations of health experts are appreciated.
On Tuesday the Vermont Secretary of Education, Daniel French, announced that Vermont is now at Step III in Vermont’s Safe and Healthy Start Guidelines. Under these guidelines, schools may allow groups of students to intermix rather than adhere to a pod structure, make use of common spaces such as the cafeteria and gymnasium, and hold sports competitions. While some restrictions have loosened, strict physical distancing, mask-wearing, and hand hygiene will continue. Districts have been encouraged to make any decisions about changing current protocols at the local level based on each schools’ unique circumstances.
The WSD leadership team is optimistically looking towards the future and starting to plan for the possibility of returning our K-5 students to school for more than two days per week. However, WSD has not yet set a date to bring students back to school for more days of in-person instruction. Read more about our district’s thoughtful, intentional, and gradual approach to returning elementary students to 4 days per week of in-person instruction.
PREPARING FOR COVID-19 IN WSD
Despite our best efforts and planning, it is possible that we will encounter COVID-19 in our district; therefore, we wanted to take this opportunity to share an overview of what you can expect when a COVID-19 case is identified within our district. Please read this information from our school nurses: Preparing for COVID-19 in WSD.
COVID-19 HOTLINE
If you have any questions related to WSD and COVID-19, or if you are concerned about your child’s possible exposure to the virus, please call (802) 556-2243.
The WSD COVID-19 Hotline is a dedicated number that will be answered 24/7 by our COVID-19 coordinators, Nurses Liz Parris and Katharine Monje.
CAPITAL PROJECT UPDATES
Wondering what’s happening in construction this month? Has your middle or high school students talked to you about the translucent curtain outside their classroom window? Wondering just how big the new gymnasium will be? Read our Capital Project Updates!
Parents/Guardians of children on IEPs:
Attention parents/guardians of children on Individualized Education Plans (IEPs): An important survey has been mailed to your home. It is important that you fill out the survey to provide the Agency of Education with parent involvement data.
If you need assistance in filling out the survey contact the Vermont Family Network.
We appreciate your ongoing support as we approach each challenge and opportunity with creativity and compassion.
Take care,
Sean McMannon, Superintendent
School Resource Officer Retained for 20/21 School Year
Winooski, September 16, 2020 – The Winooski School District (WSD) School Resource Officer (SRO), Jason Ziter, will return to WSD tomorrow, Thursday, September 17.
The SRO will drive an unmarked car and wear a soft uniform, which is khaki pants and a polo shirt with the Winooski Police Department (WPD) insignia. The SRO will be armed, per the Winooski Police Department’s General Order issued by the chief of police, which states that the SRO is an active duty police officer while serving the school district.
Suppression of the SRO position was one of the eight demands presented to the WSD Board of Trustees and Leadership Team by the Winooski Students for Antiracism (WSA) in July. Read the original eight demands here.
WSD Board meetings addressing the WSA demands, including by members of the school and Winooski community during public comments, were held on July 15, July 20, July 22, August 12, and September 6. Read the minutes from these meetings here.
On August 10 and 11 the WSA met with the WSD Leadership Team. Through this discussion process, the WSA revised their demands and the revision was discussed at the August 12th board meeting.
On September 15, Superintendent McMannon and the WSD Board of Trustees reviewed WSD policies and discussed the fact that their process of adopting the WSA’s demands was in conflict with their board’s governance processes. This reflection led them to amend their adoption of the WSA demands, specifically the SRO position. The WSD Board voted 4-1 in favor of amending the adoption of the WSA Demands, accepting Demands #1 and #4-8, and not accepting #2 and #3 as stated.
During the 9/15 meeting, the board discussed how they had not provided sufficient opportunity for community engagement related to the issue of the SRO. In the coming months, the board plans to lead a public education and engagement process about the future of safety and security at WSD, including the SRO position, in order to make a decision during the budget cycle for the 2021-22 school year. A third-party facilitator will lead this public education and engagement process, and members of WSA, City of Winooski, and WSD will participate in the design and implementation of this process.
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A Season for the Penguin Plunge
Dear Families and Staff, I am excited to participate in the Special Olympics Vermont (SOVT) 26th annual Penguin Plunge. This year, instead of one day, there will be an entire Plunge season, from February 6 - March 27! The SOVT Penguin Plunge is a unique winter event...
Mukhtar Abdulkhleiq – graduated 2019
What are you doing now? I currently attend UVM as a sophomore. I’m a full-time student, trying to transfer to the Grossman School of Business. I’ve always liked business because my whole life I’ve been surrounded by people who are business-driven. My two brothers run...
Learn more about the WSD Budget
Remote City/School Budget Presentations - Wednesday, February 17, 2021, at 6 PM Join the City of Winooski and the Winooski School District for our annual joint budget presentations! Members of the public are encouraged to participate. Each presentation will be...
Weekly Updates 2.4.21
Important Upcoming Dates: Wednesday, February 10 from 9-10am - VT Foodbank at WSD with Veggie VanGo and student meal kit distribution February 22 through March 2 - No School Dear WSD Families, Since last week there has been one positive case of COVID-19 reported to...
No School – February 2
Winooski School District Families, Due to a winter storm in our region, which includes heavy snowfall and potentially hazardous road conditions, the Winooski School District will be closed Tuesday, February 2. All schools will be closed to PreK through 12th-grade...
Weekly Updates – 1.28.21
Important Upcoming Dates: Find the WSD’s updated school calendar here. February 3 at 6:15pm - Budget Presentation on CCTV Staff Surveillance COVID Testing - February 3, 10am-1pm February 3 and February 10 from 9-10am - VT Foodbank at WSD with Veggie VanGo February 22...
January 22, 2021
District Updates 1.21.21
Important Upcoming Dates: Find the WSD’s updated school calendar here. February 3 at 6:15pm - Budget Presentation on CCVT February 22 through 26 - No School Dear WSD Families, It was wonderful to welcome our students back into the building. I was glad to see...
Return to In-Person Learning 1.21.21
Dear WSD Students and Families, The WSD COVID-19 Response team has made the decision to return to the district’s previous in-person and hybrid learning model this Thursday, January 21. On Thursday, Kindergarten through 5th-grade students will start with their...
Remote Learning Extended until 1.21.21
Dear WSD Families, As of this morning, there have been 76 known positive cases of COVID-19 in our learning community since the beginning of December. 68 of those individuals have finished quarantine and may resume normal activities. Eight of those individuals are...
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