District Communications

COVID-19 Testing in Winooski and Surrounding Communities

From the Vermont Department of Health: Registration is preferred, but walk-ups are welcome. Please note these tests are for people without symptoms. People with symptoms should call their doctors. The test will tell you if you have a current infection and is not a serology/antibody test. Children under the age of 12 months cannot be tested. There is no need to be tested unless you believe you have been in close contact with someone who has COVID-19. Testing is not prevention: getting a negative result does not mean you can ease up on the everyday actions that will prevent the virus from spreading. Continue to wear a mask or face covering when out in public, keep a safe distance from others, wash your hands often, and stay home when you’re not feeling well.

Winooski

• Thursday, August 20 / O’Brien Community Center / 1 PM – 7 PM
• Click here to register: https://humanresources.vermont.gov/winooski*

Burlington

• Wednesday, August 12 / Champlain Elementary / 1 PM – 7 PM
• Thursday, August 13 / Champlain Elementary / 1 PM – 7 PM
• Thursday, August 27 / 666 Riverside / 1 PM – 7 PM
• Click here to register: https://humanresources.vermont.gov/burlington*

Essex

• Tuesday, August 25 / Essex Alliance – 9 AM – 3 PM
• Click here to register: https://humanresources.vermont.gov/popups*

For registration help in English, call 802 828 2828 or 2-1-1. For registration help in other languages, Call 802 503 5402 or 802 355 0795. Interpreters will be provided at all Winooski events.

Getting Tested for COVID-19
Arabic | Burmese | French | Kirundi | Maay Maay | Nepali | Somali | Swahili | Spanish | Vietnamese

Contact Tracing: What it is and Why it is Important
Arabic | Burmese | French | Kirundi | Maay Maay | Nepali | Somali | Swahili | Spanish | Vietnamese

Understanding Your COVID-19 Test Results
Arabic | Burmese | Chinese | English | French | Karen | Kirundi | Nepali | Somali | Spanish | Swahili | Vietnamese

*The Vermont Department of Health is aware of an email error in the registration system regarding signing up multiple people at once (in reference to “attendee emails” – the system will only allow that email to be added once per event). If you need assistance with this error, registrants can Call 2-1-1 or 802 828 2828 for registration assistance or use a fake attendee email for the other family members.

Additional NON-HEALTH DEPARTMENT TESTING SITE: Walgreens at 9 Susie Wilson Road, Essex Junction, VT is conducting drive-thru COVID-19 PCR testing. Testing is available for individuals 18 years and older who are asymptomatic and meet CDC criteria. If you do not have health insurance there is a $15 fee. Hours of operation are 9 AM – 11:45 AM and 12:30 PM – 5 PM daily. The Walgreens in Essex is not currently accepting appointments online, and individuals will be screened and tested in the order they arrive during hours of operation. For more information, please call Walgreens at 802 872 1800.

Statewide Mask Mandate Reminder

Governor Phil Scott’s Statewide Mask Mandate began on August 1st, 2020. Vermont Emergency Management and the Vermont National Guard will begin distributing over 200,000 free masks to towns and community partners. The City of Winooski has requested our allocation of these masks – more details will be available soon. If you’re interested in obtaining one of these masks, please email communciations@winooskivt.gov.

Tax and Utility Reminder

Tax bills will be mailed on August 7, 2020 this year. Due to the Vermont State tax filing deadline extension to July 15th the City did not receive homestead declaration information for many taxpayers until August 1st. If we had proceeded as normal, homestead declaration information may not have been included leading to confusion and potential overpayment. Act 102 signed by Governor Scott allowed municipalities to change the due date for property taxes. A delay of the first installment was approved by the Winooski City Council at their June 6th meeting.

The deadlines for the 2020-21 tax bill as approved are: September 7, 2020, November 15, 2020, February 15, 2021, and May 15, 2021.

Vermont Legal Aid: Money for Past-Due Rent in Vermont During COVID-19

For help with past-due rent, Vermonters should apply for the Rental Housing Stabilization Program through the Vermont State Housing Authority (VSHA). Starting July 13, VSHA is accepting applications from landlords and tenants, and paying landlords directly to bring the tenant’s rent account current. Visit the Vermont Legal Aid website to learn more. Translations:

Af Soomaali / Somali / Ikirundi / Kirundi / العربية / Arabic / မြန်မာစာ / Burmese / Kiswahili / Swahili / नेपाली / Nepali / Français / French / Español / Spanish

MORTGAGE ASSISTANCE

The Mortgage Assistance Grant Program, a Vermont COVID housing relief program launched on July 13 by the Vermont Housing Finance Agency, provides $5 million to help low-income homeowners, including owners of mobile homes, who have fallen behind on their mortgage and are facing economic hardship brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. The program will provide up to 6 monthly mortgage payments directly to the servicer of the mortgage with a goal of preventing future foreclosure. The program is available to any homeowner who meets the eligibility criteria, not just to VHFA borrowers. Information and application materials are available on VHFA’s website at www.vhfa.org/map. A Mortgage Assistance Program information hotline is open 9 am – 4 pm, Monday through Friday, at 1-800-889-2047.  VHFA will accept applications until August 31, 2020.

RENTAL ASSISTANCE

The Vermont State Housing Authority is administering the $25 million Rental Housing Stabilization program which provides funding to landlords on behalf of tenants in need of rental arrearage assistance due to COVID-19 to avert tenant eviction. Applications, additional program eligibility requirements, and answers to FAQs are available at www.vsha.org/rental-housing-stabilization-program/ and by phone at 802-828-2040 or 802-828-1650 or 802-828-5596.

Winooski School District will hold our final round of learning material distribution on Wednesday May 6th from 9-10am at the site closest to your child’s home.
When you pick up materials please stay six feet away from others in line, wear a cloth face covering, and remember to wash your hands before leaving the house and when you get back home. 

Meals
Meals will be available for pick-up that day, as well. Visit our meal distribution webpage for a reminder about our new meal schedule, breakfast and lunch menus, as well as safe pick-up procedures. 

Keep Winooski Safe
Recently, we have had several conversations with local residents who are concerned about Winooski students playing together on basketball courts, soccer fields and playgrounds. 

It is very important that you remind your child(ren) that they must follow directions from Governor Phil Scott and the Vermont Department of Health. The COVID-19 virus spreads very easily and can make anyone sick. Some people can spread the virus without even knowing they are sick. Please help keep everyone safe by asking your child to stay home and socialize with their friends on the phone and online. We all have an important role to play in fighting this deadly virus. 

Brava to Sara Poland: JFK Music Teacher with a lot of HEART!
Mrs. Poland’s online music class was featured in this sweet report by NBC5. Watch the video here. 

Yearbooks
You still have time to order a 2019/20 JFK Yearbook.
MHS yearbooks have already been ordered.
JFK and WMHS yearbooks will be distributed later this year. 

Kindergarten Registration
We are waiting for guidance from the Vermont Agency of Education about how to safely conduct student screenings and complete the school registration process. Please contact JFK registrar, Linda Casier (lcasier@wsdvt.org) if you would like to be on the list to receive kindergarten registration information as soon as it is available. 

Graduation
We are expecting guidance from the Vermont Agency of Education about how to plan for this year’s graduation celebration by the end of this week. Our students and staff are also planning special ways to recognize this major milestone.

Stay Home, Stay Appreciative
May 4th – 8th is staff appreciation week. We need your help to recognize the amazing work our staff does every day, from our custodians and meal service providers, to instructional assistants and teachers. Here are some ideas: 

• Take a video of your student telling a school staff member what they like about them and share via email. 
• Mail a note to a WSD staff member at school, and we’ll make sure they get it: WSD, 60 Normand Street, Winooski VT 05404. Please be sure to write “Attention JFK” or “Attention WMHS” on the envelope. 
• Send an email to an adult at school thanking them for something they do for students each day. Remember to think about all district employees, especially those that do work “behind-the-scenes”. 
• Here is a list of JFK staff members, their roles, and their emails and here is a list of Middle High School teachers and staff. 

Taking a few moments to thank someone will brighten their day! 

From Winooski, With Love
Display a green heart in your window to say “From Winooski, With Love!’  This is one way we can all spread a little joy to our friends, neighbors, first responders, and frontline workers. Cut out a heart from paper or challenge yourself with other materials and formats. Let your creativity shine! From downtown businesses to neighborhood homes and apartments, we can’t wait to see green hearts everywhere until there can be no mistaking that Winooski has heart and we are in this together, apart. We will be distributing hearts for your children to color and display at Wednesday’s material distribution!

Dear WSD families,

We hope you and your family are healthy and had a restful April break.

School is starting back on Monday, and we are moving from the Maintenance of Learning to the Continuity of Learning, meaning that students will be introduced to new content and skills. We wanted to share some information about what to expect.  

Remember, this is new for everyone. Show your children and yourself compassion and understanding as we all adapt to this new environment. Keeping our schools closed to stem the spread of the COVID-19 virus is truly a matter of life-and-death. This life-and-death perspective offers us a chance to evaluate what is most important in our lives. Focus on staying connected and keeping everyone mentally and physically healthy. Schoolwork, while important, should not increase stress in your or your child’s life. Please keep that in mind as we move forward together. 

The information below is specific to the Winooski School District Continuity of Learning (COL) plan as a whole. Students’ individualized schedules and learning plans have been communicated through their teachers. 

Parent/Guardian Expectations:

• Be your child’s biggest fan – you are not expected to be their teachers. 

• Partner with teachers to keep your child on track.

• Encourage your child to engage with their assigned learning activities.

• Communicate with teachers and principals as needed.

• Develop a schedule with your child that leaves plenty of time for schoolwork, play, and relaxation. Here are our suggestions for the ideal middle school schedule checklist (and video), and the ideal high school schedule checklist (and video).

The Vermont Agency of Education has useful information about this new phase of learning for families. You can find suggestions about how to engage children and keep them thinking, how to design a home learning environment, as well as resources for families of children with disabilities. Read more on their website: https://education.vermont.gov/covid19-continuity-of-learning/information-for-parents

Continuity of Learning Guidelines for Families/Guardians

Guidelines for parents of students in grades 6-12.

Guidelines for parents of students in grades PreK – 5. 

Attendance

In accordance with Vermont statute, we will track and record student attendance. Our expectation is that students will check in with their teachers and engage with their learning on a daily basis while school is in session.

WSD is maintaining our 2019/20 school calendar. May 25th is the next vacation day. No attendance will be taken that day. The last day of school for students will be June 12th.

Schedule

Our goal is to design learning so that it is meaningful and engaging for all students so they remain motivated and confident. 

Our remote learning goals are focused on three areas:

• Connection – keeping students connected with each other and their teachers

• Health and Wellness – supporting and developing social, emotional and physical health and wellness of students during this period

• Academic learning – focusing on the concepts and skills that are most critical to moving onto the next grade level successfully or preparing high school graduates to be college and career ready as determined by our Graduate Proficiencies (GP) and Graduate eXpectations (GX).

Special Education

Individualized Continuity of Learning Plans for students on Individual Education Plans have been sent home. Please contact your student’s special educator if you have questions about your student’s plan. 

Technology

Every student K-12 has access to a Chromebook or iPad (as of 4/17). Please review our Expectations for Online Meetings for Students for more information about WSD technology standards. If your student has issues with their device, please review our Troubleshooting Guide.

Learning Assessment 

Across the WSD, teachers and administrators have developed a system to ensure students are still learning to the best of their ability during this period of school closure and state-wide quarantine. 

The elementary school grade level teams will assess all students weekly in either math, reading and writing or phonics. Lessons will focus on the standards critical for students to move onto the next grade level.

Middle and high school teachers have planned critical proficiencies and learning activities for each student. They have also developed performance assessments that will show whether students have reached these proficiencies. 

We recognize that this period is challenging for everyone. Teachers and staff will continue to work with each family to make sure children have the support they need to succeed. Do not stress about grades, as long as students participate when required, their targeted proficiency outcome (grades) will not decline. 

You can find more information and resources on our website: www.wsdvt.org/covid19/.

As always, please contact our district at info@wsdvt.org or 802-655-0485 if you have questions or concerns. 

Thank you,

Emily Hecker

WSD Communications and Development Director