Wildcat Pride

We have scheduled 3/12/25 and 3/19/25 as make-up days for the two Winter Activity Wednesdays that we've missed due to cold temperatures. The arena is not available in March, so the skating group will spend one day at Siskin and the other at Northwoods. All other groups will report to their typical venues.

1/26/25

Dear Concord 6th-8th grade Parents and Caregivers,

Our school is taking part in the 2025 Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS). The YRBS was developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and is sponsored by the Vermont Department of Health and Agency of Education. The YRBS has been administered every other year in Vermont since 1993. Separate versions of the survey ask middle or high school students about health behaviors and assets or protective factors. Topics include personal safety and injury prevention, mental health, nutrition, physical activity, sexual health, substance use, and protective factors. During the same survey window, our staff will also be administering a second brief survey in collaboration with Northeastern Vermont Regional Hospital (NVRH), Northeast Prevention Coalition (NPC). The NPC Youth Core Measures Survey focuses on questions related to alcohol and drug use beliefs and behaviors. The survey was developed by NVRH and the Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation (PIRE). Results from these surveys will be used by the school and community organizations to evaluate existing programs, to plan new initiatives to support the health and wellbeing of youth, and to secure future funding that can support these efforts.

The surveys will take 25-30 minutes and students will be invited to complete the surveys online during a class period. We plan to administer these surveys to 8th graders on 2/7/25 at 10:40am. We'll administer them to 7th graders on 2/20/25 at 9:45 and to the 6th graders on 2/20/25 at 2:00pm.

Important Information About the Surveys:

• The surveys are anonymous.

• Survey procedures are designed to protect each child’s privacy.

• Students will not enter their names on the surveys.

• Students may skip any questions they do not wish to answer with no penalty.

• Students may stop taking the surveys at any point with no penalty.

• The names of participating students and their individual survey responses will not be disclosed to any school employee.

• The names of participating students will not be shared in reports of the results.

• Data collected and means by which the data is collected adheres to KESD district’s policies and procedures.

For the survey results to be accurate, it is important that all students be given an opportunity to participate, but the surveys are voluntary. No student is required to take the surveys and no action will be taken against the school, you, or your child if your child does not take the surveys. If you would like to see a copy of the surveys and/or have any questions or concerns about the surveys, please contact Andrea Fressie at afressie@kingdomeast.org or at 695-2550. A copy of the YRBS survey is available on the Department of Health YRBS webpage (www.healthvermont,gov/yrbs). You may also contact Susanne Lesnik-Emas at NVRH at 802-748-7356, or s.lesnik@nvrh.org.

Please visit the Vermont Department of Health website at http://healthvermont.gov/yrbs for more information about the Vermont YRBS including previous reports. Links to the CDC’s YRBS page, FAQs, and other background information are available by clicking “Learn more about the YRBS” on the website.

If you do not want your child to take part in the surveys, please inform Andrea Fressie, school counselor, or Angelique Brown, principal, at the Concord School by 2/6/25.

If you have questions about your child's rights as a research participant, you may call Elizabeth Waiters at PIRE’s Office of Research Integrity and Compliance at 301-755-2757 or email her at irb@pire.org.

Thank you for your cooperation.

Sincerely,

Andrea Fressie &

Angelique Brown

The Concord and Lunenburg 5th graders will travel to the Lyndon Outing Club on 2/20/25. They will take part in team building activities and complete a service cooking project. Their food will be donated to the St. Johnsbury Food Shelter. The school will provide bagged lunches to students. Students should dress for the weather.

Upcoming Meetings

Please consider joining our meetings. New membership is always welcome! All meeting dates are listed below. They are held at 6:00pm at the Concord School.

February 3rd

March 10th

April 7th

May 5th

June 2nd

BINGO Night

The Booster Club will host a Bingo Night on Saturday, February 8th from 5:00-7:00 in the Dickson Gymnasium. Dinner will be served as well. The prizes will range from chocolate bars to themed baskets; arts & crafts, pet items, movie night items, and sports & games. Students and families are being asked to contribute the prizes.

• Pk-2 students are asked to bring in regular sized candy bars.
• 3rd-5th grade student are asked to bring in arts and crafts items.
• 6th grade students are asked to bring pet items.
• 7th grade students area asked to bring in movie night items.
• 8th grade students are asked to bring items for a sports and games theme.

Items are due by 1/31/25 so that The Booster Club knows if they need to purchase further prizes.

Calendar Raffle

You can purchase a ticket from an 8th grade student until 1/31/25. You should turn your money in when you purchase the ticket. See the prizes below. Drawings will happen at roughly 2:45 each Monday-Friday in February on Concord School's Facebook page.

Hello KESD Athletics Families,

Here is this week's edition of the Community Connection.

Courtney

https://secure.smore.com/n/q2f8a-middle-school-news-6th-edition?ref=email

The 8th graders will be selling concessions during home games throughout the basketball season. 8th grade students and families are asked to volunteer their time or food and beverages. If you can do either, please fill out the Google Form below. Proceeds will be used to pay for the class trip at the end of the school year.

Upcoming Games:

Tuesday, January 28th - 5:00 & 6:00

Wednesday, January 29th - 5:00 & 6:00

Saturday, February 1st -11:00 & 12:00

Tuesday, February 4th - 5:00 & 6:00

Thursday, February 6th - 5:00 & 6:00

Friday, February 7th - 5:00 & 6:00 & 7:00

Saturday, February 8th -11:00 & 12:00

Tuesday, February 11th - 5:00 & 6:00

Thursday, February 13th - 5:00 & 6:00

Monday, February 17th - 5:00 & 6:00

There have been questions about the rules and expectations for students who attend Evergreen. Please see the information below.

A couple of important things to note:

1. Students with shoulder length hair must tie it up or wear a swim cap.
2. No one can wear jean or cotton material into the pool.
3. All students need a towel.

If your child needs swimwear that is not made of cotton, please contact Barandee Peterson @ bpeterson@kingdomeast.org or 695-1217 as soon as possible. We'll do our best to find your child what they need.

All students who go to Evergreen should have a water bottle. Those who are doing gymnastics and rock climbing must also have sneakers.

It has been brought the attention of the administration that students are bringing personal devices such as cell phones and blue tooth speakers to school and using them on buses. Young students have reported hearing inappropriate songs on the school bus. They have also reported that middle school students are looking up inappropriate content and talking about this. Students are not allowed the use of personal devices at school or on the school bus.

As we approach Winter Activities, we want to ask families to have conversations with their children about the personal device policy. Cell phones and gaming consoles will not be permitted on buses or at winter activity locations. Students who are seen with personal devices must give them to an adult for the remainder of the day. Failure to do this will result in further consequences. Anyone who has more than one personal device violation during a Winter Activity may not be able to attend future trips off campus.

CPR

Lyndon Rescue will be at Concord School on 2/20/25 to teach a CPR course to all 6th graders. Then they will return on 3/13 to teach the same course to the 8th graders. It's important that students are at school on these days so that they do not miss this amazing opportunity.

Suicide Prevention Program in 5th-8th Grade

Dear 5th-8th Grade Concord Families,

As you may know, suicide is one of the top three causes of death for young people ages ten through twenty-four. Because we at Kingdom East School District take the safety and well-being of our students very seriously, we are planning on providing our 5th-8th grade students with some basic information about youth suicide and, more importantly, teaching them what to do if they are worried about themselves or a friend.

We set strict standards for the suicide-prevention programs that we have investigated:

• ·They needed to show their effectiveness through research.
• They needed to send accurate messages about suicide that are grade-level

appropriate.

• They needed to emphasize the importance of help-seeking behavior.

Lifelines Prevention, the program we have selected, exceeds these criteria. Because research has demonstrated that programs presented only once have little lasting impact, the Lifelines Prevention curriculum is designed to be delivered in four forty- to forty-five-minute modules that reinforce messages about help-seeking. The interactive curriculum teaches basic information about potential warning signs for suicide, but its emphasis is on what to do if a student is worried about either themselves or a friend.

And Lifelines Prevention doesn't stop in the classroom. It includes resources for our administrators to help us assess our ability to ensure student safety in a variety of situations. The program also includes training for our resource and support staff, the members of our crisis intervention team, and our faculty.

We understand that the lessons in this program may be triggering for those who have lost a loved one to suicide. If you think this may be case for your child, please reach out in advance.

Health Education Frequently Asked Questions:

Why do Vermont schools teach health education?

Vermont Statute 16 V.S.A. §131 mandates that Vermont public schools teach comprehensive health education. The Educational Quality Standards given to us by the State Board of Education state that, "Each school shall provide comprehensive elementary and secondary health and physical education learning experiences, including the effects of tobacco, alcohol and drugs on the human system for all students in accordance with sections 16 V.S.A. §131 and §906(b)(3)."

What is included in comprehensive health education?

According to statute 16 V.S.A. §131, Vermont schools must teach the following as part of our comprehensive health education:

• body structures and functions (development, sexuality, and reproductions)
• environmental health
• safety (first aid and disaster and accident prevention, CPR, and defibrillator use)
• infections and communicable diseases (including those that are sexually transmitted) and the prevention of such
• family and mental health
• personal health habits
• consumer health
• human growth and development
• drug prevention
• nutrition
• how to recognize and prevent sexual abuse and violence

Please find health news provided by our school nurse, Barandee Peterson here. It's important that students begin dressing for the cold and snow. We have some winter apparel available in certain sizes. https://secure.smore.com/n/hcrxn

We are excited to announce the 2025 KEAP Early Release ski/ride program! This is a free program for Kingdom East students grades 5-8.

Early release ski/ride dates: 1/31, 2/14, 3/21

Students travel to Burke Mountain for an afternoon of skiing or snowboarding. All students take a lesson, and have time to free ski/ride with friends and chaperones.

Students bring and eat lunch at the mountain.

Pickup Options are:
-Burke Mountain @ 4:00
-Lyndon Town School @ 4:25
-Concord School @ 4:45

Reach out to kkresser@kingdomeast.org with questions.

KEAP Winter 2025 KEAP Early Release Ski/Ride

Food & Drinks

Students may bring juice, tea, water or milk to school to have during a snack and/or lunch. Students may only consume water outside of snack and lunch times, unless they have a documented medical need. Students are encouraged to bring healthy snacks to consume during their scheduled snack break.

USDA School Beverage Guidelines define beverages as: unflavored low fat milk or flavored or unflavored nonfat milk or milk substitute or 100% fruit or vegetable juice, plain or carbonated water. Beverages will be kept within these parameters at all times. Soda and energy drinks will not be allowed throughout the school day.

The Kingdom East School District provides several opportunities for students to access healthy and nutritional food before, during, and after school. We have received federal grant funding for pre K-8th grade students to receive fresh fruit and veggie snacks during the week. Our students up to age 18 who stay after school receive a free after school expanded snack as well. Breakfasts and lunches are free this year for all students. The Abbey Food Service Group currently provides delicious, nutritious, and high quality meals to students and staff.

Adult breakfast and lunch prices are listed below. Please still fill out the Free and Reduced lunch application as it is used to determine eligibility to participate in a variety of child nutrition programs. Menus are sent home and are available online www.abbeygroup.net at the beginning of each month to help you plan in advance. Menus are subject to change.

Adult Breakfast $3.00

Adult Lunch $5.25

You will find the January and February menus below.

-1/29, 2/5, 2/12, 3/12, and 3/19 Winter Activity Days (weather permitting)

-1/31 & 2/14 Early Release Days

-2/20 Concord & Lunenburg 5th Grade Trip to the Outing Club 9:00-2:00

-2/20 6th Grade CPR

-2/24-3/4 February Break - NO SCHOOL

Communication is our goal! In this age of instant communication, sometimes the best way to reach out is still using a telephone. Please call 695-2550 if you want to reach us during school hours via phone. You can also email Principal, Angelique Brown at angeliquebrown@kingdomeast.org, Assistant Principal, Kandi Greaves at kgreaves@kingdomeast.org, or Administrative Assistant, Karen West at kwest@kingdomeast.org.

Concord School is committed to developing young people with active and creative minds, a sense of understanding and compassion for others, and the courage to act on their beliefs. In partnership with parents and the community, we will provide an environment which supports the intellectual, social, emotional, and physical development of students, while fostering an understanding of the rights and responsibilities of good citizenship.

Website: kingdomeast.org
Location: 173 School Street, Concord, VT, USA
Phone: 802-695-2550
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/search/top?q=concord%20school