Ms. Halayna recently visited the School Store, where she used to help out when she was a student here at SACS! It was great to see her back and reminisce about her time helping in the store!

By Finn Sturm

Stewardship is a broad concept that can range from helping a friend to cleaning up your local park and even drawing on the school sidewalks. It has the power to build communities and inform large groups of people, laying the foundation for many different paths of learning. But stewardship is more than just that. It is the ability to show you care, to create something new, and to improve the world around you. You can make a difference and shape the school into a place where you truly feel you belong.

That is why, next year, for the first time in three years, the Stewardship Committee will be back in action. Any student from grades 3-8 will be invited and encouraged to participate so that we can work together to make this school a better place for everyone.

The Stewardship Committee will be made up of four main branches: Youth Mental Health, School Appearance, Youth Voice and Education, and the Executive Committee. The committee will be strongly student-led, with elected student leaders guiding its direction. These branches will create suggestions during an Open Doors session, which will then be voted on by the group. After this, the suggestions will be presented to the principal and vice principal as points of interest that students value. The principal and other faculty members will then decide whether to honor, modify, or dismiss the suggestions. This process could be compared to drafting a bill and passing it into law.

The Youth Mental Health branch will focus on recommendations related to students' mental health. Ideally, this committee would connect with guidance counselors to develop more accurate and meaningful suggestions. While this is their primary goal, they would also be encouraged to collaborate with other branches. For example, Youth Voice and School Appearance could work together to create a mural on the front of the school that promotes self-expression.

The School Appearance branch will focus on improving the school’s visual appeal and integrating it with the city of St. Albans. They might create murals, collaborate with art teachers, establish a butterfly garden, design a logo for school sports jerseys or the mascot, or even upgrade the playground. Overall, this branch will work to make the school more visually appealing and strengthen its connection with the local community.

The Youth Voice and Education branch, while covering two distinct areas, share similarities that justify combining them. Youth Voice will encourage students to speak up about what matters to them. They will be responsible for sending out a school-wide form to gather student input. The entire Stewardship Committee will review this data and shape their recommendations accordingly.

On the other hand, the Education branch will analyze the existing curriculum and suggest modifications. For example, if students learning long division express a need for more hands-on demonstrations, this branch could recommend incorporating them to enhance understanding. They could also propose field trips, providing educational justifications and considering school funding and other logistics.

The Executive Committee will serve as the leadership team, consisting of one elected 7th or 8th grader from each of the other branches as a “branch chair” and one representative from the entire Stewardship Committee as the “committee chair.” This committee will be responsible for refining proposals, creating meeting agendas, establishing rules, and developing overarching goals for the program.

The Stewardship Committee will act as a channel for student ideas and a platform for student voice, aiming to hear and act on student input to improve the school. This initiative could also be supported by reviving Stewardship Day, previously known as Field Day. The committee, as part of the Open Doors program, will be a positive step forward in empowering student voices and making meaningful changes in our school.

If you have read this article, please consider awning the questionnaire linked here

Maple Run Unified School District is hosting a special presentation on Thursday, March 20, at 5:30 p.m. in the BFA-St. Albans library with Amy Brewer from the Franklin Grand Isle Tobacco Prevention Coalition. She will discuss the impact of substances on youth and how we can best support their well-being.

While we would love to have as many people as possible attend in person, we understand that schedules can be challenging. To ensure everyone has access to this important discussion, we have added a remote option for those who are unable to attend in person.

Remote Access Information:
Protecting Youth Brains: How Nicotine and Other Substances Impact Mental Health & Success
Thursday, March 20, 5:30 – 7:00 p.m.
Google Meet: meet.google.com/ixd-pdix-ykt
Phone dial-in: +1 574-213-7569‬ PIN: 877 719 102#

We are excited to invite the Maple Run community to join us for two informative sessions on restorative practices, hosted by Maple Run Unified School District with guests from Starling Collaborative. These sessions will explore how restorative practices can strengthen relationships, promote accountability, and create a supportive environment for our students, families, and educators. You’ll learn valuable strategies for fostering a positive, inclusive community both at school and at home.

Facilitators for these sessions include Jeff Rouleau, a Maple Run parent, teacher, coach, and Restorative Practices Trainer, and Stacie Rouleau, a Maple Run parent, teacher, coach, administrator, and Restorative Practices Trainer. Camille Koosmann, representing Starling Collaborative, is a restorative practitioner, trainer, and coach who formerly led the Restorative Practices in Schools program for the Franklin Grand Isle Restorative Justice Center.

Light food and childcare will be provided. Register today to be part of this important conversation! For more information, contact Alexis Hoyt at ahoyt@maplerun.org or 802-370-3946.

Dear Teachers,
The CCC (Climate Change Committee) would like to offer themselves as readers and teachers for our younger students. Readers from the CCC would love to come to your room and share a story and a bit of discussion about climate change. Please fill out this form if you are interested.

Sincerely,
The CCC

Enrollment is now open for students entering Kindergarten at Saint Albans City School in August 2025! If your child is already enrolled in a Maple Run Preschool program or Act 166, you still need to complete the required forms to register.

How to Enroll:

• New students (not in Pre-K at SACS): Fill out the School Interest Form at www.maplerun.org/page/school-registration.
• Current Pre-K students at SACS: Log into the Parent Portal (maplerun.powerschool.com) to complete enrollment forms.

All forms must be submitted before enrollment is complete. If you need assistance, please contact Desiree Stevens at (802) 370-3907 or dstevens@maplerun.org.

We look forward to welcoming your child to Kindergarten!

Hello SACS students!

I am hoping that you can flood my treasure box with spring time jokes; jokes about flowers, sunshine, spring, insects, or anything you may all be learning about with your Knowledge Units! I am excited to see what I will find!

-Mrs. Fitzgerald-

How do stone do their laundry?

A: On the rock cycle.

-Parker

How did the mouse feel after his bath?

A: Squeaky clean!

-Carson & Addie

Here are some important emails to have:

To report a students attendance: sacsattendance@maplerun.org

For bus changes/questions: sacsbus@maplerun.org

To update address, email or phone number: sacsregistrar@maplerun.org

Please note that for safety reasons, all dismissal changes must be made by 11:00am.