Moose Memo

January 27- Early Release and Bag Lunches

January 27- All school assembly sponsored by the 4th grade!

January 27- PTO Math Night

February 10- Report cards sent home- Check backpacks!

It finally caught up with me. The PrinciPAL stayed home this week to recover from Covid. It was my first time and hopefully the last. Thank you to Assistant Principal Stephanie Sumner, Guest Principal Connie Metz, and the amazing team at RMCS for keeping the schoolhouse lively and full of learning while I had to be away. I truly missed everyone, and can't wait to return next week!

I'm excited to announce that RMCS will be celebrating Random Acts of Kindness Week from February 13-17, 2023. This is a celebration of all the ways we can positively influence each other. This morning, while watching the Today Show, a story about a study recently published by the University of Ohio caught my attention. Leading the work as part of his Ph.D. dissertation, David Cregg found, “Social connection is one of the ingredients of life most strongly associated with well-being. Performing acts of kindness seems to be one of the best ways to promote those connections,” Cregg said.

The phrase “practice random kindness and senseless acts of beauty” was coined by Anne Herbert in 1982. With a core value like, Everybody is Somebody, why wouldn't we celebrate Random Acts of Kindness Week? We will encourage everybody to perform three random acts of kindness a day for the entire week. These can be as simple as giving a compliment, sharing words of encouragement, or taking time to stop and assist a member of the community with a simple task or challenge. This aligns perfectly with the 3 Cs of RMCS: We care for ourselves, We care for each other, and We care for our place.

What I love about this celebration is the fact that everyone can participate! Valentine's Day falls on Tuesday, yet not every culture celebrates this particular holiday. To be clear, I'm not banning Valentine's Day. It can be part of the week, but a more inclusive way to show appreciation for others and exhibit kindness through action is by putting the school's official stamp on Random Acts of Kindness Week, a school-wide effort everyone can access. More information to come.

Enjoy this snowy weekend!

Kindergarten celebrated MLK Day with a variety of activities. They made "I Have a Dream" headbands, created a Dove craft with a writing prompt, "My Dream for the World is..." and they all put their fingerprints on a giant heart with quotes from MLK. Finally, they read We All Belong and made crafts to reinforce the theme. Kindergarten asked great questions and had conversations around acceptance, understanding, kindness, peace and MLK. It was amazing!

First grade students made collaborative murals that are prominently displayed in the First Grade hallway. Look at that artistry and teamwork from the entire first grade. What impressive pieces!

In Health classes, Mrs. Locker tied in MLK Jr. classwork with grade 3-5 lessons on cyberbullying for the Digital Citizenship unit. Specifically, students learned the importance of being an upstander rather than a bystander if students are exposed to cyberbullying. They examined the following pertinent quote from MLK Jr., "In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends."

Fifth graders reflected on the power of forgiveness while they studied Martin Luther King Junior and contributed their responses to this week's Moose Memo. Thank you, fifth graders, for sharing your perspectives.

Why do you think Martin Luther King Jr. thought it was important to forgive?

He thought it was important to forgive because without forgiveness there can't be resolution. It is important to forgive because if you don't forgive a friend then he won't be your friend anymore. (Liam A.)

He thought that it was important to forgive because hate will spread more hate as with fire. (Mohid A.)

It is important to forgive, because if you let hatred take over you, you are no better than who is mistreating you. (Gabbie P.)

If you kept that hatred in you, you would never understand how to forgive. If you can't forgive you will have that hatred stuck in you for a while, maybe even forever. (Rehyanna D.)

What does forgiveness achieve?

Forgiveness achieves love for you and the person you forgave (Liam A.)

Forgiveness achieves the peace within people and makes the hatred go away. (Mohid A.)

Forgiveness makes you a better person because if you never forgive, and you don't give them at least a second chance, you aren't a very good person. (Gabbie P.)

I think forgiveness archives friendship, happiness, and acceptance. (Rehyanna D.)

Third graders started the year with New Years Resolutions.

Check out this wall of commitments!

Fourth graders participated in Restorative Circles to discuss and share ideas about two key messages from Martin Luther King, Junior.

1. “We must develop and maintain the capacity to forgive."
2. “The time is always right to do what’s right.” Martin Luther King Jr.

Grade two students viewed, Dr. Martin Luther King, A Leader and Hero, and participated in a restorative circle to discuss MLK's achievements. They read the book, Martin's Big Words that connected MLK's leadership style and words to their class agreements. Here's a photo of student teacher, Mr. Haddad, leading a lesson in one of the 2nd grade classrooms.

Thank you to the PTO for another yummy Popcorn Friday, and to the Pop Moms who prepared and delivered this tasty treat!

Join us Friday, January 27th from 6:00-7:30 p.m. in the gym for Family Math Night! Come play lots of fun math related games, such as building Lego Marble mazes, Rubik’s cube mosaics, chess, art, Lego marble mazes, estimation, and many more games that even the most reluctant math student will enjoy! Prizes and games will be raffled off at the end of the night. This is a FREE event!

Please RSVP with the number attending to sutherland.erinc@gmail.com .

We are excited to announce the read aloud selection for Beginning with Books! In February, teachers will be reading, Your Name is a Song, by Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow, in all PreK-5 classrooms.

From the Publisher (Innovation Press):

Frustrated by a day full of teachers and classmates mispronouncing her beautiful name, a little girl tells her mother she never wants to come back to school. In response, the girl's mother teaches her about the musicality of African, Asian, Black-American, Latinx, and Middle Eastern names on their lyrical walk home through the city. Empowered by this newfound understanding, the young girl is ready to return the next day to share her knowledge with her class. Your Name is a Song is a celebration to remind all of us about the beauty, history, and magic behind names.

From School Library Journal (starred review status): (see the full review here)

This is a heartwarming tale with a simple yet critical message of respecting the pronunciation of an individual’s name and honoring the importance of identity and cultural heritage.

Rally the Wolfpack January 26-28

Your child will be sent home with a bracelet, which gets all SB students into the events below for FREE! Let’s fill the stands and cheer the Wolves on to victory. We hope to see you there.

Go Wolves!

Thursday, January 26

Girls Basketball vs CVU

JV at 5:30, Varsity at 7:00

Friday, January 27

Boys Basketball vs Burlington

JV at 5:30, Varsity at 7:00

Saturday, January 28

Dance Competition at 1:00

Girls Hockey vs BFA at 4:50

Boys Hockey vs BFA at 7:20

Basketball games and dance competition are held at the gym at SBHS.

Concession Stand and Wolves Wear Store will be open at the basketball games.

Hockey games are held at Cairns Arena, Rink 1.

For a full calendar of SB athletic events, visit sbwolves.com.

School's Out Early Education program is opening its doors to the public

for the Late Winter School Break.

Need childcare for your potty trained 3-, 4-, or 5-year-old (not yet in Kindergarten)

from Feb 27-Mar 7? Register here.

In order for GOTR to work, we need coaches!!!! We need a minimum of 2 coaches per group (15 girls per group). The more coaches we have the more girls we can take in our groups! Can you help???? YOU DO NOT HAVE TO BE A RUNNER OR HAVE PREVIOUS COACHING EXPERIENCE!!! All you need is a positive attitude, a willingness to bring your best self to practices and a desire to help teach and reinforce healthy habits for these amazing girls!!

If interested, please contact GOTR directly by emailing Stephanie Dorgan at stephanie@girlsontherunvermont.org. You can also sign up to volunteer on the GOTR website, www.gotrvt.org. ALL volunteers MUST register with GOTR and have a background check (found on the GOTR website) prior to our first practice at the end of March (starting date and session days, 2 times a week, are still TBD).

Please feel free to reach out to me with any questions, hsales@sbschools.net. GOTR is SUCH an amazing program! Thank you in advance for volunteering!!!

Girls on the Run is SO MUCH FUN!!!!

Hilary Sales, Music Teacher and Head Coach GOTR

We continue to welcome volunteers to help us at recess. We are fortunate to have a large playground and appreciate the parent volunteers who sign up to help us with supervision from time to time. If you have availability, please visit the Sign Up Genius to schedule the times you are available to join us in January and February (the next winter break). Thank you!

Just a quick reminder that South Burlington's school budget is up for a vote on Town Meeting Day on March 7th. This includes a bond issue that plans to address the overcrowding that is impacting the elementary schools.

Information is available on the district website and will be discussed at school board meetings throughout January and February.

• Among children aged 6-8 years, over half (52%) have had a cavity in their primary (baby) teeth.
• Among adolescents aged 12-19, more than half (57%) have had a cavity in their permanent teeth.
• Tooth decay is the number one chronic infectious disease among children in the U.S. See helpful tips HERE.

Brush twice a day with fluoride toothpaste. Wondering about fluoride? Here are some FAQs.

(watch kids brush who are younger than 6: use a pea-sized amount of toothpaste and have them spit it out).

Help your child brush until they have good skills.

Ask your child's dentist to apply dental sealants when appropriate.

Drink tap water that contains fluoride.

Regular dental checks help to:

Teach children the value of good oral health. Help find oral health problems early so tooth decay can be managed or stopped.

For younger children, have a routine with your child: BRUSH, BOOK, BED

1. Each night, help your children BRUSH their teeth.
2. Read a favorite BOOK (or two)!
3. Get to BED at a regular time each night.

Does your child have a dental home?

If not, please reach out to your school nurse to help get connected.

Resources: Centers for Disease Control, American Academy of Pediatrics, American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry

Don't miss a single edition of the Rick Marcotte Central School Yearbook!

Order forms have been sent home, but if you would like purchase your yearbook online, please click here:

https://www.jostens.com/apps/store/customer/1140092/Rick-Marcotte-Central-School/

Then select Order My Yearbook to make your purchase and check out. Please put your teacher name under 'Homeroom' All yearbooks are shipped to the school then delivered to your child's classroom the last week of school.

Any questions, please contact Holly Young or Carrie Rice.

Scholarships available. Contact Brett Leonard at 802.846.4137

RMCS is still hiring. Please contact us about joining our team if you qualify for these openings. Training will be provided for all new hires.

• Clerical Assistant
• Special Educator

• Interventionists - working 1:1 with students who have Individualized Education Plans
• Recess Monitor

Email: ssumner@sbschools.net; lmcdonald@sbschools.net
Website: https://www.sbschools.net/Domain/11
Location: Rick Marcotte Central School, 200 Market Street, South Burlington, VT, USA
Phone: 802-652-7200
Twitter: @lmcdvt