Catamount Update

The Weekly Newsletter for St. Johnsbury School Families

May 10, 2024

A Message from Our Principals

Dear St. Johnsbury School Families and Community,

There are just a few weeks left in this school year (21 days!) and we'll be packing a lot of fun, excitement and celebration into that time. There are field trips, activities at school and off campus, celebrations, the conclusion of the Capstone projects for 8th graders, graduations for our Kindergarteners and 8th graders, a variety of other events and opportunities for our students. Grade level teams and our school will be communicating through emails and phone calls regularly to keep you updated. Please be on the lookout for communication from us over the next few weeks and reach out to your child's teacher if you have questions!

We would be remiss if we didn't take this opportunity to express our sincere gratitude for the passing of our budget earlier this week. We know that it was a difficult process and that the request was one that has presented challenges to our community. Please know that we are committed to continuing to deliver high-quality, engaging instruction and support for all of our students and that we are already looking ahead to next year, planning for some exciting changes and new opportunities! We are filled with optimism and confidence as we look ahead to next school year. Our community's support means so much to us - THANK YOU!

We also don't want to miss this opportunity to wish a Happy Mother's Day to all those who nurture, care for, and love unconditionally. Whether you are a biological mother, adoptive mother, stepmother, foster mother, grandmother, aunt, guardian, or any other caregiver, Sunday is a celebration of your love and dedication. Thank you for all that you do! We hope your day is filled with time to be with those that you love, to relax, to be spoiled and to feel the love that you so freely give.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Jeremy and Lydia

An Update from CatCH

SUMMER PROGRAM REMINDER

If you registered a current K-4 student for the CatCH Fire program and have not yet completed this confirmation form, please do so by Monday, May 13, at noon.

SPRING CATCH SHOWCASE

On Friday, May 31, at 5:00 pm, CatCH will celebrate the end of its spring session with a showcase in the theater. There will be live performances, videos, tables with student work, and ... a free dinner prepared by our two after-school cooking programs. To attend, you must RSVP here.

Catamounts Students Attend the Science Fair

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Several of our students took part in the 29th Annual Northeast Kingdom Science Fair held at Vermont State College at Lyndon. Their projects spanned a wide gamut of topics and we couldn't be prouder of their thoughts and work going into what they produced! Take a look!

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Ariella Canterbury's project asked students to assess themselves as risk takers and then play a game of risk. She found that the students who assessed themselves as risk takers actually took fewer risks when playing the game.

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Lily Noyes asked teachers in kindergarten through third grade to submit samples of student coloring. She then analyzed the pictures to measure improvements in coloring ability as the students age. Her project won third place.

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Asher Patrick (left) and Fred Dubray-Bragdon (center) measured how a basketball bounced as the air pressure inside the ball was increased or decreased. Their project won second place.

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Trevor Lemieux (left) with AJ Lambert, looked at data from the Vermont State Police to see if there was an increase in calls for police assistance on weekends. The group found that calls to the police are pretty consistent from weekdays to weekends. This project won first place.

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Hunter Moore (l) and Cyrus Kidder (r) looked to see if there is a correlation between adolescent's height and their sprinting speed. Their study found that taller adolescents are not faster sprinters than shorter adolescents.

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Our Personal Best

Geography Bee and

National Mental Health Awareness Day

5th Place at State: This week we competed in the Geography Bee sponsored by the Vermont Principals’ Association. Geography skills and knowledge are crucial now more than ever. According to Middle School Cafe, “In today’s interconnected world, it is crucial for young people to understand global issues and have a sense of global citizenship. Studying geography helps students develop a global perspective, which can prepare them to be informed and engaged citizens of the world. One way that geography helps develop global citizenship is by providing students with an understanding of the interconnectedness of the world. Through studying the physical and human geography of different regions, students can see how different parts of the world are connected through trade, migration, and other forms of interaction. This can help students understand the impact of global issues such as climate change, resource depletion, and economic inequality” (https://middleschoolcafe.com/)

Thank you to Phoenix, Harvey, Flo, Rolf, Patrick and Bradley! Our team was fantastic!

National Mental Health Awareness Week: Thanks to everyone who wore GREEN to raise awareness.

Upcoming Opportunities for Middle School Students

Curricular (See Below)

Spelling Bee: Watch the National Bee on TV! Congrats to our SJS finalists: Dava, Lewis and Vincent.

Vermont History Day: VT History Day

VCTM MATH Fair: Vermont Math Fair. Congratulations to all participants and medalists: Callum McGregor, Rhys Taylor and Wells Donovan.

Vermont State STEM Fair: VT STEM Fair

Vermont Principals’ Association Geography Bee was on May 8, 2024 in Montpelier. Thank you to Phoenix, Harvey, Rolf, Florence, Patrick (Alternate) and Bradley (Alternate) for stepping up to represent our school!

Mental Health Programs Offered Next Week at Our School

We're happy to have the following programs at our school to support our students. Even if people are starting to feel more comfortable talking about mental health, it can be overwhelming to figure out how to begin caring for themselves. We need to know what forces are at work in order to comprehend the ways in which our environment impacts our mental health. Both of these programs provide a secure and age-appropriate environment for children and teenagers to begin having these conversations. We look forward to having these conversations next week! - Mental Health Counselors, Amanda Silva and Stevi Jackson

There's Still Time For Yearbook Orders!

Thank you again for your tremendous response in placing orders for the 2023-2024 Yearbook! We are currently submitting a reprinting order, so you have until Friday, May 10, 2024 now to order your copy if you did not already do so! These books will be delivered a little bit later than the first orders, but will be filled with pictures of classmates and special memories that you can peruse all summer long. Yearbooks also make for a wonderful (and affordable) birthday gift. You can order online or print out the attached order form and send it into school with a check.

(AS A REMINDER: 8th Graders get their books for free, and they do not need to place and order. A book has already been ordered for each and every single 8th Grader!)

Thank you for your support!

Gratefully,

Your Catamount Yearbook Team