Panther Press

January 25 - Lothrop Night at Spartan Arena (4:00 PM Game--Castleton Men vs UMASS)

January 28 - 4th - 6th Grade Lifetime Activities

February 4 - 4th - 6th Grade Lifetime Activities

February 6 - Caverly Open House for Prospective Students (25-26 school year)

February 7 - Early Release Day

February 7 - Brandon Artist Guild Student Art Show

February 17- 21 - February Break (NO SCHOOL)

March 3 - 7 - Read Across America Week

March 7 - Early Release Day

March 19th (snow date March 20th) - Music in Our Schools Month Concert for 5-6 Band and Chorus (During School Day, no evening commitment)

March 21 - Inservice Day (NO SCHOOL for students)

April 10 - GDBA Author Visit at OVUHS- 4th-6th grades, 12-2 pm

April 10th - 3/4 Celebration of Learning (5pm) and Concert in the gym (6pm) (snow date April 15th)

May 8 - K-2 Celebration of Learning (5pm) and Outdoor Concert (6pm) (rain date May 13th)

May 14 - District Student Art show at OVUHS

May 15th - Spring Concert for Chorus, 5th and 6th Grade Band, 4th Grade Band and Piano Students in gym (6pm)

Hello families! Since we returned from break we have been working on our basketball ball handling skills. When we are working on different skills in PE class, not only do we go by the standards, I also try to make sure that we are using the right size for each class. For every sport there are recommended equipment, playing area, and goal sizes for different grade levels. Unfortunately due to costs and what is available to different organizations, the correct size in not always used. The biggest example is the height of a basketball hoop for each grade level. Guidelines state that grades K-2 should be using a 6-7 foot high hoop, grades 3-4 should be using a 8 foot hoop, 5th grade is a 9 foot hoop, and then in 6th grade they start using the 10 foot. I am thankful to Liz and the Pittsford Rec Department for letting us use the attachable adjustable hoops that hook onto our hoops. This way, we can work on using proper form and students are successful. When they are more successful, that gives them more motivation to keep going. Seeing the smiles and hearing the cheers when the younger students are able to make a lot of baskets using the shorter hoops has been one of my favorite parts of this unit.

After we wrap up basketball, we will be moving into heart health. February is National Heart Health Month, during that time we will be working on different activities and exercises for our heart health and why it is so important.

During this time of year, please help to make sure that your student has an extra pair of sneakers for PE class. The rock salt that is used to clear roads and sidewalks can also ruin shoes and floors. We are working hard on making sure that the court stays in great condition. Also, the residue stays on the shoes even after they are wiped and make the shoes slippery on the floor. Keeping the floor dry and residue free will make it safer for all. I do have some extra pairs of sneakers in the gym if a student forgets them. I am always looking for donations of more shoes to have available for students in the gym if needed.

Friday's Morning Meeting was presented by Mrs. Desabrais' 4th Grade. Happy National Compliment Day!

Volunteers: We are looking for 4th through 6th grade parent volunteers to join us at any of the venues for each Tuesday. We need help tying skates & bowling shoes and we need belayers for the rock climbing gym. If you are able and willing to volunteer please contact Mrs. Tate at ctate@rnesu.org or your child's classroom teacher. Thank you!

As we continue to address the recent PowerSchool cybersecurity incident, we want to ensure that questions and concerns are handled efficiently. For the most current information:

1. Visit the RNESU Website:
   Our website will have the most up-to-date information and resources related to the incident as they become available. https://www.rnesu.org/page/powerschool-cybersecurity-incident

2. Contact Via Email:
   For more specific questions or concerns, families and staff can reach out via email to psinfo@rnesu.org.

Thank you for your help and support as we navigate this situation.

Identity Protection and Credit Monitoring Services

• Complimentary Services for All Affected Individuals: PowerSchool has partnered with Experian, a trusted credit reporting agency, to provide complimentary identity protection and credit monitoring services to all students and educators whose information from the PowerSchool SIS was involved, regardless of whether their Social Security number was exfiltrated.

• Identity Protection: Two years of complimentary identity protection services will be offered to all affected students and educators.

• Credit Monitoring: Two years of complimentary credit monitoring services will be provided for all affected adult students and educators.

Notifications
Individuals and State Agencies: PowerSchool will begin notifying affected individuals and relevant state attorney general offices in the coming weeks.

• Community Outreach: PowerSchool will coordinate with Experian to send notifications on their behalf to students (or their parents/guardians if the student is under 18) and educators, as applicable. The notification will include details about the identity protection and credit monitoring services being offered. Additionally, a dedicated call center will be available to address questions from the community.

• Regulatory Notifications: Vermont State Attorney General: PowerSchool will provide notification to the Vermont state attorney general's office regarding the incident.

We are committed to keeping our community informed throughout this process and will share any additional updates as they become available.

If your child is wearing slippers or slides on pajama day, please be sure to send in extra shoes for going outside. Thank you!

Interested in becoming more involved in the school system? Consider becoming a school board member.

The Otter Valley Unified Union School District has the following openings for the Office of School Board of Director for the coming election in March 2025:

All board seats are three year terms unless otherwise noted.

It is the time of year where we begin to think about field trips. If you are planning on chaperoning a field trip or volunteering at Lothrop throughout the year, you are required to complete a background check, fingerprinting, and ID scanning through Raptor, our Supervisory Union security system. Due to the amount of time it takes to complete the full process, we are asking parents/guardians to begin the process now. Appointments for fingerprinting fill up fast and we want to ensure that everyone has an opportunity to attend field trips and take part in volunteering for school events with their students. If you are interested in chaperoning or want to check and see if the background check you completed in the past is still valid, please reach out to Sara Eddy at seddy@rnesu.org or call the office at 802-483-2242.

Email: sfarrington@rnesu.org

Website: https://lothrop.rnesu.org/

Location: US Route 7, Pittsford, VT, 05763
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LothropSchool/