RES Newsletter #3!
September 10th, 2023
A Note from Ms. C
Dear RES Community,
This was a week filled with a lot of heat, learning, and problem-solving! Students continue to practice the routines and rhythm of the day, while engaging in activities that create a strong classroom and school community that is at the heart of RES!
As we move through our days together we are working as a whole-school community to ensure that students’ voices are heard and celebrated!
Here are some ways that our students are being engaged in decision-making at RES:
Our recess expectations were crafted as a school during our “Recess Brainstorming Activity.”
Students were asked for suggestions for how to address some “hiccups” in the lunch procedure. Rather than adults making changes and telling the kids what to do, the students thought about and offered solutions which are being tried and reflected upon.
Each class discussed ideas for creative ways to celebrate birthdays. The result was a Birthday Menu from which kiddos can choose all/some/none of the options below:
Whole-school singing Happy Birthday
Special Birthday Seat in the lunchroom
Choose something from the Birthday Treasure Box
Special activity (extra recess, dance party, game) to add to the day’s schedule
Birthday Crown or Badge
Birthday Bag filled with messages from classmates
Happy Birthday card signed by staff
Congratulations, Mrs. Giroux!
A HUGE congratulations to K / 1 teacher, Melissa Giroux who recently completed her Master’s degree from Southern New Hampshire University!
Mrs. Giroux spent the past two years learning and taking classes, while also teaching full-time (an amazing one at that!), and being a super-star mom to her own kiddos!
Mrs. Giroux is an amazing and inspiring person. The entire Ripton Elementary School community is incredibly proud of her and so grateful that she is sharing her love of kids and passion for teaching, with our students!
Dismissal Information
Thank you for your flexibility as we shift our dismissal routine. Our intention in this change is to ensure that all students are accounted for at all times, to keep our kiddos safe. :)
Dismissals will take place in the Bell Room (front entrance). Please meet your child here for pick-up.
If there is a day-of change to dismissal plans, please email or call the office as soon as possible.
Please make sure that you tell the supervising adult before you leave with your child.
Children who are under the supervision of a care-giver are welcome to play on the playground after they are dismissed, but it is important that care-givers are actively supervising and supporting their children during that time.
Thank You, Ken!
We are so grateful to Ken Caul for driving our Wednesday afternoon Ripton bus while Bet-Cha staffs a substitute driver. It is a later arrival, but thanks to his kindness we are able to offer an after school bus ride to our students. Ken is a Middlebury native and a retired youth hockey referee where his care for kids was front and center. Before every game he would remind the players, “Above all, have fun.” He shows that same care for children during his current position driving the youth of ACSD, a job he has held for the past 13 years.
Fun fact: When not behind the wheel of a school bus he can be seen behind the wheel of his beloved white Mustang!
Thank you, Ken!
An Eggselent Afternoon!
Walking into the Bell Room Friday at 1:47pm, one would have seen a cluster of 4th and 5th graders, all eyes fixed on clever contraptions of all shapes of sizes being dropped from the arms of an adult… who was standing on a chair. Not a sight you’d see every day! As each creation dropped, shouts of, “Ohhhhh!” and “Did it break?!” were heard as kids rushed over to inspect the damage sustained to their creations after their plummet to earth.
Why? This was the culmination of an engineering project devised by Ms. O to challenge her students to work as a team and create a container that would protect an egg from breaking when dropped.
On the surface this was a fun activity that challenged the minds of students to think creatively and critically. It sparked conversations about gravity and engineering, yet upon closer inspection there was deeper learning that Ms. O skillfully facilitated.
Students were actively supporting and encouraging each other. The caring support also took the form of spontaneous joy when someone said that they were feeling anxious. A classmate paused and then replied, “You mean egg-xious?!” This then opened the door for all sorts of punny jokes, “We’re going to fry this!” “This is egg-stra!” “That was an egg-selent try!” “We’re making really bad yolk-s.” Spontaneous laughter and clever puns then filled their walk to the Bell Room.
Students could have learned about engineering and gravity in any number of ways, but here students learned academics while also sharing joy, engaging in creative thinking, and practicing the values of supporting and encouraging each other. It was an eggcelent sight to see!
Panorama Survey Information
As parents, teachers, and caregivers, we know that social emotional learning (SEL) is crucial for our students’ success in school and in life. To support this learning, we first need to understand how students are doing. Last year, a group of teachers and administrators identified research-backed SEL measurement tools and selected the Panorama surveys. This year, we will again be using Panorama as a tool. The survey will be given a total of three times (fall, winter, spring), and it takes students about 10-15 minutes to complete. We will use the data we collect to reflect on student learning and strengthen our programs and instruction to help all students succeed.
In the next month, we will provide a survey to our K-12 students. Students in 3rd-12th grades will self-reflect on skills related to self-management, self-awareness, responsible decision-making, relationship skills, and social awareness. For grades K-2, teachers will complete a much shorter survey on the same topics about each student in their class. We ask that all students participate, because their feedback will provide valuable insights to help us improve and adapt our district to support all students.
Please notify us if you wish to opt your child out of taking the survey by emailing Erin with your child’s name, grade, and class by September 15, 2023.
Thank you in advance for supporting this important work. If you have any questions please contact Meg or Courtney Krahn, Director of Teaching and Learning (ckrahn@acsdvt.org; 820-382-1276).