Catamount Connection

December 2: PTG Meeting via Zoom (6:30pm)

December 2-6: Book Fair at Sutton School

December 5: Holiday Meal at Sutton School

December 6: Early Release for Conferences (12:10pm)

December 7: Holiday Craft Fair at Sutton School (9:00am-2:00pm)

December 13: 8th grade visits VSU Johnson

December 17: Winter Concert (6:00pm)

December 20: Early Release for PD (12:10pm Dismissal)

December 23-January 1: December Break

January 2: Students return to school from December Break

January 6: PTG Meeting at Sutton School (6:30pm)

January 9: Winter Activities (All Day)

January 16: Winter Activities (All Day)

January 17: Early Release for Professional Development (12:10pm)

January 20: No School- MLK Day

January 23: Winter Activities (All Day)

January 30: Winter Activities (All Day)

January 31: Early Release for Professional Development (12:10pm)

February 3: PTG Meeting at Sutton School (6:30pm)

February 6: Winter Activities (All Day)

February 13: Winter Activities (All Day)

February 14: Early Release for Professional Development (12:10pm)

February 24-March 4: February Break

Dear Caregivers,

As we enter December, I want to thank you for your continued support and partnership in your child’s learning journey. This month brings exciting opportunities for connection and collaboration, and we’re thrilled to keep growing together as a school community!

Conferences This Week

This week, our teachers will hold conferences to connect with you and your child about their progress. These meetings are a valuable chance to celebrate successes, reflect on growth, and set goals for the months ahead. We look forward to seeing you there!

Report Cards

This year, report cards will be emailed directly to caregivers (this will be sent to the email address provided in PowerSchool). You can expect them in your inbox on Friday, December 6th. If you’d prefer a printed copy or you do not receive this email, don’t hesitate to reach out to the school office, and we’ll gladly provide one.

Your Feedback Matters

We will be sending out two surveys this week, both designed to ensure your voice is heard. These surveys will remain open until Monday, December 18th, and we encourage you to share your thoughts:

• Conference Feedback Survey (District): Share your experience and let us know what types of conferences you’d like to see offered in the future.

• Caregiver Feedback Survey (School): Help us understand what we’re doing well and identify areas for improvement.

• Middle School Caregiver Feedback Survey

• Grades 3-4 Caregiver Feedback Survey

• K-2 Caregiver Feedback Survey

Your input is essential in shaping our work. By taking a few moments to complete these surveys, you directly contribute to making our school an even better place for our students to learn and thrive.

Thank you for being an important part of our school community. Your involvement, insights, and support make all the difference. As always, if you have any questions or need assistance, please don’t hesitate to reach out.

Warm regards,

Rachel Robillard

Principal

Winter is here, and Vermont’s cold weather is settling in! At Sutton School, we value time outdoors for both recess and learning, even during the colder months. To ensure all students stay safe and comfortable, it’s essential they come prepared for the weather.

Please make sure your child brings boots, warm layers, a winter coat, gloves, a hat, and any additional items like snow pants, neck warmers and/or scarves to help them stay cozy. For middle schoolers, we especially ask for your support in ensuring they bring their gear each day.

We’ve included our outdoor guidelines in this newsletter so you can see how we decide when it’s safe to head outside. Thank you for partnering with us to keep your child warm, safe, and ready to explore the outdoors as part of their learning experience!

Our K-2 students are excited to kick off a poinsettia fundraiser! This is a wonderful way to add some holiday cheer to your home while supporting our youngest learners. Order forms will be sent home on November 22 and should be returned by December 6 with completed orders and payment. Funds raised will go directly toward field trips and classroom supplies for K-2, enriching our students’ learning experiences. Thank you for helping make this fundraiser a success!

We’re excited to announce that the Scholastic Book Fair is coming to our school! From December 2 through December 6, the music and art room will be transformed into a booklover’s paradise, thanks to our wonderful Parent Teacher Group (PTG) who’s hosting this event.

The Book Fair is a fantastic opportunity to build your home library and encourage a love of reading, while also helping our school! Each purchase helps provide additional books for our classrooms, directly supporting our students’ learning.

Caregivers can explore the book fair online using this link. You can check out what books will be available for purchase as well as set up an e-wallet for your child if you prefer they do not bring money to school. For caregivers who would like to check out the book fair, below we have included the days and times the book fair will be open to the public. We can’t wait to see you there!

Monday, December 6: 2:00pm-5:00pm

Tuesday, December 3: 2:00pm-5:00pm

Wednesday, December 4: 2:00pm-5:00pm

Thursday, December 5: 10:30am-7:00pm

Friday, December 6: 12:00pm-4:00pm

After winter break, we’re excited to kick off Winter Activities Days, where students will spend the entire day engaging in self-selected activities (these are the activities they signed up for in October)! All students will return to school at the end of the day unless a caregiver has signed them out and picked them up directly from their activity location.

To ensure everyone has a successful day, it’s essential students come prepared with:

• Clothing appropriate for their activity (layers for warmth, outdoor gear, etc.).

• A filled water bottle.

• Snacks and a school or home-packed lunch.

Here’s a breakdown of the activities:

Kindergarten

• Kindergarten students will stay at Sutton School and enjoy a mix of indoor and outdoor activities.

• Students should come with outdoor gear for extended time outside: a warm jacket, snow pants, boots, hat, mittens/gloves, and a neck warmer or scarf.

• If a caregiver wishes for their kindergarten student to participate in an off-campus activity, they must have signed up for the activity ahead of time (in October) and the caregiver must serve as a one-on-one chaperone and participate in the activity with the student each day of winter activities. If a chaperone is not available, the kindergarten student will stay at the school for the day.

Grades 1-8: Skiing or Snowboarding at Burke Mountain

• Students heading to Burke Mountain must bring all necessary clothing, water, snacks, and gear (including helmets). Some families have elected to rent the required gear from the mountain or Slopestyle.
  
• If you have your own gear or you rented gear from Slopestyle you need to bring it to the school the morning of winter activities and rest it along the side of the building (in the back parking lot). Ski and snowboard gear will not be allowed on the school bus. At the end of the day you will need to pick up the gear from the school. It will be located in the same spot as the drop off.
  
• For students who have rented from Burke Mountain, when we arrive at the mountain students will gather their gear from the rental shop. It is their responsibility to return their gear at the end of the day. The mountain has informed us that students who do not return all of their gear will get one warning and will then lose the privilege of renting from the mountain.
• If you did not sign up for rentals in advance, there will be no opportunity to rent gear at the mountain. Families should ensure gear fits properly and works as expected before the first Winter Activities Day.
• If you plan to pick your child up at the mountain you will need to sign them out with the designated staff member in the base lodge at the mountain. Students will not be released until a caregiver signs them out. Any student not picked up at the mountain will be brought back to school for the end of the day dismissal.

Grades 1-4: Ice Skating & Gymnastics

• Students not skiing or snowboarding will spend the morning ice skating at Fenton Chester Arena in Lyndon and the afternoon at Kingdom Gymnastics in St. Johnsbury.

• All students and adults (including chaperones) are now required to wear helmets while skating. Students can bring a helmet from home (hockey, skiing, biking helmets are allowed) or borrow one at the rink.

• Skaters should dress in warm layers, with gloves/mittens and warm socks recommended.

• For gymnastics, students should wear clothing they can move in easily, with no jewelry or loose clothing, and long hair should be tied back.

Middle School (Non-Mountain Activities)

• Middle schoolers not going to Burke Mountain will participate in one of two options in the morning:

1. Gymnastics (attire guidelines are the same as K-4).

2. On-campus activities including sledding, snowshoeing, and art projects.

• After lunch, all middle schoolers will head to Fenton Chester Arena for ice skating. Please ensure they have appropriate layers for both the indoor and outdoor portions of the day.

We look forward to these fun-filled days and thank you for ensuring your child is well-prepared for their chosen activity. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out!

Mark your calendars for a joyful evening! On December 17th at 6:00 PM, Sutton School will host a Winter Sing-Along Concert in the multi-purpose room.

Students in grades K-4 will lead the community in festive songs to celebrate the season, with special guest appearances by middle school students serving as MCs for the event.

During the concert, students will sit with their families and be called up by class to lead their songs. We look forward to coming together as a community for this special tradition. See you there!

Throughout the school year students will have early release days where school will be dismissed at 12:10pm. On some of these early release days the afterschool program will be available (for students who sign up) until 3pm.

If you have a child signed up for the afterschool program (Monday-Thursday)- you will still need to register them for the KEAP Early Release programming on Fridays. These are two separate registrations. Students who are in Middle School can either sign up for the school based KEAP option on the days below, or they can sign up for a KEAP field trip on those days (please note those who sign up for the field trip may not be brought back to Sutton at the end of the day).

We understand that keeping track of this can be a hassle for families, so we have listed the dates of all early releases and have indicated if the afterschool program is available. If the afterschool program is not available on an early release day, students need to be picked up at 12:10pm.

December 6: KEAP Available (12:10pm-3:00pm)

December 20: KEAP Available (12:10pm-3:00pm)

January 17: KEAP Available (12:10pm-3:00pm)

January 31: KEAP Available (12:10pm-3:00pm)

February 14: KEAP Available (12:10pm-3:00pm)

March 21: KEAP Available (12:10pm-3:00pm)

April 4: KEAP Available (12:10pm-3:00pm)

April 18: KEAP Available (12:10pm-3:00pm)

May 9: KEAP Available (12:10pm-3:00pm)

May 23: KEAP Available (12:10pm-3:00pm)

The Sutton Parent Teacher Group (PTG) is looking for new members to join them this school year! The PTG meets the first Monday of each month starting at 6:30pm in Becky Jenkins' 4/5 classroom. At times the PTG will also meet via Zoom instead of in person- on these occasions The PTG president will provide those joining with a zoom link. The PTG helps fundraise and organize important community events for the students and families in Sutton. If you would like to join the PTG reach out to Becky Jenkins, the PTG president, rjjenkins@kingdomeast.org.

Please note the following flyers are community events and information. They do not represent the opinions of the school or the school district.