The Core

Hello Parents,

I'm reporting from our matinee of Orchard School's production of The Further Adventures of Peter, Wendy, and Hook. and it's a terrific show, you are in for a real treat. The efforts of the cast and crew are impressive and the weekend shows will be terrific! We hope you can join us!

📌 The Vermont Common Assessment Program (VTCAP) - Students in grades 3, 4, and 5 will be the new VTCAPs when we return in May. VTCAPs are a change from recent federally-mandated SBACs and will take less time to take. I'll have more details of testing dates next week.

📌We are celebrating Autism Awareness Week starting on Monday, April 17th. You might remember our activities celebrating our extraordinary brains from last year, check out the flyer below.

And don't forget we are all going to the high school (in two shifts) on Monday!

📌 Mid-April is a good time to get your feedback for student placement for the 2023-24 school year. To help navigate the survey feedback, we created a survey for each grade level (current year). Please fill out the grade-appropriate survey for each of your children. Remember, we cannot accept specific teacher requests and will remove an entry from our survey if a teacher request appears. Thanks.

📌 We got to meet over 60 families coming in for Kindergarten Registration. It is really nice to welcome new students and families and we are looking forward to starting a new crew in the fall!

Have a good weekend; take some time to read with your child.

Mark T & Olivia K

One week to go!!

SAVE THE DATE : On Thursday, May 25th the 5th grade parent are invited to an information night at FHTMS at 6:30 PM. This is an evening for parents only and not for students at this time. The students will be having other opportunities to transition and visit the middle school prior to June.

Next week, FHTMS will be sending out a parent email to 5th grade families with more info about that evening as well as the transition process.

5th Grade teachers will also be sharing information with you about upcoming visits from FHTMS staff and students, and a visit to FHTMS during the school day!

We're celebrating how incredible it is that all of our brains work in different ways by wearing a fun hat or head accessory!

Sleep is so Important!

For some, this time of year can bring on even busier schedules; below are some healthy sleep reminders~

BE A GOOD SLEEP ROLE MODEL
Make sleep a priority for yourself.

HELP SUPPORT A CONSISTENT ROUTINE
Develop routines to help establish life-long habits.

ENCOURAGE ACTIVE PLAY (60 MINUTES/DAY!)
Being active supports physical health as well as sleep habits.

MINDFUL MEDIA USE
Keep screens out of the bedroom and turn them off 60 minutes before sleep.

Consider updating your family media plan to create balance with

screen time, schoolwork, exercise, sleep, and other activities.

Some additional information regarding the drink called PRIME (in last week's newsletter):

We shared that PRIME has 2 versions (Hydration and Energy). There is a 3rd version, Hydration Sticks, that are a water-soluble, powdered version of PRIME Hydration. Like PRIME Hydration, the Sticks are caffeine/sugar-free(and contain the artificial sweetener - sucralose).

In order to stay well hydrated, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends drinking water!

Be kind, stay well~

Kara Cassani & Sarah Pineda

Please join us for a celebration of long-serving Children’s Librarian Marje Von Ohlsen!

There will be a dedication of Caldecott Books, refreshments, and a meet and greet with Marje.

https://southburlingtonlibrary.org/1599/dedication-of-the-marje-von-ohlsen-caldecott-collection

On April 17th, elementary school students from RMCS, Orchard, and Gertrude Chamberlin School will take a field trip to South Burlington High School for an assembly on, what else? KINDNESS! Our presenter is youth motivational speaker, Chris Poulos. He is a world champion athlete and aspiring author who shares powerful life lessons as he demonstrates amazing bicycle stunts. He specializes in core values, anti-bullying, and character education.

"Throughout my presentation I reach into the hearts and minds of my audience, making a personal connection that allows me to deliver content they can easily use to improve themselves and their peers. I believe that encouraging young people to treat others better than they want to be treated creates a ripple effect of respect and goodwill that will improve the whole community," --Chris Poulos

Schedule:

Grades K-2 Assembly- 9:45-10:30 (45 minutes)

Grades 3-5 Assembly- 12:45-1:45 (1 hour)

No parent chaperones are needed for this field trip - staff will also attend.

Students will travel by bus to the South Burlington High School Gymnasium.

We will have a different lunch and recess schedule on this day.