Superintendent's Message

Violet Nichols

May 9, 2024

Dear Parents/Guardians and Staff,

The FY25 budget has passed! I want to thank all of the staff, parents/guardians, community members, our school board members, and our administration, who made this possible. I want to express a great deal of gratitude to our whole school community for supporting our budget during an unprecedented time when factors out of our control had such a significant impact on our funding.

As we celebrate, we are mindful of the reductions that we are making and the impact it will have on students and staff. Navigating these challenges is not easy, and I am confident that our community will come together in support. I want to thank all of our staff as we have navigated a difficult budget season.

Panorama Surveys

Details of completing the Panorama surveys were sent out this week. You can read the letter here. Your feedback is crucial as we evaluate our schools. Please take 15 minutes to fill out the survey. They will be open from May 8th to May 22nd.

Teacher Appreciation Week

This week, we have been celebrating Teacher Appreciation Week. I truly believe that we have the best teachers! Our teachers are incredibly valuable and we should all take every opportunity to tell them how much we appreciate them. Thank you to all the PTOs who have brought candy, snacks, and lunch to our teachers and staff this week.

Transportation Update

Yesterday was National Walk, Bike and Roll to School Day, encouraging students and families to use alternate methods to travel to school. As we continue to explore alternate ways to support transportation, we continue to develop Safe Routes to School plans that focus on increasing walking/biking, and with that the implementation of school zones at four of our schools, and looking into partnerships with GMT, as our neighbors in Burlington School District have done.

Our Safe Routes to School task force aims to recruit volunteers to map out streets and sidewalks within each school's boundary lines that could potentially serve as "safe routes" to school. This involves identifying streets where sidewalks are needed. These details will be marked on the "NEW TOOL" map provided. Additionally, the information will be passed on to SB Public Works as potential projects for future budget allocations. For instance, if a street appears to be a safe route for walking or biking to school but lacks a sidewalk, it will be considered for inclusion in upcoming projects, provided there are no feasibility issues such as wetlands or drainage concerns. Here is an example of a map done around Chamberlin.

Green Mountain Transit sent an update this week for students who use GMT to get to school:

Starting May 20, 2024, students who utilize GMT buses for their daily commute will be required to inform the bus driver that they are a school student in order to continue receiving free transit service. This change is being implemented to ensure that only eligible students are availing of this benefit and to streamline the process for both students and bus drivers.

We understand that this adjustment may require some additional communication with your child to ensure they are aware of the new requirement. We encourage you to remind them to inform the bus driver of their status as a school student when boarding the bus.

Please note that this change applies specifically to students who utilize GMT buses as part of their transportation to and from school. If your child does not use GMT buses or if they have alternative transportation arrangements, this update does not affect them.

FHTMS Principal

After meeting with the hiring committee, administrators, staff, and students as well as participating in a community forum, the top candidate for the FHTMS principal position is Suzanne Greundling. Suzanne has accepted the role and is coming to us from Essex School District where she was principal of Summit Street School. Her first day will be July 1st. We are thrilled to welcome such an experienced and skilled administrator to our team.

Thank you to everyone who served on the committee and provided feedback on all our candidates.

Step Up Nights

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As we come closer to the end of the school year, we come closer to many of our students transitioning to new schools. For 5th graders about to move to the middle school and 8th graders about to start high school, there are important events coming up!

On Wednesday, May 22nd, SBHS is hosting a step-up night for 8th graders entering high school.

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On Thursday, May 23rd at 7 pm, FHTMS is hosting an information night for 5th graders entering middle school. Before that, the Queer Student Alliance (QSA) will be hosting an information night.

Also, at the end of May and early June, 5th-grade students will visit the middle school to hear directly from students about their experiences moving from elementary to middle school. Chamberlin will visit on May 29th, Orchard on May 31st, and RMCS on June 4th.

Employment Opportunities

The district is hiring! Please follow the links to read the full descriptions for these roles.

Bus Drivers (and Bus Aides)

Training available obtain Commercial Driver's Licenses to eligible candidates, full and part time positions available as well as van drivers and bus monitors

Special Ed teachers:

Frederick H. Tuttle Middle School

Lunchroom:

Full job descriptions are available on School Spring. If you have questions on hiring processes or on employment, please contact Elissa Galvez, Employment Specialist, egalvez@sbschools.net (802) 652-7247.

Notable Dates

May 17: MS/HS Late Start at 10:35 am

Elementary Early Release at 12:30 pm

May 27: Memorial Day, no school

June 13: MS only early release/8th grade celebration

June 14: Last Day for all K-8 students (half day)

Graduation Day

Thank you for reading!

Violet

SBSD App

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Along with the website, the dedicated app will be your best resource for updated menus, schedules and other important information in the event of school closures and delays.

Download the dedicated SBSD app (or scan the QR code )!

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