OSSD Safe and Healthy Schools

Dear OSSD Community,

We have had an amazing month and have received many grants. Check out the updates below. Don't miss the video introduction to the STEAM grant! In addition, we have several more grants pending.

We will be in touch soon to let you know about the OSSD Summer Program. We anticipate being fully funded again this year and plan to provide free summer programming for students for the last two weeks of July and the first two weeks of August. More information coming soon!

March is Women's History Month and Disability Awareness Month. In addition, it is National Reading Month. The libraries across the OSSD have many resources to learn about all sorts of topics including Women's history and Disability Awareness. To search the OSSD Library Catalog, simply click on the following link: OSSD Library Catalog. You can also check out the resources at Kimball Library.

Wishing you a safe and healthy month,

Heather Lawler

Assistant Superintendent

Randolph Union High School, Randolph Technical Career Center, and Braintree Elementary School Awarded $25,000 Agency of Education STEAM Challenge Grant

OSSD recently received a $25,000 STEAM Challenge Grant through the Vermont Agency of Education. The grant proposal was written by Heather Lawler, Assistant Superintendent. Thanks to this funding, over the next semester, students at RUHS, RTCC, and Braintree Elementary will be engaging in an interdisciplinary and collaborative project focused on improving the recently opened Braintree Elementary Blossom Farm Stand business. They will be taking on roles through the various RUHS courses and RTCC programs engaging in the engineering design process to evaluate, design, and implement a sustainable off grid energy resource solution that will provide refrigeration, lighting, and security.

Programs and students participating in Student Project Teams, and engaging in the engineering design process, are Braintree’s 5/6 Student Committee with Principal Patti Sprague and K-6 STEAM educator Jeff Green, RUHS’s STEAM & Innovation Center Applied Engineering class with Andrew Scott, RTCC’s Electrical Program with Peter Busha, RTCC’s Construction Trades and Management Program with Doug Van Dalinda, and students in the RTCC’s Film and Television Program with Lance Madzey will be documenting the work and learning along the way.

Student Project Teams will also be partnering with Vermont Technical College’s Renewable Energy Program, VTC’s ASHRAE Student Club, and Catamount Solar as subject area experts and as industry partners to implement solutions as determined by the Student Project Teams.

What is a Portrait of a Graduate (PoG)?

A Portrait of a Graduate represents a school district's vision for the 21st century skills, character traits, and/or social-emotional competencies that students need to succeed in college, career, and life.

The process of building and implementing a Portrait of a Graduate is a community effort. To facilitate this work, Up For Learning has assisted us in creating a student leadership team for the OSSD PoG work. The student leadership team has reached out to the community and formed a PoG Team of over 30 members including students, parents, teachers, and community members. This whole team will meet this Friday, March 3 to create a plan for a series of community events and meetings to inform this work. Stay tuned for more updates!

During last year’s legislative session, the state of Vermont enacted a law requiring districts to create a process to hear complaints relative to school mascots and branding if individuals or groups believe them to be discriminatory. The Rutland area NAACP has filed such a complaint against the RUHS mascot. The OSSD School Board has set aside its regularly scheduled meeting on March 8th for the sole purpose of hearing this complaint. The meeting is open to the public and there will be public comment. The meeting will be held at 6:30 PM in the Randolph Union High School media center. Folks interested in attending may do so in person or remotely via Google Meet:

Join with Google Meet

meet.google.com/hzq-ypvz-zzv

Join by phone

‪(US) +1 513-796-6941 PIN: ‪304 842 336#

State Required Policy as of Jan 1, 2023: Policy F2 School Mascot and Branding

Mascot Complaint from the Gedakina & Rutland NAACP

We continue to pursue grants to fund important work in our district. In the last few weeks, here are some of the grants we have received:

RUHS, RTCC, and Braintree received a $25,000 STEAM Grant from the Vermont Agency of Education. This grant will fund a student led project to provide off grid electrical power to the Braintree Blossom Farm Stand. The grant was written by Heather Lawler and Andrew Scott.

RUHS Food For Thought was awarded $10,000 from The Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets (VAAFM) to distribute locally produced farm fresh food to local families, This grant was written by Heather Lawler, Jason Finely, and Colin Andrzejczyk.

The OSSD School Nutrition Program was awarded $47,000 for the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable program, and $17,000 in Federal and State Equipment grants to update the RUHS kitchens with a new grill (pictured above) and a new serving line. These grants were written by Sarah Natvig and Heather Lawler.

Elementary Lunch Menu

MS/HS/RTCC Lunch Menu

The Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program (FFVP) is an important tool in our efforts to combat childhood obesity. The program has been successful in introducing elementary school children to a variety of produce that they otherwise might not have the opportunity to sample.

Sarah Natvig successfully secured the FFVP grant again this year and here is a picture of our own Tammy Maxham delivering kiwi fruit and blueberries at Randolph Elementary School.

National School Breakfast Week (NSBW) will take place March 6-10, 2023. This special observance during the first week of March celebrates the national School Breakfast Program and the many ways it gives kids a great start every day. #NSBW23

March is Women's History Month, National Reading Month, and Disability Awareness Month

Here are some upcoming dates:

• March 6 Annual Meeting at 6:00 PM. Here is the link for online: OSSD Annual Meeting
• March 7 Town Meeting Day - March 7, 2023 is a school day for RUHS students only.
• March 8 Special Board meeting at RUHS at 6:30 PM for hearing of Mascot Complaint. Here is the link for online: Special Board Meeting March 8 2023
• March 8 International Women's Day
• March 16 School Board Meeting at Braintree at 6:00 PM. Here is the link for online: OSSD Regular Board Meeting
• March 21 will be a full day of school for all the district’s students (it was originally scheduled to be a half-day).
• March 22 will be a half-day of school for all students. March 22 is a half day for Parent Teacher Conferences.

OSSD School Calendar 2022-2023

OSSD is comprised of Braintree Elementary School, Brookfield Elementary School, Randolph Elementary School, Randolph Union Middle High School, and Randolph Career and Technical Center. We are committed to providing safe and healthy schools where students have the opportunity to learn and grow.

Location: 24 Center Street, Randolph, VT 05060
Phone: 802-728-5052