Super News

Oct 2024 Issue

Super Message

October 2024

As we roll into October, I am so thankful to live in such a beautiful place! October also means that students are settled into the flow of their classrooms and schools by now and it is possible that the “honeymoon” period descends into the normal ebb and flow of a school year. With that, we sometimes see slight upticks in behaviors that don’t align with the desired outcomes for students. It’s appropriate, then, that October is also Bullying Prevention Awareness month. While the term “bullying” has certain legal meaning in Vermont, I want to take the opportunity to encourage all families to talk about how to treat others. For kids, social media has added another challenge, with added drama impacting students even at the elementary level. Please take time to fully explain your expectations for how they should treat their classmates. Please encourage inclusivity, kindness and generosity and your words and actions will go a long way to help the school culture!

Parent Resource

October is National Bullying Prevention Month

WCSU is committed to providing safe and healthy schools for our students. Our website provides information that outlines the duties and obligations of our school districts to receive, report and act on claims of harassment, hazing and bullying, as determined by the Vermont School Boards Insurance Trust and adopted by Windham Central Supervisory Union.

Harassment, Hazing & Bullying Information:

Board Business

WCSU Budget

October is the month where school budgeting begins for the 2025-2026 school year. While each school district will create its own budget (through their school boards and administration), the first work to complete is the creation of the Supervisory Union budget. This budget is developed and approved by the WCSU board (made up of representatives from each district). After that approval (usually in November or early December), the total amount is divided amongst the districts based on a percentage of overall student count. The SU budget includes my office, the curriculum office, the business office, HR, payroll, special education (for every building), academic support teachers, IT services, and the director of operations. Look for your districts to begin working on budget development very soon!

WCSU Board Retreat:

Date: October 23, 2024

Location: Marlboro Elementary School

Time: 7-10pm

News From Around The SU

All of our SU schools work proactively to minimize bullying and other unkind behavior on a daily basis. This usually takes the form of reacting to student interactions before they get to that level, but it can also look like explicit work to prevent bullying. For example, at Townshend Elementary School (TES), they're sharing important information about bullying in honor of National Bullying Prevention Month. This month, they're pairing their Mindful Minute with bullying prevention initiatives and this week TES staff and students practiced their "superhero" pose: standing strong with feet planted, hands on hips, and one hand raised if they chose. While in this empowering stance, they focused on breathing and using strong advocate voices — whether for ourselves or in defense of others. Throughout the month, they will continue engaging in activities and mindfulness practices centered on bullying prevention. Additionally, TES will celebrate Unity Day on October 16th, inviting everyone to wear orange to build "commUNITY" with a visible message to prevent bullying by displaying acceptance, kindness, and inclusion.

Staff Highlights

National Principals' Month

October is also National Principals’ Month, when we can take a moment to honor and recognize the incredible work that our principals do every day in leading our schools. The research tells us that one of the single greatest factors in the success of any school is the quality of the school leader, and I am thrilled to say that our team of principals is a superb bunch. So, if you have the chance, please thank your school’s principal (and assistant principal!) for everything that they do for our students and our staff.

Central Office Corner

Greg Frost and Crew

October 2nd is National School Custodial Workers’ Day, and in celebration of that, I want to recognize all of the people who work to make our schools look fantastic every day. This team of people is led by our Director of Operations, Greg Frost, who not only supervises the custodial folks, but also food services, transportation and our crisis team. Together, this group of people literally keep the schools running and this month we celebrate all of them!

Coming Attractions

School Recognition Days 2024-2025

October - Principal Appreciation Month
October 2 - School Custodial Workers Recognition
October 16 - Unity Day
October 23 - WCSU Board Retreat
October 24 & 25 - Parent Conference (Early Release)