ACSD Newsletter ~ Fall 2024
[This is an abridged version of a letter to the ACSD Community from Superintendent Wendy Baker that will appear in the Thursday 10/17/24 edition of Addison Independent]
Dear ACSD Community,
As budget development season approaches, I have been reflecting on what the school budget represents to the members of our ACSD community. Most importantly, our Budget represents the mission and vision of the District, which reflect the values of our member towns and serves as the School Board’s commitment to uphold those values. Operationally, the budget is the financial pathway to achieving equitable educational outcomes, a critical strategic blueprint for our professional teams who guide the learning of our 1650 PreK-12 students. Currently, the budget also represents the primary economic driver of property tax rates, an important variable to control for the sake of affordable residency. Each of us likely views our school budget in a unique combination of these perspectives. Our development process needs to honor them all.
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This budget season, ACSD will be working to create a spending plan for FY 26 that protects and preserves the trust of our voters, advances the work of our strategic plan, and honors the values that have led to widespread and historic support of public education within our ACSD community. In that spirit, we invite community input as we develop the first draft of next year’s spending plan. It would help us to know the educational priorities we should hold in the highest regard, the constraints we should pay the greatest attention to, and the new work we should protect most carefully. We invite you to participate:
On October 22nd at 6:00pm, we will host community conversation and listening sessions to inform the first draft of our budget. These meetings will be held simultaneously in the MUHS library and at Bridport, Cornwall, Ripton, Salisbury, Shoreham, and Weybridge schools.
If you can’t attend, you can still share your thoughts using this survey. Please complete the survey by 9pm on October 22nd.
Thank you in advance for your partnership; we look forward to receiving your guidance.
Sincerely,
Wendy Baker, Ed.D
Shoreham students
read "I promise" with Principal Sells and each wrote their own "I promise" statement for their community.
Weybridge students
learned about similarities and differences in their community by creating surveys for each other and collecting data.
Preston Bergeron ~ ACSD Whittemore Staff of the Year
Congratulations to Preston Bergeron, MUMS custodian who received the Barbara Whittemore Outstanding Staff Award. Preston was recognized for being warm, engaging and the face of positivity at MUMS for staff and students. He transformed the hallways by keeping them pristine and also has done an incredible job bringing the building to life by tirelessly hanging student work around the building so their work can be admired. He goes out of his way to make sure each student feels seen and heard, all while making sure that they are held accountable for learning the skills that they need to be their best selves.
Liza Raymond ~ ACSD Outstanding Elementary Teacher
Congratulations to Mary Hogan second grade teacher, Liza Raymond, who was recognized for being a compassionate listener who supports everyone in her school to be their very best. Two years ago she helped lead and create the first Addison Central Wellness & Learning Center. She advocates for and believes in all students and knows that with instruction, practice, and support they can do hard things. She keeps students and their families at the center of her work, constantly models how to be a reflective, open-minded learner, and brings incredible energy to all school activities!
Steve Colangeli ~ ACSD Outstanding Secondary Teacher
Congratulations to MUHS science teacher, Steve Colangeli, who was appreciated for epitomizing the development of community as the basis for education. From beekeeping, to coffee roasting, to gardening, he brings the outside world into class for scientific investigations. Students demonstrate their knowledge with hands-on projects that they often share with younger classes. He creates classes full of inquiry, curiosity, and joy and shows care and respect for his students with phone calls home about their successes and personalized notes that they often keep for years.
Both Steve and Liza will be recognized at the annual UVM Outstanding Teachers celebration in November.
Vermont Middle School Principal of the Year
Congratulations to our MUMS Principal, Michaela Wisell, who was recognized as the 2024 Vermont John Winston Middle Level Principal of the Year! As a school leader she works every day to know and notice kids: from learning each of their names to discovering what lights them up in and outside of school. She is quick to laugh with colleagues and make everyone feel heard and included. We are so lucky to have her and celebrate this statewide recognition!
New ACSD Mentor Program
This year also marks the beginning of our new Teacher Mentoring program. Designed by Elizabeth Placencia through her Rowland Fellowship, the new program is designed to help teachers develop responsive and research-based instructional practices to ensure student learning build productive relationships with colleagues, students, and families. All new teachers will be supported by experienced and highly effective colleagues (pictured here!) who value curiosity, continual growth, and reflection. Read more about this new program in this Addison Independent article.
Stay Connected!
We use our newsletter and social media to stay connected and give you a peek into our classrooms. For more regular connection and lots of photos, follow us: Insta: @acsdvtschools FB: @acsdvt