Upcoming Events
- Wednesday, September 18th~ WCS School Picture Day (Please send order forms in, even if you're not ordering photos)
- Thursday, October 3rd @ 6:30~ Middle School Curriculum Night
- Wednesday, October 9th~ No School
- Friday, October 18th~ No School
- Friday, December 6th~ Swift Hosts WCS Dance
- Sunday, December 15th~ Save the Date for the Polar Express (May change based to Saturday depending on Polar Express schedule)
Swift Campout
Thank you again to all of our chaperones! We had a wonderful time at Grand Isle filled with team activities, tent site time and free time at the campground. Tent site groups set up camp, prepared meals, and practiced skits, then enjoyed time for volleyball, swimming, and time together.Thank you also to the many families who were able to join us for dinner and skits Tuesday night. We dodged thunderstorms and had to head home early on Wednesday but your children were incredibly flexible and helpful throughout the process (and perhaps a bit tired after a very windy night!).
School Bell
Please check the most recent School Bell for details on Continental Math, Spelling Bee Team and Intergenerational Book Club, school photos and more.
"Hopes and Dreams" Conferences
Each core teacher met with new Swifties before school began. We are now scheduling meetings with returning students to share "Hopes and Dreams" for this school year. Click here to see our schedules and add your name to the appropriate calendar based on core teachers. Please plan on having your child attend all core conferences this year unless we otherwise noted.
Work Completion
Curious as to what your child is working on or if their work is all done? There are multiple layers in the process, including team-based and school-wide components. We appreciate your support throughout:Google Classroom
All assignments are posted on Google Classroom (excluding World Language). Install the app on your phone and have your child sign-in for a quick view, or ask them to show you Google Classroom on any device with internet access. Students simply head to gmail and login with: firstnamelastname@cvsdvt.orgGoogle Classroom shows:
- Assignment Due Dates
- Student work submitted
- Overdue work
- Other resources used in class
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| Google Classroom- Student and teacher view |
You should also have received an invitation to receive updates from Google Classroom. These are static snapshots of assignments for the week, showing what is due, what has been turned in, and what is overdue. If you have questions about assignments, your child can login and show you more detail.
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| Sample Parent email summary |
Homework Slips
If a student does not complete an assignment on time, the classroom teacher will write a "Homework Slip." The slip is giving to the core teacher who creates a plan with the student on how to complete the task.Greensheets
Students have each teacher assign their "Greensheet" on Friday. A signature indicates that all work is complete. A circle will be accompanied with an indication of which assignments are missing. Please sign Greensheets and return them on Monday. Check in with your child about missing work.
Jumprope
This week WCS pushed out an email titled: "Jumprope School Portal Info for Student Name." The email holds your child's login information for the Jumprope website, our online standards-based grading platform. There may be little data in Jumprope at this point. Many teachers use the platform solely for summative assessments at the end of the unit, not as a daily list of assignments turned in. Over the course of the year we will add assessments addressing specific learning targets; WCS will send summaries of learning with teacher comments as PDFs via email three times per year as well.
The Bottom Line
There are many layers. Consider the Greensheet the "authority" on work completion. If work completion is an ongoing issue, parents and core teachers will work together to create a plan to support the child.Block Party
Students reading Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus engaged in a "Block Party" activity where they read quotes from the book, before reading the book, to make predictions about setting, characters, theme and genre!
Visit China!
There will be one more informational meeting about the China Educator Immersion Program through Spiral International on Wednesday, Sept. 25th at 6:30 pm in Equinox House at WCS. Please come and learn more if you are interested. Click here for complete details.
Sign-Up is Open for InterGen - A Monthly Inter-generational Book Group!
Families as Partners (FAP) teams up with the Dorothy Alling Memorial Library to sponsor a fun inter-generational book group that brings together WCS middle school students, seniors from our community and parent volunteers. Each book group will read and discuss 5 books over the course of the school year. Meetings take place during school hours.
The program will kick-off in October with a “Get Acquainted” potluck luncheon. The book groups will then meet during school hours once a month to discuss books in a relaxed and fun setting. 7th & 8th graders will meet from 11:35am-12:15pm. 5th & 6th graders meet from 12:30pm-1:10pm. The program runs from October to March. (This year's book selections are still being determined, but we hope to have the final list of titles soon).
If your 5-8th grade child are interested in being considered for this program, please register by Friday, September 20th. We are also seeking parent volunteers! Use this online link to register your child or to sign up as a volunteer.
If you have any questions, please contact Karen Olson (kao_wolverine@yahoo.com) or your child's Language Arts teacher.
Name the next Mars Rover
The campaign to name NASA's next Mars rover is now underway.Yesterday (Aug. 27), the space agency began asking K-12 students around the United States to submit monikers for the life-hunting, sample-caching robotic explorer, which is currently known as Mars 2020.
The contest runs through Nov. 1, and the winner will be invited to attend the rover's launch from Florida's Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in July 2020.
Click here for more details!
Middle School Ultimate
Click here to open flyer.
UVM Extension/ 4-H Program
The UVM Extension/ 4-H Program has a lot of opportunities for students this Fall.
Check them out!(see attachments)
Teen Science Cafes - Save the Dates
The full schedule is now available for the 2019-2020 VTeen 4-H Science Pathways Cafes. The cafes are free and open to youth in grades 7-12. Planned by teens for teens these cafes are a free, fun way for teens to explore science, engineering and technology with local scientists, engineers and technology experts. All cafes include hands-on activities. To learn more watch a short video featuring the cafe on astrobiology. See attached flyer.
Between a Rock and a Soil Place - VTeen 4-H Science Cafe, September 28
Learn about soil, the building block of ecosystems, at the first teen science cafe of the year. Register by September 25. This program is free. See attached flyer.
Youth Environmental Summit - November 1
YES is an annual conference for students in grades 6-12 what want to learn about environmental issues and take action in their communities. Register by October 18. Check out a short video from last year's conference. Note: YES will be FREE this year to all participants due to several generous donations. See attached registration information.
TRY for the Environment - Applications Due By November 8
TRY stands for Teens Reaching Youth and is an environmental leadership opportunity for youth in grades 7-12. It is a teen-led environmental education program with an embedded service-learning component designed to teach environmental literacy and responsibility to younger youth. TRY for the Environment includes five program areas—energy FUNdamentals, waste solutions, food systems, forest and trees and 4-H20 —to connect young people to real-world environmental problems in which they can be key change agents helping to create real-world solutions. Learn more and apply no later than November 8. Check out a short video showcasing how TRY connects to student's PLPs and transferable skills.
VTeen Leadership Weekend - November 15-17Join us for a fun-filled weekend developing important skills and traits that will help you stretch and improve your leadership, communication, problem-solving, teamwork and other transferable skills to take back to your club work, school and community. Registration will open after September 16. Space is limited to 50 participants. Open to youth in grades 7-12. See attached information flyer.
Note: Our website is currently being updated to get this information online. But, for now, please download attachments or click on active links. Thank you for your patience.
Lauren Traister
4-H Teen & Leadership Program Coordinator
University of Vermont Extension
(802) 888-4972 x 402
4-H Teen & Leadership Program Coordinator
University of Vermont Extension
(802) 888-4972 x 402
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