ABS Weekly Newsletter
Week of 9/19
Hello Families,
We have many activites going on in and around the school; we've shared some fun pictures with you in this newsletter. We've hosted the World Story Exchange and the students are finding diverse ways to show the world through thier lens. Ask your child if they can share some things they've learned about photographing our world.
Welcome to Fall and have a great week!
Trick or Treat Walk
"Come join the Albert Bridge School parent group "SCIP" for the "Trick or Treat Walk" at Ascutney Outdoors on Friday, October 28th from 5-7pm. Wear costumes, bring a flashlight, and venture along the Discovery Trail at Ascutney Outdoors for some treats and spooks along the way. Activities and refreshments will also be available at the base of the mountain outside the Asctney Outdoors Building. Donations will be accepted and benefit the Albert Bridge School "SCIP" organization (School Community in Partnership"). All community & surrounding community members welcome. In the event of bad weather, Saturday, October 29th will be the rain date. Updates posted on "SCIP's" Facebook Page. We hope to see you there!
* Volunteers & candy donations are needed for the event. If you are available from 4-8 pm that date of the event and want to help set up your own "spooky" site along the trail, please reach out to Jess1783@gmail.com by Oct. 21st.*
Leader in Me themes
Harvest Unit Coming soon
Vermont 50 Mile
The VT 50 is holding a kids fun run and bike. Below is the link to sign up. https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeU5J34ruDbUWs2vGg2GQ8wVCkZX-oBLLglDqwY20asqt40VQ/viewform
Here's the link to the website: https://vermont50.com/
Important Dates
Important Dates
10/4 - School Picture Day
10/7 - Early Release, students dismissed at 12:00
10/10 - Indigenous Peoples Day - No School
11/9 - Veteran's Day Performance
11/10 - Early Release, students dismissed at 12:00
11/11 - Parent/Teacher Conferences - No School
11/23-11/25 - Thanksgiving Break
12/5 - Early Release, students dismissed at 12:00
12/21 - Early Release, students dismissed at 12:00
12/22-½ - Holiday Break- No School
1/3- Teacher Inservice - No School
1/16 -Martin Luther King Jr. Day - No School
2/7 - Early Release, students dismissed at 12:00
2/20-2/24 - Winter Break - No School
3/17 - Teacher Inservice - No School
3/30 - Early Release, students dismissed at 12:00
3/31 - Parent/Teacher Conferences - No School
4/10-414 - Spring Break - No School
5/5 - Early Release, students dismissed at 12:00
5/29 - Memorial Day - No School
Hiking Club
As members of our school community, you are aware that Albert Bridge is not yet able to provide after school programming this year, which is an immense challenge for working families. For the past several years, this need has been met by Adventure Club (AC), an outdoor based program that utilizes Ascutney mountain to give students the chance to explore, play and learn in a group setting. A group of people in our community would like to see AC become a permanent structure under the umbrella of a West Windsor recreation department and there is a group working towards that goal. This will allow AC to function as an outdoor adventure program while affording the larger community with additional recreational activities. We will keep the school community updated on that process and let you know how you might be more involved.
In the meantime, Laura Farrell, a long time member of the West Windsor community, parent of ABS graduates, ultra runner and founder of Adventure Club offered to help organize a 2 day a week hiking club out of Ascutney Outdoors called Mountain Adventures. Laura will be on-site one day per week and there will need to be volunteers dedicated to the effort as the school cannot support any staffing. The hope is that Mountain Adventures will allow our students to stay connected to the outdoors and provide some afterschool structure for families that continue to have the need.
The proposal is for Mountain Adventures to take place on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Students would arrive at the AO building by bus around 2:30, be given a snack and then go hiking, biking, and/or exploring around Ascutney Outdoors until 5pm. This program would be at no cost to families, and would run throughout the remainder of the school year. In order for this club to happen, we need parents, guardians, and community members to volunteer their time throughout the school year. Mountain Adventures needs two adults to be present for a group of 10 students or less. If more than 10 students wish to participate then we would need additional adults (ex: 10 students = 2 adults, 15 students = 3 adults, 20 students = 4 adults). For this to work, Laura needs a consistent schedule of volunteers and with that in place, she will start as soon as possible.
Please follow this link - Mountain Adventures Survey/Volunteer Sign Up and complete a google form. Feel free to share this club information with people outside of the school community who might be interested in being a volunteer. If you have any questions/concerns, reach out to myself Annalise Ennis at annalise.ennis@wsesu.net or Laura Farrell at jlfarrell0@gmail.com.Welcome Andrew McPhillips
VT. State Youth Council
We were thrilled back in May when H.293 was signed into law (Act 109), establishing a State Youth Council composed of a diverse group of 28 Vermont youth from each county responsible for advising the Governor and General Assembly on the policies that impact young persons today. As the bill (sponsored by Reps. Diane Lanpher and Michael Mrowicki) states, “Vermont’s young persons have a right to be heard and respected.” Because of the legislature’s hard work and your continued support, this oft-disenfranchised population of dynamic and innovative individuals will have the opportunity to directly participate in Vermont's democracy, effect the change they wish to see, and be empowered to guide the state’s future. And today, we’re thrilled to tell you that the Youth Services Advisory Council has begun the application process for Vermont’s youth to join this historic State Youth Council. The online application can be found here: https://bit.ly/VermontStateYouthCouncil
To ensure as diverse and inclusive an applicant pool as possible—including characteristics such as racial, gender and geographic diversity, disabilities, and age—I’m writing to you today to ask that you please share the State Youth Council information and application with your constituents. Thank you again for your dedication and support for Vermont’s youth. We look forward to seeing the positive impact Vermont’s State Youth Council will have on generations to come. Sincerely, Nicole Miller, Executive Director Vermont Afterschool, Inc.
WSESU Vision
Moving the WSESU Vision Forward
Dear WSESU Community Members, Staff, Parents, and Students:
We are looking for interested WSESU community members who would like to help us “Move the Vision Forward” for our school system. This work will be an extension of the strategic planning work that was completed in 2020 by a group of community members, students, staff, and board members.
The focus of our work this year will be to make the developed focus of the strategic plan more explicit and take it to the next level of understanding by clarifying the vision statement that is embedded in it. We also plan to bring the realities of education for today’s youth together with the strategic plan to make education meaningful, relevant, and authentic. We need your voice to bring it all together.
You can find the details of the meetings below.
If you are interested in participating, please complete the google form that is attached below. Meetings will be in-person and, due to the nature of small group discussion, will not be offered in a hybrid mode.
MEETING DATES, TIMES, LOCATIONS and TOPICS:
Dinner will be served prior to the meetings from 5:30 - 6:00.
Oct. 6th 6:00 - 7:30 at Hartland Elementary School
Topic: Strategic Plan & Portrait of a GraduateDec. 5th 6:00- 7:30 at Weathersfield School
Topic: Belonging and Identity DevelopmentFeb. 7th 6:00 - 7:30 at Hartland Elementary School
Topic: Student Agency & ControlMay 4th 6:00 - 7:30 at Weathersfield School
Topic: Bringing it all TogetherThank you again for your willingness to support our schools with your participation. I look forward to seeing you on October 6th! Please feel free to sign up even if you are unable to join all sessions.
Sincerely,
Christine Bourne
Thank you!