Creating Board Games

Second graders are wrapping up an exciting collaborative project: creating their own board games! Working in teams, students designed their games from start to finish—thinking through the game logic, beta testing, analyzing results, and making revisions. They wrote clear instructions and designed original packaging before presenting their games to classmates. The games will now head back to classrooms to be enjoyed during indoor recess and choice times. This project strengthened communication, problem-solving, executive functioning skills, order of operations, logic, and introduced students to basic coding concepts.

School as a Haven

Dear MMUUSD Families and Community,

I want to take a moment to reaffirm something that I hope you already know: our schools are places of safety and belonging for every student, every staff member, and every family in our community. In our Mount Mansfield Unified Union School District - five towns, one heartbeat - we are defined by our commitment to one another.

In times of uncertainty, schools matter more than ever. They are where children learn, yes, but they are also where they are known, where they are cared for, and where they belong. For many of our students, school is a haven. It is a place where the outside world pauses, where routines bring comfort, and where trusted adults show up for them every single day. We take that responsibility seriously.

I also want to be clear about how we approach safety and access to our buildings.

Our schools work hard to maintain positive, collaborative relationships with local law enforcement for safety planning, emergency response, and educational support. This partnership is vital to our community and remains unchanged. However, regarding enforcement actions not initiated by the school, we have strict protocols in place to protect student privacy and the learning environment:

● Restricted Access: No part of our schools or school property (like buses) is considered open to the public during the school day.

● Warrant Requirement: Law enforcement seeking access for non-emergency enforcement purposes must present a valid judicial warrant signed by a judge. An "administrative warrant" or "detainer" does not carry this legal authority and will not grant entry to our buildings.

● Centralized Review: Any such request is immediately routed to my office and legal counsel for review before access is considered.

These practices reflect longstanding expectations under federal law, including FERPA, and recently updated guidance from the Vermont Agency of Education. Furthermore, we do not collect information about students' immigration status, nor do we require Social Security numbers or immigration documents for enrollment.

Our goal is simple: every student should feel safe coming to school, and every school day should be uninterrupted by fear or distraction. School is where our children should be able to focus on learning, on friendships, and on growing up. We intend to protect that.

If you have questions or concerns, please reach out to your student’s or students’ principal(s) or to my office directly. We are here to listen, and we are here for your family.

With gratitude for your trust and in partnership,

John Muldoon Superintendent, MMUUSD

Jeremy Rector Principal, Richmond Elementary School

Chittenden County Food Resources

We know that winter can be a challenging time for many families, and we want to be sure everyone has access to the support they need. The Chittenden County Food Resources guide offers up-to-date information on local food shelves, meal programs, and community resources available to families in our area. You can find the full list and details linked below! Please pass this along to anyone who may need a little extra support.

VOLUNTEERING

**If you think you might VOLUNTEER at any point during the school year, please be sure to fill out the Volunteer Form now.**

Link to Volunteer Form 

It is much easier to fill it out now so you can be cleared to volunteer at any point during the school year.

ATTENDANCE

Consistent and regular attendance is paramount to student development and success.  On time arrival provides a student with the most positive start to the day.  If your student will be absent or tardy, please be sure to enter the information PickUp Patrol by 8:00am.  Our first priority is your child's safety.  If the absence or tardy is not entered into PickUp Patrol by 8:30am the office will begin to contact families.  Students are marked absent until they have checked in with the office.

**Information about PickUp Patrol will be sent out by the end of the week**

RES was fortunate to welcome Chief Valyou from the Charlotte Fire Department to teach our first graders about fire safety. As a valued member of the RES community—his son Nehemiah is a current fourth-grade student, and his two other sons attend MMU and Camel’s Hump—Chief Valyou brought both expertise and a personal connection to the lesson. Our first graders were highly engaged and truly enjoyed this important health lesson, learning practical tips to help keep themselves and their families safe.

• February 4th - Grade 3/4 Spanish Immersion and Grade 4 Field Trip to the Flynn

• February 4th - Snow Motion (Grade 3 and Grade 2)

• February 5th & 12th - Snow Motion (Grade 1, Grade 3/4 SI, and Kindergarten)

• February 5th - PreK (Goska & Zambrano) Field Trip to UID

• February 6th  - Global Play Day

• February 6th - Zambrano's Class to the Richmond Free Library

• February 7th - Penguin Plunge!

• February 11th - 2 Hour Early Release Day

• February 11th - Snow Motion (Grade 4 at 9am).  No Snow Motion for Grade 3.

2025-2026 SY District Calendar

The district has put out the SY calendar for next year over the weekend. There are minimal changes compared to this year’s school calendar. The First Student Day is back on a Wednesday (August 27th).

You can view the full 2025-26 SY Calendar HERE and it was shared in the District Happenings as well! 

We will do our best to keep our WEBSITE updated on a regular basis. We also invite you to follow us on our two main social media pages: FACEBOOK and INSTAGRAM. I also encourage you to reach out to the classroom teachers as they all communicate in a variety of different platforms!