March 2022
Principals' Post
Hello fabulous supporters, I want to first acknowledge a few key supporters. Liz Parris, Lydia Bourgeois, and Jen White transformed our gym and Barre's gym for our student-athletes. They hung posters, bought drinks, and food. A big THANK YOU to them! Special thanks to the PTO / Boosters for the fan tickets and pizza.
Teachers and school community! Wow! The level of excitement and best wishes we received during this great playoff run was just remarkable. The spirit of this community is what brought us so much success. The level of excitement each of you had is indescribable. Thank you for powering us through this deep playoff run. We could not have done it without you. Your love and support never wavered. Thank you!
I know that there is a lot of emotion surrounding the game and I just want to take a moment to reflect. I am super proud of our season and our accomplishments. We learned a lot about ourselves and become better people throughout the season. The level of grit and togetherness they showed last night was just amazing. They fought their hearts out until the final buzzer. That is all I could ever ask of them. When the final buzzer sounded I witnessed a lot of emotions. These are natural life lessons. I knew they cared and wanted to do something special for their community. I told them on November 30th (first day of tryouts) we want to get to Barre. They took that challenge on and got down to work. They were resilient through the ups and downs of this season.
We didn't win the championship last night, but we did win a lifetime of memories and bonds. I will forever look back at this season as the start of something Real! We sang together, we lost together, we cried together, we won together, but the most important thing WE STAYED TOGETHER. These guys have set the bar high for the future of our athletic department.
Please help me embrace them and console them as they are experiencing these emotions. They didn't lose, we won in so many ways. Remind each of them how important they are to our learning community.
I can't thank you all enough. The gym was electric and the community rallied for us all season long. I have not seen the gym this full in 4 years. The culture is changing and people are coming out to support these young men. This is a testament to who they really are and what they stand for. We have a lot to celebrate and every kid is hoping to be a part of our new journey. We will get back to Barre!
Special thanks to our property service and grounds folks! You guys are the best!
Accomplishments
21-3 overall record
Rank #1 in D3
Mountain Division Champs
We won our first 9 games
1000 point scorer
Sharras McIver (North / South team)
Camden Benoit (Unsung hero BFP)
Trevon Bradley (Dream Dozen) 12 Best underclassmen in the state across all divisions.
Mountain Division awards will be released soon.
In partnership,
Coach Jackson
WSD Director of Athletics
802-363-5856
"I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel." Maya Angelou
Hello Educators, please help in congratulating our student-athletes.
We are proud to announce
Mountain Division player of the year goes to.................... Trevon Bradley!
This is the highest achievement award in our division. Trevon won this award by his leadership and basketball excellence. Congrats "1K Tre".
We have several first team selections for All state: Kiara Mack, Trevon Bradley, Sharras McIver.
We also have two honorable mentions Daniel Surma, and Ayden Johnson. Winooski Boys basketball team had the most boys from one school to win awards this season.
We are proud of these accomplishments. They all worked hard on getting these awards. It's a great day to be a Spartan.
Congratulations Kiara, Tre, Sharras, Daniel, Ayden!
Job well done!
In partnership,
Coach Jackson
WSD Director of Athletics
41st Annual Outstanding Teachers’ Day
Date: Wednesday, March 23, 2022
Time: 4:30 P.M.
Link to access the event: https://go.uvm.edu/outstandingteachersday
If you would like to forward this invitation to family, friends or colleagues, please feel free to do so.
If you have trouble accessing the event, please contact the Virtual Event Support at 802-598-0295 for assistance; they will be available from 4:00 to 5:00 p.m.
UVM Event Services will mail a certificate to each nominee at their school following the event.
If you cannot attend the 41st Annual Outstanding Teachers’ Day live broadcast event, the link with the recorded video will be available on the Outstanding Teachers’ Day website at
Outstanding Teachers’ Day is held by the University of Vermont’s College of Education and Social Services in partnership with the Vermont Agency of Education.
We will be providing live captioning for this event. If there are additional accommodations we can provide to allow you to fully engage in this event please email Renée Soutiere, CMP, at renee.soutiere@uvm.edu to make arrangements.
We hope you will be able to attend this remarkable event.
Sincerely,
Renée Soutiere, CMP
Conference Coordinator
University Event Services
University of Vermont
on behalf of
Katharine Shepherd, Ed.D.
Interim Dean
College of Education and Social Services
University of Vermont
HQT Parent/Guardian Notification – Under the federal No Student Left Behind Act, all parents/guardians in our school have the right to request information about the qualifications of their Student’s teachers including paraprofessionals, if any. If you are interested in knowing about the qualifications of your Student’s teachers and/or paraprofessionals, if any, please contact Sara Raabe at 655-0411.
Winooski Partnership for Prevention Survey
Are you a parent/guardian of a middle- or high-school student in Winooski? Help Winooski Partnership for Prevention and UVM Medical Students by completing a survey (less than 5 minutes!) to learn more about you and your children’s health knowledge. This survey will help us to understand how we can get you the information you need to help your children make healthy decisions when it comes to substance use. Please share the link with your middle- and high-school students as well! https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/95W3VPL
ATTENTION ALL HIGH SCHOOL/CTE STUDENTS
All VT Secondary students in any discipline can enter the 14th annual Entrepreneurship Business Plan/Model Canvas or Business Video Pitch contest now! Students have a chance to demonstrate a variety of skills to take their idea from inception to a business model plan or business video pitch. The experience of competing in these contests can be awe-inspiring on a student’s resume, application for employment, or post-secondary education! Submissions due – May 2nd. Click here to view requirements: https://www.vtsbdc.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/14th-Annual-Student-Bus-Entrepreneurship-Competitions.pdf
Contact: Laurel Butler – lbutler@vtsbdc.org or (802)922-3692 - Vermont Small Business Development Center
For more programs for students & educators: https://www.vtsbdc.org/specialty-services/youth-entrepreneurship/
2023 Vermont Teacher of the Year Nominations Open through March 17, 2022
Audience: All
Did a colleague in your building differentiate herself during the pandemic? Did a specific teacher make you or your child feel more connected? Is there a teacher who you think has never received acknowledgment for his innovation in the classroom? Now is your chance to celebrate that great work by nominating an educator as the Vermont Teacher of the Year. Any currently practicing, licensed teacher in Vermont is eligible for nomination. The application only takes a couple of minutes to complete, but hurry, as nominations close on March 17, 2022.
Contact: Pat Fitzsimmons at Pat.Fitzsimmons@vermont.gov
Open House for Students and Parents
Jean,
CCV is excited to announce three virtual open house information sessions for high school students and their parents. All are invited to meet current students and staff, ask questions, and learn about the many programs available to Vermont students at CCV.
Please help us promote this opportunity by sharing it with your students and their families. For your convenience, an event flyer is attached.
Tuesday, March 22, 6:00 - 7:00 PM
Free Opportunities for High School Students
Tuesday, March 29, 6:00 - 7:00 PM
Great Opportunities for High School Graduates
Tuesday, April 5, 6:00 - 7:00 PM
To view session descriptions and to register, visit:
Sincerely,
Natalie Searle - (802-885-8368) natalie.searle@ccv.edu
Adam Warrington - (802-654-0543) adam.warrington@ccv.edu
Thank you for helping to spread the word!
We hope you will join us for our next teen science cafe! This will be IN-PERSON @ UVM!
When: This Saturday, March 19
Time: 5:00 - 7:00 pm
Topic: Precision Genomics Medicine and Diagnostics (Learn more here)
Our presenter Seth Frietze, PhD is an associate professor in the Department of Biomedical and Health Sciences at the University of Vermont (UVM) and program leader at the UVM Cancer Center. Research in his Genomics and Epigenetic laboratory at UVM is aimed at understanding the molecular mechanisms of breast cancer and leukemia and seeks to identify targets for developing new treatments.
Make sure to register ahead of time so we know how much pizza to order - click here to register.
And we have more in-person cafes scheduled this Spring (April 9, April 30 and May 14). Learn about them here.
March 8, 2022
Dear WMHS Families,
We shared the following letter with students today about yesterday's student-led walkout. Please contact us if you have questions or concerns.
Thanks,
Principals Jean & Kate
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Dear Students,
Yesterday, we heard from many of you about your concerns about budget cuts that will eliminate one teaching position for next year. We want to let you know that we hear you and understand and respect your concerns. Unfortunately, before yesterday’s walk out we didn’t know why you were engaging in this act of civil disobedience. Please know our door is always open - we want to hear from you!
Once we were able to meet we discussed the following:
The iLab remains a program that is available for students next year. We have teachers who have been trained in the iLab model over the years and some other teachers will be assigned to the iLab.
GXs and GPs are here to stay! We are making important improvements in our proficiency based learning system that are needed to make it less confusing for students, families, and new teachers. There will be fewer GPs and they will be aligned to national standards so that students who are new to our school or transfer to another high school will be able to continue their pathway to graduation. Our GXs are being improved and a team of teachers are working on them now.
Teacher reductions are never easy and this year we needed to make cuts in order to pass a budget with the voters of Winooski. We considered what students needed for their education and how many teachers we had in endorsement areas (subjects that teachers are licensed to teach). We identified that social studies was an area that if we had to cut, we could. Once we identify that endorsement area, we follow the teachers’ contract to confirm with the teachers’ union who the newest teacher is in that subject area. Mr. Will Andrews is that teacher for social studies. Mr. Andrews is not being “fired”. We continue to hope that we may be able to work with him in the future.
We heard many of you speak fondly about how effective Mr. Will Andrews is and his wonderful relationship with you as an educator.
We discussed the work that is underway by high students to establish a constitution of a new student government. The next step is to help students understand that constitution before ratifying or approving it as a student body. Your co-principals have been supporting these students and are eager to have a student government in place to work with us moving forward.
Students asked if funds provided to the school from the federal government (President Biden) can be used to keep Mr. Will Andrews. We explained that unfortunately those funds need to be spent in specific ways and would not be able to be used.
When any student (or adult for that matter) sacrifices something for a cause that they care about, they need to accept that there will need to be repairs or consequences. Several students have followed up with us today to take personal responsibility, which has only strengthened our relationship. Out of respect for our student body we are asking students who participated in yesterday’s event to attend a session with their co-principals to further learn and grow from this experience. Since this event took a little over an hour we are planning our sessions for an hour on the afternoon of March 17th or 18th during conferences in the afternoon.
Yesterday, we heard from students who apologized on behalf of all students for the chaos and disrespect from other students that joined the walk-out. Your words were meaningful to us and affirmed by the students who were present. Please know that we are always eager to hear from each and every one of you. Principal Kate and I just hope that in the future we have the opportunity to hear about your concerns before organizing a walk-out so that we can be thoughtful in addressing concerns or problem solving, together.
Thank you,
Co-Principals Jean & Kate
Important Dates
Varsity Boy's Basketball Quarterfinals Playoff Game vs. Green Mountain High School- Saturday, March 5th @2:00p.m. (Doors open @1:30p.m.)
WMHS Winter Concert- March 16th @6:00p.m.
Family Conferences- March 17th & 18th
In-Service for Staff- March 31st & April 1st (11:00 a.m. dismissal)
Upcoming Winter Concert:
Come support our students at the WMHS Concert on March 16th at 6:00pm in the gym. Thank you all for your support!
The video to the right provides you with a short preview from our middle schoolers on what's to come!
Spartan Sports Update
Hello all, I am super proud of our Girls Varsity team. They came up short in the quest to knock off a #5 seed. If you happen to see one of our seniors please remind them how important they are to our community. I know this is not the outcome they wanted but they played their hearts out. This team has come a very long way and I know the future is bright. I had the opportunity in Royalton last night to share with the girls on how proud I am of their accomplishments as they were entering the locker room.
These girls have taken the bigger than basketball approach seriously. They raised money for the Hope lodge to continue to remind us about the effects of Cancer. We know right here in our own community someone is fighting this awful disease. Our girls basketball team wanted to stand and fight with every survivor and fighter. We are truly stronger together.
They brought awareness to social injustice and shared quotes from historical leaders like Ruby Bridges, Rosa Parks, MLK jr. I am proud of their selflessness and how they want to better our community. The wins on the scoreboard are truly nice but the wins in life are the best results.
These girls may have lost their first round playoff game but as you can see they won in so many ways. I am truly proud of the coaching staff and these young ladies that carried the torch to our new beginnings.
Please help me to congratulate each and everyone of these players and coaches.
WE ARE THE SPARTAN FAMILY
Sam Jackson, Winooski Middle & High School Athletic Director
Celebration of Learning!
Students in Ms. Caitlin MacLeod-Bluver's Block 4 Challenging Systems of Oppression class presented some of their written work as they finish their first unit on the U.S. Reconstruction. A few students read excerpts of their writing, and then invited guest teachers and principal independently participated in "gallery walk style" to read student writing and provide individual students with constructive feedback on their writing. Students then celebrated their work together with refreshments!
First Winooski "Business Fair"
On Friday, March 4th, Entrepreneurship students were awarded $100 in mini grants to start a business. They have been working on this since January and are competing to see which business will be most profitable. Some of the groups have products to sell and others are still looking for feedback and ideas. Students and staff stopped by and supported entrepreneurship students by engaging and asking them questions. It's a learning process for our students.
The Governor's Institutes of Vermont
This summer, your 9th-11th grade students are invited to join a community of young Vermonters as passionate as they are at one of GIV's nine in-person, residential Institutes!
At GIV, your students will spend 1-2 weeks living on a college campus, totally immersed in a topic of their choosing. They'll learn from industry professionals, participate in hands-on projects and research, explore career options, and make new friends!
Applications are open until April 3rd, and tuition starts at just $10.
Visit our website for more info! GIV.org/summer
Parent Information Sessions on Rule Changes
The Agency of Education Special Education Team will be hosting two Parent Information Sessions on Special Education Rule Changes. Linked here is flyer for parents.
Contact: Christopher Kane at christopher.kane@vermont.gov if you have any questions.
Underage Drinking Quiz
The Vermont Department of Liquor and Lottery's Underage Drinking Quiz seeks to educate teens and parents about the realities, perceptions and consequences of underage drinking in Vermont. Although the quiz is targeted towards teens and parents, anyone who wishes to learn more is free to take it as well!
This anonymous quiz will be available through April 30, 2022. Although the quiz is anonymous, we do ask two optional demographic questions at the end of the quiz so that we can analyze the age ranges and counties of participants. This will help us target future training efforts to those populations who were not adequately represented in the results.
Dear Families,
We hope that you are well and are appreciating the new snow on this snow day!
As we are in the early days of the second semester, we wanted to remind families of the importance of attendance and timeliness to school. This year continues to be challenging in terms of the pandemic. When students arrive after 8:00 they miss important instruction or may delay instruction for other students. Late arrivals to school make it challenging for students to be part of a learning community. They may miss breakfast or the opportunity to establish connections with peers and teachers. We are asking for your support in getting students here on time to school. This support may mean revisiting night time routines, relationships with devices past a certain hour at night, and/or setting clear expectations for what time students would need to leave home to arrive to school by 8:00 a.m.
Below you will find an important message regarding social media that we want to bring to your attention and some wonderful events that have happened recently that we are excited to share with you in case you may have missed them.
Best regards,
Jean Berthiaume & Kate Grodin, Co-Principals
Addressing Social Media Concerns
We wanted to share with you that we are aware of several student generated, inappropriate Instagram accounts. They seem to be mostly generating views and support in the middle school. Members of administration, technology, guidance, and our school resource officer have worked together and spoken to the entire middle school this week about how these accounts are unkind and can lead to real consequences now and in the future. Although it appears that the posts are largely happening outside of the school day, their impact creeps into our learning time together. Please know that these accounts are being monitored by us and you should reach out if your student is impacted by future posts. Below are several links to resources that you may find helpful as you navigate parenting and technology.
Best,
Kate Grodin & Jean Berthiaume, WMHS co-principals
Drew Blanchard, technology integrationist
Amanda Spencer, MS counselor
Officer Jason Ziter, School Resource Officer
Common Sense Media’s information defining digital harassment: https://www.commonsensemedia.org/cyberbullying/what-is-digital-harassment
Common Sense Media’s short video for adults - how to help kids respond to digital harassment: https://d1pmarobgdhgjx.cloudfront.net/parenttip/PT_digital-harassment.mp4
Five steps to stop cyberbullies (short video at the top of the page): https://www.commonsensemedia.org/videos/5-ways-to-stop-cyberbullies
WMHS Students Engage with Community!
WHS students help VPR launch Black History Month
This week some WHS students were interviewed by Connor Cyrus, co-host of VPR's Vermont Edition for a Live call-in discussion: February is Black History Month. VPR began the month by looking at the Black experience in Vermont. They asked Black Vermonters to tell them about living in the state. We are really proud of our students for showing the courage it takes to share their experiences. Here is a link to the show that aired on Thursday, February 3rd. You can hear our students starting around minute 12:50.
A Win, Win On The Court With Social Justice Night!
Winooski boys basketball brings the community together to talk about race! The Winooski boys' basketball team beat BFA Fairfax 56-40 Wednesday night, but before the game, the team and community wanted to talk about race. The team hosted a "Social Justice Night." They organized a video presentation to share personal experiences of bias and racism. A representative from the Vermont Racial Justice Alliance was also invited to speak to the crowd. Check out Channel 5’s coverage of this game and event held here at WHS on Wednesday, February 2, 2022.
Much credit goes to our athletic director and varsity basketball coach Sam Jackson on his work with our student athletes.
Starting to Plan for Next School Year
High School Students are beginning to consider educational options for next year. During high school advisories, students are introduced to our tech program options. We share these videos with families to support conversations with your student(s). Below you will find links to introductions to the 2 tech centers: Burlington Technical Center (BTC) & Center for Technology, Essex (CTE) and the rich education programs that Winooski students have available to them.
Grades 9-12 BTC Intro Video
Grades 10-12 CTE Intro Video
Grade 9 CTE pre-tech Video
Linked here is virtual tour and app for the Essex Tech program
Thank You PTO & Boosters!
Here is a picture of the girls A and B middle school basketball team on a Premier Coach bus heading out to an away game!
The PTO and Boosters made it possible for our student athletes to make it to away games in light of bus driver shortage with our busing company STA.
Planning for Summer Continued Learning
Summer Immersion Programs
Free virtual Summer Immersion Program and our Self-Paced Program for any 9-12th graders before our Feb 16th early acceptance deadline.
Our Summer Programs flyer with an overview of the program
Our webinar page for our on-demand pre-recorded informational webinar and upcoming live sessions
Our FAQ page can provide answers about the program details and our grants up to $500 in financial support that supplements students’ experiences during the free program.
P.S. In addition to the Summer Programs, as a reminder you can check out our Clubs flyer here if you’re interested in accessing free Clubs coding curriculum, resources, and educator training that is open to students of all genders.
Exhibitions of Our Graduate Expectations (GXs) High school students participate in presentations of learning!
This week, the Winooski High School (WHS) held our annual January Exposition of Learning, which is called JanPo (short for January ExPosition). It is a time for students to demonstrate what they have learned in their classes during the fall. It is the final requirement for the semester, an innovative approach to the traditional ‘final exam week’, and an important time for our community.
This year, each student presented learning in two of our six Graduate Expectations (GXs). The six GXs are the major skills students will need to succeed in any area of life they choose. Students also attended presentations by other students during the week.
“JanPo elevates a student’s formal presentation experience because they are sharing their learning with a group of teachers and students they may not know. Students also get to see presentations about learning that’s been happening in classes they might want to take in the future,” said Lindsey Cox, WHS Teacher and Expo Coordinator.
11th grade Student Rowyn Abbott-Smith presented her Creativity GX this week. Her presentation was a series of short animations that she’d worked on during the fall semester. “I received a lot of supportive feedback about my work from other students. I also presented a reflection about my project, like what went well, and what I could have done better. I felt good showing it off. It was really cool to see the stuff other people did. A lot of the projects were really good. I don’t usually don’t get to see other people's work so that was interesting.”
Read more about our GXs here: bit.ly/WinooskiGX
Spartan Sports
All spectators are welcome at our home basketball games. As a reminder we ask that spectators respect social distancing as best as they can. Masks are required no matter of anyone's vaccination status.
Due to construction there is no direct access to our gym. The door on the right is the entrance to the school (next to the road going to the back of school). Enter the door and walk straight back to the end of the hallway, turn left at the end of hallway and exit through the double doors leading to the construction tunnel, walk thru tunnel and come to a ramp, go through the door and gym is right around the corner.
A special thanks goes out to our Boosters & PTO for supporting our athletes in reliable transportation for away games. As you may be aware, the bus driver shortage that has impacted our normal bus service with STA as made it challenging to get to away games these school year. The Boosters & PTO have reach out to Premier bus service (which had been cost prohibitive with this year's budget) to negotiate a deal for the remaining away games for the basketball season. Thank you Chris Freije for negotiating this contract on behalf or our students, boosters, and PTO.
Below is the game schedule for this coming week:
January 24th
Winooski Girls @ Mater Christi B team 4pm and A team at 5pm Bus departure 3:30pm
Mater Christi Boys @ Winooski B team at 4pm and A team at 5pm.
January 25th
HS Girls @ Hazen JV at 5:30pm and Varsity at 7pm
January 26th
HS Boys @ Northfield 6pm Varsity ONLY
January 27th
MS Girls A @ Westford 4pm
MS Boys A @ Westford 5pm
HS Girls @ Craftsbury 6pm Varsity ONLY
January 28th
HS Boys @ Stowe JV 5:30pm, Varsity 7pm
January 29th
HS Girls @ Northfield JV at 1:00pm Varsity at 2:30p
Parent Workshops Coming Up
Our second round of parent workshops will take place on the following dates for parents of all Winooski students:
Tuesday January 25th 3:30-5:30 at the School (JFK entrance)
Open to all parents
Featuring speakers from UVM, CCV, and Essex Tech
Saturday January 29th 12:00-2:00 at the School (JFK entrance)
Swahili, French, and Kirundi speakers
Featuring speakers from St. Micheal's College, Essex Tech, Heidi - to talk about school systems
Saturday January 29th 4:00-6:00 at the School (JFK entrance)
Bhutanese/Nepali folks
Featuring speakers Champlain College, CCV, and Essex Tech
Saturday January 30th 11:00-1:00 at 87 Elm Street
Somali and Mai Mai speakers
Featuring speakers from Burlington Tech, Essex Tech, and CCV
*VSAC will be present at all meetings to help talk about finances, childcare is provided, and there will be food. Masks are required and we will have extra at the door.
Sunday January 30th 9:00-10:00 am at the School
CDL information session for any parents interested in pursuing their CDL truck driving license and/or endorsement to drive a school bus.
Interpretation provided for Somali, Swahili, Nepali, and Pashto speakers (please be in touch with Larkin Brown at lbrown@wsdvt.org or 8023166995 if you have any other interpretation needs)
Veggie VanGo Update:
Due to the cold weather forecasted for Friday, we are postponing this week's Veggie VanGo to January 28th.
Here are some resources that we would like to share with you in like of this cancellation:
The Winooski Food Shelf, located at 24 West Allen St., Winooski, is open this Saturday (Jan 8) from 9:30-11:00am, and next Wednesday (Jan. 12) from 2:00pm - 4:00pm.
Feeding Chittenden, the food shelf located at 228 N. Winooski Ave in Burlington, is open for groceries Monday thru Friday, 10:00am - 4:00pm.
And, remember Vermont 211; anyone in Vermont can dial 2-1-1 toll free to get help from a real person with food, heat, or housing.
Extended Learning Opportunities for Students and Families
Some programs have switched to virtual and/or been canceled. And one new program has been added. You can learn about each program and register at the 4-H Announcements Page: https://www.uvm.edu/extension/youth/announcements
Teen Science Cafes
The January 22 in-person cafe will now be held virtually on Thursday, January 27 from 7-8 pm.
The February 5 in-person cafe will now be held virtually on Wednesday, February 9 from 7-8 pm.
Note: Start Thinking About Summer! We will be hosting the AgroTek Summer Academy at UVM at the end of June 2022. Both of these science café topics will be one of the featured free week-long residential academies where participants will dive deeper in to the subject. More information about the AgroTek Summer Academies will be provided at each teen science café.
Discover Engineering
The in-person event to be held at UVM on Saturday, February 12 has been canceled.
All other events and activities connected to Engineering Month are still happening (i.e., learn to code, teen science cafes, career exploration, Rube Goldberg Challenge, Create Your Own Invention Contest). See an updated calendar of events here.
We have added a new program on Tuesday, February 8 called 4-H Teen Time: Career Exploration - Engineering & Product Design.
Science Olympiad
This event is still being planned for Saturday, April 2 and we would love more high schools, youth groups or organizations from around the State to field a team. We can put you in touch with an experienced SO coach to help you get started. The best advice we heard from existing teams has been: Give it a try. Don't get overwhelmed with all that you could do. Just start small. Maybe compete in just a few of the SO events to get a feel for this event. SO is really well-known and is a big deal; looks great on student's college applications. Email Lauren.Traister@uvm.edu if you are interested in participating.
You can learn about each program and register at the 4-H Announcements Page: https://www.uvm.edu/extension/youth/announcements
Lauren Traister
4-H Teen & Leadership Program Coordinator
University of Vermont Extension
(802) 888-4972 x 402
7/8 Expedition Celebration of Learning
During this semester, students have read The Omnivore's Dilemma in order to learn about where our food comes from in the US. 7th & 8th graders compared the four different systems (Industrial, Industrial-Organic, Local Sustainable, Hunter-Gatherer) presented in the book, and synthesized that with information we learned from two movies: Food Inc. and The Biggest Little Farm. We also took a trip to Shelburne Farms to see some of our learning in action. The celebration of learning scheduled for December 15th was cancelled, but check out some exemplar work below!
To the left are several infographics that were illustrated in Visual Arts. Below are several Public Service Announcements written, performed, and edited in Theater Arts.
Test to Stay - Help Us Keep Students in School!
We are reaching out because we are seeking your help to register all WSD students for Test to Stay regardless of their vaccination status. Test to Stay means that if your student(s) is deemed a close contact in school, they can be tested at school with a rapid antigen test. If the test is negative they will be able to stay in school. If their test is positive your student(s) will need to go home.
The links for the two forms that need to be filled out can be easily found on our school website as a blue banner on the homepage. Please register your student today! Here is the link to our school district's website.
Entrepreneurship Students Start Up Micro Businesses
What business would you start for $100? That was the challenge for Winooski High School Entrepreneurship students. Now several micro businesses are starting in class and expanding through our school community. In a few weeks students will have started a thrift store as well as businesses that create custom jewelry, phone cases, and clothing. Students are utilizing critical thinking skills, creativity and persistence as they put their ideas into action, creating products and marketing them through social media and in person conversations.
VSAC - Financial Aid Application Nearing Deadline
Deadlines are approaching but there's still time to apply for 2022-2023 financial aid. Follow these steps today!
Step 1: File the FAFSA. The Free Application for Federal Student Aid is the 1st step to getting college financial aid. Need some guidance? View VSAC's step-by-step webinar.
Step 2: Complete the Vermont State Grant application. Grants are often called "gift aid" as they don't need to be paid back. Need some guidance? View VSAC's step-by-step webinar.
Step 3: Seek out Scholarships. With a single application, you can apply for more than 120 VSAC-assisted scholarships. Start now so you don't miss the February 11th deadline.
Need help filling out the FAFSA? Sign up for a one-on-one session with a VSAC counselor. Zoom meetings are being offered every Friday in January.
Virtual Teen Science Cafe 2022
We hope you will join us next Tuesday, January 11 from 7:00-8:00 pm for our first virtual teen science cafe of 2022!
Come and learn about "The Long and Winding Road of Developing New Cancer Therapies." Learn more here.
Our presenter Brian Cunniff, PhD is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine in the Larner College of Medicine at the University of Vermont. Brian received his PhD from UVM and conducted postdoctoral research and the University of Utah and Harvard Medical School. Brian’s lab is developing new therapies for hard-to-treat cancers including malignant mesothelioma and ovarian cancer. Research conducted in Brian’s lab has contributed to a new therapy being tested in patients with malignant mesothelioma. Brian’s lab is comprised of an excellent team of researchers at all stages of their careers, from high-school students, undergraduate students, graduate students, and advanced research technician/analysts.
Make sure to register ahead of time to get the Zoom link - click here.
And check out the rest of our Winter/Spring cafe schedule and register!
Save the Dates - Discover Engineering!
The Vermont 4-H Program and the UVM College of Engineering and Mathematical Sciences (CEMS) have teamed up to host a variety of programs the entire month of February 2022 to promote the field of engineering. Our goal is to expose youth to engineering, build skills and help youth understand different pathways they can take to pursue a future as an engineer.
Check out all of the different FREE learning opportunities happening during the month – all leading up to National Engineering Week, February 20-26, 2022.
Activities include:
Create Your Own Invention Contest (grades 3-12), entries due February 19
Rube Goldberg Challenge (grades 3-12), entries due February 19
How Did You Get There? Career Panel Series for Students, topic "Electrifying Learning & Engineering," February 2
4-H World Changers: Learn to Code (grades 5-12), starts February 3
VTeen 4-H Science Pathways Cafes (grades 7-12), in-person February 5, virtual February 22 (engineering focus)
4-H@Home Engineering Activities, new activity shared each Monday in February
And, don't miss our hallmark event DISCOVER ENGINEERING on Saturday, February 12, 2022 at the UVM Davis Center and other campus locations. This event is for youth in grades 5-12 and will have two distinct parts:
In the morning youth participants will engage in an Engineering Scavenger Hunt. We have invited engineering businesses and CEMS student groups to host exhibit tables to share their work and engineering expertise. Each exhibitor will submit a question to include in the scavenger hunt; the answer to these questions can be discovered by visiting the exhibit tables. Collectively, this allows youth to learn about different kinds of engineering and career pathways. There will also be a robotics demonstration by some of the FIRST Robotics teams.
In the afternoon participants will continue to connect with engineering professionals and UVM engineering students through hands-on skill-building workshops.
We hope you will encourage your students to participate in some of the programs and activities!
Please reach out with any questions.
Information and registration for each program can be found at: https://www.uvm.edu/extension/youth/announcements
Lauren Traister
4-H Teen & Leadership Program Coordinator
University of Vermont Extension
(802) 888-4972 x 402
