Week of October 31

Survey for Families:  This survey is designed to help us assess the level of awareness in the community regarding proficiency-based learning and personal learning plans such as student portfolios. We are working across Lamoille South Supervisory Union to develop a communications plan to get the word out on our progress on these two Act 77 initiatives. Your feedback will contribute to this plan and is much appreciated.  PBL Survey

PTO POSTS

• Chess Club:  SES Chess Club for 4-5th graders begins November 3.  Please sign up ASAP!  Use the following link to quickly sign up:  Chess Club Registration

• Art Cards:  This is a wonderful opportunity to support your student artist, contribute to the PTO, and purchase holiday gifts.  More information and ordering details can be found here:   Art Cards

• Yearbooks:  The yearbook team is already working to create a treasure for every child.  More information about ads or ordering:  Yearbook

NEWS AND EVENTS

• Parent/Teacher Conferences:  11/3: 3:30-7:00 and 11/11: 11:00-7:00.  Please sign up through PTC Wizard on the Stowe Elementary School Website.  Go to the website, then "For Parents."  Click on "Conferences" in the dropdown menu.

• PTO Art Cards:  This is a wonderful opportunity to support your student artist, contribute to the PTO, and purchase holiday gifts.  More information and ordering details can be found Here

• Stowe Youth Hockey:  Skate Classes.  Learn about skate classes and House Mites (Yikes!)

• Basketball:  Basketball season is here!  Sign up today!  Youth basketball programs are offered for all Stowe residents in grades K-6. Teams play at the SES gym. Practice and game times vary depending on the number of teams and gym availability.   

• Fall Family Hike:  Stowe Land Trust is sponsoring a family hike on November 19 at 10:00 AM.  The meeting place is Wiessner Woods parking lot off of Edson Hill Road. Don't let stick season get you down; get outside with SLT on a kid-friendly hike.  Free. All ages welcome!

• Play It Again STOWE:  A used gear sale, sponsored by SHS Chinese Program. Donate your child's outgrown equipment and gear up for the season.  Used Gear Sale

IMPORTANT DATES

Movie Night - November 10

Conferences - November 3 & 11

Thanksgiving Recess - November 23 - 25

LINKS

Yearbook Order Form

Lego Family Afternoon at Helen Day

Craft Fair Fundraiser

Play It Again, STOWE

Counseling Groups Permission Form

After School Art Classes at Helen Day Art Center

Mt. Mansfield Martial Arts

This blog is for students, parents, faculty and staff. Announcements are posted on Mondays with new items added daily. Always refresh this page to view the latest news. Please click the Archive link to view past announcements, and Follow By Email if you wish to be notified when there are new posts.

Important Website Update

At the start of the school year, the Stowe School District informed parents and the community that we registered and began to use a new domain, www.stoweschoolsvt.com. We'd like to to take an opportunity to remind you again of our new domain and ask that you please update your bookmarks and links to reflect this change.  If searching for our school sites, please look for “stoweschoolsvt.com.“

Our old domain is no longer managed by the Stowe School District. Regrettably, Stowe Schools missed the renewal on its domain name, www.stoweschools.com, and the domain was "sniped" and registered by a third party. Attempts to re-acquire the domain were unsuccessful, therefore we cannot redirect visitors from the old to the new domain. To improve access to our new domain, we have begun the process of actively promoting our domain. It is estimated that in 2-3 months, our new domain will supplant the old domain at the top of search results and enable visitors to easily find us online when searching.

The www.stoweschoolsvt.com websites are continuously being updated and offer new features to improve communciation, such as the option to receive news and  announcements from each school by e-mail.  We hope that the transition to a new domain, with new features, will ultimately improve communication and user friendliness.  We appreciate your patience and support with the transition and look forward to being back on top of the search results soon!

Week of October 24

STEAM Fair at SES
Science, Technology, Engineering, Art/Design, Mathematics

Thursday, October 27

6:30 - 7:30

Projects by students in grades 3-5

SCHOOL BOARD BRIEF
October 18, 2016

The recently released 2016 Smarter Balanced Assessment (SBAC) scores show Stowe students performing above state averages in both Math and English Language Arts across all grade levels.  Congrats to our current seniors whose SBAC scores placed Stowe among the top 5 high schools in the state for Grade 11 Math and English!  While the SBAC results show strong levels of proficiency among Stowe students, they are one of many data points that help us to identify areas for improvement.  As a next step, the school board has scheduled a comprehensive review of Stowe's K-12 math program at the December 5 meeting.  As always, school board meetings are open to the public.  SBAC data is available on the Agency of Education website and Vermont Digger  has also published a useful overview of statewide SBAC results using interactive graphs.

NEWS AND EVENTS

• Retirement:  We bid farewell to one of our fourth-grade teachers, Carol Limanek. After 33 years here at Stowe Elementary, Ms. Limanek has decided to retire for personal reasons.  We are actively seeking an interim teacher who will complete this school year with the fourth-grade team.  Ms. Limanek will remain until her replacement has been found and will facilitate the transition.  I hope you will join me in wishing her the best in her retirement.

• Parent/Teacher Conferences:  11/3: 3:30-7:00 and 11/11: 11:00-7:00.  Please sign up through PTC Wizard on the Stowe Elementary School Website.  Go to the website, then "For Parents."  Click on "Conferences" in the dropdown menu.

• PTO Art Cards:  This is a wonderful opportunity to support your student artist, contribute to the PTO, and purchase holiday gifts.  More information and ordering details can be found HERE

• Basketball:  Basketball season is here!  Sign up today!  Youth basketball programs are offered for all Stowe residents in grades K-6. Teams play at the SES gym. Practice and game times vary depending on the number of teams and gym availability.   

• Fall Family Hike:  Stowe Land Trust is sponsoring a family hike on November 19 at 10:00 AM.  The meeting place is Wiessner Woods parking lot off of Edson Hill Road. Don't let stick season get you down; get outside with SLT on a kid-friendly hike.  Free. All ages welcome!

• Stowe Gear:  Support Stowe High School students by purchasing Stowe Gear at the ONLINE STORE.  The deadline to order is 11/13.  The gear will arrive at SHS before the holiday break.

IMPORTANT DATES

STEAM Fair - October 27

PTO Art Cards Orders Due - October 28

Halloween Parade - October 31

Movie Night - November 10

Conferences - November 3 & 11

Thanksgiving Recess - November 23 - 25

LINKS

Counseling Groups Permission Form

Costume-Making at Helen Day Art Center

After School Art Classes at Helen Day Art Center

October Lunch Menu

Mt. Mansfield Martial Arts

This blog is for students, parents, faculty and staff. Announcements are posted on Mondays with new items added daily. Always refresh this page to view the latest news. Please click the Archive link to view past announcements, and Follow By Email if you wish to be notified when there are new posts.

PBL Survey

Dear Stowe Elementary Parent/Guardian,

This survey is designed to help us assess the level of awareness in the community regarding proficiency-based learning and personal learning plans such as student portfolios. We are working across Lamoille South Supervisory Union to develop a communications plan to get the word out on our progress on these two Act 77 initiatives.  Your feedback will contribute to this plan and is much appreciated.

PBL Survey

Thank you,

Marty Lacasse
Principal
Stowe Elementary

Week of October 17

Short Week - Long Weekend!

This weekend will be wonderful for picking apples, playing in the leaves and enjoying the beautiful scenery.  Students have a half-day on the 19th and return to school on Monday, the 17th.  Enjoy!



Thank you to everyone who participated in the SEF pumpkin lighting and storytelling event last week.  The creativity and imagination of the pumpkins has been enjoyed by everyone who has seen the display on Main Street.  Special thanks to Mr. Dacales and Mrs. Bradford for entertaining us with the stories, Grenier's Farmstand for providing the pumpkins and Cold Hollow Cider Mill for donating the refreshments.

NEWS AND EVENTS

• REMINDER:  SEF Priority Survey deadline is October 17.  Thanks to the many of you who have already taken the time to complete the SEF priority survey.  Your participation in our survey process helps us establish our fundraising priority list. If you have not completed a survey - please do so TODAY as the deadline is 10/17.  Click on the link below:           

                https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/SEF2016parent

 

         Thank you for supporting SEF and our schools.

• Fall Family Hike:  Stowe Land Trust is sponsoring a family hike on November 19 at 10:00 AM.  The meeting place is Wiessner Woods parking lot off of Edson Hill Road.  Don't let stick season get you down; get outside with SLT on a kid-friendly hike.  Free.  All ages welcome!

• Family Preparation:  As October is Fire Prevention/Safety month, here are useful guidelines for emergency preparation at home.  Emergency Prep 

• Stowe Education Fund:  Please visit this NEWSLETTER to learn about the many ways the SEF supports our schools.

• Banking:  Remember - banking day is Wednesday.

• The Umbrellas are in!!!

  The Stowe Cross Country team is selling large golf size green and white Stowe umbrellas. They are $20 each. Contact Becky McGovern at 253-2252 or vtmcgoverns@gmail.com. Don't get caught in the rain without one!

• *Please save Box Tops for SES!*
  Box Tops collecting is a fun and easy way to earn money for our school. Kids are great at identifying and cutting out Box Tops. Each Box Top is worth 10 cents and costs you nothing since they are on the packaging of everyday purchases. Just clip the Box Tops from the packaging and send it into school with your child. The class that collects the most Box Tops will get a pizza party this spring! There will be a collection envelope in each classroom. Annie’s, Cascadian Farm, Nature Valley, Cheerios, Pillsbury, Motts, El Paso, Bisquick, Kleenex, Ziplock and Scott are just some of the participating brands that have Box Tops. For questions contact Jossamber Shapiro Jossamber@mac.com.
  
  
• Pots & Pans:  4th grade is collecting Shaw's grocery store stamps to help buy cookware for the classroom.  Please help them out if you can.

• 4th Grade Harvest Festival:  Monday, October 24, 10:45 - 12:20, in the 4th grade classrooms.  Parents, grandparents, guardians are invited.

• Apple Tree fall fun:  October Adventures

• Nut-free Table:  Our nut-free table is set aside for children who may have allergies to food products containing nuts; however, an unintended consequence of providing this space is that children may not get to enjoy eating and socializing with their friends.  If you wish for your child to sit at the nut-free table with a friend, please complete this FORM for our office.  Any child who takes the school lunch may sit at the table.

• Birthday Book Club:  Thank you to the families that have already started to send in forms for participation.  Please click on the link and fill out the form with your child's information and send it back to school with a check or cash in your donation amount.  In the entryway at SES below the PTO bulletin board, there is a folder with paper copies. If you have any questions about the program, please email me at flashflud1@aol.com.  Thanks,  Diane Lepikko

IMPORTANT DATES

Early (noon) Dismissal - October 19

No School for Students - October 20 & 21

Halloween Parade - October 31

LINKS

Counseling Groups Permission Form

Costume-Making at Helen Day Art Center

After School Art Classes at Helen Day Art Center

October Lunch Menu

Mt. Mansfield Martial Arts

This blog is for students, parents, faculty and staff. Announcements are posted on Mondays with new items added daily. Always refresh this page to view the latest news. Please click the Archive link to view past announcements, and Follow By Email if you wish to be notified when there are new posts.

Week of October 10

PTO Fall Fundraiser Helps Bring 

CIRCUS SMIRKUS 

to SES!

Special Message from the PTO:

The SES PTO is pleased to announce that The RED BARN FALL FUNDRAISER has been extended 2 MORE WEEKS!

Thank you to SES families who have already turned in their order forms!  You still have until Thursday, October 13th to share your Red Barn Catalogs with friends and family and still receive your gifts and other items orders by the second week of November, in plenty of time for the holidays! Your Fall fundraising efforts from this event and donations will support the Circus Smirkus coming to SES this Spring, 2017. 

If you need another packet, you can pick one up from the SES office.

Thank you SES Families for your PTO donations and participation in this and other PTO fundraising events! 

NATIONAL SCHOOL LUNCH WEEK

Harvesting produce from the garden

We appreciate the many delicious, healthy, locally-grown foods that our staff provides.  Thank you!

SEF Jack-O-Lantern Lighting and Story Telling TONIGHT:

Please join SEF on Monday, October 10^th at 5:00 PM on the steps of the Akeley Memorial Building for an evening of story telling. Listen to the kindergarten teachers read stories and enjoy fall refreshments by the light of the Jack O-Lanterns carved and decorated by our students. 

This is a fun event for the whole family- please stay and supervise your children.

NEWS AND EVENTS

• Community Meeting:  Friday, October 14 at 8:20 in the gym.  The Stowe Fire Department will be talking about Fire Safety.  You're always welcome to join us!

• Raider Day:  This event has been postponed.  SHS Principal Jeff Maher will be working with the Athletic Director to reschedule.  

• Stowe Education Fund:  Please visit this NEWSLETTER to learn about the many ways the SEF supports our schools.

• SEF Annual Jack-O-Lantern Display:
  
  
  Grenier’s Farm has once again generously provided pumpkins for the annual SEF pumpkin carving contest.   They will be delivered to SES on Thursday, October 6 and available to take home on a first come, first served basis.  Carved pumpkins should be brought to the steps of the Akeley Memorial Building on Monday, October 10th from Noon- 4:30 PM.
  
  
  Due to the limited supply, please take a pumpkin only if you plan to bring it back for the display.  You are welcome to bring a pumpkin from home if you do not get one at school.
  
  
  Please note this year is a display rather than a carving contest.
  
  
  SEF Jack-O-Lantern Lighting and Storytelling:
  
  
  Please join SEF on Monday, October 10^th at 5:00 PM on the steps of the Akeley Memorial Building for an evening of storytelling. Listen to the kindergarten teachers read stories and enjoy fall refreshments by the light of the Jack O-Lanterns carved by our students. 
  
  
  This is a fun event for the whole family!
  
  
  If you would like to volunteer to help at the event, please contact valekson@gmail.com or call 730-2255.
  
  
• The Umbrellas are in!!!

  The Stowe Cross Country team is selling large golf size green and white Stowe umbrellas. They are $20 each. Contact Becky McGovern at 253-2252 or vtmcgoverns@gmail.com. Don't get caught in the rain without one!
• *Please save Box Tops for SES!*

  Box Tops collecting is a fun and easy way to earn money for our school. Kids are great at identifying and cutting out Box Tops. Each Box Top is worth 10 cents and costs you nothing since they are on the packaging of everyday purchases. Just clip the Box Tops from the packaging and send it into school with your child. The class that collects the most Box Tops will get a pizza party this spring! There will be a collection envelope in each classroom. Annie’s, Cascadian Farm, Nature Valley, Cheerios, Pilsbury, Motts, El Paso, Bisquick, Kleenex, Ziplock and Scott are just some of the participating brands that have Box Tops. For questions contact Jossamber Shapiro Jossamber@mac.com.

  
  
• Pots & Pans:  4th grade is collecting Shaw's grocery store stamps to help buy cookware for the classroom.  Please help them out if you can.

• 4th Grade Harvest Festival:  Monday, October 24, 10:45 - 12:20, in the 4th grade classrooms.  Parents, grandparents, guardians are invited.

• Apple Tree fall fun:  October Adventures

• Nut-free Table:  Our nut-free table is set aside for children who may have allergies to food products containing nuts; however, an unintended consequence of providing this space is that children may not get to enjoy eating and socializing with their friends.  If you wish for your child to sit at the nut-free table with a friend, please complete this FORM for our office.  Any child who takes the school lunch may sit at the table.

• Birthday Book Club:  Thank you to the families that have already started to send in forms for participation.  Please click on the link and fill out the form with your child's information and send it back to school with a check or cash in your donation amount.  In the entryway at SES below the PTO bulletin board, there is a folder with paper copies. If you have any questions about the program, please email me at flashflud1@aol.com.  Thanks,  Diane Lepikko

• Friday Program:  Materials for our Friday activities program will be coming soon! Please start to talk with your child about options for Friday Program so that you can return the materials to us soon after receiving them.

IMPORTANT DATES

Community Meeting - October 14

Early (noon) Dismissal - October 19

No School for Students - October 20 & 21

Halloween Parade - October 31

LINKS

Counseling Groups Permission Form

Costume-Making at Helen Day Art Center

After School Art Classes at Helen Day Art Center

Stowe Children's Theater

October Lunch Menu

Stowe Youth Hockey

Mt. Mansfield Martial Arts

This blog is for students, parents, faculty and staff. Announcements are posted on Mondays with new items added daily. Always refresh this page to view the latest news. Please click the Archive link to view past announcements, and Follow By Email if you wish to be notified when there are new posts.

Parent Portal Down for Planned Maintenance 10-7 to 10-9

This is to inform you that beginning Friday, October 7th at 7:00 p.m. until 12:00 p.m. on Sunday, Parent Portal will be down for planned maintenance.  Thank you for your patience.

Special Announcement

Community Safety Announcement

Many of you have probably heard chatter about people dressed as clowns planning on doing harm to people in schools.  Law enforcement officials assure us that none of the threats to schools have been substantiated, including reports about incidents in Vermont schools.

We want to assure you that your school district and Stowe Police Department (SPD) officials work closely together to ensure students are safe and to respond to potential disruptions to school operations, such as this sort of  hoax.

You can help by avoiding the spread of rumors on social media.  Report concerns about student or community safety directly to the Stowe Police and/or to your child's school.  Please also report any information about individuals who may be involved in this sort of threatening, disruptive behavior directly to SPD at 253-7126.

If your child has questions about this hoax, or is worried or feeling stressed about this or any other matter, please encourage them to reach out to their school counselor or any trusted adult at school.

We thank you for your assistance with preventing disruptions to student learning, as this sort of hoax can cause.

Week of October 3, 2016

OCTOBER IS FIRE PREVENTION/SAFETY MONTH

Firefighters from the Stowe Fire Department will give a special presentation at Community Meeting on October 14

WELCOME

Thomas Brace

Mr. Brace is a School-Based Clinician employed by Lamoille County Mental Health, and will be at SES 3 days/week.  Mr. Brace completed his Master in Clinical Mental Health Counseling at Johnson State College. He is a native Vermonter and is thrilled to be at Stowe Elementary! Mr. Brace loves being outdoors, whether he is biking or hiking. 

We would also like to welcome Mr. Kim Griggs as our new evening custodian.  Mr. Griggs comes to us from Seabrook Elementary School, in Seabrook, NH.  Welcome, Kim!

Community Input Needed

The Stowe Town Meeting Task Force, a group formed by the Stowe Selectboard to make recommendations to increase participation at Town Meeting, is currently engaging the community in order to better understand how the community values the annual meetings, whether there are barriers to participation, and how the meeting can be made more relevant in today’s digital and fast moving society. 

Please take a few minutes to complete their survey, which is also available at www.townofstowevt.org.

Participation in the Annual Town Meeting, which coincides with the Annual School District Meeting, has declined over the past ten years, from 10% of registered voters to 3.5%.

NEWS AND EVENTS

• Community Meeting:  Friday, October 7 at 8:20 in the gym.  Mr. Semler's class will be presenting.  You're always welcome to join us!

• Stowe Education Fund:  Please visit this NEWSLETTER to learn about the many ways the SEF supports our schools.

• SEF Annual Jack-O-Lantern Display:
  
  
  Grenier’s Farm has once again generously provided pumpkins for the annual SEF pumpkin carving contest.   They will be delivered to SES on Thursday, October 6 and available to take home on a first come, first served basis.  Carved pumpkins should be brought to the steps of the Akeley Memorial Building on Monday, October 10th from Noon- 4:30 PM.
  
  
  Due to the limited supply, please take a pumpkin only if you plan to bring it back for the display.  You are welcome to bring a pumpkin from home if you do not get one at school.
  
  
  Please note this year is a display rather than a carving contest.
  
  
  SEF Jack-O-Lantern Lighting and Storytelling:
  
  
  Please join SEF on Monday, October 10^th at 5:00 PM on the steps of the Akeley Memorial Building for an evening of storytelling. Listen to the kindergarten teachers read stories and enjoy fall refreshments by the light of the Jack O-Lanterns carved by our students. 
  
  
  This is a fun event for the whole family!
  
  
  If you would like to volunteer to help at the event, please contact valekson@gmail.com or call 730-2255.
  
  
• Band & Chorus:  There will be no band or chorus on Monday, October 10.

• Apple Tree fall fun:  October Adventures

• Nut-free Table:  Our nut-free table is set aside for children who may have allergies to food products containing nuts; however, an unintended consequence of providing this space is that children may not get to enjoy eating and socializing with their friends.  If you wish for your child to sit at the nut-free table with a friend, please complete this FORM for our office.  Any child who takes the school lunch may sit at the table.

• Attendance:  Please take a few minutes to read this informative article by the National Association of School Principals about school attendance. Attendance

• PTO News:  Chess club signup is open for students in grades 2 & 3.  For more information and to sign up, please go to:   www.SignUpGenius.com/go/30E0E44AEAD2CA0F94-seschess 

• Birthday Book Club:  Thank you to the families that have already started to send in forms for participation.  Please click on the link and fill out the form with your child's information and send it back to school with a check or cash in your donation amount.  In the entryway at SES below the PTO bulletin board, there is a folder with paper copies. If you have any questions about the program, please email me at flashflud1@aol.com.  Thanks,  Diane Lepikko

• Friday Program:  Materials for our Friday activities program will be coming soon! Please start to talk with your child about options for Friday Program so that you can return the materials to us soon after receiving them.

IMPORTANT DATES

School Board Meeting - October 3 

Community Meeting - October 7

Make-up Photo Day - October 10

Early (noon) Dismissal - October 19

No School for Students - October 20 & 21

Halloween Parade - October 31

LINKS

Stowe Leaf Blower Mountain Bike Festival

Stowe Children's Theater

October Lunch Menu

Stowe Youth Hockey

Mt. Mansfield Martial Arts

This blog is for students, parents, faculty and staff. Announcements are posted on Mondays with new items added daily. Always refresh this page to view the latest news. Please click the Archive link to view past announcements, and Follow By Email if you wish to be notified when there are new posts.