EMS Newsletter

Dear EMS Families & Community,

The last few weeks have been eventful, and in this issue I want to share some resources, including what we’ve been working on during our Community Time. This is in response to feedback from our Parent Advisory Group, requesting that we more frequently share resources, illuminate the social-emotional learning we are focusing on, and staying on the same page with families regarding timely issues arising in our learning community. In the spirit of collaboration and transparency, I’m passing on two recent Community Time lessons.

The first, from last week, is titled “Trying, Talent, & What Makes Things Worth Doing”. It was inspired by observations about resilience and motivation in an achievement-oriented culture, and complemented a recent staff professional development activity about the drawbacks of using the word “easy” in the classroom. The next time your child says they don’t want to do something because they feel “bad at it” or they worry that they aren’t as “good at” something as they should be, this resource may offer strategies for responding.

The second, presented this week, is titled “Gossip: Rumors at School & How (and Why) to Stop Them”. It stems from recent events at EMS, involving peer-to-peer conflict driven primarily by mean gossip, and instances when altercations have led to an unhelpful outbreak of rumor both in the school and the community. Inevitably, gossip and rumor are part of our lives, but this resource might provide tools to help your child understand the impacts of taking part in the rumor mill.

My hope is that sharing these resources creates greater awareness of how these topics are being addressed at EMS, and empowers parents and guardians to help reinforce these messages at home. And if there are other topics or issues you would love to see addressed during future EMS Community Time meetings, please do not hesitate to let me know! We appreciate and rely on a strong partnership between families and the school.

Finally, in recent weeks many families have requested resources to support conversations with their young people following incidents of violence, at school, locally, or in national news. Our counseling team has assembled a variety of “Resources for Troubling Times” that you can review, if interested. If you ever feel your child needs more support, please do not hesitate to contact Pat Hulbert (grades 7-8) or Brady Lozier (grade 6). They are here for you!

In grateful partnership,

Sabrina Westdijk

EMS Principal

Thanks to all the 6th, 7th, and 8th grade students who participated in the Edmunds Middle School Spelling Bee. Congratulations to Johnny Cunningham for finishing in 1st place. Johnny will compete at the Vermont State Competition on Tuesday, March 21st. Go Johnny!

The sixth grade is getting ready to begin our social justice curriculum in Humanities this quarter. This curriculum is co-developed with UVM each year and is informed by our district’s commitment to equity and antiracism. We are excited that this will be the fifth year in which EMS 6th grade students will have this experience.

The curriculum is designed to build on work we have done in the first part of the year to create relationships and community, establish an anchor in already existing classroom agreements, as well as learn how to engage in discussion. Classroom activities will center on learning about and applying social justice vocabulary and concepts. These concepts will then be used to analyze text, discuss contemporary and historical events, and examine our community, country and our world. Literacy skills, critical thinking, and social studies principles will be used throughout as students learn, reflect, discuss, and engage in low stakes action/awareness-raising.

For more details, including a definition of social justice education, specific topics/issues addressed and info about how our teachers have prepared and trained to deliver this content, please check out this FAQ handout!

Please do not hesitate to contact me and/or BSD's Office of Equity (equity@bsdvt.org) with questions, feedback, resources, or to learn about ways to get involved in the district's equity and antiracism efforts. Thank you!

In partnership,

Sabrina Westdijk

EMS Principal

With extreme winter temperatures and wind chills, people who are not appropriately dressed are at risk of hypothermia and frostbite. Hypothermia is when your body temperature is colder than it should be.Frostbite is an injury caused to the body by freezing. Frostbite causes a loss of feeling and color, commonly in the nose, ears, cheeks, fingers or toes. Click here to see what you should be wearing in winter weather to avoid frostbite AND how to treat frostbite. For more information about how to recognize frostbite, please visit the CDC website about frostbite here.

Hi. My name is Angela Halsted and I am the SAP (Student Assistance Professional) Counselor here at Edmunds Middle School. My role as an SAP Counselor is to support, educate and refer students (as needed) who are experiencing challenges. Students are referred to the SAP Counselor by school staff/a parent/a friend, for a variety of reasons including challenges related to substance misuse, depression, anxiety, stress, family conflict, suicidal ideation, self harm, body image and eating disorders, physical or sexual abuse and friendship challenges.

At Edmunds, I support any student for any reason.

I am also the Prevention Coordinator at Edmunds where I plan and implement a number of Prevention activities that promote making healthy choices. I feel so honored to work with our “Be Above” Group. Be Above is a caring group of students who work together to promote health and wellness in our Edmunds community and beyond. EVERYONE and ANYONE is welcome to join Be Above. We love to spread good vibes, educate and create awareness around the importance of making healthy choices.

If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to reach out to me. I am at Edmunds on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays. My email is ahalsted@bsdvt.org and my phone number is # 864-8486 x41010.