EMS Newsletter

Hello EMS Families!

The end of the first Quarter of our school year is almost upon us! That is wild. In some ways I feel like we just got started, and in other ways I feel like I can’t remember a time when my day wasn’t filled with the educational lives of your children. The days are so full and move so fast and already they are getting shorter.

It is dark now when I get up in the morning to get ready for school, but I am doing so with no less excitement and bounce in my step. This week we had UVM students from the University’s “Space Club” - who are working on projects funded by NASA (!!!) - down at EMS doing rocketry workshops with our 6th graders. 7th and 8th graders presented their public speaking projects. EL students held a debate that was apparently so robust that it ran right through the end of first period…and then right through second period…and midway into third period before the teachers finally called it! I sat in on a Health class having open and honest conversations about reproductive health in a giggly, but safe environment without shame. I watched Humanities students vulnerably discuss the impact of White Supremacy Culture on their lives. Folks, my job is so cool.

With all of this amazing stuff happening, you may be asking, When do I find out what my student is learning? The answer is during our Fall Student-Led Conferences.

Conferences this Fall will be held primarily on November 20th and 21st, though some teachers may offer additional times. There will be in-person and virtual options. And conferences this year will be hosted by your student’s Community Time teacher. There will be significantly more information to come about these conferences and how to sign up for them.

The most important thing to let you know though, is that these conferences are Student-Led. That means your children are going to be preparing a portfolio of their work from the first Quarter to present to you. Science projects, speeches, debates, Health projects, Humanities essays, you name it. They will select the work they are most proud of and lead a presentation to demonstrate their learning so far this year.

There are a number of reasons we are opting for this format of conference rather than the traditional one where parents dialogue with teachers about the child. I could (and might) write a whole essay on the reasons. But the biggest one is this: Student-led conferences put your student at the center of the experience, which, especially at this developmental age, is right where they should be.

Hey, how was school? Fine. What’d you do? Nothing.

This dialogue may or may not be familiar to you. It is already familiar to me with my kindergartener (though she lets her guard down when she gets sleepy and starts talking, #parenthack). But these conferences are the time when you get to hear from your child all about their learning, with visual aids and examples.

When I first became a parent, I often heard repeated: The days are long, and the years are short. When the kids were really little, and those days were really long, this felt true to me. But now, it feels like everything has sped up. The days are shorter than ever. Your kids are doing some really cool things at school. Some of it is happening so fast, they might not even realize how much they are learning, or what it means, or (gasp) they might not even think it is cool. If you are able to slow them down enough to hear about it, do that (and tell me how you did it so I can write it down for later).

And if not, maybe start modeling some reflection on your own work, whatever work means to you, and mark your calendars for conferences. I bet they will put some bounce in your step.

Thanks,

John

We have Early Dismissal at 11:30am this Wednesday 10/25. BSD staff will be continuing our ongoing Antiracist Professional Development Strands this afternoon. We thank all of you for your investment in this work as we continue to strive toward our vision of an antiracist, inclusive district.

Yes, we are having a Fall Dance!!! EngageEMS Welcomes you on 11/10 to an All-School Dance. Please click the QR code to sign up to Volunteer!

How Sweet it is!

The 7th and 8th graders have been busy making reduction prints with a sweet theme. A reduction print is made when an artist creates a multi-colored, layered print using a single printing block. It’s complex and exciting at the same time. We also added a haikus to sweeten the lesson- writing across the curriculum. We hope you eat them up!