Principal's Corner Newsletter

Dear Students and Families,

This week, our intermediate math team brought home a first-place finish, with several team members winning top spots. The high school team currently holds second place in their division as they prepare for the upcoming final meet. Members of the junior math team placed first and third. Congratulations to the math teams! The Vermont Team Leadership Safety Program (VTLSP) students spread positive messages across the school through their “PS I Love You Campaign.” Ninth grade students took to the frozen waters of Dewey’s Pond and the snow-covered slopes of Mount Ascutney to participate in the annual outdoor wellness days. Math teacher, Heather Vonada, earned her National Board Teacher Certification. Congratulations, Ms. Vonada!

Congratulations, students, for your first semester achievements! Please follow this link to see the first semester Honor Roll.

Happy Super Bowl Sunday!

Warm regards,

Garon Smail

The Intermediate Math team brought home their second first place finish in last week's math meet! Lili Morris, Aidan Keough-Vella, Aubrey Seman and Dext Namkung all worked hard competing in 3 of the 4 sections. They beat out 5 other teams to come in first place. Dext Namkung was the top scorer for the entire Intermediate division. There is one meet left and this team is currently in 2nd place overall. They are hoping to have another big win in March to win the whole thing! Congratulations Mathletes!!!!!

Junior Math Team members place in Math Meet 3 held at Bellows Falls High School

Lexi Audsley finished in first place and Luke Pomeroy took third in the individual competition of our most recent meet. Congratulations Lexi and Luke!!

This week, VTLSP brought back their annual P.S. I Love You Campaign, a national campaign that addresses suicide prevention and mental health awareness on the second Friday of February. As a peer leadership group, we dedicate the day to reminding everyone of their worth and the positive impact they have on our lives. Advisories took part in writing positive messages on purple post-it notes and they were all put up and displayed on Friday. On Thursday, we brought in Grief Recovery Specialist Kyle Ludwig to offer support and suggestions on grief and loss during ARE time. VTLSP students made S.O.S. kits or Save Our Students kits that had clay, fidget toys, and lollipops to hand out to all who attended. We also hand out purple ribbons and ask others to wear purple on Friday. For more information on this campaign, please go to: http://psiloveyouday.net/

On February 7th and 8th ninth grade students experienced the many benefits of being outside in the winter. Students had the opportunity to ice fish on Dewey's Pond in Quechee and tube at Mt. Ascutney Outdoors in Brownsville. Both trips included a lot of smiles, s'mores making, and good old fashioned fun in the snow!

Team Pathfinders
The Week in Learning: 2/10/23
Here is a link to our weekly newsletter.

Team Horizon, Issue #11, February 10, 2023

Here is the newest 8th Grade Newsletter link

Congratulations to Heather Vonada on her National Board Certification for Teachers. It's the highest certification a teacher can obtain. She is the only teacher in the district that currently has it.

Also, a big thank you to Dyan Hoehl for creating and making this beautiful cake in celebration of Heather's great accomplishment.

Follow WUHS Athletics on Instagram @wuhsstudentsection

Interested in staying up to date on upcoming athletic events, as well as their outcomes? If you are an Instagram user, you can follow WUHS’s StudentSection account. This account was set up by Kendall Taylor (Class of 2022) last year and is currently being maintained by Junior Zach Martsolf-Tan, as an independent study in social media through the Center of Community Connections (C3). Know when the games and matches are happening--and come out and cheer on our student-athletes!

On Thursday, members of the Social Action Club and AP Art zoomed with Andrew Aydin, co-author of the March and Run trilogies. Aydin worked with Congressman John Lewis for 15 years and has written Lewis's life story in a series of graphic novels. When asked a question regarding the time when Lewis was ousted as President of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, Aydin said, "Sometimes when we stand up for our principles we pay a heavy price with our friends and colleagues." Aydin encouraged all of the students at the Paramount Theater in Rutland and those zooming in from across the state of Vermont to, "Organize, show up and vote." As he wrapped up in the final moments of his talk, he reminded everyone of John Lewis's credo to "Get into good trouble, necessary trouble" to make the world a better place.

When I asked students for a lasting impression Andrew Aydin made on them, Kiara Nestler said, " A lasting impression made on me is how it is stereotyped that comic books don't really do anything, and especially have little to no political value. March and Run both have an incredibly significant amount of political value, breaking out of that stereotype and becoming an important piece of literature and art in the world of BLM (Black Lives Matter)."

For more on the events in the library this week including the Middle School Book Club's celebration for Small Spaces by Katherine Arden, please click this link for the From the Library newsletter.

Upcoming 2 Hour Delay Days and Days Off

2 Hour Delay Days - March 1, April 5, May 3
February Break/Winter Recess - February 20th - 24th
March 6, 2023 - In Service - No Classes
March 7, 2023 - Town Meeting - No Classes

High School Yearbook Sales Are Open!!

Purchase yearbooks HERE for $65.00 now and sales end March 20th

FREE Covid Tests
Households can order another round of free antigen tests! Go to https://www.covid.gov/tests
Also, just a reminder that through BCBS (and many other insurance companies), you can get eight free tests monthly from rite aid (and maybe other pharmacies).

Cognia to Replace SBAC Annual State Testing

Cognia to Replace SBAC Annual State Testing: Since 2015, students have engaged annually with SBAC testing to assess literacy and math on a district and state level. This year, the Vermont Agency of Education has decided to switch to a different assessment vendor called Cognia. The Agency of Education will provide further guidance to districts in the new year. As we know more, we will inform families through newsletters.

When: Wednesday, February 15th, 2023 12:00-3:00 pm

12-12:30 mini assembly in the gym; followed by indoor and outdoor activities around campus from 12:30 to 3:00 pm.

What: Sledding, hot cocoa and s’mores, dodgeball, skating, board games, movie time, arts & crafts, snacks to purchase, ping pong and more!

Sign up: A sign up survey will be available during Advisory on Monday, February 13, 2023. *Skating will have a cap of 100 per 1-hour session.

Reminders: Bring your skates if you sign up for skating and also remember your outdoor gear for outdoor fun!

Please look at the photo closely to find something you may be missing! Many sweatshirts, a few jackets, numerous hats, a dress blazer, lunch bags (2), sports equipment, etc. Please contact the Main Office at ext. 1000 to claim your item(s). Any unclaimed items on the table will be donated or disposed of 2/17/23. In addition, if you have lost a piece of jewelry, ear buds, glasses etc. you can swing by the Main Office and see if it was turned in.

The CRAFT/Agriculture Program is hiring two student interns to help with the school gardens and greenhouses this summer. This will be a great opportunity to learn more about farming, gardening, and project management while making some extra money. See the application for more information. Click here to fill out the application (make your own copy of it) and return to Abbie Castriotta (acastriotta@wcsu.net), Janis Boubol (jboubol@wcsu.net), or Kat Robbins (krobbins@wcsu.net) via email or paper copy.

Seniors - Do you have spare time during the day? Woodstock Elementary School is looking for student mentors during the school day to work with their students. If you can spare one hour one time per week, that would be great! Transportation can be provided if needed. Please contact Annie Luke, room 163, or email aluke@wcsu.net if you have any questions and are interested.

Our very own Earthbeat environmental club is participating in a NexTrex recycling program, for the purpose of recycling plastic films which would otherwise be discarded in landfills. From now up until the end of the school year, the club accepts all plastic films from ziploc bags to bubble wrap. Once our school collects 500 lbs of plastic film, it will be delivered to NexTrex and transformed into a bench. There are currently two drop-off locations in the WUHSMS school building, one in the main lobby and one next to the senior solarium. Thank you in advance for any contributions!

The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical, by Joe Tracz, Music and Lyric by Rob Rokicki, based on the book by Rick Riordan

Friday, March 10, 7pm

Saturday, March 11, 7pm

Sunday, March 12, 2pm

“As the half-blood son of a Greek god, Percy Jackson has newly-discovered powers he can't control, a destiny he doesn't want, and a mythology textbook's worth of monsters on his trail. When Zeus's master lightning bolt is stolen and Percy becomes the prime suspect, he has to find and return the bolt to prove his innocence and prevent a war between the gods. But to succeed on his quest, Percy will have to do more than catch the thief. He must travel to the Underworld and back; solve the riddle of the Oracle, which warns him of betrayal by a friend; and come to terms with the father who abandoned him. Adapted from the best-selling book The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan and featuring a thrilling original rock score, The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical is an action-packed mythical adventure "worthy of the gods" (Time Out New York).”

Event- Please Register:

Norwich University is hosting a Central Vermont College Fair on April 4th from 9:30 am to 11:30 am! As Norwich University is roughly a 57 minutes bus ride, we will leave the high school by 8:20 am and return to the high school around 12:45 pm.

If you are interested in attending please email me at gdurgin@wcsu.net or stop into the counseling office to sign up! A sign up sheet will be next to Janet North's desk!

Attention: Seniors!

The Vermont Student Assistance Corporation (VSAC) Scholarship Booklets have just arrived!!! Pick up your hard copy in the WUHSMS Counseling Office.

To review or download the VSAC scholarship booklet or Access the Unified Scholarship Application online (USA) please go to https://www.vsac.org/financial-aid-professional

Students will need to request letters of recommendation when you apply for a scholarship so it is important to do this sooner rather than later!

Submission/postmark deadline for all VSAC-assisted scholarships: February 15, 2023

Grades 10-12 Sofia Bertocci, sbertocci@wcsu.net

Grades 10-12 Gabriella Durgin, gdurgin@wcsu.net

Grades 7-9 Sarah Lyon, slyon@wcsu.net

Grades 10-12 Sarah Smith, sarahsmith@wcsu.net

Grades 7-9 Vali Stuntz, vstuntz@wcsu.net

WE NEED FREE & REDUCED SCHOOL MEAL APPLICATIONS!

Even though meals are free, it is really important that you return the VT Free & Reduced Meal Application if you think you qualify. Our school district relies on the Free & Reduced percentage for other school funding so it's important to apply today. You will also need to renew your application if you previously qualified as applications from the previous years expired on October 15th. Please reapply today! If you have application questions, please email Gretchen gczaja@wcsu.net or call 802-457-1317, ext. 1123.

Hard copies of the application were mailed out. You can download an application on our WCUD School Nutrition Program website or request a packet from the school’s administrative assistant. Please email the scanned completed application or picture copy to Gretchen Czaja, gczaja@wcsu.net or mail to: WCUD School Nutrition Program 100 Amsden Way Woodstock, VT 05091

STUDENT MEALS ARE FREE!

Students can access one free breakfast and/or one free lunch every school day. Students enter their 4 digit lunch number at the register stations as they exit the meal line. Student meal accounts will not be charged. This is for tracking purposes only.

SALAD BAR IS BACK!

In addition to the healthy main meal option, students can add items from the salad bar to their meal. Fresh veggies and fruit help complete the meal and keep students nourished for the school day,

GRAB & GO BREAKFASTS-Grab & Go breakfasts are available in the north cafeteria. A full breakfast includes 3 food items with one of the items being a fruit portion.

VEGGIEVANGO FREE FOOD DISTRIBUTION-Every second Wednesday of every month - the next one is March 8th. Mark your calendars for the next dates - April 12th, May 10th, June 14th. The distribution takes place at the Union Arena end of the WUHSMS parking lot @ 10am. The VT Foodbank distributes fresh produce items. Proteins are now provided by the VT Foodbank!

Scan the QR code to access lunch menus, program information and the VT Free & Reduced Meal Application.

Follow us on @vtschoolmeals on Instagram.

Alma Student Information System

Family-Student Handbook

2022-2023 School Calendar

High School Class Schedule

Middle School Class Schedule

Bus Routes

Windsor Central Supervisory Union

Email: gsmail@wcsu.net
Website: wuhsms.org
Location: 100 Amsden Way, Woodstock, VT, USA
Phone: 8024571317
Facebook: facebook.com/WUHSMS/
Twitter: @wearewoodstock