The Bobcat Bulletin

Dear Families and Caregivers,

We have had an incredible start to the school year! Our staff spent inservice sharing in new learning and preparing for students. Since our first student day on 8/31, we have been spending time building relationships, learning new routines and connecting with one another. We have read and discussed important picture books, warmed up our math brains and laughed together.

On Friday, 9/9, we had our first Safety Drill of the year with a Fire Drill. We evacuated the building silently and safely. We then gathered on the P.E. field for a schoolwide photo (see above)! We will be practicing different safety protocols throughout the year and will communicate them to you as they occur.

This newsletter, The Bobcat Bulletin, contains important schoolwide information and will be sent to your email monthly. Please be sure to also read the district EWSD Newsletter for families. Within our building, you will hear from us often! Classroom teachers will send out regular classroom communication. Specialist teachers communicate in different ways but will be reaching out to you throughout the year.

We look forward to a strong collaboration with our families this year. Please reach out anytime with questions!

Sincerely,

Sara Jablonski

FMS Principal

sjablonski@ewsd.org

802-879-6326

Educators at FMS are committed to meeting each child where they are at and providing them with high levels of learning. This starts with core classroom instruction. Instruction is grounded in academic and social-emotional essential standards. In order to track student progress, teachers assess students, and then use the data from those assessments to plan next steps.

Next steps look different for each student. Some students need practice, some need re-teaching and some need extension. Each day, students have a Math WIN and a Literacy WIN block, to get what they need in these areas during the school day. Some students may meet with a content specialist during this time, while others may stay in the classroom. Groupings are flexible and change every 4-6 weeks, depending on student need.

Please consult with your student's teacher if you have any questions about WIN blocks in the classroom.

Vision/Hearing

It is time for annual vision and hearing screenings at FMS. Each year all third and fifth graders are screened. Additionally, fourth graders on 504 Plans, IEP's, or who have vision and/or hearing concerns are screened. If your student does not pass the screening, I will send home a referral note. If your student has already been screened at their medical home and you would like to opt out of screening, please provide me with a copy of their results.

Screening guidelines can be found on the Vermont Department of Health website under the Standards Of Practice: School Health Services Manual. Look under "screenings".

If you have any questions or concerns regarding your student's vision and/or hearing, please contact me @ agoodkind@ewsd.org or @ 802-857-6304.

Dental

Good news! Our school was chosen to take part in the Children’s’ State Dental Health Survey. A healthy mouth is an important part of overall health and a child’s ability to learn – this survey will help us assess the dental health of our children. Children in Kindergarten and third grades are being offered free dental screenings as part of this survey. If you have a third grader at FMS you will be receiving more information, along with a passive permission form for your child's participation in the program.

The school day at FMS is from 8:00 am -3:00 pm.

Drop-off time (this includes walkers and bikers): 7:45 am

Please do not drop off your student before 7:45.

If you are dropping off, please drive all the way to the front of the line before letting your student out of the car. This helps to keep traffic on Founders Road from backing up.

It the drop-off time doesn't work for your family, please contact EWSD transportation to register for a bus route.

Please communicate any dismissal changes to the school by 1 pm (12 pm on Wednesdays).

Early dismissal is no later than 2:30 (1:30 on Wednesdays).

How to communicate dismissal changes to the school:

1. Email your child’s teacher and Emily Kim, Registrar (ekim@ewsd.org) as early as possible, with the time of and reason for early dismissal, as well as the name of the person picking up.

OR

2. Call 802-879-6326 and leave a message on the attendance line, with the child’s name, teacher’s name, time of dismissal, reason for dismissal, and name of person picking up.

When you arrive, please call the front office at 802-879-6326 and notify our office staff you have arrived. Your student will exit the front door.

Thursday, 9/22/22: FMS Open House, 6:15-7:15 (same evening as EES Hopes and Dreams Night, see below)

6:15-6:45: 5th Grade

6:30-7:00: 3rd Grade

6:45-7:15: 4th Grade

The EES Event is from 5:30-6:30

PreK AM 5:30 - 6:00, PreK PM 6:00 - 6:30
K 5:30-6:00
1st 5:45-6:15
2nd 6:00-6:30

Friday, 9/23/22: School Picture Day

Thursday, 10/6/22: PTO Fun Run

Friday, 10/7/22: Family Conferences, No School for Students

Monday, 10/10/22: Indigenous Peoples' Day, No School for Students

Email: sjablonski@ewsd.org
Website: www.ewsd.org/fms
Location: 33 Founders Road, Essex Junction, VT, USA
Phone: 802-879-6326
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Founders-Memorial-School-1509308329359547
Twitter: @srjablonski