Hey Wildcats!

Welcome to our first five-day week of school this year! Kids have started the year off strong! Everyone is working on expectations (Kind, Safe, and Engaged), and classrooms are in full swing.

This week, a few important things are happening:

1. We have our first non-alarmed fire drill. This means that over the walkie-talkies and PA system, we announce we have a fire drill. We will add the alarm on the next drill and invite the GIFD to join us. I make this decision because the alarm can be startling for some students who have never experienced a fire drill, so we focus on getting out of the building quickly and safely with the support of adults.
2. We have picture day! On Wednesday, the kids will have their pictures taken. You should have received a photo form to fill out. Please send that back to school either Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday. If you would like support paying for a photo package, our photographer is offering a few packages free of charge. Please email me if this would be beneficial for your family.
3. 1st and 2nd grade have Unified Friday at Camp Abenaki on the 15th. If you're a parent of a 1st or 2nd grader and want to chaperone, please fill out the form below!
4. Our Universal Testing window opens tomorrow. Please read about this below.

Dismissal

This is the most stressful part of our day, and we constantly reflect on how we collect information to ensure kids get home safely.

• Please notify the school if dismissal plans change, even if you tell your student. Use wildcats@gisu.org to get us this information.
• This would be helpful information if someone different is picking up your kiddo. We want to release kids to the correct individuals. It's all about safety.

Proactive Approaches

Communicating and being transparent with families is what we strive for. As a staff, we've discussed supporting kids early and often with academic and behavioral support. If you get an email from us or we stop to speak with you at dismissal, we just want to put something on your radar; please don't be alarmed. We believe that you're the greatest supporter of your kids and that you wish for what is best for them.

Thanks for all you do!

As always, my door and inbox are always open,

Mrs. H

P.S. I put a link to our attendance form at the very bottom of the newsletter!

September 12th- Fire Drill @ 8:15. We always practice the first drill without an alarm to support kids in hearing teachers. We will have an alarmed drill in October.

September 13th- Picture day. We are doing class photos this year!

September 15th- Unified Fridays for grades 1 and 2

September 22th- Unified Fridays for grades 3 and 4

September 28th - 1/2 Day Dismissal @ 11:30 with bag lunches, no CARES After School Programming

September 28th - Title 1 Night 5:00-5:30, come and earn prizes!

September 28th -OPEN HOUSE!!! 🤩 5:30-6:30

September 29th- Unified Fridays for grades 5 and 6

Please email our Athletic Director with questions.

Scrimmage against Folsom is this Wednesday, 9/13.

Last year, Madame Lisa had a friend from Paris, Coco the monkey! Coco is taking holiday back in Paris and Bouba has joined French class this year at Grand Isle School! Bouba helps students practice speaking in French through conversational skills, learn social skills and expectations, and he brings fun to every class! He is already so loved!

Our Unified Fridays are about community building, having fun, and learning through new and exciting ways. This last Friday, our 6th grade Game Changers set the bar SO high! Way to go Wildcats, we are so very proud of you! There will be more pictures to come- it's just taking some time to upload them 🙃 (which is what happens when you have over 150 pictures!)

Three times a year we have universal testing windows. During this time all kids are assessed on reading and math and this information is used to support classroom practices and extra support if needed.

Once your kiddo has completed universal testing, you can request to have a conversation about the results. Please set up a time here! This is a new practice I hope to implement and fine-tune. Classroom teachers will be notified if you request a meeting, and the timing of the meeting will determine if they can attend.

Thank you for all of your interest in chaperoning! In speaking with UA teachers, chaperones will not be needed this week, because we're staying at GIS.

If you want to join our active and collaborative PTA, don't hesitate to get in touch with Elaine Perry.

We're focusing our fundraising efforts on buying GIS a Book Vending Machine!

Kids will have the opportunity to earn book bucks to "buy" books from the machine. We're still working out the details on how kids will earn book bucks, and it will be tied into PBIS.

Please spread the news about our Golf Best Ball Scramble!

Grand Isle School is a Title 1 school, which means we have Federal Funds given to our school to support all children meeting challenging state academic standards.

To be eligible for Title 1 and continue receiving funding, we must hold a family Title 1 night. Covid made this challenging in years past, but we're bringing it back!

Please join us from 5-5:30 for a small presentation, some door prizes, and an opportunity to ask questions. Open House will start promptly at 5:30 and end at 6:30.

Email: ahanlon@gisu.org
Website: https://www.grandisleschool.org/
Location: 224 U.S. Rte 2, Grand Isle, VT, USA
Phone: 802-372-6913
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/grandisleschool.org

Attendance Form: https://forms.gle/ABSvVURCxvqbMfXw7