The Bobcat Bulletin

Dear Families and Caregivers,

I hope this fall is finding you all well.

I had prepared this monthly update and was ready to send it it you all. We then received heavy news last night about the loss of a former member of our FMS community. The loss of a child is unthinkable. We arrived today ready to support our students who may be struggling, as well as our staff. Our school counselors, David Hoppe and Katie Mayer, have been and continue to be available for student support. Many students will seek help - some will not. We are keeping a close eye on our students. If you know your child is struggling, please let us know. We are here to help. Below you will find some short grief resources - you are welcome to use them.

At school and at home, we know that routine is important, particularly when something tragic happens. Today, we started our day with a schoolwide read-in (our first this year). We came together as a community for shared silent reading. Many classrooms had a planned a variety of "day before break" fun celebrations. It's been a positive day at FMS.

We hope that all of our students have a chance to relax and recharge over this upcoming break - and that you (our students' MOST important people!) get some downtime too.

With appreciation for our FMS families,

Sara Jablonski

FMS Principal

sjablonski@ewsd.org

802-879-6326

Grief Resources

Ten Tips to Support Children Who are Grieving

What to Say and What Not to Say

Tips for Supporting a Friend Who is Grieving

Our October Schoolwide meeting kicked off with a greeting in Nepali by one of our 3rd grade students. We are celebrating all the different languages spoken by members of our FMS community this year through our monthly schoolwide meetings.

We then focused on our goals within our newly adopted P.B.I.S (Positive Behavior Intervention System) system. Our staff are working on keeping track of genuine positive acknowledgments that are provided to students throughout the day. We have a variety of methods for keeping track of this data, and are celebrating growth in this area each week. In addition, we are keeping detailed reports of behavior referrals, so we can identify and intervene on distracting behaviors in a proactive way.

More exciting to students to hear at this meeting, however, was about our new Student Jobs program. Your student may have been hired for one of any number of available jobs we have at FMS. These jobs include: morning announcers, playground sweepers, recycling collectors, student council representatives, library helpers, and more. Students filled out official job applications and received notices that say "you're hired!" Be sure to ask your student about the student job program. We are always taking applications.

Fifth grade students in Erik Acanfora and Nicole Walsh's classes recently participated in Starbase Vermont at the Vermont Air National Guard Base. During the five day STEM program, students were involved in lessons in physics, chemistry, energy, technology, engineering, computer aided design, and mathematics applications. Students also learned about STEM careers. A highlight of the experience was launching model rockets. After launching and catching his rocket, one student exclaimed, "This is the best day of my life!"

Please be sure your student comes to school prepared for the weather in the colder months. Students have morning recess at arrival time, as well as recess during the day. P.E. classes often go outside as well.

Students should bring:

hats, waterproof gloves, warm jackets, snow pants and boots.

Please label all of your student's belongings. We have a large collection of lost and found items. We will donate accumulated lost and found items before the winter break in December. Please encourage your student to look in the lost and found for any missing belongings!

Check out Mrs. Ferris's General Music Blog for photos and updates!

With the winter months approaching we wanted to reach out and remind our families of resources the Town of Essex and State of Vermont have to help during challenging times.

Please click here for information on food assistance, fuel assistance, housing supports, and statewide resources.

EWSD School Calendar

Monday-Friday, November 21-25, 2022: Fall Break, No School for Students

December 23, 2022 - January 2, 2023: Early Winter Break, No School for Students

Here are some of the ways you can stay in touch!

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