Weathersfield Weekly

Kindergarten Registration/Screening for the 2024-2025 School Year will take place on Friday, April 5, 2024. If your child will be 5 years old on or before September 1, 2024, it is time to enroll them at Weathersfield! Please call the school (802) 674-5400 to schedule an appointment for this year’s screening. We look forward to hearing from you.

We are right around the corner from state testing. I wanted to share the dates of when students will be taking the state test this year. We will start each day testing at 8:15 in the morning and students will test primarily in the morning. Please try to schedule any appointments or other activities around the testing dates, because it is important and easier for the students if they are here. If you have any questions about testing, please feel free to reach out.

VTCAP Testing Dates:

5th and 8th Grade Science

April 2-3

April 4 Make-ups

3rd-8th Grade Math

April 16-18

April 19 Make-ups

3rd-8th Grade ELA

April 23-25

April 26 Make-Up

Make-Up Week

April 29-May 3

The school informational meeting for our budget was postponed due to changes from the state. The school board made some adjustments to the proposed budget and will formally present it to the town on Saturday, March 30, 2024 at 10:00 AM at Weathersfield School. You will have the opportunity to vote on the new proposed budget on Tuesday April, 2, 2024 from 10:00 AM-7:00 PM. I have provided the link with the new proposed budget. If you have questions, please reach out.

Student led conferences are coming up starting on Monday, March 25th. Teachers are sending home schedules today, so that families can sign up. As a reminder Thursday, March 28th is an early release day and there is no school on Friday, March 29th. Some of you may be wondering about student led conferences and what is the power of a student led conference? Students have greater engagement and ownership of their learning.

What is the power of student led conferences?

Students have greater engagement and ownership of learning. They understand the purpose of their work. Prepare students to be reflective about their work and progress toward learning targets. Make reflection an ongoing classroom practice.

What does the research say about student led conferences?

The results of the survey determined that both parents and students consistently and usually felt that student led conferences allowed the student to take ownership of their academic achievements.

Attention Parents and Guardians of 8th grade students:

Hartford High School will be hosting an evening for our new students on March 20th. The evening includes:

6:00 Welcome and student presentations in the auditorium

6:30 - 7:30 Open hours to speak with the department chairs regarding any questions that families have.

Tables will be set up for questions of the Athletic Department and HACTC.

If you are interested in your child attending Springfield High School and/or are interested in setting up a school visit with SHS. Please use the following request form: SHS School Visit Request Form. The school counselor at SHS will then reach out to you.

If you are interested in your child attending Woodstock Union High School and/or are interested in setting up a school visit with Woodstock. Please use the following link to get more information.

Background:

Student agency is that sense of ownership and control that a student feels over their school experience. The WSESU strategic plan outlines various strategies that address Student Success and Engagement as well as Culture and Student Wellness. Student agency is at the heart of realizing these goals.

The 3-D Student Agency Survey comes to us through our Learning Inspired consultant, Mike Nicholson. Mike has been working with our staff in various capacities over the past several years, since he helped us develop our strategic plan. The following is a summary of what we hope to accomplish with this survey.

Why "3-D"?

We call our study "3-D" because it looks at education from the viewpoint of the three main groups: parents, students, and teachers. This way, we get a full picture without sharing anyone's personal information, focusing on what everyone thinks as a group.

We want to find out:

• What parents, students, and teachers agree and disagree on.

• Deep insights on student decision-making, motivation, the role of teachers, and what education should achieve.

Important Topics:

Questions in the survey cover how students feel about their role in learning, the goal of going to school, how relationships in school are changing, and personal challenges like stress and how they feel about their achievements.

Support for More Schools:

With help from the Martha Holden Jennings Foundation, we can include more schools in this study without asking them to pay. This means we can learn from a lot of different places.

Making the Survey:

We talked to lots of parents, students, and teachers to make sure the survey asks the right questions. An expert in studying cultures helped us too.

It only takes about 15 minutes to complete the survey.

After the Survey:

Schools that join in will get to see what was learned quickly, within two weeks after they finish. After every school has taken part, we'll share what we found out with everyone.

Let's work together on this exciting project to make education even better by understanding the choices students make in their learning. If you have any questions about this student agency inquiry, please contact Mike Nicholson (mnicholson@learninspired.org, 614-815-6608).

Here is the link to the survey.

Track & Field (5th-8th): https://weathersfield-athletics.sportngin.com/register/form/215736963

Softball (3rd-8th): https://weathersfield-athletics.sportngin.com/register/form/240357635

Baseball (K-2 T-ball/coed) (3rd-8th): https://weathersfield-athletics.sportngin.com/register/form/628479970

Coaches application: https://weathersfield-athletics.sportngin.com/register/form/299461426

WSESU is hiring support staff to work with students in our schools. Positions include elementary and middle school staff supporting students in academics and social emotional skills. We offer flexible working hours. Please reach out to Katie Ahern Director of Student Support Services with your resume and three names of references with contact information; katie.ahern@wsesu.net.

Every household can order 4 free COVID-19 test kits mailed to their home. Here is the web link: https://www.covid.gov/tests

The next School Board Meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, March 12, 2024 at 6:30 PM. The board meeting will be in the music room at Weathersfield School. www.wsesu.net

Beauty and The Beast Jr. T-Shirt Fundraiser- This year we will be offering Beauty and The Beast Jr. T-shirts for sale at this link as a fundraiser for our program. All proceeds will go towards costumes and sets for our productions. You can add CREW or CAST to the back of your shirt for an additional $3. You can opt to have the shirts delivered to school, or have them shipped directly to you. Feel free to share the link with your friends and family who would like to support our Weathersfield School Drama Club.

A very big thank you to Lisa Gleeson and Clever Cow Designs for making this happen!

Monday Breakfast -Assorted Cereal Milk, Juice, and Fresh Fruit Cereal

Lunch- Cheese Ravioli Marinara or Meat Sauce Seasoned Peas Garlic Bread Stick

Tuesday Breakfast-Scrambled Eggs w/ Cheese Bacon and Hash Browns Milk, Fresh Fruit, Juice

Lunch- Local Beef Soft Taco's Cilantro Lime Rice, Roasted Corn House Salsa and Sour Cream

Wednesday Breakfast- Zucchini Bread w/Cheese Stick, Milk, Juice, and Fresh Fruit

Lunch- American Chop Suey Roasted Brussels Sprouts Garlic Knot

Thursday Breakfast-Banana Bread w/ Cheese Stick Milk, Fresh Fruit, Juice

Lunch- Pizza Pepperoni or Cheese Caesar Side Salad

Friday Breakfast- WW Cinnamon Roll, Milk, Juice, and Fresh Fruit

Lunch- Early Release Day* Grab and Go Lunch

March Menu

• March 8th Supervisory Wide Dance for 6-8th Grade at Weathersfield School 6-8:00 PM
• March 10th Daylight Savings Time Starts
• March 12th Board Meeting 6:30 PM
• March 15th P.R.I.D.E. Assembly
• March 15th Early Release Day for Students
• March 25th-29th Student Led Conferences
• March 28th Early Release Day for Students
• March 29th No School for Students
• March 30th School Budget Meeting at 10:00 AM
• April 2nd VTCAP testing Starts
• April 5th Kindergarten Registration
• April 5th No School for Kindergarten Students
• April 8th-12th Spring Break
• April 26th and 27th Beauty and the Beast Jr. at Weathersfield