The Bobcat Bulletin

Founders Memorial School News: March 11, 2024

From the Principal

Dear FMS Families,

Well, March in Vermont is certainly showing us we shouldn’t get too comfortable with the coming of spring quite yet! I hope today’s snow day helped you all stay safe by not traveling on slippery roads, and provided you all with some extra time to rest and adjust to Daylight Savings time, as well as get outside and play in the snow.

We were so happy to welcome students back from break last week. We ended the week with a fun schoolwide meeting. Ms. Ehle’s class led us through a “Would You Rather” activity, followed by a share from two of Mrs. Di Vece’s fourth graders who had entered a project into a Statewide Math Fair at UVM last month. Mrs. Bacon’s third graders wrapped up our meeting by sharing their social studies knowledge, capped off by a sing-along of the Seven Continents Song. We are proud of all of our students’ amazing work!

Have a wonderful week.

Sincerely,

Sara Jablonski

FMS Principal

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State Assessments

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This week, students will begin taking the VTCAP (Vermont Common Assessment Program), which is the statewide assessment that measures our students’ progress.

The Vermont Comprehensive Assessment Program (VTCAP) will be administered in the spring of each academic school year in the following subjects and grades:

English Language Arts (ELA) Grades 3-9
Mathematics Grades 3-9
Science Grades 5, 8, and 11

Due to the snow day on March 11th, the testing schedule has been adjusted slightly. We will begin testing on Tuesday, March 12, 2024. Students have learned about the test at school and how to navigate the testing platform.

Please see the schedule below and try to avoid scheduling appointments for your children on these days.

5th Grade: March 12-15

4th Grade: March 13-18

3rd Grade: March 19-25

Testing will take place in the mornings (before lunch). Thank you for your partnership with this!

The Right to Read: Special Screening

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Please see the message below from EWSD Director of Learning and Instructional Impact, Jackie Ramsay-Tolman, about a special screening of The Right to Read.

Link to Flyer

Dear EWSD Families and Community Members,

The Essex Westford School District is proud to be presenting this opportunity to view the

film, "The Right to Read" on April 1 at Essex High School. "The Right to Read" shares the

stories of an NAACP activist, a teacher, and two American families who fight to provide

our youngest generation with the most foundational indicator of life-long success: the

ability to read. We will begin the film at 5:45, and have a panel discussion from 7:05 -

7:30. You will also have an opportunity to learn about our most recent efforts in EWSD to

align our curriculum, instruction and assessment practices to the most recent research,

and an opportunity to hear from experts in the field.

*Please complete this form to register and note what literacy resources you would be

most interested in receiving at the event. I hope to see you there.

With Warm Regards,

Jackie Ramsay-Tolman

Director of Learning and Instructional Impact

For more information, please contact Sarah Warrington.

Aunt Dot's Place

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Aunt Dot’s Place is a local food shelf that supports residents of Essex, Essex Junction, Jericho, Underhill and Westford. Please contact Aunt Dot’s Place if you are in need of food support.

Aunt Dot’s Place relies upon community support to help meet the needs of our community members in need. In addition, they are currently engaged in a “Milk Matters” campaign. For more information, please visit the Aunt Dot’s Place website.

BINGO and Healthy Snacks!

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We can’t wait to see many members of our school community at our first PBIS Family Night on Thursday evening. At this time, registration is closed. We look forward to another fun family event in May!

Thursday, March 14, 2024, 6:30 pm - 8:00 pm

FMS Family Night - BINGO and Healthy Snacks!

Family Conferences in March

We look forward to seeing our families in the building for conferences this month. If you have not yet scheduled a conference with your child’s teacher, please contact them directly! We appreciate meeting with our families in-person - it truly makes a difference in your child’s school life!