Weathersfield Weekly

The 2nd Annual Paw Drop was a huge success, Thank you to our PTO for putting on this great community event. There were activities for the entire family from face painting, photo booth, to two bounce houses. A community dinner was provided for everyone at the event. Thank you to our school community for supporting this event. I am looking forward to next year's event.

Our 8th grade students took their annual trip to the Hulbert Outdoor Center. It is a great opportunity for students to be able to bond together as a class. They are able to do lots of different activities throughout the day such as team building experiences and even a ropes course. Thank you to Mrs. Berry for organizing this amazing experience every year for our students.

Mrs. Small's 5th grade class celebrated grandparents last Friday at school. The student were able to invite their grandparents to visit their classroom, take a tour of the school and even share in some refreshments with their grandchildren. It was so nice to see so many happy students and their grandparents all in one place. Thank you for participating in this hopefully annual event.

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.

Starting Monday September 25, 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 safety and welfare of our students is our highest priority. We will continue to strive to provide a safe learning environment for them. In order to maintain a safe environment for our children to study and learn, it is necessary that we practice our emergency and crisis response plans throughout the year. This notice is to help you understand the importance of this as well as to understand each type of drill. The students and staff at Weathersfield will be practicing emergency drills throughout the school year.

Fire Drills

The school will conduct a fire drill each month that school is in session. We want each student to understand and be aware of the importance of this drill and not be afraid when the fire alarm is sounded. By practicing, students will know what to do and how to do it.

Option Based Drills

Weathersfield School uses a safety protocol called ALICE that was implemented in the unlikely event of an armed intruder in one of our school buildings. This training encourages staff and students to respond based on their situation, rather than rely on centralized instructions in dynamic times of crisis.

ALICE is a federally endorsed safety protocol. The letters ALICE stand for Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter and Evacuate:

• Alert – inform people of the threat, giving as much information as possible.
• Lockdown – Students and Staff can choose to lockdown and barricade the room that they are in if they determine that it is not safe to evacuate.
• Inform – pass on as much information as possible to others and to First Responders, including contacting 911.
• Counter – an effort of last resort, if an armed intruder is able to get into the space that they are in; students are being trained to use every effort to stop the intruder instead of being passive victims.
• Evacuate – If it is safe to do so, all are encouraged to evacuate the building, and remove themselves from the threat.

Under ALICE training, staff and students are oriented to different options to respond to a school intruder who is intent on doing harm. In certain circumstances, the “lock the door and hide” strategy might be appropriate. In some cases, the teacher and students might take precautions to barricade the entrance(s) of the classroom. Under certain conditions, it might be the best decision for the teacher and students to flee the building. It is the intention of ALICE that the strategies we provide will increase the chances that our staff and students might survive if a terrible circumstance of an armed intruder ever were to occur.

Please remember that these safety practice drills are done to help maintain our schools as a safe place to learn and work. If you have any questions regarding any of these safety drills or other safety concerns, please contact the school office.

We participated in an Options Based Drill today and the students and staff did an excellent job.

The October Board Meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, October, 10, 2023 at 6:30 PM.

Monday Breakfast- Assorted Cereal, Fresh Fruit, Milk and Fruit Juice Lunch- Noodles w/ Chicken, Tomatoes, Basil, and Cheese, Steamed Broccoli, Garlic Bread Stick

Tuesday Breakfast- WW Pancakes w/VT Maple Sausage Patty, Fresh Fruit, Milk, 100% Juice Lunch- Nachos w/ Seasoned Beef, Spanish Style Rice, Seasoned Roasted Corn, House Salsa and Sour Cream

Wednesday Breakfast- WW Bagel w/ Cream Cheese, Milk, Juice, Fresh Fruit Lunch- Chicken Stew w/ Biscuit, Roasted Winter Squash

Thursday Breakfast- Blueberry Muffin w/ Cheese Stick, Fresh Fruit, Milk, 100% Juice Lunch- Turkey & Cheese Croissant, Roasted Potato Wedges, Maple Glazed Carrots, and Pickle

Friday Breakfast-WW Cinnamon Roll, Fresh Fruit, Milk 100% Fruit Juice Lunch-Pizza - Pepperoni Pizza, Cheese Pizza, Caesar Salad

• October 9th No School Indigenous Peoples' Day
• October 10th Picture Day
• October 10th School Board Meeting
• October 12th Service Day
• October 13th P.R.I.D.E. assembly
• October 20th Staff In-Service Day No School for Students