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EMS Newsletter

March 4, 2022

EMS NewsletterMarch 4, 2022

Letter from the Principal


Dear EMS Families,


I sincerely hope you all had a healthy, relaxing, and joyful Winter Break. It has been fun to hear about the various travels and adventures our students had over the last week. That said, it’s been great to come back to school. Despite being a short week, it was an eventful one!


On Thursday, EMS 6th graders and teachers were finally able to hold the 1st Annual Ikidarod – the sun was out, the snow was perfect, and it was a wonderful event. Please see more about that below, including a television news story featuring students and staff!


I know many of you are curious about where we are at in terms of COVID guidance and masking. Yesterday, the governor announced that mask requirements would end at all schools in Vermont on Monday, 3/14, and that will be the guidance BSD follows. Please see Superintendent Flanagan’s Community Update email, sent earlier today, and see below for more details.


In partnership,

Sabrina

Mask Requirements Are Changing on 3/14

To quote Superintendent Flanagan’s community update, “Although BSD will not require anyone to wear masks, staff and students may continue to do so if they would like. It is also important to know that while masks will also not be required on any BSD owned and operated busses or vans, masks will still be required for anyone utilizing GMT to get to and from schools; if your student utilizes GMT, please make sure they are prepared to continue following this federal mandate. We will also continue offering testing resources to students.”


I know there will likely be a range of emotions about this news. I want you all to know that our school will be focusing next week on preparing students for this transition to ensure that all students feel that their personal health choices are respected and that, regardless of whether they choose to keep masking or go without a mask, our community offers acceptance. Please do not hesitate to reach out to me directly with your questions or concerns.
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EMS Announcements: No Place For Hate

This week, the EMS Student Leadership class hung the No Place for Hate banner in our school lobby. This was signed by almost all 450+ members of the EMS community. Congratulations and thank you to Kathy Gallagher. Under her leadership, the EMS Leadership students successfully created and launched the EMS No Place For Hate campaign. “This student-led, climate improvement group”, interviewed peers and staff, gathered data, then carefully coordinated an effort to further unify the EMS student body. Below are the student created goals that the EMS student body has pledged to carry out.


Goals For No Place For Hate

  • Building inclusive and safe communities in which respect and equity are goals and where all students can thrive.


  • Empowering students, faculty, administration and family members to take a stand against bias and bullying under one powerful message: EMS IS NO PLACE FOR HATE


  • Sending a clear, unified message that all students have a place where they belong and should be treated equally.

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EMS Announcements: EMS 7th and 8th Graders Design Cars for UVM Children’s Hospital Patients

Led by Design Tech teacher Eric Scoembs, EMS 7th and 8th graders recently completed the design and construction of wooden cars, applying not only design concepts, but also mastering the use of design software and a variety of tools. Students were excited to create toys they knew would get into the hands of other children, and the care they took in their creations really showcased their care for our larger community.

EMS Announcements: NAEP Testing for EMS 8th Graders on March 8th

EMS 8th graders will participate in the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) on March 8th. NAEP is the largest nationally representative and continuing assessment of what students know and can do in various subjects. NAEP is different from our state assessments because it is a common measure of achievement across the country. The assessment is administered by the National Center for Education Statistics, within the U.S. DOE. The results are released as The Nation’s Report Card, which provides information about student achievement to educators, parents, policymakers, and the public.

8th Graders may take a mathematics or reading assessment. In addition to subject-area questions, students voluntarily complete NAEP survey questions. These questions provide valuable information about participating students’ educational experiences and opportunities to learn both in and outside of the classroom. More information about NAEP survey questions is available at https://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/parents under the section “What Questions Are on the Test?”

The assessment takes approximately 2 hours for most students, which includes transition time, directions, and completion of survey questions.

EMS Announcements: UVM Pre-College Webinar

8th grade parents and families- below is a tremendous opportunity that is being sponsored by UVM. The focus is pre-college planning. The webinar will be an engaging forum where 8th graders and high school attendees and their parents are encouraged to learn and ask questions regarding the program and life beyond high school. UVM will host the webinar and introduce several guest speakers to share their experience with the Pre-College program. Please register for one of the events via the links below.

March 30
12:30 - 1:00 p.m. EST
Pre-College Programs at UVM Info Session
https://go.uvm.edu/precollegemarch2022

April 27

12:30 - 1:00 p.m. EST
Pre-College Programs at UVM Info Session
https://go.uvm.edu/precollegeapril2022

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EMS Announcements: EMS Successfully Hosted 1st Annual Ikidarod on Thursday, 3/4

EMS 6th grade students and teachers held our first Ikidarod sledding competition on Thursday! High-fives, hugs and cheering abounded as teams competed across five heats, striving for the fastest race time. The Ikidarod exemplifies deeper learning, calling upon students to not only learn math, engineering and design principles, but to apply them with purpose to a real-world situation. In addition, the task required collaboration, problem-solving, and perseverance.


Please check out the WCAX news story here to watch EMS 6th graders in action!


Scholars were tasked with designing and building sleds that could carry one rider 50 meters.

Their parameters were:

  • The sled needs to move one sixth grade scholar a distance of 50 meters through the snow on the EMS upper field.

  • They will be on a team with 4-5 members

  • Their sled needs to be human-powered.

  • The rider must stay in the sled for the entire 50 meters.

Awards will be given for fastest sled, most creative, most school spirit, and best collaboration! More important than, awards, though, is that our students enjoyed a challenging, fun learning experience that they will always remember!

EMS Announcements: 8th Grade Murals - Equity/Voice/Justice/Kind

A group of awesome and dedicated eighth grade students have been working on these murals for months, and they are just about complete! They will be hung in the hallway between Tech Ed and Music. Stay tuned for the installation.