The Wise Owl: 2014

Tuesday, December 23, 2014

Wise Owl: December 23

December 23, 2014

"Have You Seen the Owl Today?"

HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO YOU ALL!!

ENJOY THIS TIME WITH YOUR FRIENDS AND FAMILIES!

Some news and information that will be helpful to know as we head home for the Holiday Break:

SCHOOL BOARD MEETING LAST WEEK Anyone who got to see the "Must See TV" of last week's school board meeting on Orca got to see students from all three schools shine in the spotlight! Prior to our budget presentation, students from grades K-12 were invited to give a brief presentation on personalized learning and how such an approach has made school a more engaging experience for them. Representing UES were Mrs. Pierce's 5th graders, and I can't even begin to tell you how proud I was of their presentation! The students spoke with passion and heart about their work with the Whole School Energy Challenge, composting initiatives, waste audits, and various community outreach programs that they've been involved in the last two years. Board member Ken Jones spoke afterwards about how impressed he was with the poise of our students, and I couldn't agree more! Check out their presentation here for yourself.

SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS TO KEEP/SEND A CHILD HOME WHEN SICK This is the time of year when many of us, young and old, struggle staying healthy. Our school nurses, Sarah and Trees-ah, wanted to share some established guidelines you should follow when wondering if it's OK to send your child to school if they're not feeling well. The goal is to try to keep the whole UES community healthy through the winter, and we need your help! Here are the guidelines we all need to follow:

Signs and Symptoms to keep/send a child home

fever, over 100 degrees. Children must be fever free (without medication) for 24hrs. before returning to school.
diarrhea or vomiting within the past 24 hours.
persistent sore throat with fever or enlarged tonsils/glands
persistent upset stomach or headache
undetermined rash
reddened, itchy eyes with drainage
suspected/known head lice. Children will be seen by the nurse for return to school.

As always, parents can call the health office and speak with Trees-ah or Sarah Mele, RN if you have questions. The nurse's office phone is 225-8206.

UES WINTER CARNIVAL/75TH BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION KICKOFF! Mrs. McGuiggan's 4th graders led UES through an opening kick-off assembly last week as we all get ready for our Winter Carnival in February! Mark your calendars: there will be all kinds of fun activities and celebrations the week of February 16-20! Here are some photos from the show:

UES WHOLE SCHOOL ENERGY CHALLENGE Mrs. Pierce's 5th graders ended our assembly by letting us all know about the UES Whole School Energy Challenge! The students shared tips on how we can all save energy for the school district, and we were all treated to a demo of a bicycle powered light bulb display! Check out this action shot:

UPDATE ON THE UES REPORT CARD You may have heard that UES is in the process of updating and improving the way we report our students' progress to both you and each other. The UES report card, which has traditionally been distributed twice a year, has not had a significant upgrade in many years, and our goal is to provide you with a document that meaningfully addresses the progress your child is making as a learner using language that any of us can understand.

The faculty and I are determined to do this well, and we came to the conclusion this month that we're simply going to need some more time to unveil a new report card that is worthy of our community. As a result, the first report card of the year will be distributed the week of March 16-20 instead of the traditional end of January. This extra 5-6 weeks will give us the time needed to get it right the first time. We'd like you to know that even though there will be no report card at the half way point of the year, teachers will instead share a progress report with families which highlights your child's progress in literacy, math, and social development. Again, you will have these progress reports by the end of January. If you have any questions, suggestions, or concerns about the status of the UES report card, you can contact me at any time.

HENNESSEY'S HOOTS A Hennessey Hoot to....

* From IA Ariel Pascoe, who spends a lot of time having fun with and keeping our students safe on the playground: "I would like to nominate 5th graders Declan and Caleb of Mrs. Hickey's class for Hennessey Hoots! Declan is such a natural helper that he noticed the playground teachers could use help carrying the ball bucket out to recess. He started helping every day and now it is a regular job. He recently started helping out with kindergarten recess at that time (I hear its going great!) and Caleb decided to fill in for him. What an awesome team!"

Declan and Caleb getting it done!

* Another 5th grader, Tia Leno, who must have noticed that I looked a little, um, stressed out last week and decided to help me out by giving me a small gift to wear. Thanks, Tia! I calmed down immediately when I put this on!

Batman never fails.

Wednesday, December 10, 2014

Wise Owl: December 10

December 10, 2014

"Have You Seen the Owl Today?"

"The Union School Parents Group would like to thank all the volunteers, families, students, and staff who helped make the Fall Scholastic Book Fair a success! We couldn’t have done it without all of your support!

We had about 20 volunteers helping to set up, run the book fair, and pack up everything. A special thanks goes to MJ Jennings and Emmanuel Williams who kindly moved their PE classes from the little gym for two days, and to Todd Keller and Doris Viens who helped make sure the little gym was ready and we had everything we needed.

This Book Fair earned the USPG over $2000 in cash to directly assist the students and teachers of UES through field trips, art projects, classroom activities, etc.

Thank you all for your support! See you at the Spring Scholastic Book Fair!

Suzie Smith and Sidney Collier, Co-Chairs of the Scholastic Book Fair"

COLD WEATHER PRACTICES/PROCEDURES The faculty and staff of UES strongly believe that our children need as much time as possible running and playing outside, even during the cold of our Vermont winters. For our students to enjoy this time on the playground, it's essential that they come to school with adequate snow gear to keep them warm and dry. There are certain mornings and days, however, where it really isn't safe to be outside no matter what they're wearing due to extreme conditions. The procedures we follow are straightforward and in general practice around the state: if the temperature (with wind chill) is at 0 degrees or above, we'll be going outside. On cold days, we monitor the local conditions very closely at this weather site:

Local AccuWeather Forecast

This is an excellent site, and it will take you directly to the conditions and forecast for Loomis St. here in Montpelier! You can't get much more local than that! Again, please make sure your child comes to school prepared for the conditions, and please let me know if you have any questions. If you need assistance getting appropriate gear for your child, let Mrs. Giffin (ext. 8230) know about it right away; we have quite a supply of gear on hand here at UES!

Fun in the snow yesterday afternoon!

LISTSERV COMING SOON! We are working hard this year to improve communication at UES. As a complement to the Wise Owl, a group of parents has set up an email LISTSERV to connect parents, teachers, and staff with one another. The goal is to create a platform to share ideas in a way that constructively supports UES and educational experiences. Look for an invitation next week. If you would like to join the organizers in managing the LISTSERV, please contact ues.families@gmail.com.

NEXT MIDDLE SCHOOL MEETING Thanks to all of you who joined me, Mrs. Arnold and Dr. Ricca at last week's discussion on the 5th grade move to Main Street. It was a very positive discussion, and things are really moving in the right direction! For your calendars: our next meeting will be on Tuesday, February 3 from 6:00 to 7:00 at Main Street.

HENNESSEY'S HOOTS! A Hennessey Hoot to:

* ...1st grader Asa and his classmates in Mrs. Mello's class for helping out Mr. Keller and keeping our hallways neat and tidy so we can keep them clean. Asa noticed boot piles that were unacceptably messy, and he did something about it! Check out his work:

If only the entryway in my house looked like this! How does yours look??

Excellent work!

* ...The Montpelier Clicks Robotics Team who went to the Vermont State Tournament at Norwich University last month and competed with 29 other teams (some who were much older, grizzled veterans) and took home the second-place trophy in the Core Values competition!! The team is comprised of MPS students in the 4th through 8th grades -- these 4th graders were participants: Avery Smart, Owen Zeigler, Noah Samuelsen, Ben Asay, Dariush Sarafzade, and Anja Rand. Congratulations on such great work while having fun doing it!

Sunday, November 23, 2014

Wise Owl: November 23

November 23, 2014

"Have You Seen the Owl Today?"

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

It's been a busy November! Some news and information that will be helpful to know...

PLEASE SUPPORT UPP: THE UNION PLAYGROUND PROJECT The Union Playground Project has taken off and is full of energy and momentum! Folks, after decades of little action and improvement, our school's community playground is finally going to get the attention we've been waiting for! Our Planning and Fundraising Committees have already been working long hours to get this project off the ground, and it's clear to me that these folks have more than enough creativity, energy, and staying power to see this through! Very exciting!!

From the UPP Fundraising Committee:

Hello UES Families,

As promised in the letter from the UES Playground Fundraising Committee that went home via your child's folder- Here is the online version with an alternative gift letter attached making it easy to forward to relatives.

Please Support UPP

Union Playground Project

What is UPP?

UPP is the Union Playground Project. This fall kicked off a fundraising campaign and a multi-year project to repair and significantly improve both the kindergarten and the upper playground. This valuable project that will greatly benefit the comprehensive developmental needs of all children is now gaining momentum for a multi-phase endeavor!

UPP Needs Your Help! There are 2 ways you can help before the end of the year:

1. Please Donate!

Help boost UPP outdoor recess for our children and enrich their play, growth, development, minds and muscles! Our public school and community playground is so much more than a place to expend excess energy and increase gross motor skills. The benefits of a well-planned and improved play space will inspire greater creativity, decision-making, imagination, social skills and problem solving skills and improve the overall physical and mental health of our children.

Please make checks payable to: Montpelier Public Schools and send to: c/o Theresa Giffin, Union Elementary School, 1 Park Ave. Montpelier, VT 05602 OR: Return in your child’s folder.

2. An Alternative Gift for The Holidays In Honor of A Union Elementary Student!

Do you have relatives, friends and neighbors who might like to make a donation in honor of someone special (your child!)? This is a meaningful gift option that’s guaranteed to be long lasting, doesn’t run on batteries and won’t clutter your floor!

Please see the attached letter, which you can forward to grandparents, aunts, uncles and other relatives. You may also decide to honor your own child.

Please note: Alternative gift cards will be mailed to the UES student being honored.

Kind regards,

The UES Playground Fundraising Committee (Theresa Giffin, Chris Hennessey, Sarah McKearnan, Jennifer Matthews, Kristin Darcy, Alison Lamanga, Emma Bay-Hansen & Jenny Sheehan)

Fundraising Letter For Friends and Family

Check out this preliminary Playground Board designed by UES mom and local architect Tolya Stonorov:

UPP Playground Board

VETERANS DAY PARADE If the incredible work of our playground committees wasn't enough to make me feel proud, this year's Veterans Day Parade perfectly symbolized why I love working and living in Montpelier so much. Our veterans were honored by students of all ages from the beginning of the parade until the ceremony at the high school, and I still get goosebumps when I remember what it felt like to turn the corner off of State Street with all the Union children and see the entire MHS student body and faculty there to cheer us all on! What a great event for our veterans and our community! A photo gallery:

MAIN STREET MIDDLE SCHOOL MEETING DECEMBER 2! Please join Dr. Ricca, Mrs. Arnold, and myself on Tuesday, December 2 from 6:00 to 7:00 in the MSMS library to discuss all things middle school. All members of the Montpelier community are invited to attend. The MSMS Parents Group put together this flyer/invitation for us:

MSMS Meeting Invitation

PLANTING HOPE ON NOVEMBER 4 Planting Hope visited UES on November 4, and it was a wonderful day of fun and cultural exchanges for all of us! From Ms. Lloyd: "Chris, my class LOVED ...the visitors from Nicaragua. Our guests introduced themselves and fielded questions from students. They spoke about their jobs in Nicaragua and the differences they notice between their own culture and our culture in Montpelier, VT. They spoke in English and Spanish-- I got to use my Spanish skills. Then, a few of the visiting teachers taught my class a Nicaraguan salsa dance! What followed was one on the most amazing cultural exchanges I've seen in all my years of teaching: 5th grade kids who spoke mostly English were trading dance moves with Nicaraguan teachers who spoke mostly Spanish. Both were filled with admiration and respect for each other. By the end of the day, when I asked my students how many were interested in visiting Nicaragua some day, 100% of them raised their hands. One student even exclaimed, "Visit?!! I want to spend a YEAR there!"

Ms. Lloyd's 5th Graders with Planting Hope

UES 75th BIRTHDAY NEWS! LET'S CELEBRATE UNION ELEMENTARY SCHOOL’S 75^th BIRTHDAY!

From Mrs. Kane, who has done a tremendous amount of work getting this project off the ground: "This February, Montpelier’s Union Elementary School students, alumni, staff and community members, and their family and friends are invited to celebrate the 75^th anniversary of our school building during our first-ever UES Winter Carnival! We are planning special events for the week of Monday, February 16 through Friday, February 20.

Leading up to the Winter Carnival, local artist Gowri Savoor will visit UES for a lantern-making art residency from February 2-13, thanks to the “Artists in Schools Grant” awarded by the Vermont Arts Council. In Art classes, all K-5 students will create a hand-made lantern from sustainable materials including willow and tissue paper. Lanterns will be suspended from bamboo poles and lit with battery operated LED lights.

At 6:00 on Wednesday, February 18^th, we will have a special evening celebration for Union Elementary School’s 75^th Birthday. Led by samba band Sambatucada, we will parade with our lanterns from UES to the Vermont College of Fine Arts Green. At the VCFA Green, we will celebrate with hot chocolate and singing. Our parade is supported by a “Community Arts Grant” awarded by Montpelier Alive and funded by the Downtown Improvement District Assessment. Students will take home their lanterns following the celebration!

More details will follow soon. Thanks to the UES Parents' Group for their amazing work and support! Please contact Jenny Sheehan at <jennybrownsheehan@gmail.com> if you are interested in working with us to prepare for the special events."

UES DELAYED OPENING AND CANCELLATION PROCEDURES: Winter is coming, and with the unpredictable weather comes the possibility of cancellations or delayed openings for school. There has been some confusion in recent years about the exact time school opens at UES on delayed opening days, but we finally got this cleared up last year. Here is what you need to know in case Mother Nature throws a snow or iceball at us one of these mornings:

UES DELAYED OPENING PROCEDURES

9:30 Teachers arrive

10:00 UES doors open; buses begin to arrive; we're open for business!

10:00- Students will begin arriving to class; transition time; Morning Meeting.

10:25

10:25 UES schedule officially begins. Students will proceed as normal where the schedule would be normally at 10:25. Lunches will not be effected.

SOME ECO HIGHLIGHTS If you haven't had a chance yet to join your child on an ECO trip, please try to do so as soon as you can. You definitely won't be disappointed! Here are a few nice pictures of some science adventurers in Mrs. Mears' class:

Bugs and Logs. Always a good combo!

HENNESSEY'S HOOTS! A Hennessey Hoot to:

* Todd Keller, Chris Luce, Pam Foster, Zephyr Cerulli, Nancy Webb (and the WHOLE cafeteria staff), and, well, all of us, for putting on a spectacular and smooth UES Thanksgiving Luncheon last week. Together, we served over 850 students and family members on Wednesday! Among the many highlights was having students from the MHS Soar program join us to help out in a variety of ways, and they shared this beautiful slide show with me of their experience:

Turkey Day at UES from high schoolers' POV

* First grader Olivia in Ms. Freeman's class, who noticed that some of the children on the playground weren't always being nice to each other and decided to do something about it. Olivia created this anti-bullying poster that she shared with her class. Very well done, Olivia!

* Second grader Isabella in Ms. Pine's class, whose artwork was selected to be on the front of our UPP (Union Playground Project) greeting cards! You'll all be seeing these cards soon enough, and be sure to thank Isabella for her beautiful design when you see her!

Monday, November 3, 2014

November 3, 2014

"Have You Seen the Owl Today?"

Look closely. There is some amazing creativity in this picture!

2015 SCRIPPS SPELLING BEE! I am very pleased to announce that Union Elementary will be participating in the Scripps National Spelling Bee this spring! Over 10,000 schools from around the country (including Main Street Middle School) participate in Scripps, and the best of the best get to go to Washington, D.C. in May to go for the championship. Scripps is open to students in grades 5-8, so the winner from our 5th grade will have the privilege of representing UES at the state championship at St. Michael's college in the spring! Many more details to follow, but here is the link to Scripps if you'd like some more info:

Scripps Spelling Bee

THANKSGIVING DINNER AT UES! The annual UES Thanksgiving Dinner will be held this year on Wednesday, November 19. Folks, if you haven't joined us before, you won't want to miss it! Due to high demand, reservations are required for the dinner, and order forms will be coming home with your children this week.

2014-15 UES FAMILY DIRECTORY From the UES Parents Group: "The ever-popular Union School directory will be published in November. Paper forms went home last week and are due back at school by this Wednesday, November 5. This year, we are asking families with internet access to fill out the form online at UES Directory Form in order to save us time and decrease errors. The directory provides the Union School community with families' contact information. It is intended for use only by UES families and staff, and only families that fill out the form are included. Participation is optional and families can include as much or as little contact information as they'd like."

HENNESSEY'S HOOTS! A Hennessey Hoot to:

* Kindergartener Holden, who realized that the stacks of chairs in Mrs. Koch's class were leaning forward and in danger of tipping over. Well, he decided to do something about it! I noticed students stacking the chairs this way and said, "No, no, they all need to be in the same direction." One of Holden's classmates corrected me gently, saying, "But Mr. Hennessey, Holden found a better way. Now they don't tip over!" Yes he did!

Holden, proudly showing the best way to stack chairs. Genius.

* 2nd Grader Calvin, who, rumor has it, knows a thing or two about Batman.

Batmen

Monday, October 27, 2014

Wise Owl: October 27, 2014

October 27, 2014

"Have You Seen the Owl Today?"

Welcome to the Union Elementary Wise Owl! We hope that you enjoy this new way of learning what's going on at UES! I'll be updating the Owl every few weeks with both news and celebrations, and our goal will be to send it to as many members of the UES community as we can. If we have your updated email address, you'll get it!

Some news and information that will be helpful to know...

HAPPY HALLOWEEN! Halloween is coming this Friday, and it's time to be thinking about how we'll approach this special day as a school community. As much fun as it would be to celebrate with costumes and parties, we believe that such revelry would be simply too disruptive to the learning environment for an entire day. We ask that students keep the costumes and candy at home so they can be ready for the fun on Friday night. Please help us maintain a healthy learning environment the following days as well; we ask that all candy remain at home when the children return to school on Monday. If you have any questions or concerns, please call me or stop by.

On a more fun note, many children know that I have a very close friendship with Batman (it's true!), and I know for certain that he'll be spending Halloween night at my house in the meadow neighborhood! As always, all superheroes who stop by will get two treats! Have lots of fun and be safe -- we hope to see you all!

UES PREK-4 DESIGN TEAM I'm happy to announce the formation of a Union Elementary PreK-4 Design Team starting next month! As you know, the 5th grade will be moving to Main Street Middle School next year, and with that move will come a restructuring of the grades and teams at Union. This team of myself and ten teachers will be researching the most student centered approaches to structuring a PreK-4 school with five grades instead of our current six. This will be very exciting work, and our goal will be to make Year One as disruptive to as few children and teams as possible. Please be on the lookout for a Parent Survey in the next few weeks; we'd really like to get your input on this very important topic! In the meantime, please contact me or stop by if you have any questions or concerns.

PICTURE RETAKE DAY TOMORROW! Lifetouch Photography will be at UES tomorrow from 8:00 to 11:00. If your child missed Picture Day last month or would like a retake, tomorrow (Tuesday) is the day to get it done!

LOST AND FOUND Anyone who has been in the lobby of UES in recent weeks will notice that we have a growing collection of high quality jackets, sweatshirts, and other items that haven't made it safely home. In the past we have always kept these items in the auditorium for months at a time in the hopes that children and parents would claim them. Storage has become an issue, however, and we figure that if we have a deadline, people are much more likely to claim their lost items! So... on Monday, November 10, all unclaimed items will be donated to Planet Aid. Every two weeks thereafter, the lost and found will be cleared and all items will be donated. Now is the time to check with your child to see if he or she is missing something. There are some really nice things on those racks, so please check them out!

On a related note, as a baseball fan, I am sure someone is missing this beauty of a Detroit Tigers cap. I know I'd be missing it! It's a size 7 5/8, so please come in to claim it if it's yours!

2006 Tigers World Series Cap -- any takers?

PUBLISHER'S WORKSHOP WITH MRS. CODY Last week, Mrs. Cody and her students invited me to their classroom to celebrate the completion of their first books! Not only did they share apple cider and goldfish crackers with me, but these 1st graders also treated me to readings of their books! It was a lot of fun -- thanks Mrs. Cody's class!

Mrs. Cody's 1st graders celebrating the publication of their first books

WALK AND BIKE TO SCHOOL WEDNESDAYS! Mr. Williams, MJ, and I plan on continuing our "Walk and Bike to School Wednesdays" at least up to the Thanksgiving break, and we'd love to see you join us! I'll be at Shaw's, Mr. Williams can be found at the State House lawn, and MJ will meet children at the college green. We'll always leave just after 8:00 for a brisk, refreshing walk to UES! Last Wednesday, our numbers went down due to the pouring rain, but that didn't stop McKenzie (2nd grade), Dax, and Tong (both 1st grade), from joining me under my big umbrella for some fun puddle jumping on the way to school! Here we are just before class:

McKenzie, Dax, Mr. Hennessey, and Tong -- dry and ready for school!

PLANTING HOPE ON NOVEMBER 4!

Mark your calendars: Planting Hope will be visiting UES on Tuesday, November 4 to share their dance and improv performance with our students. By all accounts, this is a very exciting show, and we'll all be ready to give our Nicaraguan friends a warm UES welcome!

UES PARENTS GROUP: PLAYGROUND UPDATE Last week, the UES Parents Group held a meeting in the UES library to discuss planning and fundraising for the ongoing playground rebuilding project. Two sub-committees emerged from this meeting: one devoted to fundraising and the other to planning and design. Both groups will be meeting in early November to continue the discussion, and I think it's safe to say that we all left our first gathering very excited about the future of this project! I'll have more details about this work following our next meetings in a few weeks.

FIRE SAFETY WITH MRS. BATES Officers from the Montpelier Fire Department paid a visit to Mrs. Bates' class last week to talk fire safety with UES kinders. Needless to say, the firemen had a very enthusiastic reception with lots of excellent questions. Thanks for coming, gentlemen.

THE FALL SCHOLASTIC BOOK FAIR IS COMING SOON -- SAVE THE DATES! From the UES Parent's Group:

Save the dates! Thursday, November 13, 8am-3:30pm, and Friday, November 14, 8am-3:30pm and during Friday Family Movie Night (time and movie TBA), Union Elementary School, Little Gym, First Floor

We invite you to visit the UES Parent’s Group Fall Fundraiser to experience a celebration of reading that provides the opportunity to support a universal mission: encouraging kids to read every day! Please be on the lookout for the Scholastic books preview that will be sent home soon. During the Book Fair, each child will visit with his/her class and will have the opportunity to discover and purchase from hundreds of fun, engaging, affordable books, starting at only $2. Parents and family can come to the Book Fair during the day or before or after school. You can also select books from your child’s teacher WISH LIST to help build their classroom library.

Also, if you or extended family are unable to attend, or you want to purchase books outside of these hours, please visit our online fair beginning November 7:

http://bookfairs.scholastic.com/homepage/unionelementaryschool19

We look forward to having you participate in our Book Fair, and remember, all purchases benefit our school! Last Spring’s USPG Book Fair was able to raise over $2000 in cash to directly assist the students and teachers of UES through field trips, art projects, classroom activities, etc. In addition, we earned over $500 in free books for students and classroom libraries. Volunteers are needed to help set up, help kids choose books, or help pack up.

Please contact Sidney Collier #223-9120 / Suzie Smith #338-0669 or at bookfair@mpsvt.org

Thank you all for your support!!!

HENNESSEY'S HOOTS! A Hennessey Hoot to:

* Mrs. Kane, who once again did a beautiful job creating the Kinder Cave with all of our aspiring artists! These young artists (along with their families) built the cave in just 35 minutes -- a new record!

Kinder Cave Fun!

* Mrs. Wrigley, who was honored last Wednesday as one of UVM's Teacher of the Year winners! Dr. Ricca and I joined Mrs. Wrigley and her family along with other honorees from around Vermont at UVM's beautiful Ira Allen Chapel for the ceremony. Congratulations Emily!


Mrs. Wrigley with fellow Honoree Mr. Taylor of Main Street Middle School

* Mrs. Goldblatt and the 4th/5th grade orchestra, who sounded terrific when I stopped by the auditorium the other day. Here they are getting ready for their next performance:

Sunday, October 12, 2014

Wise Owl: October 13

October 13, 2014

"Have You Seen the Owl Today?"

Mr. Hennessey's Crew outside Shaw's

Mr. Merrylees greeting happy walkers and bikers Wednesday morning

Next Main Street Middle School Information Night Our first informational night for parents of 4th graders moving to the Middle School next year was a big success last Tuesday night! About 25 parents joined me and Main Street Principal Pam Arnold for a tour of the school and a Q & A session. Mrs. Arnold and I have scheduled the next meeting for Tuesday, December 2 from 6:00 to 7:00 at the Middle School. Though the focus of these meetings is on the move of the 5th grade to Main Street, we'd like to welcome all MPS community members to join us for the discussion. Please let me know if you have any questions or suggestions!

Ms. Lloyd's Class Constitution Ms. Lloyd's 5th graders have spent time this fall putting together a Class Constitution based on C.A.R.E.S. (if you don't know what C.A.R.E.S. is, ask your child about it), and I had the pleasure of joining them at the State House last Friday as they ratified the document in the House Chamber. It was a beautiful ceremony that showcased a learning experience of incredible authenticity. How many children in the United States can walk from their classroom to their State Capitol in less than ten minutes? What a treat! Here are some photos of the experience:

Ms. Lloyd's 5th Graders at the State House

Linnea reading her section

Students signing the Constitution

Genevieve's Fundraiser! The UES Parents Group asked me to remind you all that the order forms for this fall's Genevieve's Fundraiser are due by the end of the day tomorrow, Monday, October 13!

Parent/Teacher Conferences There will be no school on Thursday and Friday, October 23 and 24. If you haven't scheduled a conference with your child's teacher yet, now is the time to do so!

Playground News! For those who aren't aware, UES is applying for a state grant of up to $25,000 to be applied to upgrading our upper and lower playgrounds. This work is a long time coming, as significant improvements haven't been made to our grounds in over 20 years! As I mentioned at a school board meeting in May, this project is a major priority for the UES community, and we're going to need your help! A few things to consider:

* the grant proposal was due this past Friday, October 10. An enormous thank you is due to UES parent Angelica Caterino for coming in and using her tremendous grant writing skills to lead the way and to Montpelier community members Stephanie Congo and Beth Burgess for helping us as well.

* in just over a week, we collected over $4,000 in cash and $15,000 in "in-kind" donations from various individuals and businesses in Montpelier. If approved, the state will match up to $25,000 of these funds! Though the grant proposal was due Friday, we can continue to collect donations for up to two months.

* an informational/planning meeting will take place Tuesday, October 21 from 6:00 to 7:00 in the UES library to update interested folks about the project. We hope to see you there!

The Great Pumpkin! We got our annual Great Pumpkin visit last week, and many of our children had a chance to come out and marvel at the 1400+ pound behemoth you see below! Many thanks to Mrs. Quinn's Amelia, whose gramp loves to come visit every year to show off his hard work.

Mrs. Koch's kinders enjoying the Great Pumpkin!

Hennessey's Hoots! A Hennessey Hoot goes to:

* Superintendent Brian Ricca, for being honored by Phi Delta Kappa as an Emerging Educational Leader. Check out the link below:

http://pdkintl.org/files/PR_Ricca-Brian.pdf

* Theresa Giffin, for her unbelievable efforts in rallying the community to get behind our Playground grant proposal (see above) the last two weeks! UES wouldn't be in the running for this large sum of money without Theresa's hard work, enthusiasm, and persistence!

* 4th graders Ella and Anna, for their efforts in putting together a Winter Talent Show with the UES Parents Group. This show wouldn't be happening without their hard work, enthusiasm, and persistence! (Do we see a theme emerging here?)

Anna and Ella