Wise Owl: October 13

October 13, 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...

International Walk and Bike to School Day!  Our first Walk and Bike to School Day was a huge success!  I had over 30 students join me at Shaw's last Wednesday, and Mr. Williams and MJ had over 30 others join them from the State House and the Vermont College green for a nice walk to school on a lovely autumn morning.  The day was so successful that we will continue to meet students at 8:00 at Shaw's, Vermont College, and the State House each Wednesday morning through October!  Parents and little brothers and sisters are welcome to join us!  

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