August 26, 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!

WELCOME BACK TO SCHOOL!

Some news and information that will be helpful as we start the year...

UNION ELEMENTARY: OUR STORY Beginning last winter, I interviewed both students and staff and asked them why they found working and learning at Union Elementary such a special experience. The results were extraordinary, and I decided to call the finished product "UES: Our Story" and release it in a series of 5 to 10 minute "episodes." We are currently working on the next episode of Our Story, and I'd love to get some parents, grandparents, and community members involved. If you're interested in participating and providing a brief (no longer than 60 second) interview, I'd love to hear from you. We envision this project going deep into the year, so there is plenty of time to get your thoughts together! In case you missed the first two installments last year, here they are:

UES: Our Story Part 1

UES: Our Story Part 2

UES WEBSITE Our goal is to have the UES website be a regular destination for you as you surf the web. Information will be updated regularly, and you'll notice that the UES calendar is prominently displayed as you open the page. This calendar will be updated on a daily basis with events that we'd like you to know about, so please visit the site whenever you can at:

UES Website

MEET MR. HENNESSEY 2013 To the right you'll see five short videos that we produced with some 5th graders at the beginning of last year as a way to introduce the new UES Principal, me, to the community. For those of you who haven't seen them yet, I'll leave these totally student produced videos up for the first few weeks of the school year. I just watched these again the other day -- what a difference a year makes!

BUS ROUTE INFO When you go to the website, you'll see "Resources" to the right of the top menu bar. Click "Resources" and, among other categories, you'll see "Bus Schedules" at the top. If your child will be riding the bus to and from school, this is where you can get the correct times and bus stops for your neighborhood for both morning pick up and afternoon drop off. Our plan is to have the exact times for 2014-15 updated and accurate by the end of this week.

UES ROOF UPDATE I am happy to report that our 75 year old school has a brand new roof! The days of leaking halls, classrooms, and stairwells are over at last! Thanks to Rodd Roofing for getting the job done before school started as promised. I hiked to Marvin Street the other day to take this shot:

WINTER CARNIVAL 2015! Yes, that's right.  There is a movement afoot to have a UES Winter Carnival on the last week of February (prior to vacation).  There are so many reasons to have such an event, and we believe that it could be a terrific opportunity to celebrate our 75th birthday and bring the community together to see what we're doing.  Many more details to follow as we go through the fall!  I'd be very interested in hearing any ideas you may have to get the community involved in this project, so please stop by to talk about them if you'd like.

FALL OPEN HOUSE In my Welcome Back letter you received a few weeks ago, I gave Thursday, September 25 as the date for this fall's Open House. Well, it was pointed out to me that the 25th is Rosh Hashanah! My sincere apologies for this oversight; we'll have the new date selected in the next week or so and update you and the calendar accordingly.

DID YOU KNOW?... I'd like to make you all aware of the simply amazing work the folks from the Capital Community Church of Petal, Mississippi did cleaning, painting, and generally fixing our school the first and last weeks of July.  Austin Smith, a new dad who moved his family to Montpelier this spring (and whose daughter Lily-Ann was in Mrs. Mears' class), put this together after meeting with me and Todd Keller in early June.  Any of you who had a chance to meet these folks when you were in the neighborhood will agree that their kindness and devotion to service was as genuine as any I've ever seen.  Combine that with the overall excellence of their work, and we had a winning combination!  The Times-Argus did a beautiful front page story on them earlier in the month; I have a hard copy in my office or you can go online and look at the August 1 issue.  It's worth your time.

Wise Owl: March 14

March 14, 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! If you'd like to have the Wise Owl sent to you, please send your email address to chrish@mpsvt.org. I'll be updating the Owl every few weeks with both news and celebrations, and I'd love to be able to send it directly to you if that's what you'd like.

Here is what's new at UES:

UNION ELEMENTARY: OUR STORY We are currently working on the next "edition" of Our Story, and I'd love to get some parents, grandparents, and community members involved. If you're interested in participating and providing a brief (no longer than 60 second) interview, I'd love to hear from you. We envision this project going deep into next year, so there is plenty of time to get your thoughts together! In case you missed the first installment, here it is:

SCRIPPS SPELLING BEE AT MAIN STREET  I invited a group of 4th and 5th Graders to join me last month at the Scripps Spelling Bee tryouts at Main Street Middle School.   We were treated to a very exciting, high stakes competition where the winner would be invited to the state tournament at St. Michael's College this month.  (Congratulations to Mrs. Grey's son Eric, who was the MSMS winner!)  Our students had so much fun that they hope to have a UES spelling bee next year!  Since 5th graders are welcome to participate, stay tuned to see who the UES Scripps representative will be next year!  This year's UES spelling crew:

NEW UES PRINCIPAL??  They say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, so see if you can tell who the principal is in the picture below.  Ian wanted to show me how a principal is supposed to look, and I think the glasses put him over the top!

POLICE TRAINING AT UES OVER VACATION February 26 was quite a day at Union Elementary.  Montpelier police and fire officers joined local emergency medical personnel and over 25 volunteers to conduct an "Active Shooter" training in our building.  It was an intense experience for all of us, but it was comforting to know that so much thought and care is being taken to keep our children and staff safe if a worst case scenario were ever to occur.  Fox 44 News covered the event, and if you'd like to learn more, check out the link below to see interviews with me, Chief of Police Tony Facos, Fire Chief Bob Gowan, and School Resource Officer Matt Knisley.  A big thanks to Todd Keller for organizing the event with local agencies, and also to Theresa Giffin, Chris Luce, Pam Foster, Zephyr Cerulli, and Linda Beaupre for volunteering their time over vacation!  The interview link:

Channel 44 Interviews

PUPPET RESIDENCY!  UES 3rd graders started a "Puppet Residency" this week with the No Strings Marionette company.  Their hard work over the next few weeks will culminate in a wonderful, student run puppet show on Thursday, March 27.  We will have two shows during the school day, and one evening show at 6:00.  My daughters count the puppet residency among their favorite experiences while students at UES, and you won't want to miss this show if you can make it.  Here is a nice description of the residency from the No Strings folks themselves:

"The No Strings puppet workshop is an exciting, fast-paced artist in residence program. Where students plunge into their imaginations, create a fully operational puppet of their own design, give voice to its character and bring it to life in performance. Our true goal is to ignite each student's natural desire to learn, give them tools to educate themselves and begin to realize the power of knowledge. How do we do this? Puppets, that's how."  

To learn more about the No Strings Marionette Company and their work with students, check out this link:

http://www.nostringsvt.com/main.html

PARENT/TEACHER CONFERENCES  Parent/Teacher conferences are scheduled to occur next Friday, March 21.  If you haven't been in touch with your child's teacher yet, now is the time to make an appointment.  Most teachers are offering time slots after school next week if Friday is difficult for you.  My plan is to be available to meet with parents that day, so please feel free to stop by my office to check in.

NECAPS  Results from this fall's NECAP testing for 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders are in.  Teachers will be ready to share these scores with you next week when you meet with them.  We will also mail home hard copies of the scores at the end of the week.

KINDERGARTEN REGISTRATION  Kindergarten registration (for the MHS Class of 2027!) will take place next week on March 19, 20, and 21 from 9:00 to 2:00.  Please contact Zephyr or Pam in the main office at 225-8204 if you or anyone you know has any questions.

HARRY BLISS  Local and famed New Yorker cartoonist Harry Bliss payed UES a visit last month and entertained children with stories and original art work.  Harry had students come on stage to start a drawing, and the kids were able to take the originals home with them!  Here is Matthew getting things started for Harry, and Nate showing off his drawing (suitable for framing!).  A big thank you to Mrs. Bates for inviting Harry to join us and organizing the day!



FIRST GRADE SUPER STUDENTS  A few of Mrs. Wrigley's First Graders made my day right before vacation when they came to my office to tell me how proud they were to be "Super Students."  Take a look at this picture, and you can see how proud they are!

I was so impressed with their hard work that I asked to visit their other classmates to tell them how impressed I was with all of them.  They took my hand and brought me down to their classroom. Mrs. Wrigley was kind enough to take these pictures:

 

WISE OWL: February 9

February 9, 2014

"Have You Seen the Owl Today?"

HAPPY NEW YEAR UNION ELEMENTARY!

Welcome to the Union Elementary Wise Owl!  We hope that you enjoy this new way of learning what's going on at UES! If you'd like to have the Wise Owl sent to you, please send your email address to chrish@mpsvt.org. I'll be updating the Owl every few weeks with both news and celebrations, and I'd love to be able to send it directly to you if that's what you'd like.

Here is what's new at UES:

UNION ELEMENTARY: OUR STORY Go to the link below to see the first part of our new ongoing series Union Elementary: Our Story. Teachers and students have been eager to share why they love coming to Union every day and why our work together is so important, and you'll get a chance to hear from them directly. The plan is to add to Our Story the rest of the winter and spring, so if you'd like to share your story, we'd love to hear from you!

JANUARY CARES ASSEMBLY!  Once again, the 5th graders outdid themselves in putting on an entertaining and informative show for all of us at UES. January's C.A.R.E.S. theme was "Self-Control", and the students used a game show format to get classmates up on stage to test their C.A.R.E.S. knowledge against mine! I'm happy to say that the students and I were always on the same page. Congratulations to Mrs. Adams' class for the great show!



NECAP RESULTS ARE IN! We just received the math, reading, and writing NECAP scores for 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders today. Please look for your child's scores in the mail before the February break.

ECO DAY! I had the pleasure of joining 1st graders last week on a special ECO Day at the North Branch Nature Center! It was a bright and beautiful 27 degree day, and the children had a wonderful time. On behalf of all of us in the UES community, I'd like to thank Amy Butler and the entire ECO staff for providing our children with the best in experiential learning. If you ever have a chance to join your son or daughter on an ECO day, don't miss the opportunity!

Mrs. Wrigley's class has fun on the igloo!

 

Wise Owl: January 21

January 21, 2014

"Have You Seen the Owl Today?"

HAPPY NEW YEAR UNION ELEMENTARY!

Welcome to the Union Elementary Wise Owl!  We hope that you enjoy this new way of learning what's going on at UES! If you'd like to have the Wise Owl sent to you, please send your email address to chrish@mpsvt.org. I'll be updating the Owl every few weeks with both news and celebrations, and I'd love to be able to send it directly to you if that's what you'd like.

A SPECIAL VISIT FROM MRS. KOCH'S CLASS  Last week, I had the pleasure of being visited by some very happy "Super Students" who told me that they were having a a special party.  Here they are delivering the good news:

 

Moments later, Mrs. Koch's whole class came down to visit and join the other super heroes in my office!  Congratulations to Mrs. Koch's students for earning over 1500 Hoots!

 

 

UES ROOF UPDATE  On a more mundane but very important note, I'd like to share some news about the condition of our roof.  The recent freeze/heavy rain pattern of winter weather we've been experiencing has put some major strain on our roof, and we have had some significant leaks as a result.  During the last rainy weekend, some teachers and I noticed water coming down through the stairwell by the music room at an alarming rate.  Contractors came in last week and assessed the situation, spending a good part of this long weekend repairing the ceiling and making sure the building was safe.  These workers did an extraordinary job in a very short period of time, and I want to assure you all that the stairwell is safe for all of us.  An asbestos abatement was completed in 2005, so we're fine there; also, there was no mold found in the affected areas.  Good news for all of us!

                   BEFORE                                                                               AFTER   

                                                                       

REPORT CARDS NEXT WEEK!  Report cards will be issued on Friday, January 31 for all of our students.  Please look for your child's report card in his or her folder, and feel free to contact teachers if you have any questions.  I'll have more information about report cards in the next Wise Owl.

PLAYGROUND MONITORS NEEDED! UES recently put an advertisement in the papers for a playground monitor. If you or anyone you know of would be interested in helping us out on the playground from about 11:15 to 1:15 on a daily basis, I'd love to hear from you! This is a paid position, and your presence would greatly help us improve the students' playground experience.


UES DELAYED OPENING PROCEDURES: Winter is in full gear, 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, so 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; IAs arrive; 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.

CELEBRATING EVERYBODY WINS!  UES students and Everybody Wins! mentors were honored at the State House last Tuesday with recognition from the legislature and a "power lunch" in the cafeteria!  For those of you who don't know, Everybody Wins!, the largest mentoring program in Vermont, provides students with a mentor for weekly reading partnerships designed to foster a lifelong love of reading.  Both of my daughters participated during their years at UES and will never forget their mentors!  Kudos to EW Coordinator Patty Valentine for organizing such a fun and valuable day for our students!

 

Wise Owl: 1-1

January 1, 2014

"Have You Seen the Owl Today?"

HAPPY NEW YEAR UNION ELEMENTARY!

Welcome to the Union Elementary Wise Owl!  We hope that you enjoy this new way of learning what's going on at UES! If you'd like to have the Wise Owl sent to you, please send your email address to chrish@mpsvt.org. I'll be updating the Owl every few weeks with both news and celebrations, and I'd love to be able to send it directly to you if that's what you'd like.

C.A.R.E.S. ASSEMBLY! The latest outstanding, student led C.A.R.E.S. assembly was put on by Mrs. McGuiggan's 5th grade class on the 18th. What a terrific job the kids did! Empathy was this month's theme, and many of us were treated to Superman-style "E" emblems to wear for the day. The show included sketches demonstrating empathy and a dance number performed with Mrs. Closter's 1st graders. Below are some highlights:

                    

Check out this video of the dance performance:

UES STUDENT REPS AT THE SCHOOL BOARD MEETING Representatives from grades K to 12 (the MHS Classes of 2014 to 2026!) shared their thoughts on what makes a great school with our school board and the Montpelier community at last month's board meeting. I had a wonderful opportunity to work with our middle school students, while Mrs. Arnold worked with students from the high school and Mr. Bunting worked with our children. The result was a presentation that beautifully put into perspective the notion that everyone who works for the Montpelier schools works for all of our kids. You can catch the whole presentation on the Orca website, but I took some footage of the K-5 segment of the presentation with Mr. Bunting, and it's well worth your time to check out. It's difficult to hear the younger children at first, but the audio improves as it goes on. 

UES DELAYED OPENING PROCEDURES: Winter is in full gear, 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, so here is what you need to know in case Mother Nature throws a snowball at us one of these mornings:

UES DELAYED OPENING PROCEDURES 

9:30     Teachers arrive 

10:00   UES doors open; IAs arrive; 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.

UES WORLD CHORUS OPPORTUNITY Union Elementary School, in partnership with Community Connections, is launching a wonderful after school opportunity for Union students: The UES World Chorus. Students will meet weekly for an hour long choral instruction class led by the wonderful John Harrison, and will build a repertoire to perform at the end of the school year. John will be selecting traditional music from around the world, as he challenges the students with harmony and rhythm. Students will learn why people make music, why people sing, and how songs are created, as they themselves learn to raise their voices together to create beautiful and meaningful musical stories.

When: Thursdays 2:45-3:30 optional supervised before care/snack 3:30-4:30 UES World Chorus
Where: UES Auditorium
Dates: January 17-May 27 (Performance in June)
Cost: $180 + $54 optional before care ($10 per class + $3 for before care & snack)
Scholarships available for students with Free and Reduced Lunch. A staggered payment plan will be available as well. CC students will pay a prorated rate.
Registration: Registration will begin on January 3rd. Please look for hard copy flyers as well as online registration/payment options. 

To register online, click here

SCHOLASTIC BOOK FAIR From the UES Parents Group: "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 had about 20 volunteers helping to set up, run the book fair and pack up everything.  We couldn’t have done it without all of your support!  Although we do not yet have the final numbers from Scholastic, it looks like 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.  In addition, we earned over $400 in free books for students and classroom libraries!  Thank you all for your support!   See you at the Spring Scholastic Book Fair!

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

4th GRADE BAKE SALE From Ms. Lloyd and the 4th grade team: "I want to thank all of you who sent in items for the Craft and Bake Sale.  Today, we raised nearly $250 to donate to The Water Project, a non-profit that provides sustainable sources of clean water to communities in Africa.  You can read more about The Water Project here:

http://thewaterproject.org/

Students were professional, engaged, excited, cooperative, flexible, and very proud of what they accomplished.  What a worthwhile way to spend a day at school!  Thank you for your support.

-Morgan"

Here is a great photo of the students tallying the results:

GREEN MOUNTAIN YOUTH SYMPHONY AT UES The UES community was treated to a wonderful performance by the Green Mountain Youth Symphony on the 19th! Thanks to Mrs. Goldblatt for organizing the concert, and to the talented musicians for sharing their love of music with all of us.

Wise Owl: December 9, 2013

December 9, 2013

"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! If you'd like to have the Wise Owl sent to you, please send your email address to chrish@mpsvt.org. I'll be updating the Owl at least once a week with both news and celebrations, and I'd love to be able to send it directly to you if that's what you'd like.

4th-5th GRADE CONCERT!  Those of you who attended last Thursday evening's concert were treated to some wonderful performances by our students!  Special congratulations are due to the 4th grade band who were performing publicly for the first time.  I'd also like to give credit to Mrs. Goldblatt and her colleagues in the MPS music department for their commitment to the performing arts for all of our children.  Student participation in music at UES is as high as it's been in many years, and the kids' enthusiasm was a beautiful thing to watch.  Check out these photos:

This doesn't look like "pre-show jitters"!:

The Performance:

                     

                     

Post performance Celebrations!:





NEW SECURITY SYSTEM AT UES!  The first week of the new security system at Union has been a huge success!  I'd like to thank those of you who have contacted me by email, phone, and in person to thank me and the faculty for taking these measures to keep our children safe.  It's clear to me that the Montpelier community fully understands the need for these changes.  For those of you who are learning about this for the first time, here are the basics:

Exterior doors will now be locked at all times before, during, and after school.  Guests visiting UES will now enter the building through the main, front entrance using a video/buzzer system linked to the front office.  Upon entry, guests (parents, contractors, etc.) will sign in at the front office and be given a guest ID pass.  From December 2 on, all faculty, staff, and guests must have an ID or guest pass visible at all times while in the building.  If you don't have an ID and are in the building, an adult (or maybe even a student!) will ask you to return to the office to get one.

We fully recognize that this is an entirely new way of allowing access to our school for the community, but we hope that you can all understand that these changes need to happen.  As we all get used to this new system in the coming weeks, we welcome your questions, suggestions, and feedback.  Please let us know what you think!

SCHOOL EXPERIENCE SURVEY:  In an effort to get more feedback from UES families, we've put out a School Experience Survey on our website.  The survey will only take a few moments to fill out, so please look at it when you have a chance.   We really want to know how you think we're doing!

You can click here to take the survey right now!

8:00 START TIME:  With the cold weather and new security system going into effect after Thanksgiving, we think it's a good time to remind the community that Union Elementary does not open its doors until 8:00.  As of December 2, the doors to the school will be locked and staff will not be available until that hour, so it's very important to make sure your child isn't dropped off before that time. Adult supervision inside and out will begin at 8:00 in the cafeteria for those who want breakfast, the playground, and "Quiet Start" in the library (which is limited to the first 40 students who choose to go to the library).  The bell rings at 8:20 for the official start to the day. The half hour between 7:30 and 8:00 is always busy for our faculty and staff preparing the day and participating in meetings, so we really appreciate all of your cooperation with this!  Please let me know if you have any questions.


RIDDLE OF THE DAY:

What do you call a pig who plays basketball?

Last week's riddle:  Why did the math student do her multiplication problems on the floor?  (Answer:  The teacher told her not to use tables!)

November 25, 2013

"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! If you'd like to have the Wise Owl sent to you, please send your email address to chrish@mpsvt.org. I'll be updating the Owl at least once a week with both news and celebrations, and I'd love to be able to send it directly to you if that's what you'd like.

NEW SECURITY SYSTEM AT UES!  Beginning on the morning of Monday, December 2, the UES community will enter a new era of security and safety as we continue to do our best to keep our children and staff safe.  Faculty and staff will be issued photo ID cards today, and these cards will each have a chip embedded in them allowing entry into the building. Keys will no longer be necessary.

Exterior doors will now be locked at all times before, during, and after school.  Guests visiting UES will now enter the building through the main, front entrance using a video/buzzer system linked to the front office.  Upon entry, guests (parents, contractors, etc.) will sign in at the front office and be given a guest ID pass.  From December 2 on, all faculty, staff, and guests must have an ID or guest pass visible at all times while in the building.  If you don't have an ID and are in the building, an adult (or maybe even a student!) will ask you to return to the office to get one.

We fully recognize that this is an entirely new way of allowing access to our school for the community, but we hope that you can all understand that these changes need to happen.  As we all get used to this new system in the coming weeks, we welcome your questions, suggestions, and feedback.  Please let us know what you think!

SCHOOL EXPERIENCE SURVEY:  In an effort to get more feedback from UES families, we've put out a School Experience Survey on our website.  The survey will only take a few moments to fill out, so please look at it when you have a chance.   We really want to know how you think we're doing!

You can click here to take the survey right now!

NOVEMBER ASSEMBLIES:  RESPONSIBILITY!  If you happened to stop by our assemblies before or after your Thanksgiving lunch last week, you got to see quite a show!  Ms. Kelley's class had the task of putting together a show with the theme of Responsibility, and did they ever come through!  The students presented a well rehearsed and planned out show that was both informational and entertaining.  Outstanding job!

Mrs. Beaupre's class anxiously awaits the show!

Mae and Destiney:  MCs extraordinaire!

The Flash Mob!

8:00 START TIME:  With the cold weather and new security system going into effect after Thanksgiving, we think it's a good time to remind the community that Union Elementary does not open its doors until 8:00.  As of December 2, the doors to the school will be locked and staff will not be available until that hour, so it's very important to make sure your child isn't dropped off before that time. Adult supervision inside and out will begin at 8:00 in the cafeteria for those who want breakfast, the playground, and "Quiet Start" in the library (which is limited to the first 40 students who choose to go to the library).  The bell rings at 8:20 for the official start to the day. The half hour between 7:30 and 8:00 is always busy for our faculty and staff preparing the day and participating in meetings, so we really appreciate all of your cooperation with this!  Please let me know if you have any questions.

"LIGHTS ON AFTER SCHOOL"!  Congratulations to Diadel Ortiz and the Community Connections staff for putting on a successful event last Friday night at UES!  The kids showed off their work and talents while the adults learned about and celebrated the many accomplishments of our Community Connections after school program.

RIDDLE OF THE DAY:

Why did the math student do her multiplication problems on the floor?


Last week's riddle:  Which side of a turkey has the most feathers?  (Answer:  the outside!)