District Communications

Dear WSD Families,

It’s hard to believe we’re already wrapping up our second week of school. Our students continue to amaze me with how well they follow our district-wide HEART (Honest, Engaged, Appropriate, Responsible, Timely) expectations.

Saturday marks the 20th anniversary of 9/11. As we reflect on the terrible terrorist attack that devastated our country and killed nearly 3,000 people two decades ago, it is important to remember the strength of our community, both locally and nationally. This strength got us through a very dark time in our collective history and it will continue to bring us together as we build a brighter future for our students.

Please read the following updates and reminders below to continue to strengthen our district-family partnership.

Take care,
Sean McMannon, Superintendent

COVID-19
On September 8, the WSD COVID Coordinators were notified that two members of our learning community have tested positive for COVID-19. Both individuals were in school while contagious. The Vermont Department of Health (VDH) required contact tracing and all close contacts have been sent home to begin quarantine. If you were not contacted, that means you/your child are not considered close contacts.

Currently, in our district, 40 people are in quarantine. 32 individuals are in quarantine due to exposure to the positive cases. Those people must take a COVID-19 test and may return to school pending negative results or complete a 14-day quarantine. The other eight individuals are in quarantine due to international travel or because they exhibited COVID-19 symptoms and are awaiting testing results.

Additionally, one current presumed positive is under investigation, with up to 49 people in our learning community potentially impacted. Attempts will be made to notify all close contacts by 6pm this afternoon. If you have received a message or missed a call from the school, please respond as soon as possible by calling 802-556-2243.

We cannot share any confidential medical information about people’s quarantine status, vaccination status, or exposure to COVID with anyone who is not directly impacted. If you have not been contacted by the COVID Coordinators, you have not been directly impacted by the current positive cases in our schools.

What we can tell you is that many of the people who have been sent home to quarantine have had allergy-like symptoms such as a runny nose, scratchy throat, and a headache. Our COVID Coordinators ask that you do not send your child to school if they have any symptoms. If your child wakes up with any COVID-19 symptoms, regardless of how mild, please call the COVID hotline at 802-556-2243 immediately.

Cafeteria Opening
We are pleased to announce the new cafeteria will open on Monday, September 13!

Due to health concerns, this year the cafeteria will only serve students in grades 6-12. For students in grades PreK-5, meals will be served in the classroom. To keep everyone safe and healthy, we will follow these strategies:

1. Masks worn by all students and staff until they are in their seat and ready to eat.
2. All diners will keep a distance of at least 3 feet between themselves as much as possible.
3. Tables and surfaces will be cleaned between meal services.
4. Hand sanitizer stations will be available at all cafeteria entries. 
5. Seating plans will be required for potential contact tracing purposes. 

Walk to School Day
Walk to School Day will be held on Wednesday, October 6th! Students can meet at the Walgreens parking lot at 7:40am, we will begin walking at 7:45am. Tips for walking to school. 

Dear WSD Families,
It has been wonderful having our students in the building together this week. The new classrooms for kindergarten, first and second-grade students and the new middle school wing are absolutely beautiful! Students are thrilled to be in their new spaces. We are eagerly anticipating renovated classrooms for high school and 3, 4 and 5th grades next year.

The Winooski City-wide power outage on Wednesday caused minimal disruption, and I was impressed with how well students adjusted to this unexpected change. This morning, before school began, our district had an unanticipated evacuation due to a test of a heat sensor in an active construction area. Our Public Safety Committee, which includes Officer Jason Ziter, Principal Jean, and other WSD staff, meets weekly to develop, improve, and communicate our safety procedures. The Safety Team will continue working with staff and students throughout the year to keep everyone safe. 

We continue to adjust and revise some daily routines to better meet the needs of our students. Lunch continues to be served in the classroom or outside for all students as we wait for the cafeteria to be completed. All things considered, this first week of school has been smooth and joyful!

Thank you for reading these updates as we strengthen our school-family partnership.

Take care,
Sean McMannon, Superintendent

Student Drop Off Reminder
With the exception of the sudden downpour on Monday morning, student drop off and pick up has been going smoothly and improving daily. Thank you for your efforts to get your children in and out of your car quickly and efficiently. Please remember: 

• Stay in your car in the car drop off/pick up line.
• Pull as far forward as possible until the drop off/ pick up point.
• At pick up, please put a note in your car window with your student’s name and grade level to make the process quicker.
• Do not drop your student off by car on George Street. This drop-off is for pedestrian use only. All parents dropping off or picking up students by vehicle must use Normand Street. George Street is a no-outlet street and it is not wide enough for multiple vehicle traffic. Thank you!

COVID-19 Updates
As of August 30, there were three (3) confirmed positive cases of COVID-19 in our learning community. One individual was infectious while at a school-sponsored event. All close contacts of the individual were notified by Friday, August 27. If you have not been contacted, you and/or your child are not considered a close contact. Currently, 10 individuals are in quarantine until they receive a negative test result and are no longer symptomatic. 

We know that positive cases this early in the school year are probably not surprising but certainly disheartening.  Please read this article to learn more about Kids and the Delta Variant from a local pediatrician. 

The good news is, we are not powerless against this virus and we have more tools than ever before thanks to vaccines. The most important thing you can do to keep everyone healthy, our schools open and learning together in-person is to keep your child home if they are symptomatic and contact the WSD Covid hotline (802-556-2243) with any questions. Review our COVID procedures for additional information.

Per our WSD COVID-19 Communication Plan, if there is a positive case in our district, the COVID-19 coordinators will work with the Vermont Department of Health (VDH) to conduct contact tracing, and notify all close contacts of the infectious individual. If you are not directly impacted, you will be informed about the positive case(s) on Thursdays in our weekly district communication. 

Afterschool Opportunities
It’s time to sign your child up for our amazing free 21C Afterschool opportunities!  Click these links to find out what’s available for JFK and WMHS students. JFK students will also come home with a flyer today. Reach out to Suzanne Skaflestad with questions ([email protected]). 

Correcting Vermont’s Unfair Education Funding
The formula used by Vermont to distribute education funds has been wrong for over 20 years. Across the state, many low-income schools, like the WSD, are in disrepair and lack the basic services available in wealthier districts. In 2019, at the request of the legislature, a report was written by a team led by UVM/Rutgers education funding research experts that definitively concluded Vermont does not properly account for the costs of educating children who come from low-income households or children who require English language learning services, like many students in Winooski. Read more about this important issue here. 

There will be a public hearing to discuss the corrections to the funding formula on Wednesday, September 8 from 5-7pm. If you want Winooski students to have the same educational opportunities as students in wealthier districts please consider making a public comment.

Join the PTO!
We are excited for the opportunities to support the students and staff of WSD this year and welcome new members and new ideas. The PTO strives to include all members of our community and welcomes your ideas on how to do so. Please join us!  

We hold monthly meetings between September and May and would love to have you join us. In these meetings, we will discuss new and recent business and provide updates on events, fundraisers (the November craft fair and the spring Fun Dog Show), committee work (including Teacher and Staff Support, Talent Show, and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion), and PTO financials. Our meetings are typically held every third Wednesday from 6:00pm to 7:30pm. We will begin meetings on Zoom this year with the hope to move to in person meetings in the near future. Our first meeting is on September 15. 

If you are unable to attend weekly meetings, we are always looking for volunteers to help out on the ground (in the past these have included chaperoning dances, sponsoring potlucks, and selling baked goods and raffle tickets at various school events). Just let us know what works for you!

Are you interested in joining the PTO? Please feel out our brief survey to provide your contact information. Email [email protected] with any questions. We look forward to welcoming new members and working together for a great year. 

Can you Donate Soccer Cleats?
Our soccer season is off to a great start and some student athletes need new cleats. If you are able to donate new or gently used cleats to our teams, the following sizes are needed: 

• Boys Middle School Cleats in Men’s Sizes 4-8
• Girls Middle School Cleats in Women’s Sizes 6-10

A bin will be set up in front of the Main JFK Entrance to collect donations. 

Let’s Stay Connected!
Find school-specific communications below:
WMHS Family Communication – Info from Principals Jean and Kate, Afterschool opportunities, athletic updates, and more! 

JFK Family Letter – Back to school info, important dates, drop-off/pick-up reminders, HEART, and what to expect during the first six weeks of school. 

Courtesy Posts
Each week we will share information from non-district organizations upon request. Click here if you are interested in learning more about: 

Free Trees for Winooski residents!
Winooski residents are eligible for free trees to plant in their yard through Community Canopy, an Arbor Day Foundation program!