District Communications

Important Upcoming Dates:

• Find the WSD’s updated school calendar here.
• Wednesday, February 17, 2021, at 6pm – Remote City/School Budget Presentations
• No School February 22 through March 2. All students will return to remote learning Wednesday, March 3.
• Tuesday, March 2 – Town Meeting Day. Voting will take place from 7am-7pm at the Winooski Senior Center.
• Wednesday, March 3 and Wednesday, March 10 from 9-10am – VT Foodbank at WSD and student meal kit distribution.

Dear WSD Families,

I am excited to participate in the Special Olympics Vermont (SOVT) 26th annual Penguin Plunge. This year, instead of one day, there will be an entire Plunge season, from February 6 – March 27!

The SOVT Penguin Plunge is a unique winter event where participants raise funds to take a dip in Vermont’s icy lakes. The funds raised support programs that foster inclusion and acceptance of people with intellectual disabilities, through sports activities.

Our district team, the Winooski Spartans, is part of the Cool Schools Penguin Plunge, which will be fully remote in 2021. The Spartans will need to get creative and produce a one-of-a-kind Penguin Splash video to be included in the Penguin Plunge Celebration live stream!  We will be developing our unique “plunge” in February and will share the video in mid-March.

The Winooski Spartans have raised over $70,000 for this worthy cause in seven years. These funds have allowed us to create the WSD Unified Sports program, which includes over 40 Winooski student-athletes!  During this challenging year, my personal goal is to raise $3000. Please consider supporting the Winooski Spartans Penguin Plunge, SOVT, and the WSD Unified Sports Teams by joining our team. Information will be shared with students next week so they can join and help construct our unique “plunge”.

COVID-19 Updates – Since last week there have been no positive cases of COVID-19 reported to the WSD COVID-19 Coordinators. 11 members of our learning community are being monitored, either awaiting a negative test result or until their 14-day quarantine is over.

Winooski currently has the lowest rate of positive COVID cases in nearly three months and Chittenden County positive cases have declined by 38% in the past 14 days. Read more here.

February Break – There will be no school for all students Preschool through 12th-grade from Monday, February 22 through Tuesday, March 2. All students will return to remote learning Wednesday, March 3. All PreK-5 students and Pod B 6th-12th grade students will return to in-person learning on Thursday, March 4th. Student meal kits will be available for pick-up from 9-10am at all 3 distribution sites: Wednesday, February 24, and Wednesday, March 3.

Budget Information – Join the City of Winooski and the Winooski School District for our annual joint budget presentations on Wednesday, February 17 at 6pm! Members of the public are encouraged to participate. Each presentation will be followed by an opportunity to ask questions and make public comments.

• Attend online: https://zoom.us/j/97318597419
• Attend by phone: 1 646 558 8656
• View the School’s budget presentation and budget flyer
• View the School’s annual report

Watch this video to learn more about Capital Project progress!

Black History Month Resources – If you’re interested in doing a deeper dive into Black History this month, WSD Curriculum Director Michael Eppolito put together these resources about Black History Month.

JFK Afterschool  – Click here to read about the 21C Afterschool offerings for JFK students from March 4 – June 4 (unless indicated otherwise). Please bring the completed registration form back by Friday, February 12.

Governor’s Institute of Vermont (GIV) – Do you know a passionate, curious Vermont high school student? Please take a moment to let them know about learning opportunities through GIV. Interested students can learn more and start their online application at giv.org/institutes/summer-2021/.

Winooski’s Got Talent – The Winooski PTO will be hosting the annual Winooski’s Got Talent virtually on March 25th. They are looking for talent from Winooski students to include in the show.

Talents can include:

• singing,
• playing an instrument,
• comedy,
• juggling,
• magic tricks,
• skateboard tricks,
• basketball trick shots,
• artwork,
• or any other talents!

To star in Winooski’s Got Talent you need to submit a video of you performing your talent, or a picture of your artwork, by March 12th. Questions and submissions should be sent to Joe Smith at [email protected]. Please make sure that your videos show you following Covid safety protocols as outlined by the CDC. 

Watch Basketball Games Live!

School sports leagues are now able to hold competitive games starting Friday, 2/12. Due to the pandemic, spectators are not allowed at Winooski basketball games this season, however, we will live broadcast games on our district YouTube channel: bit.ly/VideosWSD. Games will be recorded and available for later viewing via the same link.

The first games of the season are scheduled for Friday 2/12.  Below is the schedule:

• Friday  2/12 Middle School A girls home vs Vergennes 3:00pm (No B game)
• Friday 2/12 HS boys vs Danville. JV at 6:00pm and Varsity at 7:30pm

Thank you for reading these updates and strengthening our school/home partnership.

Take care,

Sean McMannon, Superintendent

Important Upcoming Dates: 

• Wednesday, February 10 from 9-10am – VT Foodbank at WSD with Veggie VanGo and student meal kit distribution
• February 22 through March 2 – No School 

Dear WSD Families,

Since last week there has been one positive case of COVID-19 reported to the WSD COVID-19 Coordinators. The positive individual was in the WSD building while infectious, however, contact tracing is being conducted by the Vermont Department of Health and no further action is necessary by the WSD Co-Coordinators. 14 members of our learning community are being monitored, either awaiting a negative test result or until their 14-day quarantine is over. 

Rates across the City of Winooski have also declined to the lowest rates since mid-November. There were six (6) cases during the week 1/24 through 1/30 from three (3) unique addresses. Chittenden County positive cases also continue to decline. Read more here. 

Keep up the great work, everyone! 

Black History Month

February is Black History Month. Over four decades ago, President Gerald Ford officially recognized Black History Month, asking Americans to “seize the opportunity to honor the too-often neglected accomplishments of Black Americans in every area of endeavor throughout our history.”

Our district is committed to honoring the history and contributions of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) all year long. 

Earlier this year, the staff of JFK Elementary School started reading and discussing the book Teaching for Black Lives. Teaching for Black Lives provides resources and demonstrates how teachers connect curriculum to young people’s lives and root their concerns and daily experiences in what is taught and how classrooms are set up.

This fall, High School students completed a unit on the legacies of slavery, which culminated in a meeting with a member of the Equal Justice Initiative. Read more about that work here. 

This article shares some ideas about how to celebrate Black History Month at home, including a virtual visit to the National Museum of African American History and Culture.  

Watch Basketball Games Live!

Due to the pandemic, there will be no spectators at Winooski basketball games this season, however, we are working on a plan to live broadcast Varsity and JV games and record middle school games on our district YouTube channel: bit.ly/VideosWSD. 

The first game of the season is tentatively scheduled for Monday, February 8, however, we will wait until Governor Scott moves Vermont to phase 3 before we can hold any games. If games are allowed starting next week, this is the schedule:

• Monday 2/8 JV and Varsity girls home vs North Country. JV is at 5:30pm and Varsity is at 7:00pm – both games can be viewed via this link: https://youtu.be/x2y1D48ubSM
• Thursday 2/11 Middle School A girls home vs Vergennes 3:00pm (NO B GAME)
• Friday 2/12 HS boys vs Danville. JV at 6:00pm and Varsity at 7:30pm.

Tip of the Day – Keep Your Mask Clean – The Centers for Disease Control suggest changing your cloth mask whenever it gets wet or soiled, and at least daily. Wet masks can be hard to breathe through and are less effective than dry masks. Worn cloth masks should be washed and fully dried daily, in with your regular laundry or by hand. If you have a disposable face mask, throw it away after wearing it once. Our district has extra cloth masks available for students if needed. 

Book Giveaway Next Wednesday – On Wednesday, February 10th the Winooski Memorial Library and Recreation and Parks will be on-site to distribute a variety of picture books for young readers as well as themed craft and winter passport activity kits on a first-served basis! Stop by to take home these items and to learn more about Library and Recreation resources and current programming opportunities. Picture book giveaway made possible through the generous support of a customer book drive coordinated by Misery Loves Co.  

Free Course on Animation for Winooski Students (5th-12th grade) – Have you ever been curious about how cartoons and animated movies are created? Join us for three free classes after-school and learn the basics of animation. Watch a video here to get the scoop. If you sign-up, you’ll also be leading the animation team to create a brand new animation to be shared by us. All classes will occur on Wednesday afternoons from 3pm – 4pm and will take place virtually. Any materials needed for the course will be provided! Courses will be on the following dates: 

• Wed, February 17
• Wed, March 3
• Wed, March 10

Want to save your spot in the class? Click here to RSVP via a Google form. This course is being offered by the Winooski Partnership for Prevention and the Above the Influence after-school program in partnership with 21C afterschool. Have any questions? Feel free to reach out to Suzanne ([email protected]) or Kate ([email protected]). Hope to “see” you there!

Survey for Middle High School Students from Winooski Partnership for Prevention –The Winooski Partnership for Prevention is looking for your middle and or high school students’ participation in a brief survey, available at this link. The information we are trying to collect is very important and helpful in keeping youth as healthy as possible. Thank you for helping us collect this information! Participation is optional and anonymous.

Here’s the link again: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/WPPyouth

We collect this information to get a more complete picture of what is normally asked on the biennial Youth Risk Behavior Survey. Understanding how youth perceive, and sometimes use, various substances helps the Winooski Partnership for Prevention, a coalition of local leaders, understand what information and assistance is needed to improve health for all youth in the community. A person who waits until age 21 to try any substances has a less than 1% chance of developing dependence or addiction.

And, there’s another fun reason to fill out the survey!  Once we can get 50 Winooski students to fill it out, the WPP will enter every middle and high school student in a raffle for one large, cheese pizza from Papa Frank’s, with 10 given away (only one per family). Every student will get a free gel pen. Thank you for your help! Please feel free to reach out to us with questions and comments at Kate Nugent, [email protected], 802.655.4565

Thank you,

Sean McMannon, Superintendent