District Communications

Dear WSD Families, Staff, and Community,

December 1, 2020 – I am writing to let you know that a member of our learning community has a probable positive case of COVID-19. While we hoped that everyone in our district would stay healthy and COVID-free, we expected that this might eventually happen and prepared with a plan to respond to this situation. 

Earlier this afternoon, the WSD COVID-19 Co-Coordinators, Liz Parris and Katharine Monje, members of the WSD Leadership Team, and I met with the Vermont Department of Health (VDH). They shared information about the person with the positive case. 

The WSD COVID-19 Co-Coordinators, in collaboration with the VDH contact tracing team, will follow up with all potentially close contacts. Please answer the phone if the VDH or the WSD COVID-19 Co-Coordinators contact you. A contact tracer may be trying to reach you with important information. If you are not contacted by December 3, it is because you and/or your child are not a close contact.

We recommend that you take action to help limit the spread of COVID-19. The most important things you and your child can do:

• Make sure you wear a mask at all times.
• Always practice proper hand hygiene.
• Stay home if you are sick. 
• Do not mingle with people from other households or travel outside Vermont per Governor Scott’s Executive Order. 
• Call your primary care provider if you are experiencing symptoms of COVID-19. 
• Learn more about getting tested in Vermont.

We are working with the Health Department to keep our community safe.

Our response continues to follow VDH guidance. The WSD custodial crew has cleaned and disinfected the areas where the infected person might have been in our facilities. Any employees and sick students will not return to the WSD until they are healthy. As always, the safety and well-being of our students, staff, and families is our top priority. At this point, it has not been deemed necessary that we close our schools. 

Thank you for understanding that, due to medical privacy laws, we are not able to release the names of the individual who has tested positive for COVID-19. We will continue to communicate changes and updates with you. We ask our community for compassion and understanding for all who may be impacted by this virus. Together, we can maintain a safe and healthy learning environment for all Winooski students. 

If you have any questions, please call the COVID-19 hotline: 802-556-2243. 

Many thanks,

Sean McMannon, Superintendent

November 29, 2020

Dear WSD Families and Staff,

We hope you were able to relax over the last few days and find some creative ways to observe your favorite traditions within our challenging circumstances. 

On November 13, Governor Scott’s Executive Order suspended multi-household social gatherings. The Order prohibits multiple households from participating in holiday events, parties, celebrations, and sharing accommodations with anyone other than the people they live with. At a recent press conference, Vermont Commissioner of Health Mark Levine said, “71% of the cases that are associated with an outbreak are associated with an outbreak from a private party or a social gathering.” 

Vermonters have been asked to quarantine if they attend or host a multi-household gathering. By sending your student to school, or coming to work as a WSD employee, you are verifying that you are in compliance with the Governor’s order. As we mentioned earlier this week, we have updated our student and staff health screening to include confirming that individuals have not traveled out-of-state or attended a multi-family gathering. We expect families and staff to do the right thing and decide whether or not quarantine is necessary. 

If quarantining is necessary the student or staff member must: 

• Complete a 14-day quarantine or; 
• Take a COVID-19 test on the first day after visiting with people from another household and take another test on day seven that are both negative. 

If concerns arise about a student needing to quarantine and still being present at school, the WSD COVID-19 Co-Coordinators and/or principals will follow up with parents/guardians.

If you have any questions related to the need to quarantine for any of the following reasons, please call our COVID-19 hotline (802) 556-2243:

• If the member of the WSD community is symptomatic
• If the member of the WSD community has been a Close Contact to a COVID-19 positive person
• If the member of the WSD community engaged in Non-Essential Travel
• If the member of the WSD community has been to a Multi-Household Gathering

If your child needs to quarantine, be sure to let the school know what dates they will be out of school.

Many of us are disappointed to lose our traditional celebrations this year, but this is not going to last forever. Traveling or gathering with those outside of your household and not quarantining puts our community at risk and increases the possibility of having to close our schools and move to a fully remote learning model again. 

We all want to keep our community safe and our students learning in-person to the greatest extent possible. Thank you for doing your part every day to prevent any further spread of this virus and helping us to keep our students, staff, and community safe. 

Thank you,

Sean McMannon, Superintendent 

Important Upcoming Dates:

• November 25-27 – No School
• Find the WSD’s updated school calendar here. 
• Flu Shot Clinic – Tuesdays and Thursdays in December

Dear WSD Families, 

Gratitude.  

I am incredibly grateful that schools in Winooski are open. Across the country, students still aren’t able to learn together in-person, due to high rates of COVID-19. To date, there have been no known positive cases of the virus in our schools. This shows that our students, parents, and staff are carefully following the challenging and often frustrating safety procedures so we can remain together as a learning community. Our district is committed to continuing with our current learning model as long as health data allows. Please continue to remain vigilant in adhering to the health precautions so we can all stay healthy and our schools can stay open for in-person learning.

Personally, I am incredibly grateful for my family who continue to be flexible, supportive, and reminders of what is really important throughout these crazy times.  Both of my college-aged daughters, Brenna and Ani are home for a “different” Thanksgiving with just our four-person, nuclear family pod. Jen, my wife and long-time vegetarian tried to convince me this was the year without a turkey but the childhood memories of wafting garlic-pierced turkey and tryptophan-induced slumber won out and I will be roasting a “small” twelve-pounder.  

For the first time in 20 years, we will not be celebrating with my father and in-laws, however, we are finding creative ways to stay connected with our loved ones in light of Governor Scott’s temporary restrictions on travel and social gatherings. For example, we will be playing online CodeNames and Clue, reading stories to my nieces, and of course the annual “I am thankful for…” circle via Zoom.

Lastly, I am so grateful for your support. You are all making countless sacrifices so that our community can stay healthy and our students can remain in school. Thank you!

Health Screening Update

Due to the recent restrictions on out-of-state travel and multi-family gatherings, we have updated the student health screening. Before sending your child to school, please read through the Health Screening requirements to ensure your child is in compliance. 

While out-of-state travel and gathering in multi-family groups require a 14-day quarantine or 7-day quarantine followed by a negative COVID19 test before returning to in-person school, gathering in pre-established “pods” related to education or child care remains allowable, according to updated guidance released by the Agency of Education on Monday. 

School Budget (FY22)

The WSD School Board will be meeting on Wednesday, December 2 at 6:30pm to discuss the budget for the next school year (the fiscal year 2022). Find the meeting link here. I highly encourage all members of the Winooski School District community to participate in these meetings.

During next week’s meeting, our leadership team will be presenting on specific areas of our school, including student enrollment, staffing levels, special education, and English Language Learners (ELL) programming and a baseline level services budget. 

In light of the economic depression brought on by the pandemic, our district leadership team plans to propose a baseline level services budget – meaning no additional funding will be requested for new positions or optional services. It is important to note that union-negotiated salary increases, health care costs, and property tax rates, can have a significant impact on the budget, even without any added positions or services. 

Community members are also encouraged to attend virtual meetings on December 9,16, 30 (if needed) & January 6, 2021, all at 6:30pm. More information and invitations to those meetings to follow. 

Winter Transportation

Last budget season we heard from many community members who requested more accessible and direct student transportation during the winter months in the mornings and afternoons. The WSD board earmarked funds for this service in our current school year budget. The transportation was supposed to begin next week, Monday, November 30th, and run through March 26th. Unfortunately, we will not be able to provide this service until STA/Mountain Transit can employ drivers.

Winter Sports – There’s Still Time to Sign Up!

WMHS is planning for a limited basketball season, per Vermont Agency of Education guidelines. Practices are scheduled to start Monday, December 14 and games could begin as early as January 11. Due to health and safety restrictions, there will not be any spectators allowed but we are exploring options to live stream games. 

Students who are interested in participating can still sign up. High school and middle school students must fill out the linked forms and return to WSD Athletic Director, Dennis Barcomb ([email protected]). 

Stay Connected

For more school-specific highlights, remember to read our Middle High School news and JFK weekly Elementary newsletters. 

Thank you,

Sean McMannon, Superintendent

Important Upcoming Dates:

• Monday, November 23 – early dismissal at 11am (JFK parent-teacher conferences)
• Tuesday, November 24 – early dismissal at 11am  (JFK parent-teacher conferences)
• November 25-27 – No School
• Find the WSD’s updated school calendar here.
• Flu Shot Clinic – Tuesdays and Thursdays in December

Dear WSD Families,

Last week, Governor Scott implemented temporary restrictions on social gatherings, including banning private multi-household social gatherings.

I know we are all experiencing pandemic fatigue. This feeling is heightened at this time of year when many of us long to participate in family traditions and social gatherings. We rely on our connections with extended family and friends to boost our morale and keep our spirits high during the long winter and to ease the social isolation the pandemic has brought.

However, in order to keep everyone healthy and our schools open, it is very important we all follow the governor’s orders. To date, there have been no known positive cases of COVID-19 in the WSD. That shows that our staff, students, and their families are all doing an excellent job following virus mitigation strategies and safety protocols. Please read the attached letter from Vermont physicians that calls on all of us to prioritize our communities and protect schools for our children.

Looking for other ways to connect over the holidays?  The Center for Disease Control shared these tips for safely celebrating Thanksgiving.

Considerations for Maintaining In-Person Learning

We know that extended school closure is detrimental to our students’ academic progress, social-emotional development, and overall wellbeing. With our #1 guiding principle of “Student and Staff Health, Safety and Wellbeing for ALL”, our priority is keeping our students learning together in-person as much as possible. We plan to maintain in-person learning, both hybrid for our middle-high school students and four-days per week of in-person instruction for our elementary students, as long as we meet the following criteria:

• Low COVID-19 Positivity Rates within the Community and School
• Sufficient staffing levels to safely maintain in-person hybrid instruction
• Ability to adhere to the DOH/AOE Safety and Health Guidance

WSD School Board updates

The FY22 Budget Cycle will start on December 2. We will set up virtual meetings December 2, 9,16, 30 (if needed) & January 6, 2021, all at 6:30pm. More information and invitations to those meetings to follow.

Meet our new board members

At the November 18 Special Board Meeting, two candidates were appointed to fill seats left vacant by Margaret Bass’s resignation last month, and the future vacancy of Matthew MacNeil, who will be moving out of Winooski next month.

After meeting with six highly-qualified candidates, the board selected Tula Kadariya and Liz Edsell.

Tula is originally from Nepal and has been living in the United States since 2016. He shared that he is “an active community member with a background in human services, advocacy, organizing, education equity.”

Liz, a relatively recent arrival to Winooski, says her family was “inspired by the schools and wanted our kids to be Spartans.” Liz is Chair of the Winooski’s Charter Commission.

Both new members will hold their seats until March, when they may run for their positions on the ballot during Town Meeting Day.

Successful Implementation of COVID-19 Testing at WSD

On Wednesday, 78 WSD staff members took a self-administered COIVD-19 test as part of the new State of Vermont surveillance testing initiative. Many thanks to our COVID-19 Co-Coordinators and other staff members for bearing the freezing temps to make sure the whole process ran smoothly. All WSD employees will have a chance to take another COVID-19 test in December.

Antiracism Updates

The WSD School Board has committed to holding an hour of time during each of its meetings dedicated to Winooski’s antiracist work.  At the November 11 WSD Board meeting, the Winooski Students for Antiracism (WSA) and their faculty supporters held the first People’s Hour. During over 80 minutes, the entire board, plus around 25 virtual attendees, participated in a restorative circle with talking prompts such as, “Why is anti-racism in our school important to you? Where are you in your anti-racist journey?” Read more about the structure and goals of the restorative circle here.

The December regular board meeting will focus on building the WSA’s demand-based teams.

Winooski Clothing Giveaway

The Winooski Mutual Aid is organizing a clothing drive and giveaway.

The giveaway event is happening during the Everyone Eats meals distribution at the O’Brien Center on Tuesday, November 24 from 3pm-6pm.

If you have clothing you would like to donate, please make sure it is clean and in bags generally labeled by gender/size. This will help the organizers sort. Bring your donations by Monday, 11/23, to either of these homes in Winooski*: 27 Hickok Street or 307 Lafountain Street. Both have a bin outside their door to put the donations in.

Working Communities Grant

Winooski was awarded a $300,000 Working Communities Challenge grant to establish systems to lift underrepresented voices and involve the area’s diverse population in decision-making and community dialogue.

Winter Sports

WMHS is planning for a limited basketball season, per Vermont Agency of Education guidelines. Practices will not start until Monday, December 14th. Games will begin after January 11, 2021. Due to health and safety restrictions, there will not be any spectators allowed but we are exploring options to live stream games.

Winter Transportation

There is a statewide shortage of bus drivers and WSD’s Request for Proposals (RFP) resulted in no bids from transportation companies to provide our winter transportation for students. If you either have a CDL license or are interested in being trained to drive a bus please contact Chris Ives at (802) 893-1334. The required six-week training is paid at the minimum wage and then the rate of pay starts at $18.50/hour. Most other associated training and licensing costs are reimbursed by Mountain Transit.

Winter transportation was slated to begin Monday, November 30th and run through March 26th, and transport students to school in the morning and back home after school. We will not be able to provide this service until STA/Mountain Transit can employ drivers and will update you each week.

Stay Connected

For more school-specific highlights, remember to read our Middle High School news and JFK weekly Elementary newsletters.

Thank you,

Sean McMannon, Superintendent