District Communications

Dear WSD Families,

As we shared last week, schools in Vermont have been cleared to begin bringing students back for more days of in-person instruction. As long as everyone in our learning community continues to follow health and safety guidelines we are confident we can bring back our students safely. 

Read more about the Vermont Agency of Education’s (AOE) criteria for bringing students back safely here. Read the latest FAQ from the AOE regarding the move from Step II to Step III here. You can also read about how WSD will respond in the scenario of a positive case here.

Children in Kindergarten through 5th grade are being given the highest priority for return to full-time in-person learning by the AOE as these students are most likely to benefit from in-person learning and least likely to become infected with or transmit the virus that causes COVID-19. 

The AOE recommends gradually bringing students back to more days of in-person learning. Our leadership team has come up with the following schedule to help with this process.

JFK Phasing In Four Days Per Week by Grade Levels

The days of instruction will be Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. Wednesdays will be remote for everyone. Students will continue their hybrid schedule of Monday/Tuesday or Thursday/Friday until their grade begins the four-day schedule.

• October 19th – 23rd: 2nd and 4th-grade students will start attending WSD in-person four days per week. 
• October 26th – 30th: 1st and 3rd-grade students will start attending in-person four days per week.
• November 2nd – 6th: Kindergarten and 5th-grade students will start attending in-person four days per week. 

What will change and what will stay the same?

Step III means we must maintain 3-feet between students under 10 years of age, when possible. This does not mean that students must be socially distanced at all times. It does mean that we should do our best to limit students being in close proximity to each other and continue to use additional layers of protection such as:

• wearing masks
• sitting side-by-side instead of face-to-face
• practicing good hand hygiene

Arrival and dismissal times

School hours remain 8am to 3pm. Students should arrive between 8-9am. 

• K/1 use the main entrance
• 2nd – 5th use the JFK entrance 

A temperature health screening will be taken at each entrance. By sending your student to school, you are certifying that they are well. As a district, we will assume that every child who enters our school district building is feeling well and not displaying any symptoms of illness. We will also assume that they have not traveled to an area requiring quarantine or have been knowingly exposed to a person who has tested positive for COVID-19. After the temperature health screening, students will still go directly to their classrooms. Instruction will start at 9am.

We will continue with staggered dismissal at 2:50pm. Students will still be picked up by their teacher’s designated space in front of the school. 

During the day:

• Students stay in their “pod” during the day – which is their classroom group
• Breakfast and lunches will be eaten in the classroom
• Students will still have recess every day and art, music, and guidance will be taught in students’ classrooms
• Students will continue to use their own supplies – no sharing

Wednesdays:

• Schedules stay the same and will remain remote for everyone.

Students enrolled in WSDVLC

Students that have opted for fully remote with VTVLC are encouraged to remain with VTVLC until January to complete their semester. Students who are accessing our JFK remote learning model will have the option to stay fully remote. 

You and your children have done an amazing job while our district was using the hybrid model. Being hybrid has presented us with a unique set of challenges, which we addressed creatively and collaboratively. Going to 4 days in-person will present us with new challenges. Together, we will work through each new challenge while supporting all of our students.

We have a few additional updates below:

New Veggie VanGo Schedule 

The Vermont Foodbank will be at the Winooski School District with fresh produce the first and second Wednesday of each month from 9-10am. Read more about this program of the Vermont Foodbank. 

WSD Meals

Free WSD meals are still available to all children in Winooski every Wednesday from 9-10am at three locations. Read more here. 

Capital Project Updates

Watch this cool time-lapse footage of the JFK elementary school construction progress from July – September. The WSD Leadership Team was able to take a tour today of the construction site. Find a few images of the visit here. 

Antiracism – Updates on the school board retreat on 9/26

During the September 26 board retreat, members of the WSD School Board, the WSD leadership team, the Winooski City Manager, and one student from the Winooski Students for Antiracism (WSA) met for a facilitated discussion about the WSA’s demands and the WSD School Board’s response to the demands. The board used a Restorative Justice model to guide their discussion.

Read more about the retreat, and our district’s efforts to deepen our commitment to Restorative Justice here. 

Thank you for reading this message and continuing our partnership as we build a better school for every Winooski student. 

Dear WSD Families,

We are so proud of our students for adapting so well to our new learning environment. As a district, we are still looking at our health and safety systems and procedures and adapting if needed. We need to stay safe to stay open. Your support and efforts at home to reinforce the recommendations of health experts are appreciated. 

On Tuesday the Vermont Secretary of Education, Daniel French, announced that Vermont is now at Step III in Vermont’s Safe and Healthy Start Guidelines. Under these guidelines, schools may allow groups of students to intermix rather than adhere to a pod structure, make use of common spaces such as the cafeteria and gymnasium, and hold sports competitions. While some restrictions have loosened, strict physical distancing, mask-wearing, and hand hygiene will continue. Districts have been encouraged to make any decisions about changing current protocols at the local level based on each schools’ unique circumstances.

The WSD leadership team is optimistically looking towards the future and starting to plan for the possibility of returning our K-5 students to school for more than two days per week. However, WSD has not yet set a date to bring students back to school for more days of in-person instruction. Read more about our district’s thoughtful, intentional, and gradual approach to returning elementary students to 4 days per week of in-person instruction. 

PREPARING FOR COVID-19 IN WSD

Despite our best efforts and planning, it is possible that we will encounter COVID-19 in our district; therefore, we wanted to take this opportunity to share an overview of what you can expect when a COVID-19 case is identified within our district. Please read this information from our school nurses: Preparing for COVID-19 in WSD.

COVID-19 HOTLINE

If you have any questions related to WSD and COVID-19, or if you are concerned about your child’s possible exposure to the virus, please call (802) 556-2243.

The WSD COVID-19 Hotline is a dedicated number that will be answered 24/7 by our COVID-19 coordinators, Nurses Liz Parris and Katharine Monje. 

CAPITAL PROJECT UPDATES

Wondering what’s happening in construction this month? Has your middle or high school students talked to you about the translucent curtain outside their classroom window? Wondering just how big the new gymnasium will be? Read our Capital Project Updates!

Parents/Guardians of children on IEPs:

Attention parents/guardians of children on Individualized Education Plans (IEPs): An important survey has been mailed to your home. It is important that you fill out the survey to provide the Agency of Education with parent involvement data.

If you need assistance in filling out the survey contact the Vermont Family Network.

We appreciate your ongoing support as we approach each challenge and opportunity with creativity and compassion.

Take care,

Sean McMannon, Superintendent