District Communications

The Vermont Department of Health, in partnership with Community Health Centers of Burlington, will be offering testing at the O’Brien Community Center in Winooski at 32 Mallets Bay Avenue.  This is for members of the community of Winooski.  Testing is free and available to anyone.  Children under the age of 12 months cannot be tested.  These clinics are part of the State of Vermont’s efforts to ramp up testing and prevent the spread of COVID-19. The test will tell you if you have a current infection. It is not a serology/antibody test, which means it will not tell you if you were infected in the past.

Registration for the Winooski events: https://humanresources.vermont.gov/winooski

• Monday, June 1st, from 10 am to 2 pm for 50 people – no registration available; first come first served
• Tuesday, June 2^nd, from 9 am to 3 pm for 260 people
• Wednesday, June 3^rd, from 10 am to 2 pm for 50 people
• Thursday, June 4^th, from 9 am to 3 pm for 150 people
• Friday, June 5^th, from 10 am to 2 pm for 50 people

Testing events in collaboration with the National Guard will also be held in Burlington, at the UVM Campus, Waterman Building, 85 S Prospect St.  These will be held Wednesday (6/3) through Saturday (6/6). Registration for the Burlington testing events is at: https://humanresources.vermont.gov/popups

Find more information on the City of Winooski website.

The Vermont Department of Health, in partnership with Community Health Centers of Burlington, will be offering a number of COVID-19 testing events for residents.

The first Winooski testing event will take place on Monday, June 1st, 2020 at the O’Brien Community Center at 32 Mallets Bay Avenue, from 10 am to 2 pm for up to 50 people. No sign up or reservation is required. Interpreters will be available. Please wear a face covering.

With support from the City of Winooski, additional testing events are being planned by the Health Department to take place in the coming days at the O’Brien Community Center. COVID-19 testing is also available this week in Burlington at the University of Vermont’s Waterman Building on June 3, 4, 5 and 6 from 9 am to 3 pm. For an appointment, go to humanresources.vermont.gov/popups or dial 2-1-1 for help.

The Health Department will notify you of your test results:

• If your test result is positive, a public health nurse from the Health Department will call you in a few days.
• If you have been in close contact with anyone who has tested positive, Health Department staff will also reach out to you.
• If your test result is negative, you will get a letter in the mail within a week.

Whether you have COVID-19 or not, all community members should continue to practice physical distancing, use face coverings when in the presence of others, regularly wash your hands, and stay home if you’re sick. For the most up-to-date information: www.healthvermont.gov/covid-19

Download this press release

Dear WSD Families and Staff,

I wanted to share the latest update from the City of Winooski regarding the new cases of COVID-19 in Winooski (below). I understand that many of you are concerned about these new cases, but I urge you to stay smart and continue following social distancing guidelines. Our district will continue to follow up with any new developments.

The City of Winooski is working closely with the Department of Health in its investigation into a cluster of COVID-19 virus among a small number of members of our community. This is not an outbreak of the virus spreading.

The Health Department has been in contact with the individuals and is providing appropriate guidance and recommendations – including for self-isolation and quarantine. The department’s contact tracing team has been reaching out to any of these individuals’ close contacts to identify any further risk and need for testing. We appreciate the rapid and comprehensive response by the state and their cooperation in helping us to protect the health of everyone in Winooski.

Members of the Winooski community should follow the same precautions as all Vermonters: continue to practice physical distancing, use face coverings when in the presence of others, regularly wash your hands, and stay home if you’re sick.

Thank you for your efforts. Together, our actions will help get us past this difficult time.

Questions regarding this update can be sent to:

• Jessie Baker, City Manager – [email protected]
• Paul Sarne, Communications Coordinator – [email protected]

A reminder from The Vermont Department of Health: If you believe you have been in close contact with a person who tested positive for COVID-19, monitor yourself for symptoms. This includes checking your temperature every day, watching for symptoms and staying home. If you develop symptoms of COVID-19 and are a close contact of someone who tested positive, you should: Call your health care provider and call the Vermont Department of Health at 802-863-7240.

Thank you,

Sean McMannon, Superintendent

Dear Winooski Families,

The Winooski School District is committed to supporting every family in our district through the various challenges the pandemic has created. Below are a few resources we hope will help.

Support for Distance Learning and Keeping Your Teen Safe Online

Do you wonder how safe it is for your teen to use TikTok and Snapchat? Do you feel lost when it comes to monitoring your kid’s activity online? Do you feel your teen spends way too much time on their device but don’t know how to set limits?

Please join us this evening for a virtual presentation, Digital Safety and Wellbeing: Tackling Difficult Conversations in the Digital Age, to come up with a plan that works for everyone in your family. 

• This evening, Thursday, May 28th at 6:30pm 

Attend Via Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82078955108 

(If you missed last week’s presentation geared for grades K-5th, you can watch it here.)

Free Food, Art Supplies and Toys

• Tomorrow, Friday, May 29 from 9-10am at Winooski School District

This Friday families are invited to pick up Veggie VanGo produce (celery, romaine lettuce, cauliflower, broccoli, onion, tomatoes, carrots, potatoes and milk) Skinny Pancake meals, toys from Wow Toyz and art supplies for elementary students from Shelburne Museum (while supplies last). 

Meals will still be available at all three sites on Friday. 

Please remember to respect safety guidelines: Remain six feet away from people you don’t live with, wear a cloth face covering, and wash your hands with warm soapy water before leaving the house and when you get back. 

Support for Other Essential Needs 

We are still raising funds to support Winooski families in need. If you know of a family that needs help, please contact Krista Parisi [email protected]. If you are able to make a donation please send a check made out to Winooski School District, mailed to 

Winooski School District ℅ Krista Parisi, 

60 Normand Street

Winooski Vermont

Pandemic Electronic Benefits Transfer (P-EBT)

The Winooski School District is a Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) school which allows us to serve breakfast and lunch at no cost to all enrolled students. Due to our CEP status all WSD families will receive an Electronic Benefit Transfer (3SquaresVT) card with $387.60 per child. This new benefit is called Pandemic EBT (P-EBT). P-EBT provides funds to help families impacted by the COVID school closure to stretch their food budget. If you already have an EBT card, the funds have already been added to your card. If you have any questions about your P-EBT card, call 1-900-479-6151.

Learn more about P-EBT here.

Take care,
Emily Hecker, WSD Communications Director