District Communications

I am so proud to be part of the Winooski learning community. Over the past few weeks, our faculty and staff have been collaborating to cultivate continued learning, opportunities for connections, and ongoing support for all WSD students. Our students have approached our new learning environment with open minds – ready to meet the new challenges presented with curiosity and HEART.

While distance learning can’t replace the classroom experience, we do believe all students can learn and progress during this time away from our building. We appreciate your partnership and support as we continue to develop this new style of teaching and learning.

I have a few updates and useful information to share with you.

Online Expectations for Students and Tech Help

• Two documents with our Online Meeting Guidelines for Students and Online Meeting Information and Guidelines for Families have been mailed to all student homes. Please remind your child about our HEART expectations and what they mean in our new remote learning environment.
• Our Technology Integrationist put together this technical help guide for student’s Chromebooks and iPads (for teachers and parents). If your child runs into an issue that’s not in this guide, contact [email protected].

Wearing Face Coverings/Masks: New Information on the Spread of COVID-19

The Vermont Department of Health, following guidance from the Center for Disease Control (CDC), recommends that all Vermonters wear cloth face coverings when outside the home. When students pick up meals and learning materials they can expect WSD staff to be wearing masks or face coverings. We encourage students and their families to wear face coverings as well.

Access to playgrounds and recreation fields

Governor Scott and the National Parks and Recreation Association have recommended that all schools and municipalities close their playgrounds and other outdoor recreational spaces to limit the spread of COVID-19. We understand how important these places are for children. But, following guidance from public health officials about physical distancing, limiting in-person social interactions, and concerns around transmission of the virus being spread through surfaces, Winooski School District and the city of Winooski will be temporarily closing playgrounds, play structures, basketball courts and recreational fields starting April 7. Here is a full list of closed parks in Winooski.

Learning Materials

Our third round of material distribution will take place next Friday, April 17 from 9 – 11am. 

• Kindergarten through 4th grade students will receive iPads and Chromebooks.
• It is very important that you come pick up your student’s device so they can have access to all aspects of remote learning. If you are unable to pick up your student’s device let their teacher know before Thursday.
• Middle High School advisors will let students know if they have materials to pick up.
• Use this document to find the distribution site where your child’s materials will be.
• Please read this document for health and safety guidelines when picking up materials from distribution sites.

Veggie VanGo

The Vermont Foodbank will be at the Winooski School District on Friday, April 17 from 9am to 10am with fresh produce for Winooski families. Please park in the school parking lot, get out of your car, and wait in line for your share of produce. Remember to follow health and safety guidelines such as physical distancing and wearing cloth masks.

April Break

The Agency of Education has instructed all school districts to adhere to their established regional calendars. Therefore, April break will be from April 20 – April 24 as planned.

We encourage students, families and teachers to enjoy some downtime so we can all be refreshed and ready to dive into our Continuity of Learning work after break. Remember to adhere closely to social distancing and other public health directives during April vacation.

Meal Service *please note the schedule change for meal service during April break*

Next week, meal services will continue each weekday, 9:30am – 10am, at the three meal distribution sites:

• O’Brien Center – 32 Malletts Bay Ave
• Winooski Family Center – 87 Elm Street
• Winooski School District – 60 Normand Street

Meals will continue to be provided during April break, however, the schedule will change to Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 9:00am to 10:00am, still at the same sites. Students will get two servings of meals on Monday and Wednesday and three servings on Friday.

You can find all of this information on our website: https://www.wsdvt.org/covid-19/ and thank you for working with us as we work to keep all students safe, healthy and learning to their fullest potential.

Take care,
Sean McMannon, Superintendent

We hope you are all staying healthy, and that you and your children have settled into a healthy routine. For many of you the prospect of being responsible for your children’s education for the next few months adds stress to an already uncertain situation. We want to reassure all parents: Our teachers are just as committed to developing exciting, engaging student learning opportunities as ever. We do ask for your patience and partnership as we all figure out what this new learning process looks like.

The past few weeks during the “Maintenance of Learning” period our teachers have focused on maintaining students’ learning by reviewing previously taught lessons and skills. Starting the week of April 13th we will move into the “Continuity of Learning” phase of remote learning. This means we will be introducing some new learning and developing new skills. Administrators and teachers are working together with the guidance from the Vermont Agency of Education (AOE) as we continue to create our Continuity of Learning (COL) Plan. What this looks like will differ by grade level and may include a combination of paper and online work. We will share out more information about it next week.

In addition, we just received guidance from the Secretary of Education that school districts should follow their approved calendar so the week of April 20-24 will be school vacation.  Do not expect the regular communication you have been receiving from WSD staff.

Below is important information about picking up new learning materials and food distribution, including our Veggie VanGo produce drops.

Learning Material Distribution
We will hold our second round of learning material distribution for students next week. Details below:

• Monday 4/6 and Tuesday 4/7 from 9am to 11am at our three meal sites (listed below).

• Use this document to find the distribution site where your child’s materials will be.
• Families may choose either Monday or Tuesday. You may ask someone else to pick up your student’s materials if you are unable to make it.
• All JFK Elementary students will get work packets. 5th grade students will be given Chromebooks. If your 5th grader already has a Chromebook at home and you don’t feel it will be necessary for us to provide one, please let their teacher know. Our goal is to make devices available for K-4th grade students in the coming weeks, but we are waiting on orders for chargers and other equipment that are currently not readily available. Those devices will be handed out during a third round of learning material distribution later in April.
• Not all Middle or High school students will be receiving materials. Students can expect to hear from their advisors if they have materials to pick up.
• Please read this document for our health and safety guidelines when picking up materials from distribution sites.

WSD Meal Distribution
WSD continues to provide meals from 9:30am-10am, Monday – Friday, for all students, children, and teens at three sites:

• Winooski Family Center, 87 Elm Street
• O’Brien Community Center, 32 Malletts Bay Avenue
• Winooski School District, 60 Normand Street

Veggie VanGo
On the first and third Friday of each month, from 9am – 10am until the end of the school year, we will continue to provide fresh produce to the Winooski School District community. Our next produce drop is this Friday, April 3. We will let you know what produce is available on our Facebook page the day before the drop. The next Veggie VanGo dates are: April 3, April 17, (May 1 is pending), May 15, June 5 and June 19

Childcare for Essential Workers
If you are an eligible essential worker and need assistance locating available childcare, you can call Amy or Sue on the Child Care Resource referral line – 802-863-3367 ext. 365. You can also complete this form from the state of Vermont or call 211 ext. 6. Click here for more information on the Child Care Resource website.

Essential Needs Resources
We know that many families struggle to make ends meet, and that the COVID-19 pandemic has made their situations even more complicated. We have compiled a list of resources and plan to update this list as new information becomes available.

We are in this together,

Sean McMannon, Superintendent