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