Wildcats Newsletter

Volume No. 9

February 2, 2023

A bi-weekly newsletter from Principal Bowen, Principal Arnold and Principal Thomas.

Coach Rhoades getting some helpful basketball advice from an expert!

Important School Reminders

HALF DAY - Friday, February 10

NO SCHOOL - Monday February 20th - Friday February 24th

Just a reminder that anyone who arrives late to school

(after 7:50am elem./ 8:20am HS)

or who is getting picked up early (before 2:50pm)

to please check in at the front office.

FamilyID

Please complete forms on FamilyID if you have not already done so.

Many families still have not completed the media release.
Don't forget to complete the "additional forms".
Contact our office if you need assistance or have questions.

Letter from the Nurses,

Some home COVID tests have new expiration dates. These are likely the same kits that have been provided by the school nurses at either campus. Check before tossing them. Both campuses will have a replenished stock of home test kits soon so please reach out to either Nurse Olmstead (Bethel Campus) or Nurse Schuhmann (South Royalton Campus) with any questions or needs for test kits.

Posters and Events

From the Royalton Campus Library...

PreK 4 through 1st Grade students are completing an author/illustrator study on Ryan T. Higgins, the creator of the Bruce series. PreK 4 and Kindergarten students learned how to draw Bruce's face by watching Ryan T. Higgins draw Bruce step by step. Soon students in K-3 will start reading books nominated for this year's Red Clover Book Award. Ask those students which book they are most excited to read. I Eat Poop by Mark Pelt is sparking a lot of interest.

Students in 4/5 are reading The Adventures of a South Pole Pig by Chris Kurtz. They enjoy making predictions about upcoming events as well as looking at events from multiple perspectives. Flora the pig's ideas about her role are very different from other characters.

High School students and staff had the opportunity to enter an 'Uncover Challenge' to win books. Twenty books with the titles and authors missing were posted for students to identify.

Congratulations to the winners!

Tying for first place with perfect scores: Bailey Boardman and Quinn Ensminger

Second Place: Avery Whitney and Mr. White

Third Place: Hannah Clavelle

Elementary School News

Snowcats on the lift

January 31, 2023

Dear Families,

Happy February!

Here at the elementary school we have wrapped up reviewing the character trait of Responsibility in January and for the month of February we will be focusing our Wildcat Time on learning about the character trait of Creativity!

We have had a great kick off to Winter Activities and Snowcats with skiing, skating, snowshoeing and various craft activities!

We have just completed our mid year assessment window to check on student growth!

The goal of this process is to improve student learning and we do this through measuring how effective our teaching is by looking at both how, as well as what, we are teaching.

We also celebrated our top spellers via our campus specific spelling bees. We are so proud of all of the students who studied extra, braved the spell offs, stood up in front of others and just did their best! I am super proud of the six students (top three from each campus) who will be representing the Wildcats at our State spelling bee! Yay, Caleb Madden, Eliza Stone, Sophia Fors, Leah Barcelow, Myleigha Edson, Aria Pacheco! We are proud of you and all the other spellers that gave it their all and handled themselves with great grace.

We are learning hard and playing hard too!

Respectfully, Responsibly, Safely and Kindly,

Principal Bowen

Spelling Bee

Awesome-ness!

PLASTIC WRAP SUCCESS -

BES EARNED A BENCH!

BES families have been collecting plastic wrap since September. Our goal? To send 500 lbs of plastic wrap to Trex Co. and earn a free bench for the Bethel Food Shelf. We hit the goal! The beautiful bench is made of recycled plastic wrap and recycled wood. Lisa Warhol came to the monthly assembly to accept it. We will keep collecting plastic wrap - the Post Office will get our next bench!

BES KINDERGARTEN -

The BES Kindergarten class has been hard at work learning about 2D and 3D shapes. After finishing their 2D unit the children celebrated with a building activity. Using toothpicks and marshmallows, children created their own models of different 2D shapes they had learned about. After creating their shapes, they celebrated with some yummy marshmallows!

Middle School News

The Second Half of the Year Begins!

As we begin the second half of this school year, it was so exciting to move around the building and capture these pictures of our incredible students and teachers engaged in learning!

New Schedule Begins/Mid-Year School Wide Expectations Review

Below are two recent updates happening at the middle school. The first is the information we shared with the kids last week in preparation for Monday January 30th. You will see the areas of their day-to-day schedule that were adjusted.

The second is the link to the slideshow that we are engaging in with each advisory as a mid-year refresher around our school wide expectations, the definitions of Hazing, Harassment, and Bullying, and recognition and celebration!

Student Information

Expectations Slideshow

Cancer Games

Saturday January 28, 2023 was our Cancer Awareness Day.

The day was full of basketball and good will. Our Middle school teams played in the morning against Woodstock and were excited to play on the big High School court. In the afternoon the JV and Varsity boys played, followed by our JV and Varsity girls teams. All high school teams played Woodstock as well.

Our high school band came in the afternoon and entertained the crowd with some pep music! Everyone had an opportunity to fill out a sign, in support of someone with cancer. Ribbons and wristbands were available as well. A special cancer awareness t-shirt was designed and sold.

A special shout out to the White River Valley Athletic Boosters for all the planning and volunteer time to make this day a success.

All monies raised throughout the day will be donated to the Norris Cotton Cancer Center at Dartmouth.

Mr. Perreault

It was a Great Saturday at all of the Cancer Awareness basketball games. Special Thanks to the boosters, and to our activities director Tim Perreault for all of their efforts!

Mr. Thomas

High School News

Our students are excited for the start of the new semester!

Midterms are in the books!

Thanks for your commitment to our kids and all the support you gave them this past week. We still have a few kids that are making these up, but I really liked our effort as a community!

Thank you all!

This coming week will be the start of the third quarter. It seems like this school year is going by quickly!

Principal Thomas

Outdoor Winter Adventures!

Ice Skating

The skaters had a great time. Everybody skated, regardless of experience. By the end of the day, it was clear that many students had improved a lot and looked comfortable on skates. We also had fun playing hockey and making homemade pizzas and s’mores over a campfire, which Dani S. built and impressively started with flint. Vershire’s outdoor rink was our backup location, after the ice at Lake Morey wasn’t ready, but it was a great space for us!

VINS

At VINS students got up close and personal with a wide array of Raptors. They also learned about the natural beauty of Vermont and the amazing avian species that inhabit it.

ROCK CLIMBING

Over 20 students and staff spent the day at Green Mountain Rock Climbing in Rutland learning the skills and fundamentals of climbing. We had a wide array of skill and experience on our trip with many experiencing indoor rock climbing for the first time while others were able to put their skills and experience on display for others. In all the group was incredibly supportive and encouraging and everyone was able to participate and contribute to a successful outing. Many in the group are looking forward to the opportunity this spring to take these skills and lessons outdoors where they can experience climbing on real rock as well as rappelling off of cliffs.

Ice Fishing

The ice fishing trip was a great success. Lots of bass and pike were caught and almost everyone had an opportunity at a fish. The conditions were a bit slippery, but that didn't slow the kids down to race after each tip up. Thanks to Chad Couture, Jeff Barry, Mitch and Nicole Rhoades, and Finn Bailey for all of their help and support.

Sledding

Sledding was fun! The hill was not big enough for high school age but we made it work. Paige the director at Lake Moray was wonderful and the clubhouse was perfect. The 12 students really enjoyed the clubhouse and had lunch time in a nice environment. Food was an option and the best was hot chocolate with whipped cream for only $2.

Skiing and Snowboarding

Twenty-seven students enjoyed 3+ hours of great skiing and snowboarding at Bolton Valley. The snow was great, the weather was beautiful (if a bit overcast) and it was awesome to see the students flying around out there all day, from beginners to experienced skiers and riders alike. The only regret was that we couldn't be out there longer!

The kids can't wait to do it again!