Friday, March 25, 2022
Dear Lamoille North Families and Staff,
This week I was able to spend some time at Waterville Elementary School (WES) and had the privilege of meeting the artists/owners at Juniper Creative Arts, a family of artists who focus on “community-building, beautification and healing”. The students, staff and community are creating a mural with Juniper Creative Arts called “Starchild'', and it is quickly coming to life at WES! I watched students paint individual shapes - stars, crescent moons, full moons, hummingbirds and butterflies - that will all be collaged into the mural. In this way, they are bringing their individual creative imaginations to the table while also contributing to the overall design. In this manifestation of “Starchild”, you see in the mural, part human, part hummingbird.
Hyde Park Elementary School (HPES) has been granted the same opportunity with Juniper Creative Arts to create a community mural at the school for two weeks beginning April 4th. The design, implementation, and painting of the mural will be a collaborative effort between PreK-6 students, families, and the HPES Community. The HPES mural will represent both the theme of “Welcoming All People” to the HPES community as well as the essence of the local ecology. The goal is to represent the vibrancy of the HPES community with a focus on inclusion. The mural will be installed on the school in an area that will be visible when driving into the town.
On April 8th from 12:30 pm - 3:00 pm, HPES and Juniper Creative Arts will offer a “Community and Family” paint day. Families and the community will have an opportunity to contribute to the project during this time. Also on this day, HPES will have an “open house” at the newly installed greenhouse. We give a special thanks to Karyl Kent, Lamoille North Nutrition Director, and Megan Hartigan, Farm-to-School Coordinator, for their contributions towards this effort!
In news from our Director of Early Education, Melinda Mascolino, please see the following information about preschool screening and registration for programs:
Preschool is for children ages 3-5. Any child who is a resident within our school district and turns age 3 or 4 on or before September 1, 2022, is eligible to attend preschool. Children who turn age 5 after September 1, 2022, are also eligible. Please contact the school in the town you reside in to register your child for a screening. This applies to families who are sending their child to Community Partner preschool programs. Attending a screening does not guarantee a placement for the 2022-23 school year as there are limited spots available. Screenings for Belvidere and Waterville students will, at this time, be held at Johnson Elementary School.
Eden Central School
Monday, April 4th, 8:30 am-10:30 am
Thursday, May 19th, 4:00 pm-5:00 pm
Please call Jerri Hulburt at 802-521-5501
Johnson Elementary School
Monday, April 25th, 11:00 am-3:00 pm
Thursday, May 12th, 3:00 pm -6:00 pm
Please call Chloe White at 802-888-6827
Hyde Park Elementary School
Monday, May 2nd, all day
Please call Karen Aither at 802-888-5418
Cambridge Elementary School
Monday, May 2nd, 8:00 am-9:00 am
Tuesday, May 3rd, 4:00 pm-5:00 pm
Please call Beth Brown at 802-521-5601
And for more school news, we congratulate Bob Fredette and the LUHS “Lancership” business program on being selected for a Mini-Monies Award in the amount of $2500! The mini-monies were made possible, in part, by the U.S. Small Business Administration. The mini-monies program had 21 applications this winter from around the state and applications chosen were those that demonstrated interest and commitment to innovation in our school communities. The Vermont Small Business Development Center has been chosen as one of 51 grantees nationwide to be part of the Small Business Administration’s Community Navigator Pilot Program. According to the Small Business Administration, the Community Navigator Pilot Program is designed to “reduce barriers that all small businesses - including those owned by disadvantaged groups such as veterans, women and those from rural communities -often face in accessing critical support.”
Administrator, Isabella Casillas Guzman, states that “the Biden-Harris Administration has prioritized building our small business ecosystems back better so that all of our entrepreneurs have a fair shot at achieving the American dream of business ownership. The program’s Community Navigators will develop strong relationships with deeply trusted community-based organizations that will tap into one-on-one, targeted support from programs designed to help them create jobs and drive innovation”. We are excited to see what the Lancers will do with this award!
Lastly, we are so pleased to share with you our new LNSU Facebook page that was created as a response to feedback from our families requesting different and broader communications with the Lamoille North school communities! You can find the page HERE.
As always, thank you for your communication and commitment to our school community. I hope you have a wonderful weekend!
My best to you,
Catherine Gallagher, M.Ed.
Superintendent of Schools
Lamoille North Supervisory Union