Dear Parents:

As some of you may know, our after school care program provided by the YMCA out of Burlington, will be closing on January 30, 2015. This program, known as Live Y'ers, provided after school care for students in grades K-4. We were sad to learn about the closing, but the director stated that enrollment had to increase if the program could continue here at Smilie.

Knowing that there are students who still need after school care, another after school program currently at Richmond Elementary, has offered to have Smilie students join that program. This after school care program is called Part2 and I have posted the flyer below and it contains all the information you need for registration. If you decide to register your child for this program, he or she may ride the bus 12 from Smilie to Richmond Elementary. IN the event that we have only one bus at Smilie, these students will be able to ride that one bus. You will be responsible for picking them up at Richmond Elementary. Please let me know if you have any questions.

Universal Pre-Kindergarten Announcement

Last Year, the Vermont Legislature passed a Universal Pre-Kindergarten bill (Act 166). This bill entitles all 3, 4, (and 5 year olds not attending kindergarten) to receive 10 hours per week, for 35 weeks, of publicly funded Pre-K beginning in August 2016.  This education can be either in a School-based Pre-K,  Private Community Pre-K, or Home Based Pre-K programs.  Chittenden East Supervisory Union (CESU) has chosen to begin implementation in August 2015, a year earlier than the state mandate.

If a child attends a pre-qualified Private Community Pre-K, $3000 for tuition will be provided to pay for 10 hours per week for 35 weeks during the school year.  

To enroll in this program, the first step for parents/guardians is to complete an enrollment form and return it to our CESU offices in Richmond by January 30, 2015.  Enrollment forms have been sent to families of age eligible children on the CESU census.  Parents/guardians who need an enrollment form can follow the link below, call the CESU central office in Richmond at 434-2128 or stop by their local elementary school.

For further information please go to the following links:

What does Act 166 Mean for Families with Young Children?  

Video:  Universal Pre-Kindergarten Informational Night at Richmond

How do I enroll my Child to receive Universal Pre-K funds?  

Enrollment Letter

Enrollment Form

Dates You Should Be Aware Of

If you have questions please feel free to contact Lianne Petrocelli at CESU’s Richmond office at (802) 434-2128 or email her at lianne.petrocelli@cesuvt.org.

CLAYMATION PROJECT: All About TerraCycle

Mrs. LeFrancois' first and second graders created a film about our TerraCycle program!  They used claymation to teach you about TerraCycle: what it is, why we do it at Smilie, and items you can and cannot TerraCycle. Please consider sending in some of these items to our Terra Cycle program.  Please click on the link here and enjoy the show!

Monday, January 19, 2015

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

No School for Students

Teacher Inservice

New Cafeteria Tables

We have begun the process of replacing our older cafeteria tables. Two tables arrived just in time for the new year! We will be ordering 5 more tables in July. In the meantime, classes are taking turns sitting at the new tables. These tables help students have conversations with one another without having to shout down a long rectangular table to gain the attention of a friend. Here in  this photo, you can see some of our students the first time they sat at the round tables.

Dear Families and Community Members: 

Our academic curriculum was enhanced last month by community members who brought in a variety of snakes and a hedgehog. Students were able to ask questions and learned a great deal about these animals. Students who were interested were able to touch them. A special thanks to our community members, Kristen and Chris May and Karin Vogel who shared their special animals. 

We also had a great time with the Vermont Youth Conservation Corps (VYCC) employees who presented their first program from "The Learning Kitchen". They set up two stations. One interactive station taught students the nutritional value of fruits and vegetables through games. Students were able to weigh a bag of carrots that they got to take home to create their own recipes. The other station involved creating their own pizzas and using nutritious toppings such as cheese, tomatoes, carrots and peppers. For lunch that day, we all had delicious pizzas!

Please enjoy the slide show depicting our memorable December and I want to wish you all a safe and adventure-filled 2015!

Sincerely,

Barbara