Smilie Reads 2015!

Hi Smilie Families!

Kids have been reading up a storm!  Can you believe that Smilie READS is coming to an end on Friday?  Please make sure to read with your child EVERYDAY and record all of the books and chapters they read on their reading logs.  

Please send in ALL reading logs on Friday, even if they are not full.  Fourth graders will tally up the total books and chapters read to share with the school!  It is so exciting to see the beaker filling up with books read!

Smilie READS kicked off with a fun filled assembly!  Einstein visited, and staff turned into delicious foods, caterpillars and butterflies!  If you want to experience all of the fun, check out the video below!

Remember to READ, READ, READ!

Smilie Staff

Smilie Day at Bolton

Thursday, February 12, 2015

What Every Parent Needs to Know

·        All students will eat early -around 10:20 a.m.

·        Students and Chaperones will get on the buses at 11:00 a.m. (please be punctual)

·        I am encouraging as many students as possible to sign up for ski or snowboard lessons!

·        Students and chaperones will leave the buses and  go to either the ski lodge or the recreation center that houses the pool and game area

·        There will be a head count, on the bus, two times

·        Chaperones will do a head count before,  a couple times during and after the activity together

Skiers and Snowboarders: NEW THIS YEAR…..BEGINNER SKI AND SNOWBOARD LESSONS!! Please consider signing your child up to learn to ski or snowboard! It can be a lifelong recreational activity! Students having lessons will meet in the lodge and be grouped together by ability levels. Instructors will meet students in the lodge. Students will have a lesson from 11:15-1:00 p.m. and then be able to practice new skills from 1:00-1:15.

More experienced skiers and snowboarders will wait together in the lodge, with chaperones, while supervisor Steve Menz goes to get their lift tickets. Once everyone has their ticket, they will ski from 11:15 until 1:15.

We NEED lots of CHAPERONES! Thanks for considering being a chaperone!

Ski and Snowboard Equipment: If your student is bringing his or her own equipment, please have it at the school in the morning and at least by 10:00 a.m., as Graham Clegg will be taking them up in his truck.

Swimmers: Swimmers need a swim suit, towel and plastic bag for wet suit. We will have a licensed lifeguard at the pool.  I will wait to see how many students are signed up for swimming before deciding how they will be grouped.

In order to save time, I encourage you to have your child wear his or her bathing suit under his or her clothing.

Snowshoers:We will bring our snowshoes from Smilie for students and adults who sign up for snowshoeing. These students and chaperones will meet outside of the recreation center to plan their walk

We will only cancel if the weather is below 0 (real feel). Snowshoers, skiers and snowboarders, please dress for cold weather. Please contact me with any questions!  Let’s have some fun!   

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.