Windham Elementary School Newsletter

November 8, 2019

Habits of Mind: “Safe, Responsible, Respectful, Ready to Learn”

First Snow Fall

The weather has turned colder and we have had our first snowfall. Please make sure both younger and older students have clothing that will keep them warm. We do go out on recess even when it is cold out, so please confirm that they have mittens, hats, warm coat and snow pants and boots when there is snow on the ground! It is important that all students have a second pair of shoes to use when in school to save the wear and tear on the rugs.

Ceramics

Ceramics began this week with the students making bells. Ceramics will continue on the following Monday’s: November 11th & 18th and December 2, 9 & 16. Kord graciously offered to leave a bit earlier to start his afternoon bus run and will come and pick the students and staff up at WES and deliver us to the ceramics studio. Kord will continue to pick up the students at the end of the Ceramics day when he comes up the hill from Leland & Gray to begin the afternoon bus route. Second bus students, will be home earlier since Kord will drop them off on the way back to the school. Parents who usually pick their kids up... If nobody is at the school when you get there, just wait a moment and we will arrive. Thank you Kord!

JISP

A reminder that JISP sign-ups are due by November 29th for students, drivers, and chaperones. The link to sign up is www.stratton.com/JISP or www.stratton.com/JISPChaperone.

West River Valley Youth Basketball League

Attention youth basketball enthusiasts! The West River Valley Youth Basketball league is getting ready to plan for this upcoming season! With the majority of the 6th graders now at the middle school, they are possibly shifting to a 2 / 3 program at the lower level and a 4 / 5 program for the upper grades. Any 6th graders are still invited to play with them as well.  They will need a head count, so please email Sara at swunderle@windhamschool.org to let her know your child’s interest or return the form being sent home today with your student.

Harvest Dinner

This Saturday is the Harvest Dinner at the Meeting House at 5:00. Ham, squash, scalloped potatoes, butternut squash, baked beans, salad, sweet breads, rolls and homemade pies, all for a low price of ten dollars. After dessert, Sally Newton will present her ukulele performers from school. Then she will be calling the moves for a lively square dance. All proceeds benefit Windham area residents through WCO. Come and join us for a fun evening. The ukulele players will perform around 6:15 so please be there with your child at 6:00 to get ready, if you don’t come for dinner.

Winter Coat Drive - Community Hope & Action is sponsoring a Winter Coat Drive and Give-Away on Saturday, November 16th at 5:00 in Townshend. As part of the Third Saturday Harvest Pot-luck, winter coats will be collected and anyone is welcome to come and take one or more. All sizes are welcome. To donate gently worn coats, you can drop them off at either the Townshend Town Hall on November 16th at 5:00 or you can donate before the 16th to the front porch of Cynefim Farm,  1169 Grafton Road in Townshend. The farm is located opposite the Town barn and is one mile north of the Townshend Village. Anyone who wants a coat can also drop by the farm to take a coat or attend the dinner and pick one there. Call Liza at (802) 365-4080 for more information.

Upcoming November Dates

November 11 - Ceramics

November 14 - WES will attend the Elementary School Concert at Leland & Gray

November 18 - Londonderry Solid Waste Group will visit and teach us about recycling/trash & Ceramics

Windham Elementary School Newsletter

November 1, 2019

Habits of Mind: “Safe, Responsible, Respectful, Ready to Learn”

Open House & Pasta Dinner

Our community and WES families are amazing! Thank you to Pete’s Stand in Walpole, NH who donated a pumpkin to each student to carve and decorate the school for the Open House and Pasta Dinner Wednesday night! Special thanks to each family member who donated time or food to our pasta dinner Wednesday night. Thanks to everyone’s generosity we were able to raise $637.40 towards the 5th and 6th-grade trips. 

Halloween Masks

JISP

A reminder that JISP sign-ups are due by November 29th for students, drivers, and chaperones. The link to sign up is www.stratton.com/JISP or www.stratton.com/JISPChaperone.

Ceramics

We will be doing our first session at the ceramics studio tomorrow, as part of our art program. We will be driving the kids down, but they will ride back to school on the bus as it comes up the hill from Leland and Gray. If your child needs a regular car seat instead of a booster seat, could you please send it to school in the morning. Parents who usually pick their kids up... If nobody is at the school when you get there, just wait a moment and we will arrive. The bus schedule will be the same as usual.

Windham Harvest Supper

News from the Office of the District Nurse

It is the time of year we set the clocks back one hour on Saturday night, November 2-the best part (if you don’t work nights) is we get an extra hour of sleep on Sunday!  This is also a great time to replace the batteries in your smoke/carbon monoxide detectors. While many smoke detectors are now hardwired into our homes they still have back up batteries to help us during power outages. 

Flu season is upon us once again. Remember to get your influenza vaccine to help prevent getting the horrible virus that can keep you in bed for a week or more. It takes 2 weeks for our bodies to build immunity to the vaccine, so the sooner you get it the better.  Symptoms include abrupt onset headache, body aches, fever, cough, sore throat and fatigue. You may feel like you hit a brick wall. Sometimes influenza can lead to pneumonia. Influenza is spread through respiratory droplets, thus great handwashing, cover sneezes and coughs with tissue or coughing/sneezing into your elbow, staying home and resting when you have symptoms will help prevent the spread of the illness. Students with flu symptoms must stay home to reduce the spread of this highly contagious illness.  Also, wiping down surfaces with bleach products will help keep the viruses in check. According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC) there were over 80,000 deaths from the flu last year in the US. That is an incredible number. The younger and the older you are increases your risk of complications, also chronic diseases such as asthma, emphysema, or other lung diseases also increase your risk for getting complications from the flu. 

Some options for you to get the vaccine:

Grace Cottage Family Health has the influenza vaccine. Call 365-4331 to let them know you are coming in for the vaccine. You don’t need an appointment. The staff would just like to know how many patients are coming in to assure they have the needed number of vaccines. 

ClearChoiceMD on Putney Road in Brattleboro has the flu vaccine at 39 dollars-most insurances will cover the cost. And no appointment is necessary.

The Vermont Department of Health has a monthly immunization clinic- call 251 2101

Call your PCP to get the vaccine 

Stay healthy,

Jorda

Winter Coat Drive - Community Hope & Action is sponsoring a Winter Coat Drive and Give-Away on Saturday, November 16th at 5:00 in Townshend. As part of the Third Saturday Harvest Pot-luck, winter coats will be collected and anyone is welcome to come and take one or more. All sizes are welcome. To donate gently worn coats, you can drop them off at either the Townshend Town Hall on November 16th at 5:00 or you can donate before the 16th to the front porch of Cynefim Farm,  1169 Grafton Road in Townshend. The farm is located opposite the Town barn and is one mile north of the Townshend Village. Anyone who wants a coat can also drop by the farm to take a coat or attend the dinner and pick one there. Call Liza at (802) 365-4080 for more information.

School Board Meeting Agenda for Monday, November 4th, 4 PM meeting

Call to Order

Minutes and Correspondence

Bills and Pay Orders

Members of the Public

Principal’s Report

Superintendent’s Report

Old Business

            Conversation about the future of Windham School 

New Business

            Budget scenario discussion

            Petition requesting an Australian Ballot for the WES budget at Town Meeting

            Request from Crystal Corriveau (if she is present)

            Bus route issues

Other Business    

Adjournment

Next meeting:  Dec. 2, 2019, 4 PM

Upcoming November Dates

November 4 - School Board Meeting at Windham Elementary School - 4 PM

November 7 - 3rd-6th graders have been invited to see Leland & Gray’s dress rehearsal of the play Into the Woods. Students will leave at 12:15 PM and return back to school on the bus when it leaves Leland & Gray.

November 8 - Picture Retake day

November 18 - Londonderry Solid Waste Group will visit and teach us about recycling/trash