Marion Cross School news for you to review
To keep you informed
This weeks Crosswords publication
Cross Words
03/11/2022
Important Dates
March 14 - Teacher in-service, No School for Students
April 8 - Teacher in-service, No School for Students
April 11-17 - Spring Break
June ? - Last student day of school
Message From The Principal
Dear MCS Community,
If you have been following Governor Scott’s press conferences, you are aware that Vermont has changed the masking policy from masks required to masks optional. When we return to school on Tuesday, March 15, we will transition from masks required to masks welcome in all areas of our school community on both sides of the river. This change will come with mixed feelings for our students and for families. It is important for us to remember that some of our students have only ever known school with a mask. Our stance at MCS will be to emphasize the fact that masks are welcome. We will not be throwing huge parties or having celebrations to acknowledge an end to masking! Instead, we will clearly send the message that it is okay to wear, or not wear, a mask. We will work with our students to respect the choices of their peers and the adults at our school.
As I was reading what Mr. Boyle, the RMS principal, has shared, I thought the following points are worth highlighting for MCS. My thought is that as much as we can keep the same approach across our schools, the easier it is for families.
Please remember that many people in the building will continue to wear masks for a variety of personal reasons, be they health, belief, or a commitment to others. We will continue to honor individual choices and welcome all who may choose differently than ourselves.
Distancing protocols should still be followed unless those you come close to give explicit consent that you may come closer (3 feet when masked, 6 feet when not). Please honor each other’s personal space.
Please consider following the guidelines of Dr. Steve Chapman, Medical Director, Boyle Community Pediatrics Program, and HHS school physician. He stated that there are times when it is appropriate to take your mask off and times when it is appropriate to keep your mask on. He keeps his mask in his pocket when he takes it off so that it is readily available when needed. Out of respect for those in our community that have reasons to wear a mask, we can certainly put our masks back on to make others feel safer.
To protect our community, we will still require that people who have symptoms stay home, and those who have tested positive continue to follow existing guidelines regarding isolation and masking.
Many of you have sent me emails in support of or with concern about this change in policy. I understand that this change is hard. Please remember that we continue to welcome mask wearing at our school and across our supervisory union. If your family wishes to continue with mask wearing, please make certain to have that conversation at home. Unfortunately, we will not be able to enforce home expectations at school. There are simply too many children for us to keep track of home masking preferences.
On another safety related note, please make certain that you keep an eye out for the lights on the school buses. Please remember that when the school bus lights are on, it is never okay to pass the bus. Also, if you drop off in the Church Street lot, please do not park to walk your child(ren) to the playground. It is a super busy place in the morning and should be used for quick drop offs only.
If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out.
Have a wonderful weekend,
Shawn
Message From Student Services
Happy Friday!
Last week we had a school celebration in which students had their morning meeting and activity outside. It was pretty cold, but the students made the most of it. I hope we can do it again on a gorgeous spring day.
Strategic Plan Update - Patrick Gordon and I are the MCS representatives on the Strategic Plan Steering Committee. There are also three Norwich School Board members in this group so our school is well represented.
On March 21 from 6:30-9:00 pm there will be the first of four Design Team meetings in which a large group of stakeholders from all over the SAU will meet to discuss and begin to develop, “A Portrait of a Graduate”, a collective vision that articulates our community’s aspirations for every student in SAU 70. Our Portrait of a Graduate will serve as a North Star for our schools, bringing our district together with a shared vision.
If you are interested in volunteering your time and participating in this process, please email me and I will pass along your name. The other three meetings are scheduled for 4/4 (6:30-7:30), 4/22 (6:30-7:30), and 5/2 (6:30-9:00).
Sincerely,
Greg School News and Information
Vernal Pool Educational and Stewardship Opportunities
How You Can Learn about Vernal Pools, and Help Protect the Creatures
The Hartford Salamander Team is offering an online training on how to effectively and safely help amphibians cross the roads during the early spring migration time. Most activity is usually on the first warm rainy night of spring. "The Big Night"! They welcome any volunteers from any of the Upper Valley towns to attend.
The training will be at 7pm Monday March 14. If you are interested, send a note to HartfordSalamanderTeam@gmail.com to receive a link to attend.
Some of the topics will include:
When amphibians will be moving
Amphibian species you'll likely (or rarely!) encounter
Ecology for amphibians, and info on their migration
Safety protocols so that humans and amphibians are safe while we do the work (reflective vests are available if you email HartfordSalamanderTeam@gmail.com, pickup at libraries)
Research protocols so that we collect good data for the North Branch Nature Center Amphibian Road Crossing community science project.
How to identify where amphibians are likely to be crossing the road (we have a map on our website HartfordSalamanderTeam.org where you can mark your spots)
Info on the Vermont Center for Ecostudies' Vernal Pool Atlas
Equipment you'll want and need
Thanks for considering!
Ms. Lindsay
Fiddlers Welcome!
Do you play fiddle? Did you know that MCS has a small group of students who get together to play fiddle tunes every week? Please join our fiddle group! We are looking for beginner-level fiddlers who would enjoy playing tunes like Swallowtail Jig and Angeline the Baker. Open to all ages, but probably best suited to grades 1- 4.
Join us every Monday morning from 7:45-8:10 in the music room! You may just show up (tell your classroom teacher first, please1) or ask me about it.
Mr. Ramsey
Pre-K had the pleasure of working with Mrs. Lindsay this week! We learned what kind of trees to tap to make maple syrup, measured and tapped a maple tree and saw the sap dripping out of the tree immediately (and tasted it). We’re so excited to see the buckets fill up. We had a nice lesson on safety in the sugarhouse too, before we get to see the boiling happen, hopefully soon! Mrs. Lindsay left us with a wonderful story of how humans found out about maple sap from the birds. The preschoolers were full of wonder. One said, “wow, that must have been a really long time ago!” To say that the pre-kindergarteners are excited for this season is an understatement!
March Intensive Bike Rehab Needs Bikes
The Bike Rehab group for this year's March Intensive at Hanover High School is looking for used bikes in need of TLC to fix up and give to folks who need transportation. Are you ready to part with an old bike left after the second winter of pandemic barn cleaning? Kids no longer need a bike? If you’d like to give someone else a chance at enjoying a bike no longer used by your family, we have Afghan refugees, local children, low income Dartmouth students, and many others who will eagerly accept your reconditioned wheels.
Accepting: kids bikes, mountain bikes, and road bikes.
Bikes can be in poor condition, but should be good quality name brands so we have good components with which to work.
Parts in good condition will also be accepted.
We also need several tarps, either for loan (they'll get greasy) or donation, to keep our floors clean.
We’ll be accepting donations starting next week. If you have a bicycle or parts you'd like to donate, please send a photo along with the brand, size, and any known repair needs to Deb Robinson at HHS.
Thanks for your generosity!
Deb Robinson, Tom Masterson, and the Coyote Hill Bike Rehab March Intensive
PAL( Peer Adventure Learning) and PE - On the move to physical and social success!!!
This week our focus was on manners. Kids made skits to demonstrate good manners, practiced with partners, and shared examples of when using manners is important (all the time!). We set up a “manners store” for kids to visit and collect items to build a bed for their stuffy. Hopefully your child continues to practice their manners with you at home as well.
On behalf of the Norwich Public Library:
Dino fans of all ages are invited to join a virtual and interactive Dino 101 expedition on Monday, March 14 at 6:30 viz zoom with science communicator Dustin Growick, aka The Dinosaur Whisperer. Dustin is the creator and host of Atlas Obscura’s Dino 101, The Dinosaur Show on YouTube, the author of DK Book’s Dinosaur A to Z, and a private tour guide at the American Museum of Natural History. Join us for an adventure 66 million years in the making!
Dino 101 with the Dinosaur Whisperer – Norwich Public Library
Volunteer Sign Up - SAU 70 requires that ALL volunteers in the district
complete the Volunteer Application Form. This link will direct you to the form, and details the Volunteer Background Check Process. Please reach out
if you have any questions.
We are currently looking for volunteers to help with Wilderness Wednesdays and Recess Duty help.
Thank you for supporting our school
Please let me know if you have any questions
Emma Cottage
SAU 70 Volunteer Coordinator
PTO Bulletin Board
The PTO is seeking a co-chair for the 2022-2023 school year. How do you become a PTO officer?
Our by-laws require that we hold officer elections at our April Annual Meeting. The nomination committee this year is Christina Aquila, Leah Fosco, and Molly Riordan. All positions are for one year or until a successor is chosen. If would like to be considered for nomination or have any questions please contact marioncrosspto@gmail.com
The only qualification for the position is a willingness to work for our mission:
To strengthen the relationship between home and school so that parents, teachers, school administrators, and the community can participate in the whole-child education of the students of Marion Cross.
To encourage timely and productive communication between parents, teachers, and school administration.
To enhance the whole-child educational experience of the students of our school by providing volunteer and financial support for resources, programs, and enrichment activities.
School Administrative Unit 70 would like to continue connecting with you via email. If you prefer to be removed from our list, please contact School Administrative Unit 70 directly. To stop receiving all email messages distributed through our SchoolMessenger service, follow this link and confirm: Unsubscribe
SchoolMessenger is a notification service used by the nation's leading school systems to connect with parents, students and staff through voice, SMS text, email, and social media.
