Marion Cross School newsletter for this upcoming week includes a Norwich School budget meeting You tube video.
And some usual pertinent info to help families navigate around MCS happenings
Good afternoon Norwich residents, voters and hopefully readers,
I am sharing the MCS principals message and weekly newsletter with you to keep you informed. Here it is and the video links are at the end of this newsletter/ story.
Friday, January 12, 2024
Important Dates
Monday, January 15 – Holiday - School Closed
Friday, January 26 – Teacher In-Service - School Closed
Thursday, February 1 at 7:00pm – PTO Meeting via Zoom
Wednesday, February 7 at 6:30pm – Norwich School Board Meeting in MCS Library and via Zoom
Monday, February 19 – Friday, February 23 – Winter Recess, School Closed
Marion Cross School Website Calendar SAU 70 All School/District Website Calendar
Message From The Principal
This week was about celebration at MCS! On Thursday we had a PBIS celebration to recognize the many pellets that have been earned for students demonstrating our school expectations of Kindness, Responsibility, Respect, and Safety. This time we celebrated with school-wide pajama day and deliveries of hot chocolate at the end of the day. A huge thank you goes out to our school celebration committee and to the many parent volunteers who helped make the hot chocolate happen so skillfully! I love being at a school where the focus is celebrating positive behaviors.
A second celebration is the adoption by the Norwich School Board of the school budget for next school year. From my perspective as principal, this is a fantastic budget that fully supports the needs of kids in our school. Included in the budget is an increase in teaching time for students who are English language learners, a shift of our environmental educator to a more full time and teaching role, increase in technology support, and a slight change in support for our Pre-K students, along with a few smaller staffing changes. Of great excitement to me is funding for our facility. The budget includes funds to replace part of the roof that is aging, update our aging heating system, weatherize the building, and address building code updates. As has happened to many Vermont schools, funds to address building needs are redirected to more pressing student needs. At MCS, this has resulted in some systems that are well past their life span. Thankfully, the budget supports addressing several of these issues.
If you were not able to attend the budget adoption meeting on Thursday evening, here is the link to the video of the meeting. This is a link to where you will find information about the school budget. Please feel free to reach out to any of our school board members or Business Manager Jamie Teague with any questions.
The next big step for the budget is for people to learn more about it and then for townspeople to weigh in on the budget by voting in March.
For right now, I think it is worth celebrating that the school board is bringing forward a budget that addresses the social and academic needs of kids as well as a number of infrastructure issues.
Enjoy the three day weekend,
Shawn
Student Services Update
If you or anyone you know is interested in attending our Pre-K in 2024-25, please know that we are accepting applications until February 2nd 2024.
Families that should apply:
1. Any family that has a Pre-K student (minimum age of 3 by the first day of school in August of 2024).
2. Families who enroll are expected to attend our full day program (following the Marion Cross School Calendar).
The application takes less than five minutes to complete and can be completed online.
There is also more information on the program on our district website.
Please call Greg Bagnato 649-1703 if you would like a hard copy of the application or if you have any other questions.
Counselor's Corner
In class counsel this month Kindergarten through Third grades have finished their Zones of Regulation work. Kindergarten and First will be transitioning to the Bullying Prevention unit through Second Step. In Second and Third grades we are exploring the movie Inside Out, as a bonus, after completing Zones work to explore how emotions impact our daily lives. In Fourth and Fifth grades we are continuing to talk about strong emotions and how to name what we are feeling, along with ways to calm down. In Sixth grade we are continuing to talk about bullying, specifically ways to stand up to bullies and how to stay safe while doing so.
School News and Information
Library News
Have you had a chance to read with Epic? If not, read below to learn how.
Top 3 Reasons to Read with Epic
No holds, no waiting! All 40,000+ books in the collection are available to users 24/7. You can even download books for offline reading and listening. With titles like Wings of Fire, Cat Ninja, I Survived, Fly Guy, Ivy and Bean, and much much more, there are sure to be books to appeal to every reader!
Kid-friendly non-fiction on a huge range of topics. Epic books includes a wide selection of non-fiction books. Books are available in a range of reading levels and even include some read-to-me narrated options. Interested in a biography of Taylor Swift, Epic has 12. Traveling to S. Korea for April break? Your kids can read from over 15 books to learn more about the culture, geography, and history before you land.
More ways to read for free! With audiobooks, ebooks, and read-to-me options, Epic provides access to stories in a variety of formats that can enrich your child’s vocabulary, build their reading comprehension, and improve their fluency. Home access to Epic used to require a paid subscription, but with generous support from The Friends of Hanover Norwich Schools, MCS is now able to offer all our students full access to Epic. More books = more opportunities to learn
Your child’s teacher may have reached out with class specific login information or families can access a guest account by following the instructions below. Please let me know if you have any questions or need assistance getting home access set up.
𝗙𝗼𝗿 𝗟𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗼𝗽𝘀: Open browser and
1. Go to https://kids.getepic.com/e2c-class code-login
2. Enter class code rzs4040 to log in.
3. Click Guest to start reading!
𝗶𝗢𝗦 & 𝗔𝗻𝗱𝗿𝗼𝗶𝗱: Download & open Epic for Kids app
1. Tap on “Students”
2. Enter class code rzs4040 to log in.
3. Click Guest to start reading!
PTO Bulletin Board
Staff Birthday Celebrations
Please SIGN UP HERE to bring in a treat for the monthly staff birthday celebrations. A cake, a dozen cupcakes, a pan of brownies, etc. would be very appreciated! We’re looking for volunteers for January 24th and February 28th.
Winter Grant Cycle
The PTO is collecting grant proposals from any member of the MCS community through March 22nd. Grant proposals from students, parents, and caregivers are most successful when submitted in partnership with the teachers and/or staff who would utilize the funds.
To submit a grant request, please fill out this Google Form. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis and awarded based on available funds.
Skating Party
Stay tuned for details about the Skating Party in collaboration with Norwich Rec later this month! Please note that the skating rink is not open until Mother Nature decides to cooperate. Check the Norwich Rec website or the sign posted at the rink for a status update.
Courtesy Community Interest Posts
22 Church Street
Norwich, Vermont
802-649-1703
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Preview YouTube video Norwich School Board Budget Meeting 110124
Norwich School Board Budget Meeting 110124
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