A great first day was had on the mountain yesterday during our winter sports program. Thank you to everyone for making this important component of our school life possible!

  

Dear Friends and Families, 
     Happy new year to you all! As wonderful as some vacation time is, it is great to be back at school with the positive energy and enthusiasm of our students -- what better reminder could there be of the promise of a new year and the new opportunities that are always before us. May you all seize those opportunities, and have perseverance through the challenges, with the same energy that we regularly see our students demonstrating.
     I recently read an article that I felt did an an excellent job of exploring how schools are taking the responsibility of teaching much more than just content, like reading or math. Our school's mission, and the Vermont state standards, spell out that we are committed to teaching all of the following:  
 • Knowledge: What we know and understand – Traditional subjects like mathematics, modern disciplines like entrepreneurship, and themes like global literacy.
            • Skills: How we use what we know to address real-world questions and problems – Communication, collaboration, critical thinking, and creativity.
            • Character: How we behave and engage in the world – Curiosity, courage, resilience, ethics, leadership, and mindfulness.
            • Meta-learning: How we reflect and adapt – Learners’ ability to manage their progress in the other three areas in light of new challenges and experiences and their own beliefs about learning.

 
        We are currently in the process of exploring updating our report card system to better match these various proficiencies that we support students in developing. The report cards sent out this year (one in mid-January and one at the end of the year), will be the same format as we've used in the past, but as families, when you read through them, please look for the evidence of growth (and areas of challenge) in all these different domains.  A child's ability to communicate and be courageous is valued as much (if not more!) as their ability to understand and a particular concept in math.
 Respectfully,      Kaiya Korb

   Staff enjoy the ski & ride program too!



               


Showing off their purple tongues after enjoying the delicious blueberries served with Wednesday's school lunch -- a prelude to color week on this month's lunch menu? 

   
3rd & 4th grade students exploring simple machines and demonstrating that often, learning looks very much like play.