Dear Parents and Guardians,
We are so excited to start this school year off with a new resilient beginning, fully in-person 5 days a week. Our number one goal is to keep it that way by keeping everyone as healthy and safe as possible. We’ve learned a lot about Covid-19 over the past year, and the information does keep evolving, but we are hopeful for a little bit more normalcy this year. This is a community effort, and we know our parents are in this with us. The two main things that we will enforce this year, to keep everyone as safe as possible, are mask wearing and staying home when sick.
All students, teachers, and staff in all LSUU buildings will be required to wear masks while indoors, but not outdoors. Exceptions to wearing masks can be allowed for students with health or disability reasons. Also, if your child presents with any of the Covid-19 symptoms, you must keep them home. If they have any symptoms at school, they will be placed in isolation, monitored by our nurse and office staff, until you can pick them up. You can call our school nurse, Jamie Neuland, for more information. One addition that we are really excited about is that parents will be allowed back into our building with masking requirements. We can’t have any large gatherings in the building yet, like Community Meetings or Open House, but you can come to conferences on Friday 8/27 (call the school at 888-3101 to make an appointment with your child’s teacher) and you can walk your child to class on the first day. You can also volunteer in the school. We have Volunteer forms in the office. Please be aware that if children are eating in the classroom with masks off, we will ask you to say goodbye to your child at the classroom door and not enter the room. We need to keep all our young, unvaccinated students safe.
Some basic information to know: Parents can drop off students in the front circle from 7:30-8:00. Students can go directly to the cafeteria to pick up breakfast (all school meals are free for all students this year) or will have a supervised recess on the playground or in our library. All classes begin at 8:00. We will be doing outdoor education and eating outside as much as possible, so please send students with a hat, sunscreen, outdoor shoes, and a light sweatshirt or jacket as weather changes. A backpack, water bottle, and extra masks are a good idea. Dismissal is at 2:55 and parents pick up in the front circle. Please send in a note on Monday letting your child’s teacher know exactly what the after school plan is (which bus, M1, M2, M3, M4, pick up and by whom, GMK or MASP). If someone other than a parent is picking up your child please have them bring a photo ID, which the classroom teacher will ask for to make sure they are giving the child to the correct person. This will only be necessary the first time the teacher meets that person and knows the child belongs with them. If you need a second Friday Folder because your child lives in 2 households, please let your teacher know that too.
MASP is back in the MES building this year, and GMK will transport your child to their location. This year Mountain Village School is able to provide transportation from MES to their afterschool program in Stowe daily. MVS’s afterschool program also offers programming during LSUU inservice days and some holidays. Please let us know if your child will go to MRS after school.
There will be more information to come from me and in teachers’ newsletters, but this should get the school year started. Please call the school office with your questions. It’s going to be a great year!
Sincerely,
Kate Torrey, MES Principal
kate.torrey@lsuu.org, 888-3101
