Today marks the start of a new semester. We welcomed students back from their short break and kicked off the new semester with our monthly community meeting. The meeting focused on honoring Martin Luther King Jr. As a community, we reflected on a few points that he makes in his ‘What is your life’s blueprint’ * speech. We asked students to commit to one of the main ideas that MLK encourages in the speech. The short version of the three ideas we focused on are:
- Believe in yourself (your own self worth)
- Be your best self (be excellent at what you do)
- Be a positive influence in your community (commit to the principles of beauty, love and justice)
I encourage you to ask your child which of the ideas they chose to work on this semester. You can ask them why they chose it and what is their plan to move forward.
*The speech is best watched in its original format. I found it to be powerful. He gets into the heart of it just after minute 3.
Some images from the closing days of semester 1
Yearbooks: Now is the time to order your copy of the 2023 Peopleonian! The yearbook committee is hard at work taking pictures and making pages to create lasting memories of this school year. A yearbook costs $58. Payment plans are available – just order one with at least a down payment to make sure you have one in June as extras are not ordered. Contact Michele in the office, 888-4600, to order or ask questions.
Guidance
4-H Upcoming Programs & Deadlines: Go to the 4-H Announcements Page to learn more.
January 21 – Come to our first teen science cafe of 2023 and learn all about AgroTek Innovation! This café will introduce you to different ways that technology is applied in agricultural settings to create new products or improve our environment as a teaser to get you interested in 4-H’s summer AgroTek Academy at UVM. You will also hear from past participants on their experience at last year’s Academy.
January 24 – Come to this virtual teen science cafe to learn about Precision Agriculture & Social Ecological Gaming and Simulation from Scott Merrill. Scott Merrill is a Research Associate Professor in the Department of Plant and Soil Science, a Gund Fellow at the Gund Institute for Environment and the Managing Director of the Social Ecological Gaming and Simulation (SEGS) laboratory. As a quantitative systems ecologist his research spans a wide range of both natural ecosystems and social-ecological systems. Current work includes developing tools for precision agriculture, flood hazard mitigation, food security, animal health and climate change.
February 1 – Get your Science Olympiad team ready to compete! UVM will be hosting the Vermont Science Olympiad on Saturday, April 1, 2023, and we are looking for high school teams to join us for this exciting day of science competition!
February 2 – Have you ever wanted to learn how to program your own game? Well, here’s your chance! In this 4-H World Changers: Learn to Code series, you will learn to program a collecting game using p5.js, a JavaScript library created especially for artists and designers. We will meet virtually each Thursday from February 2 – March 9, 7:00-8:00 pm.
February 11 – Have you ever wondered how rockets work, and what goes into designing them? Come to this teen science cafe hosted by Jeff Gibson, Deputy Chief Engineer at Benchmark Space Systems. At this cafe, Jeff will walk through basic principles and
show you how to design your own functional model rocket from scratch!
February 18 – Discover Engineering is a FREE annual event for youth in grades 5-12 who want to learn about engineering, build skills and network with engineering students, faculty and professionals.
College & Career Pathways 2023: High schools around the state are invited to bring students to one of this year’s College & Career Pathways events:
Bennington College – Tuesday, February 7, 9am-2pm
Vermont State University Lyndon Campus – Thursday, February 23, 8:45am-1:45pm
Saint Michael’s College – Thursday, March 16, 9am-2pm
Vermont State University Castleton Campus – Wednesday, April 5, 9am-2pm (in partnership with the Rutland Area Guidance Counselors’ College Fair)
These events are free to attend, and students will have the opportunity to take part in workshops on a variety of college and career planning topics. Lunch is provided, and most venues will include the option of a campus tour. Register at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/CCP2023 to bring students to one of the weekday events.
We will also be offering a public event for high school families on Saturday, March 18, 9:30am – 12:30pm. Families can participate in-person at UVM or virtually via Zoom. Find additional details on our website.
Co-Curricular Activities
Banner Reveal for the Varsity Boys Baseball & Soccer teams last Wednesday
Reminder @ Games/Events: In order to allow our athletes, coaches, & administrations proper time to prepare for games appropriately we ask that you do not enter the PA Gym until 15 minutes prior to game time. Transition between practices and games is short and we would appreciate the gym free of spectators during this time to efficiently prepare for our fans. Thank you in advance for your all support and understanding with this. Go Wolves!
Support: If you are able to support our seniors, look for the senior fundraiser raffles that are happening during home basketball games. Coming soon, be on the lookout for our Senior game dates and our PINK games which help us say Game Over to cancer.
Sportsmanship: Winter Sports have always been a huge source of community and school connection for us at Peoples Academy. Whether we are skiing on the fields outback or cheering in the gym and rink, we represent a huge part of our population. Let’s all show the folks from visiting schools how we are awesome spectators and a welcoming community! This means saying hello to strangers, sharing our spaces and trails, and cheering loudly and positively. This means showing support for players on both sides of the court, ice, and trails. This means keeping cool when calls don’t go our way. In other words, DO NOT YELL at the refs or opposing players. Our young adults need a spectator section that provides positivity and support. Here is a reminder about the statewide expectations. We look forward to seeing you out there this week. For more information about our efforts to make sporting events safe for everyone please visit the VPA website.
IMPORTANT DATES
February 3 No School, Professional Development
February 27-March 6 No School, Winter Break
March 7 No School, Town Meeting Day
2022-2023 LSUU School Calendar
Community
Pictured above, PA Alum Aaron Gailmor, will be on Shark Tank this Friday night (1/20)
Winter Weather Resources to help keep everyone safe. If you are interested in checking them out, they can be viewed on the VSBIT site.
Family Engagement Council: The Agency of Education recently announced the creation of a Family Engagement Council to provide a voice for Vermont’s parents and families in the development of state education policy. The group will focus on envisioning a 21st Century education system and discuss how our education system can support the future success of our students and our state. The deadline to apply is Dec. 18, 2022. To learn more about the Family Engagement Council, and where to apply, go to the Family Engagement Council Press Release. Contact: Ted Fisher at ted.fisher@vermont.gov
Sharing Priority from Working Communities Challenge
Lamoille Valley Homelessness Awareness Walk for Vermont’s Homelessness Awareness Day, Thursday, 1/19, Noon, Beginning at Northgate Plaza, Morrisville, Open to the Community. Please help bring awareness to our community on Vermont’s Homelessness Awareness Day.
