Current Announcements

1/29/2021

Dear Families,

The information I shared in my video announcement last week continues to be relevant, as the number of COVID-19 cases are still at a record high for Bennington county. Thank you to everyone for your efforts in helping to keep our bubble safe and our school doors open.

Now more than ever, it is essential to keep up with prevention practices, such as physical distancing, wearing a mask, hand washing, and staying home when sick.

It is also important to adhere to the state guidance, which includes a ban on social gatherings between multiple households and Vermont’s mandatory quarantine policy for anyone returning to or traveling to Vermont for any purpose other than essential travel. Additional, important COVID-19 prevention and testing information and updates are posted below for your reference.

I am pleased to share that the Annual Report for the Village School and for the Village of North Bennington are printed and will be sent home with students next week.

Click here to read the online version of the Village School Annual Report
Click here to read the online version of the Village of North Bennington Annual Report

Due to COVID-19 restrictions, the North Bennington Graded School District (NBGSD) Prudential Committee and the NBGSD Clerk have opted to mail ballots to district voters. Those ballots will be mailed to all North Bennington Village and Shaftsbury District 1 residents in early February. Click here for more information about this year’s town meetings and the voting process changes.

Next week’s meals menu is available by clicking here.

Enjoy your weekend and stay warm!
Tim Newbold

COVID-19 Prevention & Testing

If you are a close contact to someone with COVID-19, the Vermont Department of Health states: “You need to stay home and away from other people to prevent further spread of the virus.

Soon you will receive a call from a Health Department Contact Tracer. Please answer the call. The Contact Tracer will give you important information, including the date you may have been exposed and how long you need to stay home. According to the Department of Health, you should follow these steps:

Please quarantine at home. This means avoiding activities outside of your home—like going to school, work, grocery shopping, or recreation—and separating yourself from others in your home. Learn more about quarantine.
Watch for symptoms of COVID-19 and call your health care provider if you start to feel sick.
Get tested as soon as you can. It’s okay to leave home to get tested, for urgent medical care or if you feel unsafe at home. You must quarantine and follow guidance provided by the Department of Health even if this test is negative.

Testing is available at SVMC and at the Bennington Rescue Squad, which offers quick, easy, and free testing daily. Click on the following link for details about testing: https://svhealthcare.org/COVID-19/testing.

As cases have increased, the recommendations regarding who should be tested have changed. People who meet the following criteria should be tested:

Close contacts with a positive case. These include those who share a household or worksite with a positive person, and those who have attended an event with that person. Close contacts should be tested immediately and again after 7 days.
Anyone who plans to participate in a gathering/event.
Anyone who has attended a gather/event.
Anyone who travelled out of state.
Anyone who has a visitor from out-of-state.
College students returning to Vermont.

According to the Vermont Department of Health, it is also important to get re-tested 7 days after a single possible exposure, as it takes your body some time to create a measurable load of virus. Those who wait 7 days after a single possible exposure are more likely to get an accurate result. Testing too early can lead to a false negative.

Waiting for Test Results
While you are waiting for test results, follow these instructions from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and any directions you receive from the organization administering the test. The bottom line is that you should self-quarantine until your results are known.

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THANK YOU TO THE VILLAGE SCHOOL’S 2020-2021 BUSINESS PARTNERS IN EDUCATION

All of these partners are helping to support many of our school programs. You can learn more about these partners at https://vsnb.org/bpie-sponsors

GOLD LEVEL:

Bank of Bennington: https://thebankofbennington.com/

SILVER LEVEL:

D.B. McKenna & Co., Inc.: https://www.dbmckenna.com/

RCS Consulting, Inc.: https://www.rcs.consulting/

Whitman’s / Poulin Grain: https://www.whitmansfeed.com/

BRONZE LEVEL:

Adam’s Lock & Security: https://www.adamslockvt.com/

Danielle D. Fogarty, PLC: https://www.ddfplc.com/

Global Z: https://globalz.com/

Maple Leaf Realty: https://www.mapleleafvermont.com/

West Oil Company: https://westoilcompany.com/