Current Announcements

2/12/2021

Dear Families,

The happiness of our kids at school this week was palpable, as they went sledding outside at recess and PE (when it wasn’t single digits!) and crafted Valentine’s Day cards for the seniors and veterans in our community. Beyond academics, school is also about the traditions we share with our children and the values we teach them.

A few weeks ago, at a faculty meeting, teachers were discussing how to continue Valentine’s Day classroom traditions safely. What came out of that conversation was how important it is to maintain norms and provide common experiences for our children for their development and social and emotional wellbeing.

I loved hearing my kids’ excitement this morning as they put on pajamas for their class’s party and talked about exchanging Valentine’s Cards. Perhaps you overhead the excitement in your kids’ voices, too!

Although I have said it before, we are incredibly fortunate to be in a position to have school in-person most of the time. We ask everyone to continue to do their part in adhering to the best safety practices and guidelines for COVID-19 prevention and in order to slow the spread in our community. Please keep in mind the important health and safety information below from the Vermont Department of Health. Provided that our community is staying safe and healthy, we look forward to seeing your students back at school on February 22.

Have a wonderful Winter Break!

Tim Newbold

P.S. Students will be bringing home their Chromebooks and chargers for the break. As a reminder, the school is not able to monitor students’ usage outside of school hours.

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COVID-19 Prevention

Governor Scott’s executive orders and recommendations are still in effect meaning that Vermonters are not allowed to gather with people you don’t live with (except for socially distanced activities outside with mask wearing); and, anyone returning to or traveling to Vermont for any purpose other than essential travel must follow the quarantine guidelines. Refer to the Department of Health COVID-19 website for prevention information and FAQs.

COVID-19 Close Contacts & 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/