Please read this document carefully before the first day of school, as there are many new procedures and policies in place to keep students, families, and staff safe and healthy. We thank you in advance for your cooperation, flexibility, and assistance in making students’ return to school, whether in-person or via distance learning, safe and successful!
IMPORTANT: students whose families have not completed the Community Commitment will NOT be permitted into the school. Please read and sign off on the Community Commitment at this link: https://forms.gle/hZUs85gWrRYjz8Gi7.
Village School First Week Schedule
REMINDER: Morning Gym, Before Care & After Care will NOT be available for the 2020-2021 school year.
• Tuesday, September 8 – HALF DAY at school for everyone except Distance Learning students
Please refer to the “morning drop-off” section below for more details, as drop-off times are staggered based on students’ last names. Dismissal on this half day will be at 11:30 a.m. (Please refer to the new “afternoon pick-up” procedures below.)
Students who have school-issued Chromebooks and chargers should bring them on the first day of school. If there are any known problems with your Chromebook, please report them to Technology Director Amanda Bickford as soon as possible: abickford@vsnb.org.
• Wednesday, September 9 – FULL DAY at school for everyone except Distance Learning Students
Wednesdays typically will be the Distance Learning Day for all students, but September 9 is an exception.
• Thursday, September 10 – FULL DAY at school for all students; Distance Learning students begin instruction from home and follow the schedule and information provided by classroom teachers.
• Friday, September 11 – FULL DAY at school for All students in-person and distance learning.
The 2020-2021 school calendar has been updated and is available on our website at https://vsnb.org/calendar.
Health Screenings
All students/their families and staff are required to conduct daily monitoring for COVID-19 exposure and symptoms. Everyone will be asked daily health screening questions and whether they have had exposure to COVID-19. We are asking families to answer the health screening questions at home using the school’s student management system TeacherEase. You can do this in one of two ways:
1. Go to www.teacherease.com on any web browser and log in. You will use the same login that you used when registering your student. Beginning on the first day of school, when you log in a screen will pop up asking you to complete the Daily COVID-19 Screening Questionnaire for each of your students (please note: this will not work until Tuesday, September 8). Follow the prompts and answer the series of questions. After you submit the questionnaire, you will be instructed to either send your student to school or keep your student home and call the school nurse.
2. Download the TeacherEase app on your phone or mobile device. Log in using the same login that you used when registering your student. Follow the instructions above in #1.
If you do not complete the health screening at home, a staff member will conduct it with you upon arrival at the school.
Students need to stay in the vehicle until a staff health screener has taken their temperature and confirmed that they passed their health screening. Everyone in the vehicle must be wearing their masks when the staff member approaches.
Morning Drop-Off
Students and adults must arrive at school wearing their face coverings. The adult accompanying a student(s) for drop-off must NOT leave until receiving a thumbs-up that the student(s) has passed the health screening and temperature check.
Morning drop-off will be staggered into two groups based on students’ last names.
For families with multiple last names, please use the last name of your youngest student:
- 8 a.m. – 8:15 a.m.: Students with last names beginning with A-L
- 8:15 a.m. – 8:30 a.m.: Students with last names beginning with M-Z
Drop-off and pick-up will happen on both School Street and Church Street.
If you have students in multiple grades, please use the location designated for your youngest student. Please keep to your designated time slot.
- The Church Street “Drop-off Zone” is for families with students in Pre-K through First Grade. Staff members will escort these students into the school building. If you have older students, they should be dropped off here, as well.
- School Street is only for families with students in Second Grade through Sixth Grade.
There will be health screeners stationed at each drop-off location. We will do our best to move through the drop-off process as efficiently and quickly as possible. Please do not use this time to talk with staff members other than for health screening questions, and do not give the health screener any materials or communications for the school. If you have questions or concerns, please call 802-442-5955 or email info@vsnb.org.
As a reminder, students are expected to exit their vehicle wearing a face covering and will be required to wash their hands at the entrance of the school building. Portable hand-washing stations will be set up at both entrances to the lobby for this purpose.
Bikers and Walkers:
- If an adult is walking or biking a student(s) to school for drop-off, the adult must wait with the student(s) until the student(s) have passed the health screening. There will be signage indicating where walkers/bikers should wait for their health screening. Remember, that everyone is required to wear face masks on the school grounds.
- If student walkers/bikers are NOT accompanied by an adult at drop-off, the parent/guardian needs to understand that their student may be sent home if they do not pass the health screening. In such cases, the school will call the parent/guardian to notify them of the situation.
Afternoon Pick-Up
All students will be dismissed at 3 p.m. They should be picked up at the same location at which they were dropped off in the morning.
- As a reminder, if your family has students in Pre-k – First Grade, you should pick up all of your students on Church Street. If your family only has a student(s) in Second Grade – Sixth Grade, you should pick them up on School Street.
- When the weather is inclement, students will wait in their classrooms and will be contacted when an adult arrives to pick them up. We will do our best to keep everything moving quickly and smoothly, but please understand that pick up may take longer than usual.
PLEASE NOTE: All students will be released to parents/guardians or a contact designated for pick up. Students in second grade through sixth grade can be dismissed to walk or bike home ONLY if the school office has permission from a parent/guardian. Please fill out this Google permission form if you give permission for your student to walk or bike home.
Absence/Tardy/Early Dismissal Procedures
If your student will be absent, please contact the office at 802-442-5955 or info@vsnb.org.
Tardy students should use the main entrance doorbell and wait to be greeted by a staff member, who will conduct the health screening and sign the student in. The adult who brings the student to school, must not leave until the staff member gives the thumbs-up that the student has passed the health screening.
Early Dismissal: Parents must email or call ahead to the main office at 802-442-5955 or info@vsnb.org to notify the school that your student(s) will be picked up early. Communicating this information to the teacher is not enough; please contact the main office. The main office will inform your student’s teacher of the early pick-up. Anyone, other than a parent/guardian who is picking up a student early must be on your student’s Emergency Contacts list.
The adult picking up a student should ring the school doorbell upon arrival. An office staff member will meet you at the door to sign out your student. Please be prepared to show your photo ID (e.g. a driver’s license). The process of dismissing a student early may take up to 10 minutes, and we recommend you build this extra time into your schedule.
Meals, Snacks and Water Bottles
Free and reduced (F&R) meal applications will be distributed to students during the first week of school. We ask that each family fill out the application even if your family does not qualify. The F&R application should be returned to the school with your student in a sealed envelope, or stapled in half so that the confidential information is not visible.
Breakfast: Grab-and-go breakfasts will be available in the school lobby every day, starting on the first day of school. These will be available for $1.55 or at a free and reduced rate for qualifying families.
Lunch: During the first week of school, students can order lunch based on the menu below. We will send home a communication about meals for the second week of school, as menus will not be available until later in September. Lunch will be available for $3.05 or at a free and reduced rate for qualifying families.
⇨ Distance Learning students can order breakfast and lunch to go. Please contact 802-442-5955 or info@vsnb.org for details.
VSNB Menu for the First Week
For lunch, students can choose the main menu item, or a PB&J or Yogurt meal.
Tuesday, September 8th – Students can order a lunch to bring home on this half-day
Breakfast: Whole grain Smart Breakfast Cookie, fruit, milk
Lunch: Zee Zee Fun Meal, cheese stick, sunflower seeds, carrots, fruit
Wednesday, September 9th
Breakfast: Whole grain sweet bread, fruit, milk
Lunch: Ham & cheese, tortilla, black bean & corn salad, fruit
Thursday, September 10th
Breakfast: Whole grain cereal bar, fruit, milk
Lunch: Turkey & cheese, sub roll, cucumbers & carrots, fruit
Friday, September 11th
Breakfast: Whole grain breakfast bar, fruit, milk
Lunch: Chicken Ranch Salad on romaine, cherry tomatoes, roll, fruit
Please send your student in with a Rubbermaid-type of container or a washed wide-mouth container, such as a large yogurt or cottage cheese container (without lids). During snacks and meals, students will remove their face covers and place them in their own individual containers. If you do not have a container, the school will provide one.
Water: Water fountains will not be available. Please be prepared to send your student to school with a reusable water bottle that must be brought home for cleaning at the end of each school each day. If you are not able to provide a water bottle for your student(s), please reach out to School Nurse Kaitlyn Hewson at khewson@vsnb.org or 802-442-5955. Students will be permitted to refill their water bottle at the sink designated for their classroom.
Snacks: Every class will have snack time in the classroom or outside (weather permitting). If faculty or staff bring in food for their class, it will be individually packaged and/or made in accordance with proper food handling practices and would be served by the teacher or teaching assistant only.
Birthday Treats: Students will not be permitted to bring in birthday treats this year. We appreciate everyone’s understanding.
Visitors and Volunteers
- Outside visitors and volunteers will NOT be allowed in the school building, except for employees or contracted service providers for the purpose of special education or required support services, as authorized by the school or district. VSNB will allow into the building individuals who ensure the health and safety of the school, such as licensors, fire inspectors, maintenance, etc. and they will be required to follow proper procedures.
- Parent/guardian visits and meetings will not be able to happen at the school for the foreseeable future. They will be conducted by phone and/or virtually.
For any questions or concerns, please contact the school’s main office at 802-442-5955 or info@vsbn.org.
