End-of-School-Year Announcements

June 2, 2020

Dear Families,

Some of you, and especially your children, may be counting down the days until school is out! For those of you, not counting, we officially have 8 days left. Tomorrow, we will be sending an email to give you a better sense of how our school will be preparing for reopening in September and the measures that will be put into place to ensure the health and safety of students, families, and staff members. In the meantime, below are some important items that we would appreciate your attention to as we wrap up this school year. 

If you have any questions, concerns, or suggestions, please reach out to me at tnewbold@vsnb.org or 802-442-5955 ext. 201. 

Warm regards,

Tim Newbold

Head of School 

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Returning School Items

• Classroom materials: Please follow the instructions of your student’s teacher for returning any classroom materials that were loaned to your family. 
• Library books: There will be a book return bin located outside of the front lobby entrance from June 8-12 during the hours of  8 a.m.-4 p.m. If these hours do not work for you, please email info@vsnb.org to arrange another time for drop-off. 

Chromebooks for the Summer

In light of the exceptional circumstances of COVID-19,  the school has made a commitment to allow all returning students the opportunity to hold onto their Chromebooks for the summer.  We understand that many families may wish to continue their children’s learning over the summer, and children also may not have access to their typical summer activities. We want to do what we can to help students have an engaging and fulfilling summer. The school’s expectation is that students will use the Chromebooks as an educational tool. Your student will have access to many of the same online tools that the school used for distance learning. There will be no formal instruction from teachers, but all teachers will make recommendations for students to be able to continue their learning. Importantly, the school will not be able to monitor your student’s computer usage, and this will be a family’s responsibility. There will only be limited tech support over the summer (please reach out to Ms. Bickford (abickford@vsnb.org) if any issues do arise).  

If your family does not need the Chromebook, or you do not think your student will be able to use the Chromebook for learning, we ask that you please return it. If you decide to return it, you can reach out to your student’s teacher, Ms. Bickford (abickford@vsnb.org) or info@vsnb.org about making arrangements to drop it off at the school.  

Progress Reports 

Please expect a communication soon from your student’s teacher or the office about how and when progress reports will be distributed. As a reminder, each student’s progress report will include a narrative describing what topics and skills they covered and how your student is being assessed for the final trimester. 

Sixth Grade Graduation Ceremony

The Sixth Grade Class’s virtual graduation ceremony will be aired on Wednesday, June 10 at 6:30 p.m. An online link to the graduation will be shared out next week. All are welcomed and encouraged to watch on as our sixth graders are honored and celebrated for their achievement. Our hope is that the Village School community will be able to come together in late summer to celebrate the Class of 2020 graduates in-person. 

School Yearbook

The delivery of school yearbooks is late due to COVID-19 shipping delays. The school is eagerly awaiting their arrival and will reach out to you with information about how to get your student’s yearbook, as soon as the shipment is received. 

Do you still need to place an order? Each yearbook is $13, and you can email info@vsnb.org to reserve a yearbook and/or mail a check payable to VSNB at P.O. Box 847, North Bennington, VT 05257. Tammy Carpenter will get back to you about making arrangements for pick up or delivery. Please place your order soon, as the supply of yearbooks is limited. 

Meal Balances

Many students still have balances due to the school cafeteria. We will be mailing invoices within the next week. If you receive one, please pay the amount due as soon as possible (instructions will be included with the invoice). If you are experiencing financial hardship, please contact Mr. Newbold at tnewbold@vsnb.org or 802-442-5955. If your student has a positive balance on their cafeteria account, the credit will automatically be rolled over to next year. If you would rather receive a refund check, please send an email to info@vsnb.org.  

Summer Building Use

Beginning yesterday, on Monday, June 1st, the Myers Prouty Children’s Campuses Inc. started utilizing some of the school’s main level classrooms (as well as the gym) for their daycare services.  They rented space from the school last summer, and this arrangement is continuing again in accordance with COVID-19 regulations. Myers Prouty will cease its daycare operations at the Village School more than two weeks before the start of the 2020-2021 school year to allow for a deep cleaning of the school building in between use. 

Summer Camp Opportunity

Fifth Grade VSNB teacher Samantha Strubel is leading an Ultimate Summer Wellness Camp for kids ages 6-12 at Sage Street Mill Yoga & Art Studios, Paran Creek, and at local trails. The camp will focus on Art, Yoga, Creativity, Nature Exploration, and Mindfulness. Five sessions are being offered throughout the summer. For more details, please see the VSNB Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/villageschoolofnorthbennington/. The registration form is online at: https://form.jotform.com/SoulSpace/ultimatewellnesscamp

Mission

Children are at the heart of all we do. We nurture a child's curiosity, ignite enthusiasm for exploring, develop tools for inquiry, for invention, for achievement. We welcome families into a community-wide collaboration to help our children grow into their best selves - responsible citizens and stewards of the greater world, makers of the future.