October 30, 2020

Dear Families,

Happy Halloween! Have a fun holiday, and please follow the CDC’s guidelines to keep yourself and others safe: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/daily-life-coping/holidays.html. Hopefully, we’ll see you at the VAE’s 28th Annual Halloween Parade. The lineup starts at 3:30 p.m. at Bennington College, and the parade kicks off at 4:00 p.m. and will end at the North Bennington Train Depot. More details are on our website at https://vsnb.org/halloween-parade-2020

Dress for Winter Weather

An important reminder was sent home yesterday that students MUST dress in winter appropriate clothing: this means having a winter coat, gloves, a hat, and boots, as well as snow pants (when it snows). Recess, Physical Education, and classroom breaks will continue to happen outside, and it is expected that students will be dressed appropriately. 

We will NOT have extra winter clothes and gear to lend out on a daily basis due to COVID-19 precautions. If your student does not have access to winter clothing or gear, please contact School Nurse Kaitlyn Hewson at (802) 442-5955 or khewson@vsnb.org.

Also, in these COVID-19 times, we are opening school windows throughout the day for improved ventilation. Please help your students to come to school dressed in warm layers (e.g. sweatshirts and sweaters layered over long-sleeved shirts and/or short-sleeved shirts). 

Health Screening in the Colder Months

Please take your student’s temperature at home and if your student has a fever of 100.4 or greater, please do not send your student in. When driving your student to school, please turn off your car heat a few minutes before pulling up to the school and ask your student to take off their hat or hood while they are in the car. This will help provide a more accurate temperature reading more quickly.  

COVID-19 Stress and Anxiety Resource for Parents and Caregivers 

A new resource is available from the National Child Traumatic Stress Network for parents and caregivers to better understand how a COVID-19 outbreak might affect their family— both physically and emotionally—and what they can do to help their family cope. The resource is available at this link: https://www.nctsn.org/resources/parent-caregiver-guide-to-helping-families-cope-with-the-coronavirus-disease-2019

Breakfast and Lunch Menu for November 2-6th:

Click here for next week’s menu.

Enjoy your weekend!

Tim Newbold