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Sunday, November 29, 2015

Hunt Middle School Blogger 11/30/15


 


Welcome back Hunt Families!
 
We trust you had a relaxing Thanksgiving with your families.  
It might be a bit hard to get back into the swing of things but more holidays are coming and along with that, some fun school activities!


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A sure sign that holidays are coming:
 
The Hunt PTO Wreath Sale has ended.
  • However, we could use some help putting ribbons on the wreaths prior to delivery.
  • If you can help, email huntmiddleschool@gmail.com or call the school @ 864-8469.
  • Wreaths will be delivered soon.
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Sweet, sweet music!
 
Three Hunt Middle School concerts are coming soon.

Mark your calendar now to see your favorite Hunt middle school musicians!

Just this Wednesday is the beginning!
  • Chorus - Wednesday, December 2th
  • Orchestra - Wednesday, December 9th
  • Band - Wednesday, December 16th

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A Very Merry Theater Event
 
- from Don Wright
 
Hi 5th-8th Graders!
Do you have a talent you’ve been wanting to share? Well, Very Merry Theater is starting a new offering at our 333 Stage (333 North Winooski Ave). We’ll have open mic nights periodically on Friday nights, starting this coming Friday, Dec 4th.  Sharpen up your circus, singing, instrumental, dancing, film, standup comedy, or any other performing art and bring it to the 333 Stage.  It’s also okay to come and help with sound and lights, serving snacks or just being in the audience!
 Here are the details:
 What:  Open Mic night for 5th-8th grade students
 When:  Friday December 4th 6-8pm
 Where:  333 Stage
 $5.00 Suggested Donation at the door
This is a drop-off event that will be kid-facilitated.  A few kids have offered to help organize this first session (you may be getting this blurb from one of them). However, if you come on the 4th you’ll have a chance to sign up to help organize the next one.
There will be a couple of adult chaperone's hidden in the corners so tell your parents not to worry when they drop you off!
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News from the Burlington School District
 
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: November 24, 2015

 
Media Contact:
Doug Davis
Burlington School Food Project Director

Burlington School Food Project Receives $100,000 USDA Grant to Increase Local Foods in School Cafeterias

Burlington, Vermont – The Burlington School Food Project (BSFP) is pleased to announce that they are one of 74 projects spanning 39 states receiving support this year through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Farm to School Program, an effort to better connect school cafeterias and students with local farmers. 

The Burlington School Food Project will use the $100,000 USDA grant funds to implement a center of the plate project that focuses on making local beef accessible to all of Burlington’s District Schools. “Knowing where your food comes from is one of the most important aspects of creating a sustainable food system. Burlington has been working in Farm to School for well over 10 years, and this grant will help us to move our program forward and allow us to create a model that can be replicated around our state,“ says Doug Davis, Director of Food Service for the Burlington School Food Project. “Farm to School Programs work—for schools, for producers, and for communities,” said Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack. 

The implementation of these grant funds will be aided by BSFP community partners: The Center for Rural Studies at the University of Vermont, Intervale Community Farm and the Vermont Community Garden Network. Each organization is working to expand the District’s local food consumption through educational outreach, sustainable purchasing systems and product development.

 
The Burlington School Food Project is the largest Farm to School Program in Vermont. Widely recognized as a model program for the rest of the state and country, BSFP offers wholesome and nutritious meals daily to 4,000 students in the Burlington School District including breakfast, lunch and afterschool supper. More than one-third of foods purchased are sourced locally, and the Farm to School team runs a network of educational programming including a greenhouse, farm and orchard on three different school properties. 

 



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November 2015 PTO Meeting Minutes

President’s Report by Paula Henry

• New Board member: Kathy Rossman (Treasurer), Patrick Henry (Blogger) Patrick and Kate Belluche need to connect to make the transition. Thank you for stepping up!

 Treasurer’s Report by Kathy Rossman

• Budget Variance Report was discussed.

• PTO tax exempt status – Jen L’Ecuyer- our PTO does not have a nontax ID#. Our EIN# 61-1628012 is simply an identifying number (similar to a person’s social security #). All other BSD PTOs are tax exempt through 501(c)(3) status, except for HMS. Although there is a one-time fee ($400-$800) the board agreed we should proceed with applying for this status. Kathy has the application and will begin applying. This will definitely help us with Silent Auction donations!

 

Fundraising Report by Paula Henry

Innisbrook wrapping paper – product arrived 11/19 and will be distributed by Jen. Final invoice not in yet, so final profit not confirmed, but we anticipate ~$855 profit.

Go-Fund-Me project – donations have all but dried up, only $115 in since last month’s meeting. Current total $171. The fact that people cannot use their credit card makes it difficult. We may need to use funds raised by other fundraisers to fund some of these projects. Can revisit later in the year.

Wreaths – fundraiser ended on 11/13. We sold 107 wreaths for ~$3,600 retail. We should make ~$1,080 profit. Wreaths should be delivered to Burlington by Mark’s VT Wreaths the Sunday of Thanksgiving break (11/29). Volunteers will be needed to affix ribbons to the wreaths, label, and deliver. Paula will post online the need for volunteers, many will be needed!

Shutterfly – Jen has set us up with an electronic store front, where we get 13% of all online sales. Jen will write up instructions on how to shop, we will post in the blog, FPF, etc. This is good for one year and we can take advantage of personal holiday ordering.

Bake sales – Kate Belluche has booked the 12/2 Chorus concert for the Play Committee bakesale. Paula has booked the band concert night: 12/16. We are looking for donations of baked goods or treats for these bake sales, and will need volunteers to work the tables. Bake sales at the concerts bring in BIG BUCKS!

Pancake Breakfast & Silent Auction – Mark your calendars! This combined event is set for Saturday, March 12, 2016. This is a huge event that needs lots of helping hands. John Novotny & his team are heading up the pancake breakfast, and Kathy Rossman is heading up the silent auction. It is not too early to start reaching out to the community to solicit donations. See Kathy or Paula for details. Len will book the kitchen for this event. Paula will put a donation template on the blog for use with vendors.

 

Principal’s Report by Len Phelan

Heineburg Senior Center concert – Our 7th & 8th grade chorus helped the Heineberg Center celebrate their 75th Anniversary of opening their doors, by performing a choral concert for residents. The residents joined in, and a very merry time was had by all! Plus the students walked , for some exercise.

Basketball tryouts – were held this week, with HMS having 2 boys and 2 girls teams.

Flynn Theater fieldtrips – coming up for 2 teams (Phoenix & Synergy?) , a Percy Jackson musical the first of December. Parent permission forms have come home, so ask your child about it.

Doug Wilhelm, author- visited the school again this year on 11/19. He is the author of “The Revealers” a book read by our 6th graders. He is a school favorite. The PTO contributed $250 towards his visit.

Principal’s coffee & chat – (first Friday of every month) Friday 12/ 4 @ 8:10am, all are welcome!

Math forum – District level math forum, a discussion for parents on math curriculum, 12/16 @ 6pm in HMS library.

Technology discussion

1. BSD takes the approach of MONITOR vs FILTER of information on the new iPads

2. Digital citizenship- Len& his team are working on a growing set of guidelines for appropriate student use to help them use the tool wisely, and an “infraction” schedule with consequences. Len and teachers monitor students use daily, with random spot checks.

3. Daily “tech tips” are shared over the PA.

4. Digital Storyteller: Mr. Herton & Digital Coach: Val Lodish. Both are part of the Digital Promise project, both are great resources for staff and students.

5. Classroom teachers utilizing iPads for class projects that are new or were previously done on paper.

6. Professional development for teachers is ongoing.

7. Teachers are part of Google + Communities, where they are linked in with the other 20 schools that are participating in this Digital Promise project nationwide.

8. Science classes are following the new NGSS (Next Generation Science Standard) on a pilot program which works well with the ipads.

9. Len and his team are putting together pages on the school web page, that will provide parents resources surrounding the iPads. They will contain educational resources and possibly a review of some earlier materials sent home (i.e. the sample home agreement). The goal is to roll this out before the end of the year.

10. The iPads provide many families with their first in-home opportunity for access to the internet. Families are permitted to use the iPads as well.

11. Any parent who has a concern about their child’s iPad use can contact Len to discuss.

 

New Business –

• See above Technology/iPad discussion

 

Our next meeting is January 21, 2016

Have a great Thanksgiving Break!

Submitted by Paula Henry



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Upcoming Events
 
 
 
 
12/2/15 Hunt Chorus
12/9/15 Hunt Orchestra Concert
12/16/15 Hunt Band Concert
  
12/10/15 Hunt Girls Hoops - Home vs. Williston
12/10/15 Hunt Boys Hoops - Away vs. Williston

12/11/15 School Dance

12/14/15 Hunt Girls Hoops - Away vs. Shelburne
12/14/15 Hunt Boys Hoops - Home vs. Shelburne

12/16/15 Hunt Middle School MATH FORUM - 6 - 7 PM

12/14/15 Hunt Girls Hoops - Away vs. Christ the King
12/14/15 Hunt Boys Hoops - Away vs. Christ the King

FOOD DRIVE - All Month Long

 

Monday, November 9, 2015

Hunt PTO Update 11/9/15

Hey There Hunt Families - I like the light in the morning, but the 4:30 sunset is a drag.  Adjusting...



Voila, the November HMS newsletter:  https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B0OT5BU2b--4Sy1iNXVCRWlXY1k/view


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Play Production Meeting this week - Wednesday at 6:30 in the library - If you have a kid planning to be on stage or in the crew, then this is a meeting you don't want to miss!!!  See you on Wednesday!


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The Hunt PTO Wreath Sale ends this FridayAll orders due by November 13. Contact Paula Henry 865-2651 or the school 864-8469 if you would like to place an order, or have questions.  Wreaths will be delivered over the Thanksgiving holiday.


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The concert season is looming... mark your calendar now for the fabulous musical extravaganzas featuring Hunt middle school musicians!  Chorus - Dec 2, Orchestra - Dec. 9, Band - Dec. 16

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Ipads at Hunt!  The PTO is gathering information from families about how the ipad rollout is going with your child at your home.  Smooth like butter?  A little rocky?  Looking for some more guidance or help monitoring?  Feel free to send your comments/thoughts our way and we will make sure they get to the right ears.  Word on the street is that there have been some crackdowns on students choosing to imessage during class time.  Remind your child that their device privileges will get revoked if they cannot follow school ipad rules...
Also, the following link might help with home ipad use: https://sites.google.com/a/bsdvt.org/hms-ipad-faq/


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Upcoming Events


11/11/15 Hunt Play Production Meeting - ALL potential play/crew families invited!!!  - 6:30pm in the library
11/19/15 Hunt PTO Meeting - 6:30 in the Library
11/25,26 No School for Thanksgiving Holiday

Sunday, November 1, 2015

Hunt PTO Update 11/1/15

Hey There Hunt Families - You survived back to school, Fall sports and Halloween - now we're just cruising for a few weeks before the craziness starts up again.  Enjoy the lull!


Hunt School November Newsletter should be out this week - no link to post yet, but keep checking the school website!

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Blogger still needed!  Looking for a parent to take over the blog through the end of the school year.  Skills include basic wordprocessing, familiarity with google apps/Blogger, decent grammer, interest in keeping families informed with Hunt happenings, ability to sleuth out information about what is happening at Hunt, with the PTO and other activities of interest to middle school families.  Time commitment per week is 1-2 hours.  Contact the PTO at huntmiddleschool@gmail.com (I would be happy to have a switchover meeting with the new blog person to help the transition go smoothly! Kate)

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Did your child bring home a flyer for the Wreath Sale?  

selling Oct 22, 2015 to Nov 13, 2015

Teachers handed out order forms to students on 10/23 - check your child's backpack if you haven't seen it...  Still no form?  Contact Paula Henry (see below)

All orders due by November 13. Contact Paula Henry 865-2651 or the school 864-8469 if you would like to place an order, or have questions.  Wreaths will be delivered over the Thanksgiving holiday.

The PTO appreciates all parents support.  Contact the PTO if you are interested in helping out in any way. 

Wreaths and Specialty items can be viewed on the website  www.marksvtwreaths.com.

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BSD BUDGET CONSULTATIONS - Now is a great time to contribute your thoughts and ideas about how BSD should be spending our taxpayer dollars...

It is that time of the year when we look at efficiencies within our District and how we can improve the organization as a whole. This year we are at the beginning of developing an interactive budget process that cycles a bit differently from previous years. We will need to prioritize our needs first, while meeting all mandated requirements before exploring the wants. 

This is your opportunity to contribute your thoughts and ideas - help us make it better. Get in on the ground floor, before we elevate the final recommendations to the Board. 

HOW DO YOU GET ENGAGED? ATTEND A BUDGET CONSULTATION.
November 4, 6:30, BHS cafeteria
November 5, 6:30, SA cafeteria

Visit www.bsdvt.org for upcoming details.

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Upcoming Events


11/6/15  Coffee and chat with Principals - 8:15
11/6/15 Hunt Dance - 7pm - CANCELLED
11/11/15 Hunt Play Production Meeting - ALL potential play/crew families invited!!!  - 6:30pm in the library
11/19/15 Hunt PTO Meeting - 6:30 in the Library
11/25,26 No School for Thanksgiving Holiday