Hunt Middle School PTO Blog - March 27, 2017

THIS WEDNESDAY!

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PARENT TEACHER CONFERENCES

MAR 30 - 1:00 - 6:30 PM
MAR 31 -  7:30 - 11:30 PM

Hunt Middle school has Parent Conferences every day, year round. (Click here for scheduling information) If you can not find a conference time that works for you please contact our Guidance office to schedule another time.  Our Admin Assistant in guidance, Nikola Gorcikova, can assist you.  Please contact her at 802-864-8470 or by email at ngorciko@bsdvt.org.

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HUNT MIDDLE SCHOOL THEATRE PRESENTS

Hunt Middle School proudly presents it's annual spring musical: Willy Wonka!

Come see this musical version of Roald Dahl's timeless tale Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. 

Performances will be at the Hunt Middle School auditorium:

Thursday April 6 at 4pm
Friday April 7 and Saturday April 8 at 7pm

Admission is free! However, if you purchase a playbill at one of our evening shows, a few lucky winners may discover they've found a golden ticket and win a bag of Lake Champlain Chocolates! 

Come support youth theatre and see this wonderful production!

Hunt Middle School PTO Blog- March 19, 2017

Got Pancakes? (We Do!)

Join us this Saturday, for our all-ages Pancake Breakfast & Silent Auction! This fun, delicious community event offers pancakes (GF/vegan available), Vermont maple syrup, Cabot cheese, homemade applesauce & hot coffee! 

Check out our Silent Auction while you catch up with neighbors, friends and some elected officials! You’ll find local art, jewelry, gift certificates for massage, local restaurants, yoga and more! Pot up seeds at our garden table & browse our gently used books sale! 

Suggested donations are $6 Adults, $4 Kids ages 3-12. Groups of 4 or more, $20. Kids 2 & under are FREE! No one will be turned away for lack of funds. 

If you would like to donate an item to our silent auction, or have gently used books to include in the book sale, please email Rebecca Padnos at rpadnos@hotmail.com, OR drop off gently used books in the collection box at 21 LaFountain Street.

Proceeds from this event benefit Hunt Middle School students, including educational outings, 8th grade graduation, Hunt Drama, and the North End Food Pantry.

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Student Support Services Parent Forum

Substance Abuse and Addiction: Impact on Child Development and Education 

Thursday, March 23 

6:00-7:30 p.m.

Sustainability Academy

123 North Street, Burlington, VT

This parent forum will cover the impact substance abuse and addiction has on child development and education. Join Laura Nugent, District Student Support Director and Jackie Corbally, City of Burlington Opiate Policy Coordinator for this discussion.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 13, 2017Media Contact:Mark Porter, Chair,

Burlington School Board of Commissioners 878-6666 |mporter@bsdvt.org

School Board’s Request for Open and Public Negotiations Refused by Union

The Burlington School Board has been negotiating a new teachers’ contract with the Burlington Education Association (BEA) since last fall to replace the current contract that expires this August. The Board requested open negotiating sessions so the community could be well informed throughout the process. The Board’s negotiating team made these requests to the BEA at several closed-door bargaining sessions and in written communications between October 2016 and February 2017. The Union has, however, rejected these requests.

In an effort to understand the status of this issue across the State, the School Board checked with the Vermont School Boards Association (VSBA) and the Vermont Superintendents Association (VSA) and learned that nearly 60 percent of districts currently bargaining are doing so in open session.

“The people of Burlington want transparency,” said Mark Porter, Chair of the Burlington School Board of Commissioners. “We’ve made a concerted effort from the beginning to follow the same open negotiation process that many other school districts in Vermont have begun, but the BEA has not agreed to hold contract talks in public, in response to our many requests to do so.”

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Hunt Middle School PTO Blog - March 12. 2017

Approved Ballot Items Set Tone for the Future of the Burlington School District

The District’s Fiscal Year ‘18 budget and $19 million infrastructure improvement bond ballot items both passed by significant margins on Town Meeting Day.

Unofficial results released by the Burlington City Clerk’s Office show that the budget was approved by 3,905 - 2,717 votes and the bond passed by a 5,047 - 1,552 margin.

“The budget and bond were both thoughtfully developed by the School Board to meet the needs of students as we look to the future,” Superintendent Yaw Obeng said. “I want to thank the voters of Burlington for supporting the vision of the District, and I look forward to sharing our accomplishments in the coming year.”

The approved bond will be part of a new capital improvement fund to address deferred maintenance items in schools throughout the District. Implementation planning for this capital program will begin in the coming months.

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Student Support Services Parent Forum

Substance Abuse and Addiction: 
Impact on Child Development and Education 

Join Jackie Corbally, Opiate Policy Coordinator and Laura Nugent, Student Support Director for this discussion that will cover the impact substance abuse and addiction has on child development and education. 

Sustainability Academy
123 North Street, Burlington, VT
Thursday, March 23 6:00-7:30 p.m.

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Pancake Breakfast and Silent Auction

ALL are invited to the Pancake Breakfast & Silent Auction
Saturday, March 25th from 
8:30 am to 11:30 am. 

This event is sponsored by the Hunt Middle School PTO. Mark your calendars now! Prices for admission still to be determined, but will be reasonable & no one will be turned away due to ability to pay.

We'd welcome help! If you are interested in helping with cooking, welcoming guests, set-up, clean-up, serving, communications, or silent auction, please email Helen Rock at rockjonesvt@gmail.com or call/text 802-999-7574.

If you have items to donate to the silent auction, please email Rebecca Padnos at rpadnos@hotmail.com.  

Thank you for your support!
Helen Rock, Event Chair

Hunt Middle School PTO Blog - March 5, 2017

Remember to Vote on March 7th!

On Town Meeting Day, March 7, the Burlington School District will seek voter approval on two separate articles: 

1) a $85.5 million FY '18 general fund budget; 

2) a $19 million bond to address deferred building maintenance. 

Included in the proposed $85.5 million FY '18 general fund budget is $100,000 in debt service repayment for the new $19 million bond. The authority to bond must be approved separately from the budget. In developing the budget, District leadership included the debt service payment for FY '18 so the funds would be available for that expense if the bond was approved. Therefore, the approval of the bond will not add any additional expense to the FY '18 budget. 

Informative Resources About the FY '18 School Budget and Bond Article:

• Deferred Maintenance Capital Reserve Budget Breakdown by Campus

• Video Showcasing State of District Facilities Intended for Improvement

• Comprehensive FY '18 Budget Document

• CCTV Budget Forum with Superintendent Obeng 

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Hunt School News

Please welcome Nicola Gorcikova as the new Administrative Assistant to Guidance. Therese Barcomb, our long time Guidance Administrative assistant, has retired. We wish her well.

JP Farineau will be joining us on March 8th, as a long term French teacher. 

Coffee chat with the principal is on March 10th at 8:15 am.

Spring Sports sign-ups are on March 20th after school in the gym.

Teacher conferences are March 30th and 31st.  These slots can fill up early; however, we hold conferences at any time during the year. If you are not able to schedule a slot on conferences days, please feel free to schedule at your convenience. Conference day sign-ups will be on-line on the Hunt web page later this month.

The Hunt March Newsletter is now posted on the website.

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SAVE THE DATE!

Pancake Breakfast and Silent Auction

ALL are invited to the Pancake Breakfast & Silent Auction
Saturday, March 25th from 
8:30 am to 11:30 am. 

This event is sponsored by the Hunt Middle School PTO. Mark your calendars now! Prices for admission still to be determined, but will be reasonable & no one will be turned away due to ability to pay.

We'd welcome help! If you are interested in helping with cooking, welcoming guests, set-up, clean-up, serving, communications, or silent auction, please email Helen Rock at rockjonesvt@gmail.com or call/text 802-999-7574.
If you have items to donate to the silent auction, please email Rebecca Padnos at rpadnos@hotmail.com.  

Thank you for your support!
Helen Rock, Event Chair

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FLETCHER FREE LIBRARY HOSTS A TRAVELING SMITHSONIAN EXHIBITION:

“EXPLORING HUMAN ORIGINS”

FLETCHER FREE LIBRARY HOSTS A TRAVELING SMITHSONIAN EXHIBITION: “EXPLORING HUMAN ORIGINS”


Burlington, VT — Exploring Human Origins: What Does It Mean to Be Human?, a national traveling exhibition of the Smithsonian Institution, will be on display at the Fletcher Free Library through March 17, 2017.

Through panels, interactive kiosks, hands-on displays and videos, Exploring Human Origins: What Does It Mean to Be Human? invites audiences to explore milestones in the evolutionary journey of becoming human — from walking upright, creating technology and eating new foods, to brain enlargement and the development of symbolic language and complex societies — advancements that define the unique position of humans in the history of life.

Based on the Smithsonian’s What Does It Mean to Be Human? permanent exhibition hall at the National Museum of Natural History (NMNH), Exploring Human Origins: What Does It Mean to Be Human? seeks to shed light on what we know about human origins and how we know it. The exhibition welcomes different cultural perspectives on evolution and seeks to foster positive dialogue and a respectful exploration of the science.

“The topic of human evolution is fascinating, we are proud that the Fletcher Free Library can help encourage a constructive, informative discussion on the subject,” said Mary Danko, Fletcher Free’s Library Director. “We encourage people of all beliefs to explore the exhibition and participate in associated programming, and delve into human origins in a way that is captivating and relevant.”

 Please visit the exhibit website for a complete calendar of programming and events. Core partners in this initiative are the University of Vermont (UVM) and the University of Vermont Medical Center, St. Michael’s College, Champlain College, RETN, and the Friends of the Fletcher Free Library. 

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Get Your Hunt Tee Shirts!

Hey HMS families!  Have you purchased your Hunt Tee Shirt yet?  We have Men's and Women's cuts,in grey, with the cool HMS panther logo. At only $13 each it's a great way to show off your panther pride while supporting student activities at the school. 

You can purchase anytime by contacting the PTO at huntmiddleschool@gmail.com. 

All proceeds go toward funding student activities.  

Thank you for supporting HMS!