As a former high school teacher, I didn't spend lots of time thinking about literacy, except to ensure that my assignments were read by my students! At that time I didn't spend a lot of time thinking about about how important early literacy was to the success of students moving forward. When I became a superintendent, though, I became incredibly vigilant about ensuring that all of our students have a solid foundation of reading instruction, based on the science of reading.
As March is National Reading Month, we wanted to take this edition of the SuperNews to share with you some of our programming as it relates to literacy as well as some of the people on our staff who help students with this very important skill! As for me, I read every night (even after long board meetings) and I enjoy Grisham, Child, Baldacci, and a variety of historical non-fiction!
|
A toolkit from the National Education Association
"Learning to read takes practice. Loving to read takes enthusiasm. Read with your child often and create a sense of enjoyment, wonder, and a passion for reading."
|
|
In the Vermont Legislature, multiple committees continue to wrestle with the implications of Act 73 and redistricting. Things change day to day, so I'm not going to list "today's" items, but I can tell you that there have been multiple maps presented, an idea about a single district for the state, and everything in between. Stay tuned! |
Author Tiffany Jewell will be here all day on Monday, March 23rd! She'll begin her day reading her picture book Main Street at TES and we plan to stream it so that other elementary schools can join the reading(s) synchronously.
She'll then meet with the students on the Equity Team before speaking at a L&G assembly followed by a meet/greet and book signing.
|
These are the dates of budget votes in each of the districts:
Marlboro - Town Meeting (March 3)
River Valleys - District Meeting (April 28)
Stratton - Town Meeting (March 3)
West River - District Meeting Election (April 8)
Windham - Town Meeting (March 3)
|
At the beginning of February, the leadership team and myself engaged in our second learning walk at the Dover school. We saw great things happening in the classrooms around our newly adopted Expeditionary Learning literacy curriculum and student discourse, which involves strategies that encourage student discussion and conversation for academic topics. Student discourse increases student engagement and understanding of the topics they are learning by also ensuring equity of voices and inclusion for all. We so appreciate our schools that have volunteered so that as a leadership team we can continue our learning around this new curriculum and gather ideas from each other.
In the month of March, we are conducting our second round of learning walks at each of the schools that are centered around school based goals and chosen categories such as; total participation techniques, learning targets, etc. After the learning walks are conducted, the EL coaches and principals work with teachers to create goals based on the learning walk data. This collaborative approach helps teachers and students get the support they need in their classrooms.
|
Here at WCSU we have a team of academic support teachers and coaches who support our staff and students with curriculum and instruction in and out of the classroom. Academic support teachers play a vital role in teaching small group intervention programs and strategies with students that have specific needs in literacy and math in order to boost them towards meeting grade level expectations. We want to thank them for their tireless efforts and expertise! We also thought they would be the perfect 'Staff Highlight' this month, as much of their work is focused on reading. Check out what each of them is working on in their buildings... |
Wardsboro is about to embark on a month-long reading challenge in collaboration with the Wardsboro School Club with fun prizes for reaching school-wide goals of a free book of their choice and an ice cream party! I'm currently working through Volume 1 of Lexia's LETRS (Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling) training, which I plan to finish by the end of the school year and then proceed to Volume 2 next school year. I'm excited to have this knowledge and training to apply to my literacy instruction with students and share with teachers. Attending the UFLI pop up training early this year in Buffalo gave me great strategies and ideas for how to better implement UFLI lessons for intervention. |
For students learning letter names, sounds and formation to students learning how to read and spell with more fluency, I use a variety of activities from various programs and professional training. This is proving to be the most effective way for students to progress with their literacy skills. I use Foundations Language Learning materials, University of Florida Literacy Institute (UFLI) Phonics program materials, Signs for Sounds systematic spelling materials and a myriad of activities from Language Essentials for Teachers (LETRS) professional training.
See examples below: Fundations letter / sound puzzles (top left), UFLI decodable texts and dictation (top right), Kinesthetic letter formation (bottom left), and Slap the Letter game (bottom right).
|
Dianne Clouet is the Academic Support Teacher at Marlboro Elementary School. She works with students in grades K-8, supporting both literacy and mathematics goals for students. Among the tools she uses are UFLI and Supercharged Phonics Readers to help with foundational reading and writing phonics skills. Dianne also uses Bridges Interventions, along with math manipulatives and math games, to assist students with math skill development. Dianne is also the MES Librarian two days per week. |
Melissa is currently completing her Ed.S. in Literacy, which continues to inform her instructional work and support for students across both math and reading.
Melissa is supporting early literacy through the use of Blending Magic and 95% Group Lesson Library materials, with a focus on explicit phonics instruction and blending. This work supports students as they move from sound-by-sound decoding toward more fluent and accurate word reading through structured routines and repeated practice.
Melissa also reinforces phonics skills through targeted Fundations “double-dip” instruction, supporting accuracy and transfer to connected text. Student progress is monitored using classroom data and benchmark assessments to guide instruction and ensure supports are responsive to student needs.
|
At TES, I have been using UFLI and PLL (Phonics Learning Library). Some groups are practicing letter names and sounds and some are spelling and reading CVC words, vowel teams and more! Here are some pictures of us writing letters and words, identifying and sorting vowel teams and using mirrors to see what our mouths look like when we make certain sounds.
I have also been working with coaching teachers on our new EL Curriculum. Teachers and students are experiencing their second year with the curriculum. They are adding ALL Block and Labs to their schedules, and feedback has been positive! There are some examples of a word wall and some anchor charts the Kindergarten class has been using.
|
|
As the Academic Support Teacher at Townshend Elementary School, I work with students in grades K–5 to build strong foundational skills in phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension using explicit, systematic instruction.
Instruction is interactive and multisensory, allowing students to see, say, hear, and manipulate sounds and words as they learn. Students engage in evidence-based programs and routines including UFLI Foundations, Phonics Lesson Library, and Florida Center for Reading Research (FCRR) activities. Sound-spelling mapping, sound walls, and hands-on materials help students understand how sounds connect to letters and patterns, strengthening both reading and spelling. Students also build vocabulary and word knowledge through Word Connections and Morphemes for Littles, helping them unlock the meaning of increasingly complex words.
Fluency development is another key focus. Students participate in repeated reading and goal-setting using the Read Like Us 5 step strategy, and a student-friendly fluency rubric I created, which helps them reflect on their expression, phrasing, smoothness, and pace. This empowers students to take ownership of their growth and develop reading that sounds natural and meaningful.
In addition to literacy instruction, I also support students in developing mathematical understanding through Bridges Intervention. During math instruction, I intentionally embed literacy strategies to help students access and make sense of mathematical language. We focus on understanding vocabulary, interpreting word problems, and expressing mathematical thinking clearly. By strengthening both literacy and math together, students are better able to explain their reasoning, solve problems with confidence, and see themselves as capable learners across subject areas.
|
AST at L&G, Sheila Overman and Dayle Sherman, have been collaborating with core teachers to identify curricular alignment areas that deepen comprehension while strengthening interdisciplinary learning experiences. Dayle and Sheila are working with several teachers engaged in ongoing cohort data analysis to design targeted instruction. |
Sheila has been using the Spellography program and Writing Revolution techniques with several groups to reinforce and build foundational skills. Spellography provides students with explicit
teaching on words, their origins, and supports higher-order thinking. The use of The Writing Revolution techniques brings writing and connection to all content areas for students.
Additionally, Sheila has been working to bring local artist an innovator, Johnny Swing, to speak with the 6th-grade class, who are currently working on an innovation and design unit as part of their ELA curriculum.
|
Dayle has supported the implementation of Magic
Morphemes in Keighan Eaker’s SS Class. This year’s focus on morpheme instruction has strengthened vocabulary development and deepened students’ understanding of language structure. The growth and development of student vocabulary awareness and skill refinement are
evident in progress monitoring and benchmark indicators.
Recently, Dayle has worked with the 7th & 8th-grade MS team to bring in guest speaker, Dr. Emily Mosites, Vermont State Epidemiologist, to help students make authentic connections to their interdisciplinary units of study.
In preparation for Reading Month, Dayle coordinated a middle school Book Swap designed to build excitement around independent reading
and peer connection. The exchange encourages students to share books they have enjoyed and pass them on to classmates, creating authentic conversations about stories and genres while expanding exposure to new reading interests.
|
|
My name is Rachael Braskie, I am thrilled to have joined the WCSU team as your HR Coordinator! I came into this position with over 20 years of experience in various industries, although this is my first position in Public Education. Throughout my career I have been deeply committed to supporting employees, strengthening organizational culture, and creating workplaces where people feel valued, respected, and empowered to do their best work. HR, for me, is more than policies and procedures, it is about people. I am passionate about fostering a healthy, positive, and collaborative work environment where communication is open, growth is encouraged and everyone feels heard. I believe that when employees feel supported, organizations thrive.
Outside of work, I enjoy spending time with my family, exploring the woods, and hiking with my dog, Willow. I have always found solace in a good book, carving out time to immerse myself in some of my favorite books by Jane Austen, Maya Angelou, Vasily Grossman, Gitta Sereny, Elie Wiesel and many more is an essential and restorative part of my life.
“Any book that helps a child to form a habit of reading, to make reading one of his deep
and continuing needs, is good for him” Maya Angelou
|
March 2 - Winter Break Cont. No School
March 3 - Town Meeting Day, No School
March 11 - Teacher In-Service, Early Release
March 19 - P/T Conferences, Early Release
March 20 - Teacher In-Service, No School
|
|
|
