Welcome back to the 2026-2027 school year! The staff of the 5 WCSU schools are incredibly excited to have children return as they are truly the lifeblood of our schools!

On opening day, I visited all five schools and was able to engage with teachers, principals, support staff, and of course, students. I saw teachers leading students through "how to walk in the hallway" lessons, scavenger hunts to get to know each other, and tours of buildings. In Wardsboro, I was even able to get a quick selfie with my buddy, Alder!

As one would expect, opening day is filled with a little "first time parent" anxiety AND with lots and lots of joy. So Welcome Back and I sincerely hope that everyone has a wonderful school year experience!

Welcome Back! We are excited to begin a new school year with a focus on helping every student feel ready to learn, connected to their school community, and supported along the way. We know that strong academic learning and social-emotional learning go hand in hand. When students feel safe, valued, and connected, they are better able to focus, take on challenges, build relationships, and grow as learners. That is why we are committed to supporting both the academic and social-emotional needs of our students—and to giving our teachers and staff the tools they need to make that happen every day.

During our opening in-service days, teachers and staff participated in Responsive Classroom training focused on practical strategies for creating joyful, welcoming, and inclusive classrooms. The training gave our staff time to reflect on what matters most to them as educators, share ideas, and build a common approach to supporting student behavior and relationships. This professional learning is an important part of our comprehensive approach: when we invest in our educators, we strengthen the experience our students have in school. This is just the beginning of our work together.

Throughout the school year, we will work alongside our teachers to strengthen instructional practices that support both academic learning and social-emotional development, ensuring that these essential areas are woven together in meaningful ways throughout the school day.

I want to take this moment to welcome back all of our students, families, and amazing staff! It truly is a gift for me to be able to work with all of you to ensure positive experiences for our kids.

As we welcome in the new 2026 school year, we have some exciting developments happening around curriculum and instruction in our schools. We are moving forward with a phonics program from the University of Florida Literacy Institute after a year-long pilot in our elementary schools that showed increased progress in students' decoding and spelling skills. Teachers received training and will have opportunities for coaching and support as we learn to navigate a new program and materials.

Additionally, my partner David Cohn, Director of SEL, and I kicked off our year as a staff on opening day on August 19th with an introductory activity to learn more about our district professional learning this year; Responsive Classroom and Universal Design for Learning. Both of these topics are not new “programs” but instead evidence based approaches to teaching and learning that couple SEL and academics. Responsive Classroom’s four domains include; Engaging Academics, Positive Community, Effective Management, and Developmentally Responsive Teaching. Universal Design for Learning’s core principles include multiple means of; engagement, representation, and action and expression where variability and flexibility are key to student learning. With these frameworks and approaches, we can remove learning barriers and provide all of our students access to their education.

Pictured: Teachers engaged in Responsive Classroom workshops at L&G

We are pleased to welcome Ms. Rebecca Fillion of Townshend as the new Co-Principal of Leland & Gray Union High School.

Ms. Fillion's adult children are Leland & Gray graduates, and she has long been a passionate supporter of the school.

Ms. Fillion holds over 17 years of school leadership experience, having most recently served as Principal of Twin Valley Elementary School in Wilmington. She has also served as a former President of the Vermont Principals’ Association, bringing a wealth of knowledge and dedication to educational leadership.

We are excited to welcome Ms. Fillion to this new role and look forward to the experience, enthusiasm, and strong connection to our community that she will bring to Leland & Gray!