Schools should be places where every student feels safe, welcome, and a sense of belonging. Research supports that the more that a student feels like they are included and belong, the more likely they are to retain instruction, treat others kindly, and even feel better about themselves. The schools of WCSU all have goals (through their strategic plans) to ensure that this type of environment can move beyond goal status, and become a reality. Further, we collect data through our Panorama surveys of students, staff and families that help guide this work in our schools. If you've ever heard the phrase "social-emotional learning" or SEL, that is what we're talking about. We aim to help students build their skills of self-efficacy, communication, and empathy through both explicit teaching and modeling of behaviors. I believe we can achieve this goal for our students and I encourage you to reach out to teachers and administration if you have ideas on how we can continue to build strong inclusive schools! |
"The Inclusive Schools Network is a web-based education resource for families, schools, and communities providing information and resources that facilitate inclusive education practices."
"Inclusive Schools Week" is coming up December 7-11 and their website offers free activities, materials, and celebration ideas to help participate. Click here to check it out!
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On October 22, the WCSU Leadership Team spent some time with professional trainers from the NAACP on leadership mindsets. This work blends superbly with the Responsive Classroom training that our staff has received this fall in support of building community within the classroom and in the larger school setting. High quality professional development for support staff, teachers and administrators is truly the best way to increase capacity and move our SU forward, with kids at the center! |
The WCSU budget has been initially shared at the Oct 28th board meeting, and individual districts can ask questions about it during their November meetings. District budget work will begin in December in most places, but the SU Board will adopt the SU budget in December so that the district budgets can then be built. Budget information can be found on the WCSU website.
Merger committees have already met and information about those can be found on the WCSU website.
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This past month has been quite busy! One spectacular day I would like to highlight this month is Unity Day. Every October, our district comes together to celebrate Unity Day, the signature event of National Bullying Prevention Month. Created by PACER’s National Bullying Prevention Center, Unity Day is a nationwide effort to send a visible, powerful message that our schools stand together for kindness, acceptance, and inclusion. The core goal is simple: to build safe, welcoming learning environments where every student feels supported and no child experiences bullying. Across our schools, students and staff celebrate by wearing orange—the bright, warm color chosen to represent safety, community, and anti-bullying awareness. In addition to donning orange shirts and accessories, classrooms participate in age-appropriate activities such as signing pledge banners, building "paper chains of kindness", and hosting classroom discussions about empathy and inclusion. Below is the PACER Organizations youtube site where they have seasons and episodes for families and students with topics such as; What you can do if your child is showing bullying behavior, why students often don’t tell an adult they’re being bullied, strategies to reinforce kindness, the history of unity day, and many more. Check it out! PACER Talks About Bullying
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For Jamie Dansereau, being the Director of Out of School Time (OST) Programs is about much more than what happens after the school bell rings. It is about creating places where students feel known, valued, connected, and excited to come back each day. Jamie works to build programs that give students opportunities to discover new interests, develop relationships, take on leadership roles, and simply have fun while being themselves. This year marks another exciting step in that vision with the addition of Wardsboro Elementary School to the district’s OST family, bringing even more students, families, and staff together as part of a growing, connected community. Jamie’s passion for afterschool has also taken him beyond the district. He was honored as the 2025 Afterschool Professional of the Year, has been published by the National AfterSchool Association, and has advocated for the importance of afterschool programs at the Vermont State House and in Washington, D.C., meeting with representatives to share the stories, successes, and needs of programs across Vermont. This year, he will continue that work by presenting at the Vermont Afterschool Annual Conference. For Jamie, these opportunities are not simply personal accomplishments. They are opportunities to elevate the voice of the afterschool profession and remind others of the incredible impact these programs can have on young people. His goal is simple: to continue building an OST program where every student has a place to belong, every staff member feels supported, and every community sees the value in what happens when the school day ends. |
Dover students eagerly wait to feed sheep during their field trip to Stonewall Farm in Keene! |
November 11 - Veteran's Day, No School
November 23 & 24 - Teacher In-Service, No School
November 25-27 - Thanksgiving Break, No School
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