Announcements Week of August 28, 2017

Attention Seniors:

• Important Dates: September 7th – Senior Meeting- Getting Ready for College 7am-7:50am, Auditorium.
• UVM will waive their application fee ($55) for any Vermont students applying through the Early Action Program, application deadline is November 1st. (UVM uses the online Common Application).
• September 19th – NEACAC Fair UVM/Patrick Gym 6:30 pm-8:30 pm.
• September 20th – NEACAC Fair UVM/Patrick Gym 9 am-11am.

      College Visits:

• Hobart & William Smith – Tuesday, September 12th @ 1:30pm
• Skidmore College – Wednesday, September 13th @10:45am
• Lafayette College – Monday, September 18th @ 10:30am
• Middlebury College – Tuesday, September 19th @ 9:00am
• Pennsylvania State University – Tuesday, September 19th @ 12:00pm
• St. Athselms College – Tuesday, September 19th @ 2:00pm

ANNOUNCEMENTS

• HS/MS Parent/Student/Coaches Fall Sports Meeting will take place on Wednesday, August 30th at 6:00pm in the cafeteria.
• National Honor Society essays are due no later than Thursday, August 31st. 
• Jazz band starts next week, 9/5.
• On Wednesday, September 13th there will be a school wide assembly to discuss Student Council, Class Officers and the Election Process during TA tim

Community Service Opportunities:

• Stowe Jazz Festival – September 8th, 9th, & 10th. Contact Katie Benninhop for more information, kmcdonald25@gmail.com.
• Stowe Land Trust – Looking for volunteers to help celebrate their 30th Anniversary at Strawberry Hill Farm. September 9th from 2:30-7:30pm. Contact Catherine Drake by September 4th at catherineedrake@gmail.com for details.

Website Refresh Starting Wednesday 8/23/17

Lamoille South Supervisory Union, Stowe School District, and Elmore-Morristown School District will be refreshing their websites, beginning this evening, Wednesday, August 23, 2017.  There is likely to be intermittent issues for the next 24 hours.  Please bear with us.  More information about the new websites and how to give feedback will be forthcoming.

If you are trying to access E-Registration through the school district websites, an alternative would be to use the following link https://ps.morrisville.org/public to access the parent portal.

If you are having any difficulties accessing the parent portal, or resetting your password, please call Melissa Gillen at 802-888-4541, ext. 5559 or email her at melissa.gillen@lssuvt.org, and she will assist you.

Stowe Board Brief - August 16, 2017

The Stowe School District, Elmore-Morristown Unified Union, and Lamoille South boards met to continue their work on our Act 46 Alternative Governance Structure self-study. The boards reviewed the tax implications of both voluntary and forced governance mergers, reconfirming that any merger would present little to no tax benefit to either district and a likely eventual increase in Stowe’s homestead tax rate. This confirms that the boards are on the fiscally responsible path by seeking an Alternative Governance Structure that would maintain two separate districts under one supervisory union.

There are two important upcoming meetings, during which the boards will seek input from both communities regarding a draft of the Alternative Governance Structure proposal that will eventually go to the State Board of Education. On Monday, September 25, at 6:00 PM, the boards will meet at Stowe High School, and on Tuesday, September 26, at 6:00 PM, the boards will meet at Peoples Academy. A draft of the Alternative Governance Structure proposal--our districts’ response to Act 46--will be available several days in advance of these meetings. We encourage members of the community to read this draft and then attend a meeting to give feedback. Community response is crucial to our response to Act 46, and these meetings will allow the board to hear what community members think.

Below, please find the schedule of upcoming Act 46 meetings, which has been revised:

●     Wednesday, September 13, 6:00. Stowe Elementary School Music Room

●     Monday, September 25, 6:00. Stowe High School Auditorium

            Community Engagement Meeting -- PLEASE ATTEND

●     Tuesday, September 26, 6:00. Peoples Academy Auditorium

Community Engagement Meeting -- PLEASE ATTEND

●     Tuesday, October 24, 6:00. Morristown Elementary School Library

●     Wednesday, November 15, 6:00. Stowe Elementary School Music Room

School Board Brief - August 14, 2017

Lamoille South Supervisory Union Curriculum Director Valerie Sullivan briefed the Stowe School Board on our progress implementing Proficiency Based Learning, including a review of what it is, work done to date, and next steps for the coming school year.  

Board members are enthusiastic about our district’s progress toward proficiency based and personalized learning systems.  Our teachers have developed standards by which they will measure and report each student’s progress towards mastering important skills and concepts. The district is customizing a reporting system, which teachers will use to organize and track data about student progress and to communicate that progress to students and  parents. Plans are also in place to strengthen student understanding of mindset, motivation, and metacognition to support their transition to Proficiency Based Learning. There will be a great deal of communication between the administration, teachers, parents, and students as we continue to implement this new process, which will serve students’ learning needs.

The Board is looking forward to regular updates on the work in our schools on Proficiency Based Learning and Personalization at meetings throughout the school year.  

Superintendent Tracy Wrend briefed the board on the ramifications of Act 85, which determines how the state will capture savings from changes in teacher health insurance. Lamoille South Supervisory Union’s contractual net employer/employee contributions to healthcare are close to the target plan laid out by the state, and we do expect to generate savings from the health insurance transition to offset amounts expected to be withheld from state education fund payments.  In addition, Act 85 set yield amounts and non-residential tax rates at a different level than projected  during budgeting, and ultimately local tax rates are lower than was projected in March.