Dear Academy Families and Friends,

It’s hard to believe that this is the last Caller of the 2021 school year.  Despite all of the bumps along the way, as we figured out how to adapt to the changes Covid brought, we have emerged stronger than ever.  Our students are happy and engaged.  Our staff have learned an enormous amount about different ways to teach, and we have found many ways to better connect with all of you, as we developed close-knit relationships via zoom, email, and the remind app this year.  Of course, nothing is better than being in-person, and I’m sure I speak for all of us when I say that I’m looking forward to things being back to ‘normal’ next fall.  We are excited to hold on to all of the wonderful learning we did this year, and to continue to spend lots of time outside, using inquiry-based learning as the foundation of our teaching.  

I’d like to send a special thank you to our students.  I was reminded this weekend that we don’t often take the time to explicitly thank our students for being who they are, and making our school environment a place where we are all excited to be each day.  Our students are the type of people who make you want to come in each day.  They arrive smiling, singing, laughing, and ready to tell a joke.  They are creative, flexible thinkers who encourage us to think outside the box.  They love to play, and build relationships.  Our students are the focal point of our school- the reason we all do what we do.  Thank you, students, for showing up each day ready to try your best.  You are the true meaning of Academy Stars!

I hope you all have a safe and happy summer.  I will look forward to seeing you around town.  In early August, you will receive a letter from me and Mr. Sessions to inform you of your child’s teacher for the fall.  That letter will have dates for a ‘meet the teacher’ day right before school begins.  We are looking forward to being able to invite your back onto campus and into our school in the fall, and planning events to continue to build our community.  Thank you for everything you have done, and continue to do, to make our school such a special place.  

Happy summer!

Kelly

Click the link below to listen to the 5th grade podcast!

Jason Alden, aka Louie's Dad, helped Chris Szpila's 5th grade class to redesign and paint the playground mural. They started by creating images, did a color study, scaled the final draft to the board, and painted. Take a walk out back after school someday to check it out!

COLLECTING OLD ACADEMY SPIRIT GEAR

We are looking for gently used Academy spirit gear that students might have grown out of. If you have any at home that no longer fit your child, please think about donating it to our share shed. 

Click the link below for the 2021-2022 school calendar.

Abby Maiello's 3rd grade class.

CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW TO SIGN UP!

Ellen Nam's Kindergarten students enjoying Kona ice last week. Such a nice treat!

"Academy fourth graders have been participating in a ten day art residency on the topic of: VERMONT: ABENAKI PEOPLE AND THE LAND

Students are creating books that include hand-drawn and hand- painted maps of the various physiographic regions of Vermont, along with maps of Vermont rivers and original native settlements. They are  drawing a timeline that shows a continuous native presence in Vermont since pre-historic times.

The books also include illustrations of Abenaki life along with an interpretation of an Abenaki creation story.

Artist and Vermont State Representative Mollie Burke is leading the project which has been made possible with funding from the Vermont Arts Council. We are very grateful for their support."

Liz Casarella's 2nd graders staying cool in the stream.

The federal program Farmers to Families program ended last month. VT Foodbank is pleased to announce a new program;  Full Plates VT. Food boxes, made up of produce and other fresh and shelf-stable items, at drive through style distributions are scheduled to run from June – September, 2021. New dates will continue to be added to the registration website so please continue to check-back for new distributions.
 

 visit vtfoodbank.org/gethelp or call 833-670-2254 for assistance.

Reminder: registration for DeMar Kids Marathon is due today. Refresher: Children from Kindergarten to Grade 5 log 25 miles of running and walking in the spring and summer before the race. Those who achieve this goal earn the chance to run the last 1.2 miles of the DeMar Marathon on race day in September. Tons of cheering and a huge sense of accomplishment are available for every kid finisher.

Link: https://clarencedemar.com/race-information/race-descriptions#kids-marathon

Family Engagement Corner

Hello Summer

You did it! Your children did it! We all did it! Together, but 6 feet apart, with masks on, we did it! Now our community is opening up and we are heading out of school into Summer Break! Please take a moment to give yourselves a smile and recognize one thing you are grateful for right now. 

You have been amazing families! Unprecedented, a word I thought I would scream if I heard one more time a year ago, means “never done or known before.” Synonyms include; remarkable, unusual, novel, groundbreaking, striking, exceptional, and atypical. Now unprecedented helps me look back and ahead. I embrace the word and realize many of these synonyms were/are us. 

We have learned much. I hope one thing we experienced and continue to keep engaged with is that learning can occur in so many places in so many ways. You parents, grandparents, caregivers were frequently creative in ways to teach your children. You did math by cooking, science by walking to the pond, looking into different ecosystems, you exercised and played in the snow, on the ice, and under the sun. You hiked, skied and biked on the trails together. You danced and sang and read. 

As summer slides in and you continue to pursue teaching and learning with your children, you can keep summer slide out. (summer slide is the loss of academic skills over the course of a lengthy break). 

I am grateful for the Academy Stars and their families. Be well and see you more and more as we all venture out this summer!