Dear Parents/Guardians
I write to share my news that I have decided to retire at the end of this school year, in June 2022. I have been very fortunate to lead RNESU for eight years and am very committed to this district. With changes upcoming in my personal life, I have determined that it is time for the district to have a new leader to take us to the next tier of excellence that we are on the path to becoming.
Over the past eight years, I have met many of you in person or online and have enjoyed the conversations and witnessing the support and love you show to your children. In the difficult times of the global pandemic, parents and families have been impacted greatly by what has played out in the schools, with school closures and masking and other protocols no one would ever have thought would be part of our lives. Thank you for being on this journey with me and for taking such good care of your children and being part of our school community.
I look forward to the work we will get done over the next 8 months as we continue to climb out of this pandemic environment.
This email covers
Virtual Academy for 2nd Semester Enrollment
ARP/ESSER Plan Feedback Requested
Opportunity to Participate in Equity Audit Focus Group
Test to Stay Consent
Fuel Assistance Available for Vermonters
February Break Calendar Correction
Vaccination Updates and Clinics
Update on Test to Stay
School Board Meetings and Board Openings
Virtual Academy 2nd Semester Enrollment
Applications for Virtual Academy are now open for the second semester! If you are interested in having your student(s) enrolled from January-June, please visit the RNESU website to access the mandatory recordings and application. Please note that applications are due by December 22nd. This is a pilot program for the 2021-2022 school year only.
ARP/ESSER Plan Feedback Requested
RNESU has posted the draft ARP ESSER plans for COVID recovery funds on our website, and are actively seeking family and community input. Please visit the page below for more information or to provide feedback. https://www.rnesu.org/page/covid-planning-recovery
On Tuesday, November 30th at 5pm, there will be a virtual Q&A hosted by Curriculum Director, Kristin Hubert, to review RNESU's ARP ESSER plan related to the use of COVID federal emergency aid funds. This meeting will be recorded and posted on the webpage at a later date - all are welcome to attend!
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81149451429?pwd=NlVWcVRQL0dKWVJSek9QYWJQUUQyUT09
Opportunity to Participate in Equity Audit Focus Group
You are invited to participate in a focus group on December 6th at 5:00-7:00pm. The focus groups are part of a study being conducted by the Mid-Atlantic Equity Consortium (MAEC) to understand how RNESU can support a learning environment focused on safety, belonging, and equitable access to high-quality instruction and supports across our district.
The focus group with Parents/Community will be held virtually and will last approximately 90 minutes. The focus groups will be led by MAEC facilitators. MAEC will keep your feedback and thoughts strictly confidential and anonymous. If you are willing to participate, please email swhite@rnesu.org.
TEST TO STAY CONSENT REQUESTED
We are hoping to start the Test to Stay program right after vacation! This means that if a class or a student is identified as a close contact and must be quarantined, they may instead take a rapid antigen test every day for seven days with parental consent and remain in school! This will help us to reduce the number of times a student must learn remotely.
In order to access this program, we need to have no more than a class or two affected at one time (we are limited in capacity in how many we can test at once) AND must have parent consent for the test AND have parental agreement to either stay with their child when tested or return to pick them up if their test is positive.
In order to give parental consent for this program, please fill out this form. We cannot use the tests on your child without it and your child will need to quarantine as they do now.
VT AOE COVID Response Testing Consent Form
FUEL ASSISTANCE AVAILABLE TO VERMONTERS
If your household would benefit from fuel assistance, please check out the following resource page:
Fuel & Energy Assistance includes information about seasonal fuel assistance and weatherization, crisis fuel assistance, water and electricity assistance--and where/how to apply for each.
Vermonters who apply and are approved for seasonal fuel assistance before December 1, 2021 will receive the full seasonal benefit. Individuals can apply for fuel assistance for the 2021-2022 winter season through February 2022; however, applications received and approved after Dec. 1 will get a percentage of the full benefit: Dec = 80%, Jan = 60%, Feb = 40%. Because fuel costs are on the rise and are likely to only increase as we get deeper into winter, we encourage people to look into seasonal fuel eligibility soon.
REMINDERS
February Vacation Dates Confirmed
The correct February vacation is the week of Feb. 21. Here is the link to the full district calendar as released last year. https://tinyurl.com/vy56p2wk.
Magnetic calendars distributed to staff at the start of the school year indicated Feb 14. That was an error. We apologize this was not caught earlier!
Vaccination Updates and Clinics
As notified earlier this week, students ages 5-11 are now eligible for a vaccine. Ages 5-11 will get an age appropriate dose of the vaccine. The VT Department of Health web page is full of resources for parents about the vaccine. https://www.healthvermont.gov/covid-19/vaccine/vaccines-children Local pediatricians are also ready to answer questions and help parents with their decisions and can even give the shots.
VDH has chosen two of our schools to hold vaccination clinics, thus far: Neshobe and Leicester (OCA). Although we were first told these clinics would be closed just for our families, the state has opened registration to the public and slots are limited. Please use the state registration website VDH COVID-19 portal to register or call the Dept of Health 855-722-7878, Mon - Fri 8:00 am - 4:30 pm, Sat and Sun 10:00 am - 3:00 pm. to register and give consent or if you have problems with registration. We cannot register students ourselves as parents must give consent.
School Clinic dates:
OCA at Leicester School Nov. 18 (1st dose with the second dose scheduled for Dec 9)
Neshobe School Dec. 14 (with the second dose scheduled for Jan. 4)
School Board Meetings and Board Openings
In August, Board meetings returned to in-person meetings with a zoom option for those who wish to attend virtually. Meeting information can be found on the district calendar or on the district website, www.rnesu.org,
OVUU Board meets Dec 1, 6 pm at OVUHS, in person and online
RNESU Board meets Dec. 15, 5 pm at OCA/ Leicester Central School and online
BUU Board meets Dec 20, 6 pm at Barstow School and online
Interested in serving on a school board? Go to the school board page on rnesu.org to learn what seats are open and to get a petition.
Last year we were unable to enjoy Thanksgiving much. This year, rules are a bit more relaxed but still encourage caution and good sense. I hope you all safely enjoy the holiday weekend.
Sincerely,
Jeanné Collins, Superintendent of RNESU
School Safety Hotline # (844) 723-3488 or www.SAFE4VT.org or text to 274637, type in keyword SAFE4VT and then your tip