Now that the weather is getting more beautiful by the day, it's really time for our kids to get outside and get active!  Today's Showcase is a special treat as we get to spend time in BCEMS Physical Education teacher Jay Baitz's class with a group of kindergarteners!  Mr. Baitz and his PE partner Jodi Bushway are doing wonderful things with our youngest learners as they learn to have fun being physically active.

One thing I've learned in over thirty years as an educator is that the best way to put yourself in a good mood is to visit a Pre-K or Kindergarten class. There is nothing like it! For this week's Showcase, we are visiting the Pre-K programs of BCEMS and BTMES, and I can assure you that you will soon have a smile on your face! We joined BCEMS Pre-K teacher Nancy Benoit and BTMES Pre-K teacher Kelsey LaPerle's classes recently and learned a whole lot about car detailing and the solar system during our visits.

We had a chance to visit Ujamaa math teacher Tana Cosgrove's 7th-grade math class yesterday and witness the students working together on ratios in a math lesson.  The kids' engagement was amazing to watch.

What was most impressive about this math lesson was the collaboration I witnessed both between Ms. Cosgrove and Ujamaa Special Educator Becky Dwyer and the various groups of students who were working beautifully together throughout the lesson. It was great to hear the students talk about how they mix up groups and learn how to cooperate and problem-solve together. Ms. Cosgrove and Ms. Dwyer "work the room" following the lesson, but the focus is on having the students problem-solve with each other. Real-world skills in a real-world math lesson that focuses on financial literacy!

Our first Hero Spotlight is BCEMS Building Facilities Coordinator and SHS JV girls soccer and lacrosse coach John Walker. BUUSD Facilities Director Jamie Evans nominated John, and you will see in the following brief video how valuable he has been to the BCEMS community!

Stay tuned for more Hero Spotlights in the coming weeks and months, and please feel free to reach out with more heroes who have helped us all through these last two years.

Chris

I got to spend time with the BUUSD Art teachers last week as they set up the annual BUUSD Art Show at the Aldrich Public Library.  The work on display from students of all ages was beautiful and I strongly encourage you to attend - the show is on display now through the end of March.  This show has always been a highlight of the year for me and many others, and after hearing from our student artists you will understand why!

Welcome to the first School Showcase of 2022!  This week, we find ourselves in BCEMS Art Teacher Kate Hawley's kindergarten class.  As we know, the last week and a half has been incredibly challenging for our school community, but I found spending a half-hour with Ms. Hawley's group of six-year-olds the perfect answer to all of my woes!  I think you will too.

Do you have questions about what school is going to look like this fall?  Click the photo above to learn more!

The State of Vermont passed a new law in 2019 that requires all schools and child care providers to test their drinking water for lead. Barre City Elementary and Middle School participated in pilot testing in Spring 2018.  Based on those results, we received a waiver on new testing and remediated based on results from 2018.

Check out this year's first edition of our middle school newspaper, the Bulldog Bulletin, led by Ms. Neddo!

A huge thank you to everyone that participated and gave feedback in our first budget survey. We appreciate all of the comments and responses and will use this information as we develop our budget for next year. We continue to work to improve how we communicate and engage with our community, so please let us know if you have any questions or need more information. We look forward to hearing from you again soon!

Barre School Working Towards Cleaner Planet