PUTNEY CENTRAL SCHOOL
An exceptional PK-8 School located in beautiful southern Vermont
PCS News 11/17/23
Dear PCS Community,
Thank you for another wonderful week. It was a pleasure to see so many folks join us for the family feast yesterday! I think the true spirit of PCS and our community approach to raising kids - thank you as always for being a part of it.
Here are some updates heading into the break:
Upcoming Dates:
TONIGHT: Family Dance 6:00-8:00
Mon. 11/20 - Fri. 11/24: No School for Thanksgiving Break
Dec. 13: Holiday Bizarre (more info coming)
Winter Sports:
All Mt. Snow paperwork has been completed thanks to Nancy's hard work! Information regarding the other activities will be coming home shortly after break. Our first week of Winter Sports will be Tuesday 1/9.
Holiday Bizarre:
We are accepting donations of items for the bizarre that are either new or gently used and in good condition. Please feel free to bring items by the office.
PCS Community Workshops:
We are in the process of setting a schedule for upcoming months of 1-day PCS Community Workshops. We would love to have parent and community volunteers to lead workshops for our students and adults. Please let me know if you are interested.
I hope you all have a wonderful break!
Jon
Staff Highlight
Nicole Buser
Nicole Buser is the nurse here at Putney Central School. Nicole has a natural ability to connect with kids and help them manage many aspects of their health and well-being. She provides both nursing care and education to the Putney Central School community. Nicole’s philosophy encompasses a whole child approach with an emphasis on keeping children safe, healthy, engaged, supported and giving them the opportunity to access learning in all areas of education and safety. Nicole lives at home in Grafton Vermont with her partner and son Jack. They also have a cat named Winston, a German shepherd named Avon and six chickens. Nicole is a passionate mountain, biker, snowboarder and lifelong learner. She brings a joyful approach to all aspects of her life.
A few of our Middle Schoolers were inspired by the kitchen crew's creativity on Halloween! They decided to try it out for themselves, and share the recipe with you!
Ingredients:
apples
smooth peanut butter
mini marshmallows
1) Slice apples into wedges
2) Spread peanut butter onto one side of each apple wedge
3) Place mini marshmallows onto peanut butter to look like teeth
4) Put second apple slice onto marshmallows to make a smile
Tips:
*Spread the peanut butter thinly or you will make a mess
* Use four to five marshmallows for maximum creepy effect
Special thanks to the kitchen crew for inspiration.
These are a lot harder to make than they look!
Peanut Butter Marshmallow Apple Smiles
Literacy Corner
To read well, our brains need to do a lot of things fluently and simultaneously! In the lower grades, we use the UFLI curriculum developed by the University of Florida to address the nuts and bolts of literacy–letter and sound recognition, sounding out words, spelling, and recognizing irregularly spelled words. All of the elementary grades use the EL curriculum to develop the skills vocabulary, comprehension, and meaning. In the Literacy Corner we will share information about what the kids in our school are doing in literacy and how families can help support them.
Notes from Nurse Nicole
PROTECT: Avoid areas where ticks live, use EPA-registered tick repellents, and cover up.
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CHECK: Don't let ticks hitchhike inside and check your whole body.
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REMOVE: Remove attached ticks as soon as you can.
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WATCH: Watch for symptoms and tell your provider if you get sick.
Health and Wellness resources:
It has been wonderful to get back into classrooms this year for Health and Wellness classes. Although I am not in all grades, I do have a list of resources that could be useful to you and your child/children regarding their changing bodies. The following list includes books and websites that I find thoughtfully organized with inclusive language;
http://r53-vip-soup.pbskids.org/itsmylife/body/puberty/article2.html
https://kidshealth.org/en/kids/grow/
https://www.corysilverberg.com/
As always, please reach out with any questions.
Nicole
Counselor's Corner
October 2023
Counselor’s Corner
Happy Fall!
I hope that you and your children have settled back into the school routines.
This month we have been focusing on the theme of friendship and learning all about the ingredients of a healthy friendship. Last year our music teacher extraordinaire, David Tournoux, shifted our morning announcements to video! Each morning students and staff watch the announcements as part of their classroom morning routines. Included in each morning announcement are quotes & suggestions all about the theme of the month, and in October students have had an opportunity to learn more about ways to be a good friend.
What’s happening in Social Emotional Learning?
Several years ago I became certified to teach yoga and I’m excited to be bringing yoga to some of our middle school physical education classes. This is a great opportunity and there are many benefits like improving self esteem and confidence, helping improve attitude, concentration and decrease stress.Below you will see a photo of our forest shapes from this mornings class.
In our lower elementary classrooms we are learning about our feelings and exploring ways to feel calm and ready to learn. We are spending time in our upper elementary grades exploring how to manage strong emotions, learning about the brain, and about goal setting. There has been such great learning across the school!
As Putney Central’s school counselor. I am working alongside you and I am here to support you. Please, feel encouraged to reach out at any time!
All the best,
Marisa