Summer Update -- August 9, 2021

Greetings Waterford Families,

We are in the home stretch of summer. I hope you are enjoying your time with family and friends. Daisey and I recently had a conversation about the upcoming school year. She wants all of your children to know how excited she is to seem them again this year!

This update contains:

• COVID 19 school year procedures 
• New hire spotlight 
• Construction Update
• Race Back to School 
• Open House 

COVID - 19 and the new school year -- Superintendent Tucker's Update 

With the upcoming school year right around the corner and COVID-19 still impacting our lives to a certain degree the Governor, Health Department and Agency of Education will continue to provide recommendations as to how we operate our schools. Last week Mark Tucker, our Superintendent, updated his blog with how CCSU schools will open school and operate with COVID-19 procedures in place. 

Please follow this link to the blog post: From the Superintendents Desk. 

After reading the Superintendents post, if you have any questions please feel free to fill out this form: 

2021-22 Waterford School Parent Question/Feedback Form

New Hire Spotlight - Mike Errickson General Music/Chorus 

Greetings CCSU Students and Parents! 

My name is Mike Errickson and I studied music education at Syracuse University and Ithaca College. I have been teaching for 20 years, starting my career with K-5 general music and 5th/6th grade chorus for 6 years in upstate NY.

For the last 14 years, I have been teaching behavior and related interventions to children with Autism and other learning disabilities at a school for children with Autism and then for the public schools in North Carolina. 

When I am not teaching, I enjoy making music with choruses and/or ensembles. I have been blessed to sing in some interesting locations including Carnegie Hall and an underground cathedral in the salt mines in Poland. 

I’m am an outdoor enthusiast and look forward to being able to do so in a beautiful new state! 

Construction Project Update 

Last week Kevin Colby received an email from Bob Lord at EF Wall informing him that the company providing the insulated panels for the exterior of the building needs to push back the installation date. This is because they are not able to get one of the chemicals required to make the foam insulation. We originally expected a scheduled delivery in October. Delivery has now been projected for the week of January 3, 2022.

Race Back to School at Kingdom Trails 

Kingdom Trails Race Back to School event is on Sunday August 22. This is a fundraiser for HOPE (Helping Other People Everyday) provides important services to our region including weekly food backpacks for families in need of assistance. 

Race Back to School is a friendly and fun competition for mountain bikers and runners to complete loops at Kingdom Trails. They can receive pledges from supporters that go to their schools! For more general information and an interest survey please see the blog post here: Race Back to School. It would be fun to have some Waterford bikers and runner in this event!

Open House 

Open House will return this year as it has in previous years. This year it will be Wednesday August 25 from 5:00 - 6:00. After a year in which our community was largely not allowed in the building this will be a welcomed addition back into our calendar. Food will be provided. We look forward to seeing you on the 25th! 

Summer Update -- July 17, 2021

Hello Waterford Families,

I hope this post finds you cooling off in a lake, enjoying a backyard BBQ with friends, cheering on our local Little League and Babe Ruth All stars, camping with family or finding refuge in some air conditioning. Here are some updates and new staff spotlights I wanted to share with you. 

Chris 

Middle School Construction Project Update 

Last year the school board approved the updating of the windows and siding/insulation of middle school wing. Materials are expected this week with work installing the windows beginning by the end of July and completed before the start of school. The siding work will begin this summer and will conclude the fall when the remaining materials are delivered. 

Race Back to School at Kingdom Trails 

Earlier this week I update the blog with some information regarding Kingdom Trails Race Back to School event on Sunday August 22. This is a fundraiser for HOPE (Helping Other People Everyday) provides important services to our region including weekly food backpacks for families in need of assistance. 

Race Back to School is a friendly and fun competition for mountain bikers and runners to complete loops at Kingdom Trails. They can receive pledges from supporters that go to their schools! For more general information and an interest survey please see the blog post here: Race Back to School. It would be fun to have some Waterford bikers and runner in this event!

I will be providing more details to those who are interested in the coming weeks.

New Hire Spotlight -- Heidi Toney Kindergarten  

Hello Waterford Families and Friends!

My name is Heidi Toney and I am excited and honored to be accepted as the new Kindergarten teacher at Waterford School! 

I have been teaching for 24 years in a variety of positions throughout the primary grades, including classroom teaching positions in all grades Pre-K through 2nd, as a Literacy Support Teacher for Grades 1-4, and as a Reading Recovery Teacher for Grade 1. I have taught at Danville School, Whitefield School, Walden School, and The Riverside School. I have a Bachelor of Science from Keene State College (1997) in Early Childhood Education, am Reading Recovery Trained (1998), and hold a Master of Education from Southern New Hampshire University (2007).  I love teaching all subjects, but my passion is Early Literacy.  Witnessing children learn to read is the greatest gift of all.

In my spare time, I enjoy observing nature, kayaking, hiking, and am at peace watching the sun rise and set. I am a "Dateline" fanatic, am fascinated with "The Unexplained", and read anything involving true stories. I live in Waterford, with my husband, Paul, and our 4 dogs and 3 cats.  We have soft hearts for animals.  This spring I hatched chicks with my students, rescued one from its egg, and rehabilitated it with help from my husband.  As a result of being handled so much, the chick has become a true pet!

I cannot wait to be with you all in the fall!  

All My Best,

Heidi

New Hire Spotlight -- Kate Oswald Middle School Humanities 

This is my 9th year teaching. I am coming from southern NH where I spent the past 6 years teaching primarily 8th Grade US History, but also Reading and a year of Geography at Rochester Middle School. I have always taught Middle School and love it!

I have a BA in economics and a BA in International Studies from Adelphi University in New York. I returned for my degree in Adolescent Social Studies education a few years after finishing my undergraduate studies. Fun fact about Adelphi- it was the first college for teachers in the country!

Although I grew up in suburban New York, I always dreamed of moving to the mountains and lived for family visits to the Adirondacks every summer. I am a hiker, skier, and my passion is OCR (Obstacle Course Racing-like Spartan and Tough Mudder). I race competitively and train hard. My two dogs mean the world to me and often come on training hikes.

I am incredibly excited to teach at the Waterford School and look forward to meeting students and parents soon!

Summer Update -- June 23, 2021

Greetings Waterford School Families,

I hope this finds you well and enjoying the start of summer vacation, breathing a sigh of relief and feeling proud of our collective accomplishments this past school year. In hindsight we were able to get through one of the most challenging school years because we shared a collective goal of doing it together. Back in August of 2020 there were many unknowns: what the schedule was going to look like, would we have to close the school because of COVID, whether our HVAC systems meet COVID-19 requirements, how students would do wearing masks all day and getting to know a new Principal to name a few. Your patience with those unknowns, commitment to following state guidelines and trust in the school staff to keep your children safe and engaged in learning were critical to our success. 

While we transition to the summer of 2021, and hopefully look forward to a less COVID -19 focused 2021-22 school year, many of the unknowns have been made clear. The resilience and commitment of our school community during the 2020-21 school year are clearly building blocks for future growth and will forever be a point of pride because we did it together. Thank you for your commitment to Waterford School. 

Chris 

Throughout the summer I will be providing blog updates on happenings at school. 

Hiring Updates 

This spring we hired three new teachers who will join our Waterford School Community. Each had hiring committees that included teachers, support staff, parents and students. I want to thank all who participated in the process and believe we were able to hire three very good teachers to fill our openings. We still are in search of 2 Literacy Intervention Educators. Below are the names of the three new teachers. 

Kindergarten -- Heidi Toney 

2nd Grade -- Emily Robarts 

Humanities -- Kate Oswald 

New Hire Spotlight -- Emily Robarts 2nd Grade 

Over the course of the summer we will spotlight our new teachers for you to learn more about them before the school year starts.

Hello! My name is Emily Robarts and I am very excited to be joining Waterford Elementary School’s community as the 2nd grade teacher. I have been in education and teaching for 12 years, primarily in Montessori and independent schools. The past couple years I have been involved in helping establish a local Montessori school and serving as an owner, director and teacher. I have now decided to return to teaching full-time! 

I am very passionate about early childhood education! I have spent my entire teaching career in preschool and lower elementary classrooms including 3 years as a 2nd grade teacher. I love the 2nd grade, as it is an exciting year with lots of social and academic growth. I especially enjoy teaching literacy and social studies. My favorite activities to do with my students include writing workshops, hands-on projects and nature studies. 

I hold my Masters in Education and my BA in Social Science from Southern New Hampshire University. I live in Guildhall, VT with my husband and 3 children. We spend a lot of time outdoors hiking, snowboarding, fishing, and biking. We also have 3 dogs, 2 cats and a horse that keep us busy! 

I am looking forward to a great school year! 

Just Keep Swimming 

Our Final Just Keep Swimming update. This includes all the recognitions for the year. Thank you to our teachers who stepped up and did whatever was necessary to teach our students this year. They brought it every day and are true hero's of our COVID-19 response. 

2021-22 School Calendar 

It's never too early to look ahead. Here is a copy of next years school calendar. 

Summer Program Update 

The Waterford/Barnet Summer Learning Program will be starting at Waterford on Tuesday, July 6 from 9:00 AM - 2:00 PM and running through the month of July. Students will have daily academic recovery and enrichment opportunities, in addition to physical education, science lessons, and social-emotional learning opportunities.  Bussing is available, and breakfast and lunch will be provided. If you have any questions or would like to register your child, please reach out to Brenda Kendall, site coordinator, at brenda.kendall@ccsuvt.net.  We are looking forward to having a fun summer together! 

Summer Facilities Work 

Kevin and Keir have been hard at work making sure our school is ready for students and staff to return in August!