By jmonahan
We will be holding our Spring Student-Led Conferences immediately upon return from February Vacation.
Please remember to sign up for student-led conferences, which will take place on March 4th and 5th. Families can choose between an in-person or virtual conference, both of which will be hosted by their student’s advisor. Use this link to sign up for a time. If you’re unsure who your child’s advisor is, please ask!
By jmonahan
Our quarter 3 student artists are busy printing valentines right now using the iconic “sweetheart conversation heart” for inspiration. We will be sharing these arty messages of love with our whole EMS community as well as with local seniors at the Converse Home in Burlington. We are creating reduction prints, and if you know anything at all about printmaking this is no small undertaking! We think it is well worth the chaos. If this isn’t the best time to share your love – when is?
By jmonahan
We hope most of you were able to attend the information night at BHS for your 8th grade students. During February, 8th graders will be given a course selection sheet for their 9th grade classes. Please chat with your student about their classes for next year. Please reach out with any questions or concerns. 802-864-8486 ext 41011 or phulbert@bsdvt.org
By jmonahan
Please help us make the joint EES/EMS PTO Town Meeting Day Bake Sale on Tuesday, March 4 another hit!
We are in need of volunteers to staff the table during Election Day. There are 1.5 hour shifts from 6 am – 7 pm. The table will be in the lobby outside the EMS gym. Sign up here!
We are in need of baked goods! Baked goods can be homemade or store bought. Cookies, brownies, muffins or breads are all welcome, be creative! Gluten free and dairy free items are appreciated. Please label homemade items with ingredients. Sign up here!
Baked goods can either be dropped off to the table between 6 am and 9 am on Tuesday, March 4 or to Kim Brockway’s house on the evening of Monday, March 3. Please email Kim at kimbrockway1@gmail.com or text at 917-513-1320.
These funds will benefit both schools’ PTOs, including field trips, band instruments and classroom funds.
Thank you, thank you, thank you!
EES PTO and EMS Engage
By jmonahan
We warmly invite the parents of currently enrolled 8th grade students to the Class of 2029 Parent Information Night on Wednesday, January 29, 20205 from 6:30 – 7:30 pm at the downtown BHS campus, located at 67 Cherry Street.
This presentation serves as a friendly introduction to life at BHS and is intended to help parents and caregivers prepare for their students’ transition to high school- including the class selection process. Our refreshed 2025-2026 Program of Studies will go live on our website soon, but you may refer to the 2024-2025 Program of Studies as you begin to consider your future enrollment plans. For additional support and information, please reach out to the BHS School Counseling Department.
Please be sure to start a parking session if you park in the garage next to the school. The first two hours are free, but you must start a ParkMobile session (Zone # 5826) to avoid a ticket.
By jmonahan
Hello EMS Families and Caregivers!
EMS families will receive an email from their student’s advisory teacher by the end of this week with details about our upcoming Student-Led Conferences. In-person conferences will be held on Monday, November 25, and virtual conferences on Tuesday, November 26. The email from your student’s advisor will include a link to this sign-up portal. In order to sign up for a conference, you will need the name of your student’s advisor (which they should know). We use the same PTCFast sign-up portal that’s used with our elementary schools, so the process should be straightforward for most families. Please feel free to reach out if you need any assistance. Additional details are below:
EMS Student-Led Conferences: The Details
When:
Format:
Students will present from a reflection on their learning from the first quarter from their Personalized Learning Plans (PLPs), which they have been preparing in advance. They will share this with their family and their student advisor. There will also be an opportunity for family members to ask questions and provide feedback throughout the presentation. We introduced this approach last year and found it to be a great success.
For 6th grade families coming from elementary school, this will be a change from the Parent-Teacher Conference model you are used to. Rather than an adult-to-adult conversation about how your child is doing, this will be a conversation directly with your child, facilitated by their advisor. If you still have questions you would like to ask their teachers directly following the conferences, please feel free to reach out to them as you would at any time.
Student ownership over their education and consistent, authentic opportunities for self-reflection and assessment are proven methods to support growth for middle school students. It’s wonderful to hear their voices!
We look forward to seeing you all!
By jmonahan
In the afternoon on Thursday, the entire EMS faculty and staff will be meeting for three hours of professional learning with Dr. Sarah Lupo of James Madison University. Dr Lupo is a nationally recognized leader in literacy development strategies. She will be visiting EMS three times over the course of the year, and EMS faculty will be meeting virtually with her in between these sessions for coaching on how to embed cutting edge literacy skills into every facet of our curriculum.
By jmonahan
6th Grade Students have started a “Garden Club” and are working hard to make our grounds beautiful again! If you want to donate tools, shrubs or bulbs, please contact Ms. Brady at KLozier@bsdvt.org. We are still in the weeding phase but hoping to plant soon!
By jmonahan
In Language Arts we started the year with a unit on adolescent brain development and goal setting. Students were tasked with learning about the parts of the brain, what they control, and how they develop in young people. Next, students had to brainstorm personal goals: long term, short term, academic, social, and intra-/interpersonal. To tie it all together, students then created a visual that highlighted three of their goals and explanations of how they connect to adolescent brain development. Even if students don’t necessarily follow through on the goals they set, hopefully we’re at least planting the seed that they should view themselves as works in progress who are always working on progressing.
By jmonahan
Math Foundations (meets in the morning): Is recommended for students who have just completed 5th or 6th grade.
Geometry (meets in the morning): Recommended for any student who has just completed 7th grade.
Math Exploration (meets in the afternoon): Recommended for any student who has just completed 8th grade.
Cultivating caring, creative and courageous people. Join the journey!
