Hi All,
I hope that this week brought you whatever it is that you needed most. We had a lovely getaway to see family in Florida. While the trip out wasn't what we expected the sunshine was beautiful. I felt the pull to spend time unplugged and just be with my family. I would say the joy of my break was uninterrupted time with my people.
- Whole School Meeting has been moved to the 12th of March.
- There is NO teacher PD on Wednesday morning.
- Our Staff Meeting will likely be abbreviated on Wednesday afternoon.
- I thought you might find this article and response from our Board Chair interesting as we await the results from town meeting. Fingers and toes crossed that our budget gets passed.
- .https://vtdigger.org/2026/02/
27/flor-diaz-smith-dear-gov- phil-scott/ - https://www.timesargus.com/
opinion/commentary/diaz-smith- calling-out-the-governor/ article_5098408b-28ca-49e1- b1a3-5847c98f359b.html - Here's a great article from Responsive Classroom about returing from a break: https://www.responsiveclassroom.org/making-up-for-lost-time/ and another from an online sourcehttps://theteacherstudio.com/winter-classroom-routines-reset/
- Here are some simple check-in prompts for students as we enter from break. Just as we have, students have a wide range of experiences on school breaks. Remember that allowing students to draw or write about their time off may also be beneficial.
- One Good Memory: "What is one good memory you have from the time off?"
- Simple Joys: "What was the best thing you ate or watched on TV during the break?"
- Small Wins: "What is something new you learned or a hobby you spent time on?"
- Connection: "Who is one person you saw or talked to that made you smile?"
- Recharging: "What was your favorite way to relax or recharge?
- "What is one reason you are happy to be back in our class?"
- "What made our classroom run smoothly before the break?"
- "What is one thing we can do to make our mornings calmer?"
- "Is there anything you’d like me to know as we start this next chunk of the school year?"
- "What is a new, fun skill you want to try in class?"
- Response to ICE---Follow Up
The news about ICE in cities around the country and closer to home is contributing to this unease. Across our district, some families have voiced concern and questions about procedures in our schools. Please know that we continue to revisit these procedures, and student safety is our top priority.
Steven noted that procedures are in place should federal ICE agents attempt to contact or enter the school building. While we continue to have these procedures in place and have worked with front office staff to ensure they are continuing diligence, we are also aware of growing concerns that there may be a need for more specific guidance around school-sponsored events that do not take place during the school day or are not on campus.
There are also questions about what happens when students are off campus, in parking lots, at sporting events, on field trips, etc. At the same time, there is a clear reality that we will not be able to anticipate all the specific incidents. What we can do is say we are committed to following all legal procedures anytime we are responsible for students; their safety is our top priority. This means that regardless of where an incident occurs, we (all employees of the district) have a responsibility to:
Identify yourself as a school staff member responsible for addressing the event. School staff will have their school identification visible.
Ask for identification and the purpose of the visit.
Notify the principal, who will notify the superintendent on his cell at 802-793-6907.
Explain to law enforcement officials that this is a school-sponsored event, and as such, we are obligated to follow all school procedures. You will wait for further instructions and ask that the official/agent remain outside the event.
These are our District Wide procedures; please familiarize yourself with them.
What we can do:
Listen to young people. When they are bringing up current events, talk about it, don’t shut down conversations, and approach it with curiosity. Ask- what are you hearing? How are you responding? What questions do you have?
Utilize the resources for helping young people navigate and process hard news:
Common Sense Education: Talking with Students About Shocking or Disturbing News
Education Week: Doing the Nearly Impossible: Teaching When the World Delivers Fear
Facing History & Ourselves: Teaching Current Events Educator Guide
Mental Health America: Talking To Kids About Fear And Violence
National Association of School Psychologists: Talking to Children About Violence: Tips for Families
Encourage families who experience anxiety about how to help young people navigate this moment to reach out to each other. If they feel a safety plan is warranted for their family, Celia and Jessica H. can help guide families through that process.
Continue to follow and use the procedures we have in place around safety.
What we will not do:
These likely go without saying; however, these questions or versions of them have been raised as concerns from families, staff, and students. We will not:
Make assumptions about a student's or family’s immigration status based on skin color, language, or country of origin
Ask anyone about or for their immigration status
Organize students based on the political beliefs of adults
This time feels unprecedented, and at the same time, you have, as educators, a deep wealth of tools and resources to help students navigate uncertainty and challenge. You show up with and for young people with love and care every day. If you have specific questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out.
We will talk more about these procedures on Wednesday, March 4th during our staff meeting time.
Marshall Memo 1126
For four years in the early 1960s, I was a student at Shrewsbury, a venerable U.K. boarding school (Charles Darwin was an alum). Last May, I made a sentimental return visit, and afterward wrote an article for the school's magazine reflecting on what Shrewsbury did for me, including the impact of some exceptional educators. Not Memo material, but I thought you might enjoy it. This week's quotes and articles come from Education Week, The Chronicle of Higher Education, The Learning Dispatch, Harvard Business Review, Education Gadfly, Edutopia, The Hechinger Report, The Conversation, Leadership Freak, Mathematics Teacher, English Journal, and YouTube. Here are the headlines:
- What technology can do and what human teachers must do
- Leaders with the qualities of good followers
- Effective schools that sustain success over time
- Following up when formative assessments reveal student confusion
- Should teachers simplify math vocabulary for students?
- Does AI translation mean we don't need to learn other languages?
- At what level does student absenteeism become problematic?
- When a leader should hit the pause button
- Fun math activities for students and their families
- Recommended young adult Indigenous literature
- An AI spoof on historical figures in hum-drum modern situations
If you want an HTML version of this week's Memo, please click here. To listen to a podcast of last week's issue (#1125), click here. For a podcast of this week's Memo, log in at www.marshallmemo.com later this week and click Podcasts
What's Happening at BES?
Where is Celia?
