We had such a wonderful time at out FCS Harvest Garden and Fundraiser. Check out next week's Addison Independent for an article about this great event.  The funds raised will go to supporting our Words in the Wild field trips this year.

Thank you to all who came. We are planning more opportunities for families to get together at FCS this year. If you would like to be involved in the planning or implementation of these events, please let us know!

Thank you!

We want to take a moment to celebrate and express our deepest gratitude to Anthony Barrett, our incredible school custodian. Mr. Anthony is more than the person who keeps our school clean and safe; his hard work, dedication, and kindness make a lasting impact on all of us—students, teachers, and staff alike. He is a role model for how to care for your community. Whether it’s through his friendly smile, his willingness to lend a hand, or his tireless efforts to ensure our school is a welcoming place, Mr. Anthony shows us every day what it means to truly care. We are so fortunate to have him as part of our school family. Thank you, Mr. Anthony, for all that you do!

Hosted by the ANWSD Afterschool Programs

October 16 at 6 PM

VUES Gym

The other day, a parent told me their child has randomly started reciting the four skills to them after dinner. They said, "I'm not sure I learned all these skills myself in school, but I'm so glad my kid knows it is important to consider others and to connect with other people." I agree that the four skills are life long learning curves and that on some days we are all better at them than on other days.

I think each skill is relevant to our lives and connected with one another. For example, if we have considered someone but haven't communicated that to them effectively (in a way that they can hear, experience and feel) then our consideration may not have done them much good. However, at the heart of a meaningful life are the connections we make and sustain. We hope our Garden Party will be an opportunity to make connections with others in our community!

Mayor Chris Bearor joined us for an assembly and shared his pride and excitement about the FCS swimmers who did swim team this summer. We are so proud of our students and grateful for all the coaches who support them in persevering. I am glad all our students got to hear about the swim team experience and are perhaps inspired to join!

Our third grade teachers Lydia Kenney and Rachel Stein are hard at work planning engaging and interdisciplinary instruction for our third grade cohort. These dynamic teachers are co-planning math and literacy in order to reach each individual student. We strive to individualize learning experiences for our students so that everyone feels positive aout their learning and challenged at their "growth edge". In schools we use the phrase "growth edge" to describe the place where students can best access their next level of learning. These teachers have some fun ideas in the works, so stay tuned for exciting projects in the third grade!

We talk a lot at FCS about how we are always growing skills. We try to remove any sense of judgement from this (either internal or external) because we know that feeling shame doesn't help us grow very well. Also, we want to meet everyone (including ourselves) where we are, so that we can keep growing our skills in a healthy and positive way.  We all already have so many skills- it is also important to remember how much we currently know how to do! What incredible humans we all are! And how fun it is to keep growing and changing as we learn more about ourselves and the world around us! 

Our lettuce babies are growing, thanks to our first grade class planting the seeds and nurturing them until we could transplant them!

Last year we fed our school many times with the lettuce from our hydroponic lettuce grower. We are so lucky to have parent volunteers come help us with managing our amazing lettuce machine. If this is something you'd like to help with, please let us know!

Sometimes at school we say "name it to tame it" to encourage the act of naming how we feel or what we want. Just saying aloud to someone how you feel can take some of the stress and urgency out of the emotion. It also reminds us to effectively communicate what we need and consider what others need as we work to make space for everyone in our community.

This can be challenging and it takes practice, so it's great to start practicing early. We know that skills we learn early often stick with us throughout our lives. We strongly believe that teaching this important skill early will support students in their lifelong skill development. We encourage you to model this to your children by talking about yourself, your values and your priorities. Talking about your emotions and the startegies you use to calm down when upset is very powerful for kids. For example, "I am feeling stressed so I am going to take a few breaths to calm down." This can help them to grow the skill to share with you who they are, what they need and how they feel.

Our first skill at FCS is "I know myself.

One of things that makes a community healthy is that we all have different strengths, interests and motivations, but this can also be challenging if we don’t spend time reflecting on what we “know” about ourselves and share that knowledge with others. It is easy for assumptions and misunderstandings to happen. For example, if something is easy for us, it can be hard to imagine how hard it might be for others.  We all process experiences differently- some people process a hard day by talking about it, others write in their journal and others might take a run.  Sometimes it’s hard to understand that others may have very different values than we do. 

 The mere act of communicating “this is important to me and that’s why I am choosing this” can help us connect with others even if they have different values or actions.    

Last year someone called the school from the New Zealand(!) school board and told me they had heard of our amazing school compost program and were hoping to learn more during a visit to Vermont. be honest, I kindof asuumed this wouldn't really happen, until a couple months later, when there they were at the school hoping for a tour of our world renowned compost system. Now that Judy Elson has left for our middle school, Liz Rudnicki, parent of FCS students Charlie and Lila, is helping keep the compost alive with the support of some incredible, strong and committed students. If you want to get involved in our compost program, please reach out to epalin@gmail.com.

On Wednesday during our all school morning meeting, Tucker, the education director from the Rokeby museum, joined our school via google meet and talked to us about the wonderful aspects of the museum and our town's fascinating history. We will all get to visit the Rokeby in person with our WILD Groups on our early release days. It is so special that we get to have a world class museum celebrating such incredible history in our town. I learned so much through Tucker's virtual visit. Ask your children where, how and why the Robinson family got ice for their ice house. This made me much more grateful for my fridge and freezer! (Unfortunately our 4th and 5th graders weren't able to join but we are sharing this information with them at a later time!)   

Our second graders read by flashlight in the classroom on Friday. Second grade is a BIG year for learning to read and we utilize a structured "Orton Gillingham" reading approach to systematically teach letter sounds and other spelling patterns in Kindergarten through 2nd grade. Although all studnts grow skills at different rates, in second grade we often see students put all these learned skills together and start to read on their own.  When given opportunities at home and at school, they develop a love for reading books that are at their reading level. Flashlight Fridays brings an excitement about reading into the classroom and is something you and your family can try at home too! As the evenings get darker earlier and earlier, you can find magical moments by turning off the lights, lighting a candle, getting a flashlight/booklight and reading together. This year we are thinking about the ways routines can become rituals by adding levels of meaning and uniqueness into our routine tasks. You can share your family rituals by emailing Rae or by messaging the instagram page. We would love to share some of the special rituals you and your families have with other families and with our teachers.  We hope you have a beautiful weekend!    

Through our FCS theme of Words in the Wild, and our structured literacy programming inside homeroom classes, we will continue to bring the love of reading into our school. Nothing makes us happier than seeing children find a book they love and losing themselves in its pages. 

WORDS IN THE WILD 

Ferrisburgh Central School Thematic Learning Experiences

The "Words in the Wild" theme at Ferrisburgh Central School offers an immersive experiential learning opportunity that combines nature, wilderness exploration, and creative expression. Students engage in writing, reading, and content creation activities set both at the school and in the broader community, allowing them to connect with local museums, farms and the natural environment. This unique program encourages personal growth in mixed age and homeroom centered groupings and provides many opportunities for skill development, fostering deeper self-awareness and meaningful connections with others. Through this hands-on experience, students not only enhance their literacy skills but also cultivate a profound appreciation for the world around them.

• There are 3 layers to our Words in the Wild Theme. 

• Layer 1 is twice yearly Ferrisburgh Forest Fridays homeroom trips to WIllowell campus in Bristol. 

• Layer 2 is five different expeditions(some at school and some away from school) where Wild groups (which are approximately 17 K-5th grade mixed age students) will either stay at school for unique experiences or will travel into the community to do field work.

• Layer 3 is a flexible way that other homeroom lessons, units, activities and trips will align with our theme and encourage place based learning experiences.

Become a Volunteer in Our Schools!

Join Us in Making a Difference

Volunteering Levels

• Visitor:

• Supervised Volunteer (Level 2):

• Unsupervised Volunteer (Level 3):

How to Apply:

1. Apply: Visit our website for more information and an application.
2. Submit Application: Fill out the volunteer application form.
3. Complete Background Check: All potential volunteers must undergo a background check.
4. Approval: Await confirmation of your approved status from the District.

Ready to make an impact? Sign up today!

Hi there young artists and families! My name is Carter Visicaro but students mostly call me Mr. V. I recently graduated from the University of Vermont, and am really looking forward to being your new art teacher this upcoming school year! For the past year I have been an outdoor educator at Crow's Path in Burlington, and love everything to do with the outdoors, and combining art with nature! I enjoy painting, photography, rock climbing, snowboarding and whittling! I am excited to meet you all, have some fun classes and create some incredible artwork!

Hello FCS families and friends! My name is Hannah Nowak and I am very excited to join your community as a fourth and fifth grade teacher. I am originally from Chicago, but fell in love with Vermont while studying at UVM. There I obtained my Bachelors of Science in Education and amazing experience working and learning in schools around Chittenden County. When I am not teaching, I love to read, bake, craft, and spend as much time as I can outside hiking, swimming, or just relaxing in my hammock. I am looking forward to teaching and growing with your students, and cannot wait to get to know all of you!

Greetings FCS! As an elementary counselor, I'm passionate about supporting social-emotional school initiatives and fostering wellbeing in students. Originally from Syracuse, NY, I hold a bachelor's degree in psychology and education studies from Hamilton College. After teaching in Washington, D.C., I decided to go back to school to receive my master's degree in elementary school counseling from the University of Virginia where I specialized in mental health leadership. In my free time I love to hike, read, and enjoy a good cup of tea. I look forward to joining the Ferrisburgh school community!

Rachel joins ANWSD from the Burlington School District where she taught 2nd grade.  She earned her master's degree in education focusing on curriculum in 2020.  Her passions are outdoor education, service learning, teaching math and reading, and anything to do with dogs.  When she is not teaching, you can find her active with her friends and family- hiking, biking, swimming, or skiing. She is so excited to join the Ferrisburgh Central School family as a 3rd grade teacher.