2012-2013 school officers
Congratulations to the following 2012-13 Student Council Officers:
President, Will Crompton; Vice-President, Maddie Rieger; Recorder,
Maggie Rice; Treasurer, Owen Coates.
iPads in our school
The recent "iPad Initiative" at KES, spearheaded by parents, Peter
Phelps and Jim Haff, raised $5,000!
This money combined with $3,000 earmarked for the iPad
Initiative allowed the school to purchase sixteen iPads for student
use, enough for a complete class of students to use at any one
time. Teachers and students alike are excited about the new
learning opportunities the iPad brings to the classroom. A very
special thank you goes to Peter Phelps, Jim Haff, and all those who
donated to this initiative.
Fire safety
In honor of National Fire Prevention Week, members of Killington
Fire and Rescue visited with Killington Elementary School (KES)
preschool, kindergarten, first and second grade students last week
to discuss how to avoid fires and to make sure children are
prepared to escape should a fire break out in their surroundings.
Discussion centered on what to do in the event of a fire.
Parents, we can't emphasize enough the need for children to know
the physical address of their home. With the use of cell phones
today, the dispatcher will rely upon the caller for this
information.
We thank the following members of Killington Fire and Rescue for
educating students about fire prevention and safety: Assistant Fire
Marshal, Lieutenant Bill States, Captain Mark Fiore, and
Firefighters Ron Ottino, Sabina Schulz, Deb Burke, Armin
Raffei.
Science NECAP scores arrive
Fourth graders throughout the State of Vermont participated in the
New England Common Assessment Program (NECAP) Science Assessment
last spring. NECAP Science assesses students' content knowledge in
the areas of physical science, Earth and space science, and life
science. Teachers use test data to determine future curriculum and
instructional needs. Professional development and professional
learning community meetings in our school have focused upon science
inquiry and writing in science as we constantly strive to increase
our students' knowledge base in all areas of science.
The NECAP Science scores indicate that 73% of Killington
Elementary fourth grade students reached proficiency in the science
assessment this year, compared to 51% statewide.
With a small group administration, test variability from one
year to the next is a likely occurrence. Therefore, KES educators
review and analyze test scores over a three to five year span to
determine instructional needs and supports both for individuals and
for groups of students. Individual student test results will be
shared with parents at upcoming parent/teacher conferences.
Starbase Vermont
Killington Elementary School fourth graders' recent participation
in Starbase Vermont supports the fourth grade curriculum in an
engaging manner and builds upon student learning from earlier
years. The mission of Starbase is "...to raise interest and
importance of knowledge and skills in youth and science,
technology, engineering, and math (STEM)." Starbase provides an
exciting hands-on, activity-based curriculum involving STEM,
personal development, team building, and healthy choices.
Established by the Vermont National Guard in 1994, Starbase
receives federal funding from the Department of Defense. We thank
fourth grade teacher, Maria Garland, for organizing the Starbase
experience for our students each year.
A cosmic sense of space
From the small scale of microscopy to the larger scale of
astronomy, sixth graders discovered the varied scales of viewing
their place on Earth. Throughout the week of September 24, KES
sixth graders joined fellow sixth graders from throughout the
supervisory union to collaborate as they analyzed and synthesized
the cosmic sense of scales.
Two questions were explored during the course of the week: How
does your perception of a place change when you observe that place
on different perspectives or scales? How do lenses expand our
understanding of the universe and help us make connections? Each
day students learned to look at the world in new and fascinating
ways- from microscopy to astronomy to photography. Many thanks to
the folks at Marsh Billings and to our sixth grade teachers
throughout Windsor Central Supervisory Union for offering this
program to our students.
Candy drop for Halloween in Pittsfield
Do your children trick or treat in Pittsfield? KES families have
been asked to help the Pittsfield families living on the Green by
contributing candy for the many Halloween trick or treaters who
visit that neighborhood. There will be a drop-off box here at KES
for your contributions. This marks the second year that the Roger
Clark Memorial Library has organized some help for the families who
make Halloween so much fun in Pittsfield. It is the first year that
KES has participated with a candy drop here at school. We're hoping
those of you who do not give out candy at home on Halloween will
provide some for the families in Pittsfield who do. For more info,
contact pittsfieldvtlibrary@gmail.com or call Marion at
746-8876.
