Important School Closure Update for WRVHS, 4.5.2020

Greetings!  April 6th marks the end of the Governor’s initial school closure directive. Although we do not plan to come back to school before the end of the year, we will be following the WRVSU School Calendar from here on out.  This means:

• Schoolwork and attendance is required as during normal times. If your child has a legitimate excuse for missing classes for the day, we ask you to follow our normal attendance procedure and notify the school.  A simple email to Kgeorge@wrvsu.org or call to voicemail at 763-7740 will do.  
• Quarter 3 of our Academic year wraps up this week and closes on April 13th.  Assignments for Quarter 3 should be completed and turned in by the 13th. 
• Spring Break is coming up and starts April 17th through April 26th.  
• School will end on Tuesday, June 16th after we have made up for 3 snow days.

Many pieces of our distance learning plans have fallen into place:

• All students have a laptop or Chromebook computer with GMail accounts to stay connected. Remote IT support will be available. 
• Teachers are using GMail and Google Classroom to communicate with students and assign learning activities.
• Students are now required to attend Google Meet learning sessions online with their teachers and class  Attendance is being taken and will be reported to the Agency of Education from here on out. 
• Meets will take place between 8:30 am and 3:00 pm during regular class times as scheduled by the teacher.  
• Families without Internet service are encouraged to visit local “hot spots” by car–outside schools and libraries–to periodically check in and download/upload assignments. 
• For families without Internet access at home, we are working to facilitate on-line access.  We have a limited # of mobile hot spots that will be going out this week to our highest needs students–those working to finish graduation requirements in the next 10 weeks.   
• Tomorrow we are sending out postage-prepaid envelopes to students to mail back schoolwork.  Completed work for Quarter 3 should be put in this envelope and put in the mail on Friday, April 10th. 

This week we will finalize our plans for our 4th Quarter schedule of classes and expectations for attendance and assignments.  You will hear more about these plans and any changes to how we are currently operating in the next week.  

• If you have a senior here is the latest information as it was shared 10 days ago; there are no updates at this time.  
• If your son or daughter is taking Advanced Placement AP Classes these are the College Board’s plans for responding to the Coronavirus.  

Feel free to email with any questions or updates to your family’s situation at rmccracken@wrvsu.org or you can leave me a voicemail message at 763-7740 x2004 and I will do my best to respond within 24 hours.  

Sincerely, 

Reed McCracken

Principal 

 

Phone Message 4.5.2020:

Dear Wildcat Family, 

Hello, this is Principal McCracken and I am calling this afternoon to check-in and update you on our plans for the remainder of the year.  By creating a rhythm and routine for our students we hope to provide some connection and normalcy for them while we continue to foster their learning and growth.  

Tomorrow April 6th marks the end of the Governor’s initial school closure directive. Although we no longer plan to come back to school before the end of the year, we will be following the WRVSU School Calendar from here on out.  This means:

• Schoolwork and attendance is required as during normal times. If your child has a legitimate excuse for missing his or her assigned classes for the day, we ask you to follow our normal attendance procedure and notify the school.  
• Quarter 3 of our academic year wraps up this week and closes on April 13th.  Assignments for Quarter 3 should be completed and turned in by the 13th. Postage pre-paid envelopes will be sent out tomorrow with instructions for students who have been receiving assignments via mail.  
• Spring Break starts April 17th and runs through April 26th.  
• School will end on Tuesday, June 16th after we have made up for 3 snow days.
• Additional information about our plans is available in your email and through the blog link on our website.  

In these stressful times, as much as we are here to continue to support learning, please know that your family’s well-being should be everyone’s highest priority.  If your family is facing especially difficult circumstances, please consider reaching out to us so we can work on a plan to get through this time together.  

I hope you all remain healthy and safe.  Goodbye for now.  

 

White River Valley High sent 15 students to learn and perform at the Winooski Valley Music Festival on Thursday and Friday, November 21-22.  Can you spot the seven WRVHS students on stage in this photo?

Our students showcased their hard work on stage at the Festival’s Friday evening concert.  Logan Burbank, Hayden Howe, Colin LaFromboise, Julia Morse, Rachel Poupolo, Ellie Prestridge, and Caleb Thornton sang in the chorus.

Hannah Clavelle, Grace Collins, Maria Gray, Taryn Nelson, Kendrick Madore, Danny Smith, Ryan Smith, and Sean Smith gave instrumental performances in one of the bands.  I wish all of you could have heard the wonderful music they made together with the most talented high school musicians in our region.

Thanks to all the winter sports families who came out on Friday evening, November 22nd!  While not everyone could be there we were pleased with the turnout and the valuable sports nutrition information shared by Dietician Alison Felipp.

The Spring Musical is in the works! Our cast of WRVHS actors, actresses, and stage crew met with our new Spring Musical Director Natasha Troop last Monday to start selecting a show.  Look for info on auditions soon as we hope to have the cast set and a first reading completed before we go on Christmas break.

Finally I’d like to wrap up by saying thank you to everyone for participating in our Wildcat Gratitude Circle on the Tuesday before Thanksgiving.  I appreciate all of you for what you bring to our community.

 

 

This past weekend we enjoyed the White River Valley High School Drama Program’s production of Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest.  I have so much admiration for our actors and actresses who confidently step out into the lights with everyone focused on their every word!  Classes stopped on Thursday afternoon for a performance for the entire high school and the show opened to the public on Friday for two evening shows.  Dressed in costumes of Victorian England, our troop brought laughter to the audience with their witty dialogue and physical comedy.

Kudos to our Theatrical Director Molly O’Brien who has worked tirelessly coaching our students to get them ready for this performance. From performing on stage to working behind the scenes nearly 15% of our student body contributed to the show’s success.

And kudos to the stage crew who handled the make-up, lights, sets, and everything else that goes on behind the scenes!

Special thanks to the supporting cast of volunteers and staff who made this all possible:   Abbey Goodrich, Julie Mabey, Bonnie Vanfossen, Katie Collins, Jim Hewitt, Lori Eggum, Bridgett Taylor, Andrew Smith, Wyatt Slater, and Ramsey McLaughlin Papp & the Chandler Center for the Arts. 

Finally, fill out this Google survey so we can get your thoughts on what you’d like to do for our spring musical.

 

Today we remember our veterans!  White River Valley High School paid tribute to the veterans who have served our country last week at our Veteran’s Day Seminar.

Last Wednesday WRVHS students met nine former members of our armed forces who shared their experiences and answered questions as part of a panel discussion.  Students had the chance to meet, eat, and share stories with these members of our local community.  Students learned why we celebrate 11/11 each year; and they learned about the sacrifices made during war and peace, and from Afghanistan to Vietnam.  In addition to our panel discussion–complete with patriotic music from the WRVHS band–students read and discussed a short essay about war, made thank you signs, and wrote cards for veterans at the VA hospital.

Coming up this week is our fall production of The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde.  Students will perform for the general public on Friday, 11/15 and Saturday 11/16  at 7 pm.  This is a one act show.  It is exciting to be in the audience as our student performers show us their best stuff after months of rehearsals.  

Also coming up on Friday, November 22nd from 6-7 will be our Winter Sports Parent-Athlete meeting.  Our featured guest will be Alison Felipp, a registered dietician, who will discuss the importance of healthy eating and diet for optimal sports performance.

On November 1st our Halloween Hall Dance was fun-filled with great friends, music, and costumes.  Thank you Student Council for sponsoring this free social event!

And finally this past week we wrapped up our Fall Sports season with an awards ceremony in the gym.  Congratulations to all our athletes who took home Coaches’ Awards, Good Sportsmanship Awards, and All-State Honors!  We are proud of our student athletes, especially our boys’ soccer team who could have gotten demoralized after a 0-4 start, but came back to win 8 of their last 10 games.

Congrats to our Wildcats Soccer student-athletes for making this year’s VPA playoffs. Here is the latest information for you all about playoffs! (As of noon Monday 10/21).

• Our Varsity Lady Wildcats who are ranked 9th in D3 will travel to take on the number 8th ranked BFA-Fairfax Wednesday, 10/23 for a 3 PM start.  The bus will depart at noon.
• Our Varsity Mens’ Wildcats who are ranked 6th in D4 will take on the 11th ranked Richford on Wednesday at 3 PM right here at White River Valley High School.

Thanks to all of you who joined us for our Open House two weeks ago.  We hope you were able to get a taste of what your student’s schedule is like.  The event also gave us a chance to officially open our new stage curtains for the first time.  This year the music program features:

• Twice as many planned performances
• Formation of WRVHS Pep Band – The Wildcat Pride
• New Chamber Singers Ensemble
• New Drumline Ensemble – The WD

Plus we’ve seen a 200% increase in jazz band participation, a 40% increase in concert band, and a 44% increase in concert choir.  Thanks to music director Josh Pauly and accompanist Dale Post for all their hard work and our first Wildcat Fall Music Sampler.

For a more in-depth look at your student’s learning and progress please join us on Wednesday, November 6th for our Parent Conferences.  This will be the earliest opportunity for you to see your student’s Quarter 1 Report Card.  For those of you who will be attending for the first time, teachers will be available at tables in our gym from 1:30-6:30 to meet individually with you.  No appointments are needed; you can see as many of your student’s teachers as you like.

Finally I’d like to you share with you a short presentation I gave to our student body in Morning Meeting today.  The presentation shares the value of a high school diploma in economic terms based on median personal income figures collected for 2015 by the US Census Bureau.  I came across this data in presidential candidate Andrew Yang’s new 2019 book: The War on Normal People.  His discussion of trends in the workforce expanded my thinking about the future facing our students.

Finally I’m going to sign off with some pictures of our girls’ soccer team that were shared with me by parent Jennifer Morse.  If you come across pictures of our students or campus life, I’d love to be able to share them.

 

This issue of The Wildcat Roars brings lots of images from last week’s pep rally and bonfire games.  But before the pictures, please put Thursday, October 3rd on your calendar for our Open House.  From 5-5:30 will be a Wildcat BBQ; pick up food in the cafeteria…eat outside in the courtyard weather permitting.  At 5:45 there will be a presentation in the large gym for 9th-11th grade parents while there is an info session for senior parents in the library.  From 6-7 pm, you’ll have a chance to walk through the schedule, meet teachers, and learn a little about your child’s classes.  Then we encourage you to head to the small gym at 7pm for a musical sampling from our band and chorus.

Now for the pictures…

The Wildcat in Action

Boys & Girls Soccer Introductions

2019 Softball and Baseball State Championship Banner Unveiling

Team Dodgeball

Staff Highlights

The Cheering Section

Girls’ Soccer

Boys’ Soccer

Bonfire

This weekend the newly formed Wildcat Varsity Bass Fishing team competed in the Vermont Principal’s Association Fall Classic Bass Fishing Tournament in South Hero.  Representing the Wildcats from left to right are Tyler Ballentine, Garrett Laskowski, Caleb Covey, and Eddie Staples.  I also want to give a special thanks to coaches Paul Feeney and Jeff Barry for making our team possible.

Also this past week,  a group of Wildcats left our den and traveled to St. Michael’s College in Colchester for their annual College Fair.  Many of our juniors and seniors visited with college representatives and turned up the volume on their college admissions process. Throughout the year we encourage students to visit with college reps at organized events like this, as well as more personal visits on campus.  We also plan to take one trip out of state in the Spring to visit several colleges.

Finally this week is our Fall Spirit Week which culminates on Friday with a Spirit Assembly followed by girls’ and boys’ soccer games against rival Rivendell.  The girls play first at 4:30, followed by the boys at 6:15 under the lights.  This is followed by a White River Valley High School tradition: our annual bonfire built and lit by our seniors.

 

 

 

Our second year as White River Valley Wildcats is off with a roar! Wednesday, August 28th began with all students meeting in the gym for Morning Meeting where important messages and announcements are shared.  Students got their schedules which are being fined tuned this coming week as we wrap up our Add/Drop Period.

Many students brought back their signed registration forms.  Thank you for taking the time to update your information and authorizations.  We also encourage you to apply for Free and Reduced Lunch; this funding source helps us provide nutritious meals three times a day to all of our students.

Our sport season kicked off on August 24th with the rebirth of an old tradition: the pre-season Soccer Jamboree.  Nearly a dozen schools came to South Royalton over the course of the day to compete in girl’s and boy’s soccer.  Click here for this upcoming week’s schedule.

 

Finally I’d like to introduce two of our newest staff members; Heidi Wright (left) is our new Co-Curricular Director and Kate George (right) is now our Front Office Assistant.  Many of you have met Heidi as she is in charge our our athletics programs, while Kate will be your primary contact re: attendance matters.

 

 

This past week started and ended with a flourish.  On April 22nd, we appreciated Earth Day with a dynamic, interactive presentation by Dr. Michael Shank who graciously shared his time and expertise.  We learned about the Greenhouse Effect—ask for an explanation as we all left a little better informed—and the economic effects of Climate Change on Vermonters.

The flourish was provided by three performances of Arsenic and Old Lace on the WRVS Wildcat Stage.  I hope you were able to get out to see this fun and entertaining show.

Kudos to the cast: Alexis Taylor-Young, Hayden Howe, Kendrick Madore, Julia Morse, Logan Noble, Grace LaFromboise, Fiona Vaillancourt, Caleb Chase, Sarah Howe, Jacob Wilkenson, Logan Burbank, and Phoebe Forrester.  Here’s a special shout out to Director Molly O’Brien and the crew who made it all possible behind the scenes: Alexis Wertheim, Meredith Schumann, Felicity Ebare, Kaleb Thornton and Alex Madden.  Ms. Goodrich’s art students did a fantastic job with the set: Chelsea McCullough, Taylor Pearce, Mav Hebard, Emma Gillette, Collin Morse, Kaleigh-Ann Bosse, Paige Ballentine, Eve Walker, Sofia Bell, Hailey Vesper, Heather Winters, Cassidy Wolf, Samantha Wolf, Sophia Jurewitz, Katie Schuhmann, Eric Taylor and Jacob Cloud.  And a special thanks to Tim Fitzgerald, Julie Mabey, Bonnie Vanfossen, Gretchen Eddy, Ciaran Chase, and Dark Star Lighting.

Since the last blog post we’ve also celebrated the sports achievements of the past year. Individual awards and WRVHS letters were presented to our varsity soccer, cross country, bowling, nordic skiing and basketball student-athletes.  It is inspiring to see so many WRVHS students getting involved and working so hard to be their best.

Earlier in the day, a group of student leaders joined me at the Harwood Union High School Youth Leadership Summit.  This was a productive day of learning about other schools and being reflective on how we can improve our own.  We hope this will lead to many positive changes.

This coming week we are looking forward to Green Up Day activities around our campus and the Junior Prom on Saturday.

Also the WRUD is holding two budget information sessions prior to the May 13th Budget Reconsideration Vote on Monday, May 13th.   All meetings are scheduled to start at 6pm.

-Information Meeting, 4/29 in Royalton

-Information Meeting, 5/6 in Bethel

Attached please find a links that include important budget documents:

http://bit.ly/WRVS_2ZDkZwE

or

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ZuF8g3zIUMswdPRDsL-F4I5uoylxun31ckYcVnHCMiQ/edit?ts=5cc1f26d

I hope to see you out at an upcoming event!  -Reed

 

 

Our students continue to impress me with their community spirit and success.  Here are some of the past month’s highlights working backward from this past week.

Course Registration Fair Day: Students listened and asked questions for over two hours on Friday afternoon (3/22) learning about all the classes and programs at WRVHS.  They ended the afternoon selecting courses for 2019-20.

Art and Soul Show & Concert: On Wednesday evening (3/20), students showed off their talents at the first WRVHS combined Spring Art Show and …

Chorus & Band Concert:

 

Spring Fling Hall Dance:  From game night to movie night…and four dances so far this year, we’ve had tremendous efforts from our students, class officers, class advisors, and the yearbook class.  Pictured here are some sophomores making final preparations for our most recent dance (3/15.)

Science Olympiad: We sent our first team to UVM’s Science Olympiad (3/9) this year.  While we’ve got some ground to gain on more established teams, I’m proud of our efforts.  Congratulations to medal winners, Kendrick Madore and Alexis Taylor-Young.

Winter Carnival: Students enjoyed a beautiful day (2/21) devoted to getting outside and celebrating our community with sledding, snow soccer, ultimate Frisbee, and indoor games including musical chairs and Guitar Hero.

Basketball Playoffs: Congratulations to our Girls and Boys Varsity Basketball Teams who both won their first round playoff games in the Vermont State Basketball Tournament.

Our Nordic Ski Team and Bowling Team:  Also made appearances at the VT High School Nordic Championships and Bowling Tournament.

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