The Talon Times A Rivendell Newsletter: September 25th, 2026 | | |
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It's hard to believe that the month of September is almost over and we are headed into October. As someone who grew up in the area, I always knew that summer was coming to an end when I attended the Tunbridge Fair. During the day the it would often be warm and sunny and by evening as the sun was going down on the fairgrounds, it would become crisp and cool. Time to put on a jacket for sweatshirt!
We recently completed our fall literacy assessments and have moved on to math assessments. We use this information as a baseline to monitor growth, as well as plan interventions and enrichment. Our school is fully committed to supporting our young readers through Vermont’s Act 139, a statewide initiative designed to ensure every child builds a strong foundation in reading. Under this law, our K-3 classrooms focus on evidence-based, explicit instruction across five core pillars of literacy: phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. We utilize universal reading screenings to identify individual student needs early, allowing us to provide targeted, data-driven support right away. Families can expect regular updates on their child's progress, as well as collaborative strategies to extend reading success from the classroom to the home. Our school will directly notify you if your child’s screening results show they are performing well below grade level.
While every student has breakfast and lunch at no cost, schools still collect household income information. Why? It helps describe the make-up of a school - and helps us access additional funding such as grants. For example, when we partner with VINS or The Montshire Museum, they will ask us what our "free and reduced lunch percentage" is. If we are within a certain range, they help offset some of the cost of our programming with them. Please take a moment to complete your income forms. I'd like to have a 100% return rate! Thank you.
This year, Westshire Elementary School is excited to partner with CharacterStrong, an evidence-based Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) and character education program designed to help our students thrive both inside and outside the classroom. The curriculum focuses on three core goals for every child: Be Kind (building healthy relationship skills and learning to resolve conflicts), Be Strong (developing focus, organization, and goal-setting habits), and Be Well (managing emotions and handling daily stress). Through short, engaging weekly lessons, our elementary students will explore essential traits like respect, perseverance, and gratitude to help foster a safe, inclusive, and connected school community. We believe that true education nurtures the whole child, and we look forward to sharing monthly character themes and "Family CharacterDares" so you can join the fun and practice these positive habits at home!
~Loretta | | | | | | | | |  | |  | |  |  | | | | - September 28th Lockdown Drill 10:15am
Vermont school emergency safety drills are required by law under Act 29 of 2023. Schools make every attempt for these drills to be trauma informed and age appropriate. Staff will review drill steps, expectations and practices with student prior to the drill. The state requires ten emergency drills per year, which include egress, relocation, bus evacuation and options based drills. |  |  | | | | |  | Loretta Cruz-Principal | Loretta Cruz comes to WES from Newbury Elementary where she was principal for five years, before that she was a teacher at Chelsea for fifteen years. Loretta enjoys sharing her favorite picture books with students. In her spare time she loves traveling and competing in muzzleloading competitions. |
 | Maria Young-Administrative Assistant | Maria Young has over twenty years of experience in school settings. Most recently she worked in human resources at Mount Prospect Academy. Maria is an avid kayaker and she loves spending time with her grandchildren. Fun fact she competes in the U.S National Toboggan Championships in Camden, Maine. |
 | Denise Barker-Para Educator | Denise Barker comes to us after a year of working at SME. Denise grew up in St. Johnsbury but has lived most of life right here in the RISD. Denise has four grandsons that she loves spending time with. She enjoys traveling and one day hopes to visit Australia to see kangaroos! |
| | | | After School Music Lesson with Damaris! I love introducing children to the violin! The minimum rental period is two months, and if after that your child does not wish to continue, the instrument may be returned with no penalty. Of course, I will do my best to intrigue them into a longer relationship with music! Some scholarship help is available. Please reach out about this. Instrument Rental: $25 per month Violin Lessons: $45 per month
HOW TO SIGN UP: PLEASE E-MAIL ME if you would like your child to enroll, at: djeantyler@gmail.com.
DEADLINE for signing up: Wednesday, September 30. | | Westshire Elementary School Library Update The students have enjoyed getting back into the library and checking out books. The first few weeks we focused on learning about and reviewing library procedures and care of books. This culminated in all classes being challenged to become detectives to determine what happened to some books that were not cared for properly. Students broke into small groups and were given evidence bags containing a damaged book, some photographic clues, and magnifying glasses. There were six cases in all with the following damages: food, water, crayon, pet, marker, and mud/tears. Once the groups had solved their cases, they presented them to the other groups. I was impressed with how diligently they worked and the backstories they imagined caused the damage were fantastic. They really enjoyed this project. Additionally, the library hosted a book giveaway, and each student was encouraged to choose a book to take home and keep.
The upper grades will soon begin a unit on Golden Dome book award nominees. We will start our reading challenge with the opportunity to earn participation in a celebration at the end of the year. There will be more info forthcoming. We will also begin our review of literature genres, and how to navigate the library database. The middle grades will be introduced to the collection database as well and will learn more about how to locate books in our collection. They will also be learning about and focusing on choosing “just right books”. The lower grades will be learning about the components of a book. fiction vs. nonfiction, and how to choose a “just right book” as well. PreK classes receive weekly visits for story time throughout the year. We will be highlighting vocabulary over the course of the year in every class, learning words that pertain to the library as well as new words from books we read. Students have been requesting Book BINGO so stay tuned for announcement as it will begin sooner this year than in years past.
Reminder: Students visit the WES Library on Tuesdays this year. Please assist your child with remembering to return their books each week. Thank you! | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  | | |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | | | | | | | | | October 9th: No school (Teacher inservice) October 12th: No School Indigenous People's Day October 14th: Hearing & Vision Screenings October 15th: Picture Retake Day October 15th: Open House 5:00-6:00pm October 22nd: Fall Fest 11:30-2:00pm October 31st: Creative Spirit & West Fairlee Library Trunk or Treat
November 5th: Parent Teacher Conferences November 6th: Early Release Parent Teacher Conferences November 11th: No School Veterans Day November 12th: Parent Teacher Conferences November 19th: Thanksgiving Community Meal November 20th: Harlem Wizards Game at 6pm Rivendell Academy November 25th-27th: No School Thanksgiving Break | |  | | | Hours: Tuesday 10am - 12pm Wednesday 2pm - 6pm Thursday 2pm - 6pm
Saturday 9am - 1pm
Crafternoon Hour Thursdays @ 5:00pm
Join us every Thursday from 5:00pm to 6:00pm for an hour of crafting and chatting. Feel free to bring your own work-in-progress, or try something from our ever growing supply of crafts!
We have bracelet kits, mini dream catcher kits, crochet kits, make some origami, air dry clay kits, pompom art, or try your hand at making a friendship bracelet. As always, free hot coffee, tea, and hot chocolate!
Story Time Saturdays @ 11:00am
Looking for a fun and engaging FREE outing with your child/children? Join us at the library for a fun morning of reading, laughter, building our listening and social skills, and connecting with other parents and caregivers! Designed for younger children, all ages are welcome! Stay afterwards to play a game or do a craft. Free coffee, tea, and hot chocolate for the adults!
Coming soon: Lego Club! | | |  | |  | | Principal Loretta Cruz |  | Loretta Cruz Loretta is using Smore to create beautiful newsletters |
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