Roxbury Village School
1559 Roxbury Road
Roxbury VT 05669
May 2, 2008
Principal's Message
Grade Configurations for Next Year:
The school board has approved staffing for next year that includes teachers for
grades K-1, grade 2-3, grades 3-4, and grades 5-6. Because of the small number
of pre-kindergarten children, pre-kindergarten programming will be offered
through the Northfield program. Next year the board will take another look at
Roxbury's pre-kindergarten enrollment to consider whether an on site program is
practical.
This grade configuration gives us ideal classroom sizes: K-1 will have about
11 students, 2-3 will have 14 students, 3-4 will have 13 students and 5-6 will
have 14 students. This year's grade 2 students will be divided evenly into
next year's 2-3 and 3-4 classrooms. I'm concerned that some of our second
graders may mistakenly equate staying with the same teacher as staying back. We
will be underscoring with our second graders at school that both classrooms
mean they are advancing to third grade.
In placing students, the teachers and I will be looking at a number of
factors as we do our best to create "balanced" and teachable classes
where all children will be successful. We will seek to balance classes by
number of students, gender, social needs, academic needs, and behavioral
considerations. We will not group kids in such a way that we have a fast class
and a slower class. We will also try to place students where they can develop
socially in a positive environment. That means pairing students with a teacher
who we think the child will best respond to or "click" with and where
there is the opportunity to develop friendships with peers. For those students
who are going into third grade (and for all others as well) the students
teacher and grade level will be designated on their final report card in June.
Playground Project:
We are looking to really spruce up our playground for next fall. The school
board will consider recommendations for upgrades from the P.T.O. and school
staff at their meeting on Monday, May 12 at 5:30. There are a number of
upgrades to increase safety (like repairing or replacing the fence) or to
increase fun (installation of a hoop shoot) that will be considered. Our
playground area may not be that big, but it has a lot of potential to be much
better than it is. We hope to plan a work day later this spring, so keep an
eye out for a sign up to help out. Many hands make light work in making our
dreams become a reality.
Step-Up Day:
Correction: The sixth grade students that are planning on attending the
Northfield Middle School next year will visit on Friday, June 6
th
1:00-2:30 p.m. Transportation will be arranged by the school.
C.L.I.F Program:
The C.L.I.F program will be visiting the school on Tuesday, May 27
th
. They will be showing the students new and exciting books that will be
available at the Roxbury Free Library this summer.
VT Symphony Orchestra:
We have invited the VT Symphony Orchestra to visit the school on Friday,
May 30
th
. They will perform at 1:00 p.m. in the Town Hall. Any parents wanting to
attend are welcome.
Bus Changes:
Please call before 2:00 p.m. or send in a note if your child will be changing
their dismissal routine.
Preschool Registration:
Northfield Elementary will hold their Preschool Registration and Play Base
Screening on June 2
nd
through June 6
th
. If you are interested (must be 4 years old by September 1, 2008), please call
Cindy Burke at 485-6161 to schedule an appointment.
6
th
Grade Graduation Date Change:
We have changed our 6
th
grade graduation date to Friday, June 13
th
; the time is to be determined.
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