February 7, 2020

Solon Salutes: February 7, 2020

SOLON SALUTES

A Solon Salute goes out to Molly Clark and members of the MHS Honor Choir.  Maia Smith, Edie Donofrio, Erin Kelley, Warren Cossett and Gabe Hall did a great job singing the National Anthem at the home game on Saturday!

A Solon Salute and a big thank you to Warren Cossett for doing a wonderful job leading a fun, fact-filled tour to our Shadow Day guest students. And a Solon Salute and thank you to the following students who did a great job representing MHS by volunteering to host our Shadow Day guest students: Kasi McCann, Emma Brown, Hannah Grasso, Aidan Murphy, Mara Stephens, Kira McGill, Bella Wawrzyniak, Milo Centers, Zella McMahon, May Lamb
Rylie Harmon

A Solon Salute goes out to the Racial Justice Alliance for their courageous work two years ago raising the Black Lives Matter Flag at MHS. And to our current Racial Justice Alliance group, thank you for taking time this week to remind us of the significance of this day and the importance of continuing the message and education behind BLM! 



ACADEMICS
Montpelier High School Parent Conferences, March 16 – 20, 2020

  • Conference sign-ups will be open: March 4 at 9:00 a.m. – March 12 at midnight
  • Parents will be able to sign up online for 15 minute conferences with each teacher. Teachers will only be available to meet with parents who have scheduled appointments.
  • The link to the MRPS webpage will be emailed to parents by February 21.

We look forward to seeing you at Parent Conferences!

Save the Date for incoming 9th grade PARENT orientation:  There will be an incoming 9th grade parent orientation on February 12th from 6:30-8:00 pm in the MHS library. If you have a current 8th grader, there was a mailing last week with more information on this event. 

Winooski Valley Regional Public School Choice Collaborative State School Choice Program: MHS is currently accepting applications for the Winooski Valley Regional Public School Choice Collaborative for the 2020-2021 school year. Through this program and the State School Choice Program, students may apply to go to any public high school in Vermont at no cost.

A law passed in May, 2012 by the Vermont Legislature (Act 129, Sec. 34. § 822d 2A), which allows high school students to apply through school choice to any public high school in Vermont. This law sets rules for school districts regarding the number of entering and exiting student slots allowed through school choice. MHS has slots allowing 8 students to enter our district and no more than 36 student slots to exit. Students are chosen by lottery from all the applicants for each school district based on the number of open slots. You may view school choice information at the Vermont Agency of Education website,  http://education.vermont.gov/vermont-schools/school-operations/public-schools/public-high-school-choice .

If your student is interested in attending a high school outside of your district next year, please contact Val Belanger at 225-8001 for more information or to obtain an application form. Please return applications by
February 24, 2020 to:

Val Belanger
Montpelier High School
5 High School Drive
Montpelier, VT 05602

You will be informed of the outcome of the lottery by April 1, 2020. You will need to confirm whether your student will accept or decline the placement by April 15, 2020. If you do not confirm placement by this date, your slot may be given to another student if the school has a waiting list. Parents are responsible for providing their student’s transportation if they are chosen. If you have any questions, you can contact Val Belanger at 225-8001. 

Flexible Pathways: Students and parents are encouraged to regularly check the Work, Volunteer and Extended Learning Opportunities page on the Community Based Learning Website.  New opportunities are added weekly.

CLASS OF 2020 NEWS
  • May 30, 2020: Prom at Vermont College of Fine Arts
  • June 12, 2020: Graduation 5:00 pm and Project Grad Night
  • Senior dues can be mailed in to Kim Kidney  c/o MHS  5 High School Drive  Montpelier, VT  05602 OR your student can bring their payment to the main office.  Dues are $60 and are due by February 21.  Parents may contact Kim if this presents a hardship.  225-8003 or kimk@mpsvt.org.
MHS SPORTS INFORMATION

Spring Sports Informational Meeting: On March 16th at 7 pm in the MHS gym, we will host the spring sports informational meeting. Anyone interested in playing a spring sport should attend this meeting. It is for both parents and players.

For more news, information, and pictures from various sporting events, check out the MHS Sports Update. You can also follow up-to-date scores on Twitter by following Montpelier AD. 

ENRICHMENT INFORMATION

Drew McNaughton has put together a big set of offerings for February Break. These are ambitious outdoor activities for kids, and are almost all weather dependent. I have room for 9 students on all of the outdoor activities and can take up to 12 on the Woodshop/Pizza day. You can read the summary of the week below:

Monday, February 24: We'll rent bikes from Onion River Outdoors if you don't have one, and ride the Paine Mountain Trails at Norwich University. This will be a laid-back intro to Winter Biking, not an exhaustive grind! Kids will need warm clothes to be outside the majority of the day and a pack to carry stuff in that they can ride with.

Tuesday, February 25: We will be venturing to Warren to ski, sled or ride Lincoln Gap Road. Kids will hike, skin, or snowshoe the 1.25 mile unplowed road for a joyous descent! We may take the opportunity to explore some of the sidecountry hills as well. Helmets are totally required!

Wednesday, February 26: We'll be climbing to the Hermit Lake Shelter and into the base of the Bowl at Tuckerman's Ravine, a 2.3 mile hike up to a stunning feature (look at the flyer!). We will descend the Sherburne Ski trail either on skis, boards, or Mad River Rockets. This is a challenging, physical day, and hence is recommended to grades 7 and up. Please make your case if you think your kiddo is ready! 

Thursday, February 27th: A mix of Woodshop and Cooking, we'll spend the morning cutting and shaping pieces to assemble into cutting boards, and while they are glued and clamped, we will venture into the kitchen to make some homemade Pizzas for our lunch. A bit back-and-forth, this camp is designed to give students pride in taking home a beautiful hardwood cutting board and a little more confidence.

Friday February 28th: We will adventure into the Braintree Mountain Forest to explore this backcountry skiing/boarding destination. Recently trimmed glades, stunning views, and northeast facing aspects define this beautiful area. Kids will need to be confident skiers for this activity, and may take part on metal-edged XC gear for the less steep areas, but will need telemark or alpine-touring stuff for much of it. 

Please see the FLYER here with costs.

Drew is inviting parents on ALL OF THESE ADVENTURES. I am happy to offer scholarships if requested, and hope to provide safe, meaningful opportunities for these young people. 

MHS BOOSTERS NEWS 

The Montpelier Fall Festival (https://www.montpelierfallfestival.com/) committee is searching for the right person to help support their fundraising efforts.   All the proceeds from this event benefit  all four parent groups formally and officially called MRPS Partners in Education.  Visit our website at https://www.mrpspie.org/
Our goal this year (2020) is to raise $20,000 from corporate and local sponsors. These funds cover operational costs and low cost or free admission for families, children, and community members.
We have spent the past four years building relationships with local funders that support this event.

If you are a fundraiser in the Central Vermont area and would love to support a local event that reaches all our community please reach out today to offer your services. 
Please reach out to Adrienne Gil at mrpspie@gmail.org or 404-308-0510 to learn more.



MHS Student and Staff Awards 2020-2021

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