Good afternoon,
We’ve had a very productive few days with our staff being back to work. Teachers spent an entire day working with a trainer on how to effectively plan for 2.5 hours of time in the classroom. There was a lot of good energy, thinking, and walkaways for our new schedule and time together in the classroom. Additionally, all teachers across the district have begun a 5-session training on best practices for online learning. As you know, we will be going remote each Wednesday, so this learning is just as important as it is when we’re in person. Over the next couple of weeks, teachers will continue to collaborate with one another over standards, proficiency-based learning, planning, online best practices, and preparing our students for a safe and healthy start to the school year.
Below, you will find some new information as it pertains to the start of our school year:
MHS Student Safety Protocol: Please visit and spend time with our Student Safety Protocol Document which outlines a number of protocols for students who will be attending in person at MHS. The Guiding Coalition at MHS is working on a video that will help outline the expectations of our students and the safety protocols that will be mandated.
Ordering Lunch and Breakfast:
Please see MHS Meals for more information on how students will order and receive meals. Students can pay for meals two ways: 1) Online through My School Bucks https://www.myschoolbucks.com/ver2/getmain?requestAction=home; or 2) through a deposit envelope which will be in every classroom and delivered to food service directly. All students will have access to breakfast/lunch for each school day, including remote learning days.
Schedule Preference Survey: Today is the last day for families/guardians to fill out the Schedule Preference Survey for a selection of morning or afternoon courses. Should your child have an extenuating circumstance, please reach out directly to Renee DeVore at reneed@mpsvt.org. Cohorts will be communicated out by Monday, August 31st to both students and families. Please expect two separate emails from teachers sharing information on cohort, arrival times, and entrance/ exit points for that course of students.
Enrichment Course Information and Student Schedules: We are doing our very best to get schedules out to students by the end of this week. Our goal was to get them in the mail on Wednesday, August 26th, but we may be waiting until later on this week to ensure we have a more finalized schedule for students and because PowerSchool, throughout the state, has not allowed us to roll over our students from one grade level to the next. We do have some students who are not scheduled for both courses in Quarter 1. Guidance counselors will be reaching out to the students and guardians if this is the case. We will have enrichment courses offered in Quarter 1; however, teachers just got their Quarter 1 schedules on Friday. Teachers will be working to create enrichment opportunities so that students can sign up for an option sometime next week. Teacher advisors will be reaching out to their TA to set up a time to meet on 9/1 or 9/2 to review their schedule for the year and to get them prepared for Quarter 1.
Drivers Ed: Good news! All students who signed up for Drivers Ed in the spring will be given the opportunity to take Drivers Ed this year. Carolyn Kiniry is taking Ron Allen’s position and will be coordinating drive times with students based on their schedules in Q1 and Q2.
Retirements: We’ve had two very special staff members retire from MHS. Cathy Butterfield and Geoff Sather have retired and are moving on to their next chapter. Mr. Sather will be around for a while to continue to work with students in getting their schedules finalized and help the new guidance counselor transition. We have already moved forward in the interviewing process, and we had great, experienced candidates show up to our interviews on Friday. There will be more to come on this once we have solidified the hire. Both Mrs. Butterfield and Mr. Sather will certainly be missed. Collectively, they have given over 50 years of service to our school and district. We’re excited for their new journey ahead; however, it’s certainly bittersweet.
New Staff: We’ve been pretty busy hiring new staff this year, and below you will find an introduction to each of them. We are still in the process of hiring a social studies teacher and guidance counselor, and I will introduce them once they are hired.
Perry Bellow-Handelman-Social Studies: Perry Bellow-Handelman believes the study of history can provide a gateway for inspiring deep curiosity in young people about the nature of our present day society and the possibility of change. As a high school teacher in Oakland, California, she taught and directed programs in History, Ethnic Studies, Civic Engagement, Work-Based Learning, Restorative Justice and Community Arts. Perry has also worked in the nonprofit world to support youth leadership and bring trauma-informed practices into educational settings. She holds a BA in History from Macalester College, a Social Studies Teaching Credential from San Francisco State University, and a Masters in Education from Antioch University, New England. Perry moved to Vermont in 2018 to be closer to family and spend more time in the outdoors. Her other loves include drawing, dance, books and yoga. She is thrilled to be joining the MHS faculty and can’t wait to meet her students in two weeks! perrybellow-handelman@mpsvt.org
Kristin Hagenbarth-Special Education: Kristin Hagenbarth has been working with high school students for 8 years. She worked at Woodstock Union High School and Proctor Junior Senior High school.She has also enjoyed coaching as well and currently coaches Alpine Skiing at Pico Ski Club. In the past, she has coached soccer at the club level and high school level. Kristin is a very active person and enjoy many outdoor activities. Some of the many activities she enjoys are hiking, mountain biking, kayaking, paddle boarding and skiing. She is excited to be a part of the Montpelier community and helping students reach their goals academically. kristinhagenbarth@mpsvt.org
Jason Hart- Math: Jason grew up in West Rutland, VT and earned a B.A. in Mathematics from St. Mary's College of Maryland. Before settling into a teaching career, Jason worked in workplace training and practiced law as a Deputy State's Attorney in Washington County. He spent the last five years teaching math at Enosburg Falls HS and coached their varsity girls' soccer team the past two seasons. He is excited to join the MHS math department and to coach the JV girls' soccer team. Jason chose to join the MHS community because of its reputation for academic excellence and focus on strong, empathetic, and inclusive social values. In his down time, Jason enjoys bicycling, motorcycling, reading, eating donuts, and enjoying adventures great and small with his fiancee, Gwen. jasonhart@mpsvt.org
Sierra Norford-Math: Sierra Norford is one of two new math teachers at MHS. She has just graduated from UVM where she studied secondary education for math, and environmental studies, and is looking forward to her first full year of teaching! Prior to coming to MHS, she was a student teacher at South Burlington High School. She grew up in Pittsford, Vermont and just moved to Montpelier from Burlington. Outside of school, Sierra enjoys spending time outside (swimming, hiking, running), social dancing, and reading. She is very excited to meet the students at MHS, as she's heard amazing things about them, and can't wait to be in the classroom again! sierranorford@mpsvt.org
Victor Toman-Instructional Assistant: Victor was born and raised in Oregon. He has a BA in Dramatic Arts from the University of Oregon, and an MFA in Dramatic Arts from the University of California, Davis. He has been acting, directing and teaching theatre for over 20 years. He and his family moved from San Francisco to Montpelier in 2017. Recently, he has been on the faculty at Essex High School as a Theater Arts teacher and he worked as the Drama Director at Colchester High School. Victor is very excited to be joining the staff at MHS as an Instructional Assistant.
For those students attending VTVLC, please see the timeline for scheduling/enrollment below:
Monday, August 24th: VTVLC coordinators will complete students' VTVLC accounts
Tuesday: MHS Guidance Counselors will align MHS courses to VTVLC offerings
Tuesday and Wednesday: VTVLC coordinators will enroll students in VTVLC courses
Wednesday: Students will receive their VTVLC course enrollments
Thursday/Friday: Students/Guardians will confirm receipt of the enrollment information
Thank you and, as always, there will be more information to come.
Renée DeVore
Principal
