- Principal's Welcome Video: (5 min)Please take a moment to watch the principal's welcome video to the new school year and what to expect as a student in a new environment with a different schedule. Although there will be a strong emphasis on social emotional well being and building relationships, we will also have high expectations for rigor and engagement for our students. Although students will only be in the building for 2.5 hours a day, there will be an expectation that the learning continue beyond the time they spend in school. Students will have quite a bit of homework for each class per week. It's important to note that we are working to get year-long content, skills and proficiency into a quarter. The depth of learning will require time outside of school, as well as the 7 hours per week in school/remote. Students will not have a 1/2 day off. They will be expected to continue the learning when they get home for the following class. Additionally, remote learning on Wednesdays will be required for the full 1 hour and 45 minutes per class. Teachers will take attendance and instruction will go on as if students were in the classroom.
- Safety Protocol Walkthrough Video and Staff Messages: (7 min) Please watch this video to get a sense of what school will look like as students enter and exit the building, meal delivery during class time, and how classrooms will be arranged. Additionally, there are a few staff members who have messages for our students returning to MHS this year.
- New Guidance Counselor Introduction: We expect that tonight the board will approve our new Guidance Counselor for MHS replacing Geoff Sather. Amanda Payne will begin tomorrow and transition with Mr. Sather through September 9th. Amanda is thrilled to be returning to Montpelier High School and joining such a committed staff dedicated to the growth and development of our youth. Amanda comes to MHS with over 15 years of experience working with students in a variety of capacities ranging from ELL teacher and international experiential educator to school counselor and mental health clinician. In her free time Amanda can be found paddling the many lakes of VT, walking her dog in the woods, riding her bike, camping, baking, reading and spending physically distanced time with friends. She lives with her partner and their dog Ruby. You may contact Amanda Payne at amandapayne@mpsvt.org.
- 9th graders and New Students: For the first two days of school, September 8th and September 9th, we want to offer our rising 9th graders and any new students to come in a bit earlier than everyone else. 9th graders and new students can arrive at 8 a.m for temp checks and to find their classroom. Afternoon cohorts can arrive at 12:00 pm. This is not mandatory and by choice. Otherwise health checks will begin promptly at 8:15 for the morning cohort and 12:15 for the afternoon cohort.
- Ordering Meals: All students will use this Meal Order Form to order meals for the following day. The form can always be found on our MRPS Website under MHS Links: https://www.mrpsvt.org/mhs-links. Students who are in person will be reminded to place an order for the following day while in class. For those students not attending MHS and attending CVCC or virtual, they can also use this form to order for the following day. Ex: Student fills out the form on a Wednesday for Thursday, Thursday for Friday, and Friday for Monday.
- If you are a student attending VTVLC, you can pick up your meals in the MHS parking lot between 10-10:45 Monday-Friday. Please use Meal Order Form to fill out your order a day in advance.
- If you are a student attending CVCC, you can also pick up meals when you get off the bus. CVCC students will pick up lunches at the MHS parking lot as well from 12:20-12:35. Use the Meal Order Form to order in advance.
- Menus, along with the order form, process can be found here: https://www.mrpsvt.org/food-service
- Q1 Enrichment Courses are Live: Should your student not have a course in their schedule for Quarter 1, please see the email below that was sent out earlier today to all students who do not have one or more courses in Quarter 1. The program of enrichment studies is open to the public for viewing, but we will only allow students who do not have courses in Quarter 1 to sign up at this time
- Email to students on 9/2: "Per your current schedule, you are not scheduled for one or more Quarter 1 courses. As noted in prior communication, we would like to offer all students, who do not have a quarter course, the opportunity to sign up for an enrichment course. The courses are considered elective credits (.25) and will run two days a week with a 30-minute check in on Wednesdays. Courses are considered Credit/No Credit based on your proficiency in the assigned Learning Expectation (LE) that are noted in the Program of Studies for Enrichment Courses. We invite you to review the offerings for green and white days and ask that you submit your 1st, 2nd, 3rd choice by filling out this form. It is due by Monday, September 7th. There are class limits, so if you're interested in a course, it'll be important for you to submit sooner than later. Should you not sign up for an enrichment course and there is still space in your schedule, we will be reaching out to a parent/guardian to have them approve the additional time in your schedule. Another option is to contact your counselor to see if there is another course in Quarter 1 you can take.
Renée DeVore
Principal
reneed@mpsvt.org
