AVPA had its Annual Gingerbread House Competition on Thursday, December 19th. The year's theme was Fantasy Land.
Rapunzel's Tower was awarded 1st place overall
Candy Land was awarded 2nd best in theme.
December was a busy month for the chamber choir, who performed at the Polar Express, Madrigal Festival, Rotary Club Luncheon, and caroled at Maple Street Park.
On Tuesday, Essex High School Internship students explored career trends, gained insights into essential job skills, and received valuable advice from four outstanding professionals: Gerry Cincotta (Cox Automotive), Alex Bunten (Lake Champlain Chamber), Brianna Woodward (Maple Ridge Memory Care), and Curt Guenter (IBM).
Essex High School senior band student Hailey Messier was selected as one of Vermont's 2025 Presidential Scholars in the Arts. Students are chosen for demonstrating artistic excellence and a commitment to the arts.
Hailey will be featured as a senior soloist on piano with the Vermont Youth Orchestra in a performance at the Double E Performance Center on Sunday, February 2, 2025.
Additionally, at the December auditions for the New England Music Festival, adjudicators were tasked with nominating only one truly outstanding student performance from all the auditions they heard. Hailey Messier received this honor and was chosen to perform in the festival's solo concert: Friday, March 14th in Middletown, CT https://www.nemfa.org/
Melted chocolate sweets in Foods I and Food Science the last few days!
🎥 The #EWSD Board Meeting on December 17 is now available to watch thanks to the Media Factory 👉https://www.mediafactory.org/?modal=77,episode,233975
EHS Winter Warmth Gift Card Fundraiser Update: Thank you to the generous community member who dropped off twenty $50 gift cards today totaling $1,000!
There's still time to donate. We are accepting gift cards until January 21st, 2025. Thanks to those who have donated so far!
Are you interested in a career with the EWSD? Take a look at all the current job opportunities: www.ewsd.org/jobs 🌿😊
🔔 Reminder that there will be no school on Monday, December 23 through Wednesday, January 1 for Early Winter Break. School will resume on Thursday, January 2.
Reminder: There will be no school on Monday, December 23 through Wednesday, January 1 for Early Winter Break. School will resume on Thursday, January 2.
The Heavenly Food Pantry, located at the First Congregational Church on Main Street in Essex Junction, will be open to families residing in Essex, Essex Junction, and Westford on Thursday, December 19, from 3 to 6 p.m.
The pantry asks for proof of residence for each household in the form of a current utility bill with a physical address listed. In place of this, families may provide current correspondence from a government agency or other official mail. Identification for each household member may consist of a driver’s license, hospital card, insurance card, school-issued ID, social security ID, or birth certificate. As usual, there are no income requirements to visit the food pantry and a variety of food is available to everyone; however, additional food from the USDA is provided once a month to eligible families who fall below federally mandated guidelines.
The next food pantry distribution will occur on Monday, January 13, from 5:30-7:30 p.m. Beginning in January 2025, those coming to the pantry will be asked to limit their visits to once a month.
Attention all EHS students: The Essex Rotary is sponsoring their yearly speech contest with cash prizes. This year's prompt is: How can a Rotary- School partnership increase respect, tolerance & understanding of one another?
Reach out to Kate Frisbie if you are interested in participating.
The competition will be held February 5th, but students must contact Mrs. Frisbie by Jan. 15.
Essex High School is doing the Winter Warmth Gift Card Fundraiser again this school year. Thank you to those who have kindly donated gift cards to the Winter Warmth program in the past. Last year over $3000 worth of gift cards were donated. Your generous donations are so appreciated by families in need of essentials at this time of year.
We have heard that gift cards to local supermarkets; such as Shaw's, Pricechopper, etc are desirable, and that families have also benefited from gift cards to Target and Walmart in the past.
The closing date for donations is January 21, 2025.
Thank you for your continued generosity to families in need.
Come to the library on Wednesday, December 18 from 2:15 to 3:15 for Art in the Library: Watercolor Workshop and Free Art.
We'll have art, crafts, and free snacks for participants.
Art in the Library is drop in (you do not need to sign up) and attendees can work on any creative project they would like. We will be offering a watercolor workshop.
Maple Street Park Caroling December 16th, 5:30 pm-6:30 pm.
Come join the Essex High School Chamber Choir for holiday tunes!
Last week, Essex High School's Child Development students had the opportunity to visit Summit Street School and read with the Kindergarten students. Having just learned about the crucial stages and milestones of development for infants, toddlers, and preschoolers, this visit allowed them to put their knowledge into practice and help the younger students enjoy the magic of reading.
A key focus of the visit was the importance of diversity in children's literature. The students explored how essential it is for a child's library to feature "windows" into various cultures and "mirrors" that reflect their own backgrounds. Child Development students selected books from the Essex High School Library representing diverse voices and stories in children's literature to read to the Summit Street School students. The experiences emphasized the significance of inclusive books and authors and helped strengthen our community bonds.
A big thank you to Ms. Cole, Ms. Dall, and Mr. Lee for welcoming us into their classrooms and to Ms. Von Nagy and Ms. Lague for compiling library resources.
Student Government presents: Ugly Sweater Contest on December 16 and 17! Wear your Ugly Sweater and be entered for a raffle for prizes. Tickets will be distributed outside the cafeteria during all lunches.
The #EWSD Board will next meet on Thurs., December 12 starting at 6:30 p.m. The full meeting will be available to watch on Facebook Live thanks to the Media Factory (https://www.facebook.com/BTVMediaFactory).
Agenda items for the meeting include:
- FY26 Budget Development Update
- Superintendent Search Update
- 2.7 Compensation and Benefits
To learn more about the EWSD Board, please visit: http://www.ewsd.org/schoolboard
EHS School Counselor, Siobhan Barber, was recently spotlighted by the Vermont School Counselor Association 👉 https://vermontschoolcounselor.org/spotlight
The Heavenly Food Pantry, located at the First Congregational Church on Main Street in Essex Junction, will be open to families residing in Essex, Essex Junction, and Westford on Monday, December 9, from 5:30-7:30 p.m. Families will be given a number when they arrive and asked to wait in the sanctuary. When their number is called, they will be registered beginning at 5:30 p.m. A volunteer will greet and escort them around the pantry, allowing them to make selections of their choosing.
After food is gathered, it will be weighed (information for pantry use only) and another volunteer will bring the food to the person’s vehicle. Shopping carts will be made available for those within walking distance of the pantry. The pantry asks for proof of residence for each household in the form of a current utility bill with a physical address listed. Instead, families may provide current correspondence from a government agency or other official mail. Identification of each household member may consist of a driver’s license, hospital card, insurance card, school-issued ID, social security ID, or birth certificate.
As usual, there are no income requirements to visit the food pantry and a variety of food is
available to everyone; however, eligible families who fall below federally mandated guidelines may access additional food provided by the USDA once each month. Those not able to attend the pantry may call the Church office at 878-5745 Ext. 4 between 9 a.m. and noon today and Monday to leave contact information (name, address, phone number, no. of people in household) so delivery arrangements can be made. A follow-up call to complete registration will take place on Monday morning. People are currently able to visit the pantry each time it is open: the 2nd Monday of the month from 5:30-7:30 p.m. and the 4th Thursday of the month from 3-6 p.m. (except for November and December when it is the 3rd Thursday). Beginning in January 2025, households will be asked to limit their visits to once a month.
The next food pantry distribution will occur on Thursday, December 19, from 3-6 p.m.
