This month we started our Community Meetings and Buddy Classrooms. Both of these activities are designed to foster connections between and among staff and students. Community Meetings happen the first Friday of the month at 8:15. Classes take turns hosting them for about 30 minutes. Our 5th graders are responsible for setting up the gym and walking classes to the assembly. The public is welcome to attend these meetings. Please sign in at the office.
Buddy Classrooms happen on the 2nd and 4th Fridays at 8:15 for about 30 minutes. The first time students gather with their Buddy Classroom, they will engage in a project. The second time they meet, they will read to one another.
We completed our fall literacy screening of grades 1st through 5th in September. This information is used as a baseline to monitor growth, and to plan intervention and enrichment. We are committed to ensuring that every child builds a strong foundation in reading. While Vermont Act 139 specifies students in K-3 be provided the fundamentals of reading, all our teachers K-5 are focusing on evidence-based, explicit instruction across five core pillars: phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension.
Of the 62 students who were screened, 40% were below proficient and 60% met or exceeded proficiency. This is within the same range across Vermont, based on the May 2026 report from the Vermont Agency of Education for the 2024-2025 school year. That school year, Vermont students who were at or above proficient averaged 48% in 3rd grade, 61% in 4th grade and 55% in 5th grade.
These numbers reinforce the urgency to prioritize literacy in our school. Our goal is for 80% of students be proficient at the end of the school year in 2029. This will take the full commitment from everyone: staff, administrators, families and community. We are rebuilding our master schedule to increase literacy blocks, are training teachers in the science of reading and in a core literacy program called Fundations, and building literacy into all aspects of our students’ days through specials such as art and STEAM,
We had 219 people attend our Open House on October 1, where guests saw numerous ways that literacy intersects with everything. Photos of our town librarian, police chief, and town clerk reading hang next to photos of students, staff and our superintendent reading, because Everybody Reads! There were book give aways, a book raffle sponsored by Friends of Rivendell, and an information table with Everyone Wins, a local program that pairs local volunteers with students to read together once a week. It was a celebration of learning and literacy, with students showing such pride in their school and in the learning they’ve done so far. It was a truly special kick-off to our work this year!
