News from the School                                                                       April 13, 2008 

 

It looks like we survived the winter with only one “snow day” to make up, which is not bad considering our snowy winter!  The winter sport season is over; softball and baseball practices are finally outside and Girls on the Run are gearing up for their 5K run in May.  I guess it is safe to say that spring is here! 

 

March was Arts in Our Schools month.  Parents and community members had an opportunity to hear our students perform at the district Band Concert held at BUHS and at the Kurn Hattin Jazz Festival in April.  Our talented Dummerston School artists are always on display throughout the hallways of the school and, during Arts in Our Schools month, at Zephyr and Brooks Memorial Library in Brattleboro. 

 

The state NECAP (New England Common Assessment Program) results are back and I’m happy to report that Dummerston School once again made its Annual Yearly Progress (AYP).  These assessments were developed in response to the requirements of the federally mandated No Child Left Behind Act, 2001 to test all students, grades 3-8 in mathematics and reading/language arts and writing in grades 5 and 8.

 

The Young Writers Project is a unique partnership of teachers, professional writers, students and journalists that aim to encourage and improve writing in Vermont elementary, middle and high schools.  The YWP publishes each week in the Brattleboro Reformer.  Dummerston School has had a number of students whose writing has been published and a number of students who have had their work published several times including Theresa Glabach, Kara Piergentili, Bryce Bandish, Sydney Santor, Lydia Garland, Hannah Reichel, Elena Eames, and former Dummerston School student, Samantha Newell.  You can also read Kim Butts’ (Dummerston School graduate) editorials, which are always entertaining.   

 

Kindergarten screening was a huge success.  It looks like the eighth grade class of 2017 will have at least seventeen graduates!

 

Thank you to everyone who supported the Hannaford Helps Schools.  Dummerston School received a check for $426.00 dollars from the Hannaford Helps Schools fundraising campaign!  Some of the proceeds will be used to purchase T-shirts for our GeoBee competitors who will participate in the regional GeoBee competition on May 3rd.  Our team members are Hannah Reichel, Sam Grubinger, Theresa Glabach, Joanna Brown and Patrick Clark.  Our three alternates are Kayla Wood, Drew Wood and Connor Elliott-Knaggs.

 

Thank you to all of this year’s ELF volunteers!  Once again, you have helped to make this year an enjoyable learning experience for our students.  Next year, ELF will celebrate its 35th anniversary with the Vermont Institute of Natural Science.  They will celebrate this achievement by extending the breadth and depth of next year’s program.  Stay tuned for more details about next year’s ELF offerings.

 

Bowling for Kids Sake was Saturday, April 5th at the Brattleboro Bowl.  The Dummerston Bowling Team raised over $500.00 towards the Big Brother/Big Sisters’ Program.  We’d like to thank all our sponsors and recognize Mary Goodemote for her outstanding bowling performance. 

 

Dummerston School Grows with Heifer Grant project

 

Thanks to funding from the Strolling of the Heifers Foundation, Inc. and the efforts of School Board Chair, Amy Dews, the Dummerston School Gardens was started in spring 2007.  The goal of the project was to reconnect Dummerston Middle School students to the town’s agricultural heritage, stress the importance of producing foods locally, and guide students in healthy food choice.  Last year, the students grew tomatoes, peppers, carrots, sunflowers, spinach, lettuce, oregano, parsley, squash and pumpkins with support from Middle School Science teacher Bob Glennon and local UVM Master Gardeners.  With the exception of the pumpkins and squash, the produce grown was incorporated into the School’s lunch program which includes a daily salad bar.  Herbs were collected and dried while pumpkins were given to younger students for Halloween.  Squash was enjoyed during the School’s Thanksgiving meal with the excess donated to a local food pantry. 

 

Also as part of the Strolling of the Heifers Foundation grant, students met with members of the Dummerston agricultural community during the winter months.  With Vern Grubinger – UVM Extension Professor & Vegetable and Berry Specialist, the students learned the basics of soil science, discussed organic and non-organic fertilizers and other soil amendments, and reviewed types of greenhouse gardening.  From Jack Manix – Walker Farm, the students learned local agricultural history, were given an overview of Walker Farm’s field and greenhouse operations, and asked questions about organic gardening and crop selection for their raised beds.  From Elizabeth Wood – New Leaf CSA, the students learned about consumer supported agriculture, how it operates and the crops that New Leaf CSA typically raises.  Students asked questions about organic gardening practices and crop selection for the upcoming growing season.  From Ted & Maria Glabach – Glabach Sugarhouse, middle school students learned the history and economic importance of Vermont maple sugaring and the development of current sugaring technology while sampling some of the season’s newest syrup.

 

The funding provided by the Strolling of the Heifers Foundation Inc. provided a valuable learning opportunity for Dummerston School students.  In addition to meeting the goals of the project, Dummerston School Gardens also fit criteria detailed in the Vermont Framework and Standard 7.16 regarding natural resources and agriculture along with the Vermont Science Grade Expectations including life cycles and reproduction, cell and tissue differentiation, chemical reactions within cells, classification of living things, and interdependence within ecosystems.  Middle School Science teacher Bob Glennon stated: “Too often we hear that students don’t know where their food comes from or how it’s grown.  This initiative is designed to attack this lack of understanding head on.  After our students interact with local farmers, they become small scale farmers themselves, growing food for the school lunch program. 

Our students will grapple with many of the same issues as local farmers:  whether to grow organically, how to and how much to irrigate, pest management, crop choices, and financial management.  Students develop a deeper level of gardening expertise and, hopefully, a better appreciation of the dedication and passion exemplified by our amazing local farmers.”

 

With the funding from the Strolling of the Heifers Foundation Inc., the initial phase of the Dummerston School Gardens project is now complete.  But many more growing experiences are in store.  With funding provided by the Dummerston PTFO and a recent Wellness grant, a 14 foot by 32 foot high tunnel greenhouse will be installed over the raised beds this spring.  This will lengthen the growing season significantly and offer more hands on learning for Dummerston School students as they grow cold tolerant crops throughout the fall and winter.  For the 2008 growing season, students have selected to grow crops for use in the school lunch program that will be harvested when school resumes in September 2008 including carrots, beans (for drying), onions, potatoes, hot peppers, and tomatoes.  Hot peppers will be dried and sent to the Dummerston School’s Haitian garden partner as part of a recently introduced gardening and cultural exchange through AyitiKonseVet, a program that assists Haitians students and their families to produce adequate and nutritious food and support their local economy.  The staff and students are really excited about the Dummerston School Gardens project and the learning opportunities that it offers. The support from the community, local UVM Master Gardeners and volunteers has been outstanding.