Greetings All,

As I prepare to leave at the end of this month, I want to pause and say thank you for all of your support of our students over the last nine years as I was Superintendent. It has been an incredible

nine years and we have accomplished so much together! I learned in this time of the deep commitment BSD has towards the success of all of our students, and how welcoming you are of all cultures and families. I have learned so much from each and every person I have encountered in our great school system, from the Director of Food Services and his staff about farm to school and the importance of local foods; from the administrators, teachers and support staff who go the extra mile to help a student in need; and from the community members who step up and participate on task forces, committees, and attend school events supporting our kids. Most of all, I have learned from our incredible students, who come to school to learn but just as frequently teach us lessons that we, as educators and parents, need to remember. As I look back on my near decade of service, I feel pride for all we have accomplished together. We have created a high-quality school district known for our innovation with the magnet schools and our elementary, middle, and high school transformation toward 21st Century learning; known for our commitment to equity, with our diversity and equity plan and socio-economic integration; known for our international learning environment with cultures from over 30 countries in our schools; and known for our invaluable partnerships, signaling high community investment in our schools.

We have invested in our school infrastructure as well, with renovations of C.P. Smith, J.J. Flynn, Sustainability Academy at Lawrence Barnes, and with the addition of an elevator at the Edmunds Complex. I am proud to be part of these accomplishments. While I may have been the conductor of the orchestra, without all of the many players working together in harmony, there is no music. You created the music and for that I am deeply grateful. Today, our society is at a crossroads. Our schools were built for an earlier era and there is much we must do to bring our educational delivery system “up to code” for the times so that all of our children are ready for the demands of a rapidly changing world. I have tried my best to begin that “remodeling” process, and think we have made some very good progress. BHS is at the cutting edge of a new way of learning, one that is focused on

student interests, increased challenge, and connects students with the real world much earlier in their school career. The addition of technology at the middle and high school settings is allowing students to go deeper in their learning and be more involved in the purpose and outcomes. Now it is up to my successor, in concert with all of you, to take the next steps forward. Please know that as I move on, I will always follow Burlington’s progress closely. I wish all of you much success and look forward to hearing about your continued accomplishments. I believe in my heart that, because of all of you, this District is making great strides toward creating a world-class 21st Century educational system. I deeply thank you for giving me the opportunity to be the conductor for the past nine years. Jeanné

BSD Retiring/Resigning Staff

Julie Cadwallader-Staub Grants Director

District—7 Years

Richard Castine 6th Grade EMS—15 Years

Jeanné Collins Superintendent

District—14 Years

Christel Devita Elementary Art District—27 Years

Erin Dufault Guidance

BHS—7 Years Judy Forbes Paraeducator Smith—16 Years

Volume 6 No. 21 June 11, 2014

BSD Retiring/Resigning Staff (cont.)

Jean-Paul Farineau Foreign Language EMS—22 Years

Don Fox Science

EMS—12 Years

Aaron Hill Paraeducator BHS—12 Years

Barb Hubbard Special Educator

District—32 Years

Deb Lefebvre Elementary Champlain—40 Years

Stephanie Marcotte Paraeducator

Smith—16 Years

Jane Miller Elementary Literacy Coach District—34 Years

Martha O’Connell Special Educator

District—28 Years

Patrick O’Sullivan School Psychologist District—8 Years

George Reynolds Elementary Music District—12 Years

Mary Ross Elementary EES—32 Years

Brian Schwartz Business/Technology

BHS—8 Years

Eileen Siminger Early Childhood Special Educator BEEP—22 Years

Anne Tewksbury-Frye Science Coach SA—26 Years

Mike Welch Architecture / Construction BTC—24 Years

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We also say goodbye and wish a fond farewell to Sara Jane Mahan, HR Director for 13 years.

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Departing School Board Commissioners Keith Pillsbury (Ward 1) - 23 Years

Meredith Woodward King (Ward 2) - 4 Years

New School Board Commissioners Kathleen Kleman (Ward 1) Mark Porter (Ward 2)

Proficiency-Based Learning at BHS Last quarter, BHS teacher Molly Heath shifted her chemistry classes to a proficiency-based model. In a proficiency-based education system, all students clearly understand what skills and knowledge they need to learn, have multiple opportunities to show mastery, and are supported to meet high expectations. Her results were astounding! The class average on their final test was a full 10 points higher than on any other test. Molly created a video that explains her process, captures student voice, and provides compelling data that demonstrates the effectiveness of this new approach to teaching and learning. Her classroom is one example of how proficiency-based learning is emerging in Burlington Schools. Check it out here: http://youtu.be/qFD10rFAjdA.

Make Your Insurance Changes NOW!

July 1st is the ONLY Open Enrollment for the YEAR! Medical and dental plan benefit needs sometimes change. Your life circumstances may change, too. Open enrollment is a good time to reevaluate your existing plans and decide whether to make changes.

You must make changes in July 2014 in order to:

� Remove dependent(s) � Enroll in health and/or dental plans that you

initially declined � Add coverage for eligible dependents who were

waived in the past

Once Open Enrollment is closed, changes cannot be made without a qualifying event until the next Open Enrollment period in JULY 2015. Qualifying events include: birth or adoption of a child, death, change in hours worked, marriage, divorce, or a spouse losing employment and/or medical coverage for a spouse or dependents.

What if you miss the deadline for Open Enrollment?

If you miss the deadline, Federal Law limits your ability to enroll in or change your medical and dental benefits unless you experience a qualifying event. The enrollment or change must be made within 30 days of the event. Supporting documentation must be submitted along with the enrollment forms. Unless you have a qualifying event and submit timely paperwork, you will have to wait until JULY 1st, 2015 to make any changes.

NO ACTION IS REQUIRED BY YOU IF YOU WANT

YOUR COVERAGE TO REMAIN UNCHANGED.

Burlington School Food Project As a culminating activity to our farm unit, Will Gowen, the AmeriCorps Farm to School Educator from the Burlington School Food Project, visited the C.P. Smith Preschool. Will told us about some of the crops that we are growing here at our schools in Burlington. As a group, we talked about what plants need to grow healthy and strong. We explored what materials make good compost for the gardens, and how at school we can compost after we have finished eating. We showed Will our worm habitat and to celebrate Will’s visit, we all moved and grooved to the Learning Station’s “Herman the Worm” video on YouTube!

EMS Shines in 2014 8th Grade

Hildene Lincoln Essay Competition

Topic: Abraham Lincoln persevered, against all odds, to advance the cause of liberty and justice for all. Identify a leader who is currently striving locally, nationally, or globally to make the world a better place, despite considerable obstacles. Explain why she or he inspires you and compare his or her leadership qualities with those of Lincoln’s.

First Place, $1,000: Zoe Moskowitz Teacher: Librarian Carole Renca

Essay subject: Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, President of Liberia

Second Place, $750: Cara Davis Teachers: Kathy Gallagher and Librarian Carole Renca

Essay subject: Maya Angelou, American poet, author, actress, civil rights activist

All paperwork must be completed and received at Central

Office by 9 a.m. on June 15th to assure benefits by July 1st.

Teacher Tuition Reimbursement

Employees who have completed coursework for tuition reimbursement must immediately send their

grade reports to HR. Future pre-payment status may be affected by non-compliance with this step of the process.

Tech Byte

BSD Network and

Google Apps for Education

Exiting Employees: Migrating Data If you are an employee leaving the Burlington School District at the end of the school year, your network (H:), email, and other Google accounts will be deleted as part of the exit process. Please see the following link for detailed resources regarding downloading/saving your BSD documents and/or transferring ownership before your departure:

http://tinyurl.com/googleexit. If you have questions about these processes, please contact your Technology Integration Specialist or call the Help Desk at 864-8437.

Above: Hunt students spent five days in Washington, D.C. through Close Up Washington, participating in learning

workshops and creating a mock government. Back (L to R): Koleigh Vachereau, Like Steele, and front (L to R): Morgan

Willette, Sydney Holt-Barker, and Ryan Mitchell.

Congratulations to BHS for being selected to

receive a 2014 VT Dept. of Health School Wellness Award and $1,000 to support continued

wellness efforts for students and staff!