The World 122221

2
By Lucas Partlow
Hi I’m Lucas Partlow from Mrs. heaton’s fifth grade
class in Northfield, ermont. My school is a truly magical
place. The students are amazing, and well-behaved. This article
will be about Ms. Darea (5th grade humanities teacher),
Mrs. Bean (1st grade humanities teacher), and Mrs. Wheaton
(5th grade math and science teacher), and why they enjoy
teaching!
My current humanities teacher Ms. Darea loves teaching
because she loves to see kids’ knowledge grow. Another
thing that she loves is that she is constantly learning all
of the time herself. She also likes that even she has some
“ah ha” moments and realizes something that she probably
should have a while ago. Lastly, she loves the classroom. It
is her own comfortable working and learning environment.
She has made her classroom ours, and my classmates and
I have easily loved this comfortable learning environment.
My former reading and science teacher Mrs. Bean enjoys
teaching because she feels very passionate and fortunate to
be able to teach children to read. She also likes to watch kids
dream, and find and eceed their goals in reading. She also
thinks that teaching is simply fun. Sometimes, a day could
be tough, but her students make her happy, so she never goes
a day without smiling.
My current math, science and homeroom teacher, Mrs.
The Coalition for Vermont Student Equity Issues Statement In
Response to a Legislative Proposal On Educational Funding Equity
“As an organization that is solely focused on creating equitable
educational opportunities for all of Vermont’s children,
we are deeply appreciative of the work done by the legislative
Task Force on the Implementation of the Pupil Weighting
Factors Report, and we support some of their recommendations.
Specifically, we support the recommendation to correct
the flawed pupil weighting formula. This will allow the state
to accurately measure student needs and allocate resources to
school districts. For the past 20-plus years, districts all over
the state have struggled to fund their schools because the formula
that accounts for needs and allocates education funds
has been broken.
We do, however, remain staunchly opposed to the task
force’s alternative proposal that would take Vermont backwards
to a system that Vermont abandoned decades ago because
it contributed to vast inequities in our education funding.
This solution was aptly named the Reverse Foundation
Formula by Professor Tammy Kolbe. By presenting this socalled
“cost equity” proposal, the Task Force is attempting to
overhaul the entire education funding system. But the entire
system isn’t broken. According to a research report published
in 2019 by University of Vermont and Rutgers University, the
pupil weights must be corrected to accurately account for student
needs across the state. This is a distribution issue, plain
and simple.
Healthy Aging and Lifelong Learning Make Great Holiday
Gifts!
Looking for the right holiday, birthday, or “just-because”
gift for an adult in your life? Have you considered a membership,
class, or gift certificate to your local Senior Center?
Rather than another “thing,” remember you can give your
friends or loved ones experiences that support their joy, connection
to others, and all-around health, again and again!
Winter Adult/Teen Classes, January-March 2022
MSAC has dozens of weekly classes in store for area adults
(and teens!) this winter, online, in-person and hybrid. There
are options in Arts, Humanities and Movement, plus many
drop-in groups. Registration forms and class descriptions are
available online and at MSAC. Visit MSAC’s Classes webpage
at www.montpelier-vt.org/msacclasses, stop by MSAC
or call 223-2518 to learn more or get help to register! Unless
otherwise stated, below classes start the week of January 10.
The following list represents classes that still had a lot of
space as of December 15.
• Drawing Basics (Janice Walrafen), 10 Thursdays, 1:00-
3:00pm, at MSAC, Ages 18+.
• Digital Photography (Linda Hogan), 10 Tuesdays, 12:30-
2:30pm, MSAC Activity Room, Ages 15+.
• Creative Writing Tuesday (Maggie
Thompson), 10 Tuesdays, 1:00-3:00pm, Zoom,
Ages 50+.
• Advanced Beginning Guitar (Tom Wales),
10 Wednesdays, 5:00-6:00pm, at MSAC, Ages
14+.
• Food as Medicine 101 (Lisa Mase), 1
Monday, 1/24/22, 1:30-2:30pm, Zoom, Ages
15+.
• Financial Workshop w/ Edward Jones
(Kristin Dearborn), 8 Wednesdays, starts 2/9,
6:30-7:30pm, Zoom, Ages 50+.
My Magical Teachers
Wheaton, you may be familiar with, but with a different
name, such as Ms. Gray. Since her childhood, she always
knew that she would be a teacher. When she was in college,
a professor asked her, “Why do you want to be a teacher?”
She responded “I love working with kids.”
The professor then said, “Jen, there will be a point in your
career where you realize why you like teaching. When you
do, share your story.” She left that day, a little disheartened.
Three years later, she experienced the moment her professor
was talking about. It was on a field trip to Maine.
She spent every waking moment with kids. That night, the
group had a talent show. “Ms. Gray, why don’t you sing?”
the MC said. She knew what she was going to do. She asked
all of the kids to sit around her on the stage. She sang “Lean
on Me” a capella. She stopped singing for a minute, only
to hear the kids still harmonizing. She then felt part of a
community–she had helped build kinship. That moment was
when she knew why she loved teaching.
My teachers love to teach! Mrs. Wheaton, Mrs. Bean, and
Ms. Darea are the best teachers I could ever ask for! When
I go to middle school, I hope that I get teachers that almost
meet their amazingness, even though that would be impossible.
These teachers are the best! I am very excited to see
what happens next!
Another problematic aspect of this legislative proposal is
the removal of English language learners from the equity formula.
Our coalition is advocating for the pupil weights to be
corrected for every student: those in poverty, those attending
small schools and rural schools, and those who are English
language learners. Regardless of the intent, removing English
language learners from the equity formula and funding their
education separately with unreliable grants is discriminatory.
We look forward to working with the legislature in January to
correct this measure, implement the correct funding formula
and create equitable educational opportunities for all of Vermont’s
children.”
The Coalition for Vermont Student Equity is composed
of member school districts/supervisory unions and school
board members from various communities and districts across
the state. While we come from communities that couldn’t
look more different from one another, we have come together
around our common belief that all of Vermont’s children deserve
equitable educational opportunities. But Vermont’s education
funding methodology is outdated and must be corrected
in order to provide these equitable educational opportunities
to all of Vermont’s kids. We believe that education is a key
component in helping children thrive and succeed and that
education provides huge benefits economically to our state by
ensuring we have a skilled and well-educated workforce.
USDA Farm to School Grant Opportunity
USDA’s annual farm-to-school grant, championed by Vermont
Senator Patrick Leahy, is now open for applications.
This competitive grant program is designed to improve access
to local foods and increase agricultural and nutrition literacy.
The list of eligible applicants is broad and includes schools,
non-profits, local agencies, agricultural producers, and more.
There are several grant tracks to choose from, including
turnkey grants that offer simple pre-designed projects built
• • •
• • •
around model program designs. Applications for projects led
by and/or designed to support BIPOC are being prioritized in
this year’s grant round. Awards of up to $500,000 are available
depending on the grant track and applicants must show
matching support, either in cash or in-kind services, equal to
25% of the total project budget.
The deadline to apply is January 10 at 11:59 p.m.
• Chinese Calligraphy (Ellie Hayes), 4 Mondays, starts 1/10,
1:00-2:00pm, Zoom, Ages 12+.
• Bone Builders (Laura Morse), 12 wks, Mondays and
Fridays, 3:15-4:30pm, Zoom, Ages 50+.
• Movement for Parkinson’s and Other Neuro-Movement
Challenges (Mary Chris DeBelina Doyle), 10 Thursdays, skip
1/27, 10:00-11:15am, Hybrid, Ages 15+.
• Tai Chi for Fall Prevention (Ellie Hayes and Dyne Sapp),
12 Wednesdays, 1:15-2:00pm, Hybrid, Ages 12+.
• Somatic Movement: Breath and Your Body (Amy
Lepage), 4 Fridays, starts 3/4, 9:45-10:45am, Zoom, Ages
18+.
• Somatic Movement: Your Pelvic Floor - Educate,
Understand and Empower (Amy Lepage), 4 Fridays, starts
1/14 - 2/4, 9:45-10:45am, Zoom, Ages 18+.
• White Tiger Qigong (Ellie Hayes), 12 Wednesdays, 12:00-
1:00pm, Hybrid, Ages 12+.
• Chair Yoga (Ragan Sheridan), 12 Thursdays, may delay a
week, 1:30-2:30pm, Zoom, Ages 18+.
• Yoga for Osteoporosis and Osteopenia (Ragan Sheridan),
12 Fridays, 4:00-5:00pm, Zoom, Ages 18+.
• Moving Into Stillness: Yoga and Meditation (Sarah
Parker-Givens), 12 Thursdays, 2:00-3:15pm, Zoom, Ages
18+.
• Yoga for Focus and Fitness: Strength and Flow (Monica
DiGiovanni), 12 Wednesdays, 9:00-10:15 am, Zoom, Ages
14+, under 18 may attend accompanied by a parent or alone
by permission.
Many Drop-in groups (online and in-person) welcome new
community members
To view the free, in-person and online options that include
Story-telling, Qigong, Community Music Jams, Outdoor
Walks, Crafting, Writing, Italian, Bridge, Scrabble and more,
visit our Drop-in Groups page at www.montpelier-vt.org/csgroups.
Stay Informed about MSAC:
Visit https://www.montpelier-vt.org/304/Newsletter to read
our full monthly newsletter, typically 12 pages of great content.
To subscribe to our free weekly e-letter, email msac@
montpelier-vt.org. Regularly updated announcements and
events are available at: https://www.montpelier-vt.org/1128/
Special-Events. Call our office with questions at 223-2518!
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