Welcome to the first "Super News(letter)" of the 2025-2026 school year! As the new school year begun, we had some transition in central office that forced us to delay our first newsletter, but we're "super" excited to have this ready to go for November!
There's a lot going on in Vermont these days around public education, with the passage in June of Act 73. I'm sure everyone has heard about the Redistricting Task Force which will share its recommendations with the Legislature in January. Additionally, there are less public work groups discussing the new State-wide Graduation Requirements and creating definitions of "small by necessity" (to define existing schools) and scarcity (of population). There will most likely be lots of changes in the education landscape in the months and years to come, and I hope to use this newsletter to keep you apprised of how those changes will impact our schools, districts and our SU.
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Summary by Bre Madison
On Wednesday, October 22nd, we celebrated Unity Day, a special day to honor acceptance, kindness, and inclusion as part of National Bullying Prevention Month. Here at Townshend Elementary School, each student decorated an orange link to show what unity means to them. Together, these links formed our Inclusion Chain, reminding us that we are stronger when we stand together.
The Inclusion Chain now outlines our All-School Unity Agreement in the front hall. By signing this agreement, students and staff showed their commitment to treating everyone with kindness and accepting others just as they are.
Families can continue this important work at home by talking with their children about what it means to include others, show respect, and use kind words and actions. Together, we can help every student thrive.
See the links below (from the Character Strong website) for more resources.
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How to talk to your kids about being online, and how to help them make good decisions and stay safe?
Provides information from various government agencies on bullying and cyberbullying:
Information for adults to immediately intervene and stop bullying safely and effectively.
Breanna Madison
School Social Worker // Townshend, NewBrook, and Jamaica Village School
School Counselor // Townshend and Jamaica Village School
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TES Inclusion Chain & All School Unity Agreement |
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Unity Day at Dover Elementary |
November marks the beginning of many seasons - holiday season, hunting season, and even budget season! Each of our districts are starting to have hard conversations around increasing costs, decreasing federal aid, and in most cases, declining enrollment. These pressures - and more - make budget season particularly challenging. If you have questions about where your school/district is in the process, I urge you to reach out to your principal or local school board members.
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In October the WCSU Board had its annual Retreat, and this year it was hosted at Dover. Our theme for the night was "OkDoverFest", and our food program providers delivered with a great meal for the board members and administrators, as they received legal training, heard presentations by the MTSS team, and conducted their normal business. A special thank you to Dover Principal Tracey Gamache, Director of Operations Greg Frost, Food Service employees Jake Gallogy, Dawn Hastings and Kathleen Bullock, and my new Executive Assistant, Nicole Ray for coordinating the event!!! |
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Greetings everyone!
I’m your new Director of Curriculum and a new addition to the Super News this year will be this Curriculum Corner where I will give updates and highlights about curricular progress we are making as an SU. It’s was a busy summer as we planned professional development for our year 2 implementation of EL Education in grades K-8 as well as various other topics around the district such as; purposeful play in PreK, student engagement at L&G, diagnostic assessments with interventionists, and rolling out our new and improved SU wide data collection tool, NextPath.
In August we kicked off our annual New Teacher Induction with our new hires that are spread out around the districts. The number of our new hire groups are getting smaller each year and I find it refreshing to see, knowing that we are retaining our staff and that WCSU is a great place to work.
Lastly, we are starting to hear about and see some EL performance tasks or Celebrations of Learning in our elementary classrooms that are bringing in project based learning and community connections such as; Kindergarteners as “play experts.”
Articles and Resources to Share this Month:
Take Care,
Ms. Renee Merluzzi
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Each year, UVM and the Vermont Agency of Education collaborate to celebrate the outstanding teachers from around the state. Each SU/SD can nominate two of their own for the recognition. This year from WCSU, we celebrate Pam Maile (Marlboro) and Carla Aquadro (Dover). Congrats!!! |
Pam is an educator who teaches with her heart, her brain, and her gut. She creates titanium-strength bonds with her students, colleagues, and families, all of whom know that, under her guidance, they will receive education that is research-based, highly personalized, and full of humor and creativity. Pam’s students love to come to school in part because they know that Pam is always happy to see them. They also know that she will challenge them and help them grow as learners and friends. After over 25 years of teaching, Pam retains the optimism, spirit, and joy of a brand-new teacher while deploying the expertise of a veteran. |
Carla Aquadro is a dedicated fourth-grade teacher who consistently puts the needs of her students first. Her engaging lessons are thoughtfully designed to support a variety of learning styles, whether kinesthetic, auditory, or beyond. She introduced flexible seating to our building, modeling both innovation and professionalism in her practice. Most of all, she can always be found offering encouragement—and often a hug—making every child feel valued and cared for. |
I am truly honored to be part of the MTSS team as we explore not only the systems and procedures that guide our academic and social-emotional learning work, but also the culture, vision, and intentions that shape them.
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Over the past few years, we’ve reflected on the silos that have unintentionally developed within our academic systems and the gaps that exist in our social-emotional learning work. I’m excited to collaborate with my colleagues to take a deeper look at these interconnected pieces — to better understand, refine, and strengthen our systems so they more effectively support every learner and educator.
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This year, and in the years ahead, our focus is on learning — from as many perspectives as possible — what is working well and how we can make our practices even better. Included here is our MTSS Strategic Plan, which outlines the strategies and outcomes we aim to achieve over the next five years. This plan is a living document that will evolve as we continue to learn and grow together. |
On a personal note, I want to express how deeply grateful I am for the opportunity to lead this work. I love being part of the Windham Central community. When I reflect on my long career, I am reminded of how fortunate I am to have landed here. I have tremendous respect and admiration for our dedicated staff, feel a strong connection with our students, and see my own values reflected in the communities we serve.
Throughout my ten years in Windham Central, my colleagues have shown me kindness, trust, and support. This new role feels like an extension of that trust; something I hold with great care and humility. I am committed to using every skill and resource available to help make Windham Central the very best it can be for our staff, students, and communities.
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November 5 - West River Valley Community Night, Leland & Gray Gym, 4:30 - 6:00 PM
November 11 - Veteran's Day, No School
November 13-15 - Aladdin Jr. Performance at Leland & Gray, 7 PM (11/15 - 2 PM & 7 PM)
November 24-25 - Teacher In Service Days, No School
November 26-28 - Thanksgiving Break
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