Thomas Fleming School

Thomas Fleming School, which will be serving grades 3-5 next school year, held an open house for current 2nd and 3rd grade families. Families and students were able to tour the school, talk with teachers, and have a sneak peek of what their next school year will look like!

The Heavenly Food Pantry, located at the First Congregational Church on Main Street in Essex Junction, will be open to families residing in Essex, Essex Junction, and Westford on Thursday, April 24, from 3-6 p.m. Families arriving will be given a number, asked to wait in the sanctuary for their number to be called, and registered before being directed to the pantry for food. A volunteer will greet and escort them around the pantry, allowing them to make selections of their choosing. After food is gathered, it will be weighed (information for pantry use only) and another volunteer will bring the food to the family’s vehicle. As usual, there are no income requirements to visit the food pantry and a variety of food is available to everyone; however, additional food is provided by the USDA to eligible families who fall below federally mandated guidelines. Families not able to attend the pantry may call the Church office at 878-5745 ext. 4 between 9 a.m. and noon today through Thursday to leave contact information (name, address, number of household members, phone number) so arrangements for delivery can be made. A follow up call to complete registration will take place on Thursday morning. Families are currently able to visit the pantry once each month- either the 2nd Monday of the month from 5:30-7:30 p.m. or the 4th Thursday of the month from 3-6 p.m. The next food pantry distribution will be on Monday, May 12, from 5:30-7:30 p.m.

🌿 The EWSD April Family Newsletter is out now 👉 https://secure.smore.com/n/2g4kz

🔔 Reminder there is no school on Monday, April 21 to Friday, April 25 for Spring Break. School will resume on Monday, April 28.

🎥 The #EWSD Board Meeting on April 15 is now available to watch thanks to the Media Factory 👉 https://www.mediafactory.org/?modal=77,episode,235648

The Heavenly Food Pantry, located at the First Congregational Church on Main Street in Essex Junction, will be open to families residing in Essex, Essex Junction and Westford on Monday, April 14, from 5:30-7:30 p.m. Families can visit the pantry once each calendar month- either the 2nd Monday of the month from 5:30-7:30 p.m. or the 4th Thursday of the month from 3-6 p.m. (except for November and December when it is the 3rd Thursday). The next food pantry distribution will be on Thursday, April 24, from 3-6 p.m.

Tonight is the EWSD Fine Arts Night! This event will be held at Essex High School. The evening performance schedule begins at 5:30 p.m. with opening remarks, followed by the orchestra, band, chorus, and then a theater performance. For more information, visit www.ewsd.org/fineartsnight 🖌️🎨🎭🥳👏💙🎶🎤🎻🎷

Voting will take place today, Tuesday, April 8, from 7 a.m. - 7 p.m. at the following locations: City residents at the Champlain Valley Expo; Essex Town residents outside the City at Essex Middle School; and Westford residents at Westford School.

📚 Today kicks off National Library Week! National Library Week is a time to celebrate our nation's libraries, library workers' contributions and promote library use and support. Share a memory or shoutout an EWSD librarian 👉 https://bit.ly/42pnXah

✨ Whether you're a seasoned athlete or just getting started, the Dream Big 5K: Run, Walk, Roll is a race for everyone—of all ages and abilities! This exciting charity event benefits EDD Adaptive Sports programs for individuals with disabilities in our community. Together, we’re aiming to raise $14,000 to fund life-changing adaptive sports programs. ✨ So grab your family, friends, or co-workers, create a team, and get ready for some friendly competition and amazing prizes. Let's Dream Big together. For more information and to register: https://runsignup.com/dreambig5krunwalkroll

The EWSD held five virtual BudgetTalk sessions where Board members and administration had conversations with the public to talk about the proposed budget. If you missed any of those, you can view each of the recordings on the EWSD budget webpage (www.ewsd.org/budget).

We are 1 week out until the highly anticipated EWSD Fine Arts Night! This event is a showcase of all K-12 artists and musicians. For more information, and the evening performance schedule, visit www.ewsd.org/fineartsnight 🎨🖌️🎶🎻🎤♥️🎉👏

One week from today, the polls will be open, and you will be able to vote on the FY26 EWSD budget. Visit www.ewsd.org/budget to learn more about the budgeting process, including the latest updates and answers to many frequently asked questions.

As we get closer to the budget vote, we want to explain some of the language you will see on the ballot to help avoid confusion. The proposed budget keeps school spending at the same level as this year, which was a big challenge. To do this, we had to cut $5.6 million. This means that any changes in property taxes will come from the state’s funding rules and rising home values, not from local school spending decisions. 👇👇

In music, Fleming students have been developing their focus, discipline, and perseverance in a fun way by learning to play the ukulele. They end this 6-week unit by choosing a preferred song to perform either solo or with friends. In beginning band, students have been focusing on listening to each other and developing their ability to play in harmony and stay in tune as a group. Chorus students begin each rehearsal with vocal warm-ups that include breathing exercises, stretches, and posture practice, and they always end with singing a fun song together before heading off to class for the day!

🔔 Reminder there is no school on Monday, March 31. School will resume on Tuesday, April 1.

The 2024-25 EWSD annual report is now available online: https://bit.ly/FY26EWSDannualreport Hard copies of the annual report will be available at the following locations starting on March 28, 2025: Brownell Library, Essex Free Library, EWSD District Office, City of Essex Junction Municipal Office, Westford Public Library, Essex Town Clerk’s Office, and Westford Town Office.

The EWSD Board and administration invite you to join them for a virtual conversation as part of the District’s BudgetTalk series (https://bit.ly/EWSDbudgettalkseries) on March 27 from 6:30-7:30 p.m. Learn more about the proposed EWSD budget: www.ewsd.org/budget

The Heavenly Food Pantry, located at the First Congregational Church on Main Street in Essex Junction, will be open to families residing in Essex, Essex Junction, and Westford on Thursday, March 27, from 3-6 p.m. Those arriving will be given a number, asked to wait in the sanctuary for their number to be called, and registered before being directed to the pantry where a volunteer will greet and escort them around the pantry, allowing them to make food selections for their household. After food is gathered, it will be weighed (information for pantry use only) and another volunteer will bring the food to the family’s vehicle. Shopping carts will be made available for those within walking distance of the pantry. As usual, there are no income requirements to visit the food pantry and a variety of food is available to everyone; however, additional food provided by the USDA is available once a month to eligible households that fall below federally mandated guidelines. People who are not able to attend the pantry may call the Church office at 878-5745 Ext. 4 between 9 a.m. and noon today through Thursday to leave contact information (name, address, number of people in household, phone number) so arrangements for delivery can be made. A follow-up call to complete registration will take place on Thursday morning. Families can visit the pantry once each calendar month on the 2nd Monday of the month from 5:30-7:30 p.m. or the 4th Thursday of the month from 3-6 p.m. (except for November and December when it is the 3rd Thursday). The next food pantry distribution will be on Monday, April 14, from 5:30-7:30 p.m.