Westford School -

The second annual EWSD Potluck & Multicultural Festival took place earlier this month. 🌍✨ Families from across the District came together to share delicious dishes inspired by their cultures, enjoy fun activities, and win exciting prizes. Thank you to everyone who helped make this event such a success!

Bringing your own reusable bags saves the environment and allows the pantry to focus more on food for your family! 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, May 22, from 3-6 p.m. Beginning at 3 p.m., families arriving will be given a number and asked to wait in the sanctuary until their number is called. They will then complete their registration. A volunteer will greet and escort them around the pantry, allowing them to make food selections of their choosing. After the 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. The pantry asks for proof of residence for each household in the form of a current utility bill with a physical address listed. In lieu of this, families may provide a current correspondence from a government agency or other official mail. Identification for each household member may consist of a driver’s license, hospital card, insurance card, school-issued identification, social security card, or birth certificate. 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. There will also be shopping carts available for those living within walking distance of the pantry. 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 people in the family, and a 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-either 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, June 9, from 5:30-7:30 p.m.

📢 We're Hiring at Essex Westford School District! We're currently hiring for several exciting roles, including: 🎨 CTE Design & Creative Media Instructor 🚗 CTE Automotive Technology Instructor 🌟 Special Educator – ExCEL Program at EHS 📚 Library Technical Assistant at EHS 🤝 Mainstream Instructional Assistant at EHS 🧠 Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) 👉 Explore all current openings and apply at: www.ewsd.org/jobs

The EWSD Special Education Parent Advisory Council (SEPAC) is inviting families for a free night out to meet other families, learn about available resources, and establish connections in a safe and inclusive environment. Save the date for this fun event that will take place on May 19 from 6-7:30 p.m. at Founders Memorial School. There will be dinner, music, active games and quiet activities for kids, and community connections! Please RSVP to this event by Wednesday, May 14. . . https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSe9ik2C6mg344lLH8IoT7FyzCHKbiQh-QujWAOIPUgWO4kMrw/viewform

Please be advised that there may be increased traffic near Essex High School on May 8, 9, and 10, as EHS will be hosting the Vermont All-State Music Festival.

The Westford Science Fair was held in the school gymnasium. The theme this year was A Sky Full of Stars!

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. 👇👇