Meeting Topic: 聽Parentally-Placed Students in Non-public Schools (including Home Study) and Proportionate Share Requirements

Audience: 聽Parents who have children enrolled in a non-public school (St. Francis Xavier) and/or in a home study program

When:聽 Thursday, October 9th, 2025 at 9:00 am

How to Join:

Please contact Katherine Blair at kblair@wsdvt.org or 802-829-5120 with your name and email address for the Google Meet link for this meeting.听 You can also attend this meeting in person at:聽 60 Normand Street, 私房俱乐部, VT聽 05404 in the support services conference room.听聽

Summary:

The IDEA requires local education agencies (LEAs) to provide special education services to eligible students who are enrolled by their parents in non-profit non-public schools for the purpose of delivering an elementary and/or secondary education.听 Each LEA must use a proportionate share of their IDEA funds to provide special education services to non-profit non-public schools and home-schooled students with disabilities.听 For the purposes of proportionate share requirement, Vermont defines non-public schools as:聽 independent (secular, and non-secular) schools, as well as home study programs.听聽

The meeting will be facilitated by the Office of Support Services. Katherine Blair will meet at 9 am via Google Meet and in person on 10/09/25 to review this process and answer any questions you may have.听聽

私房俱乐部

The 私房俱乐部 is seeking Instructional Assistants to work with students with disabilities to provide academic support as well as behavior/emotional support. There are multiple positions to fill across the District (preschool to high school). Responsibilities include providing support to students regarding emotional regulation, academics, and social skills. Other responsibilities include assisting with data collection and progress monitoring, as well as supporting students when they participate within the mainstream classroom.

The 私房俱乐部 is a PreK through 12 system that is housed in one educational center. 私房俱乐部 is one of the most diverse school districts in the state of Vermont. 私房俱乐部’s teachers and staff are highly involved in professional development programs that help increase student achievement, address the needs of a diverse student population and allow students to thrive in an engaging environment with high expectations.

Position Type: Full-time

Positions Available: Multiple

If interested, please contact:聽 Katherine Blair at (802) 383-6085 or kblair@wsdvt.org

For my Culture and Community Capstone, I wanted to learn more about the experiences of immigrant children who came to America at a young age. I asked my classmates a series of questions about their experiences with assimilation. This topic is interesting to me because I was one of those immigrant children who had a difficult time learning the language, being accepted by the other students, and struggling to hide parts of my culture I considered embarrassing. Some of the topics we discussed included whether they felt pressured to eat foods that were not connected to their cultures; if they were ever embarrassed to speak their home language in public; and how discrimination they faced in childhood affects them today. I wanted to share one story that really stood out to me from my friend, Saima Ahmed.听

Exploring Assimilation with Saima Ahmed – Interview by Maymun Mohamed
I鈥檓 from Somalia. I was born in the capital, Xamar. My name is Saima, I came to America with my family in 2016, so I haven鈥檛 been here for that long. My English isn鈥檛 the best, especially since I came to America when I was 14 and now I鈥檓 20. My family is pretty big, I have nine siblings, including myself that鈥檚 10 kids. I came here with my seven siblings, and then we came to America, and my mom met my step-dad and she had my two siblings with him. So in total, that’s nine siblings for me.

I鈥檝e never felt pressure eating foods that aren’t in my culture, I鈥檝e always had to deal with pressure in doing things I would never do, like going to parties, smoking, and drinking. And when I explained to them that in my religion and culture we aren鈥檛 allowed to smoke, drink, and intermix with others of the other sex, they called me a prude, and to loosen up. I don鈥檛 think they had any respect for my culture and religion. For me, they weren鈥檛 my friends, because if they did respect me and were my friends they wouldn鈥檛 have tried to pressure me to do things I don鈥檛 find comfortable. I鈥檝e removed myself from that situation and just never spent time with those people again because I did feel like if I continued spending time with them I would actually do the things they would peer pressure me to do.

Yes, I鈥檝e felt a lot of pressure eating my cultural foods, especially since my English isn鈥檛 the best, I鈥檝e always felt a little embarrassed eating these foods in cafeterias, and anywhere else that has white people in it. I went to a predominantly white institution, and that led to me being teased by the white kids, and not feeling comfortable making friends with people not in my culture. I think the way people seem to see something different and treat it differently is very weird. Just because the food I eat isn鈥檛 something that is in their daily lives doesn鈥檛 make it very strange. I mean they eat junk foods/fast food daily, and yet I don鈥檛 make fun of them for eating unhealthy foods. The foods that I eat in our culture are rich in nutrients and protein, and the foods I鈥檝e seen them eat are not that healthy, especially the foods on the weekdays. I feel like the convenience of fast food has led to people replacing the importance of home-cooked meals. The only time they鈥檝e eaten anything home-cooked, is either on the weekends or their holidays, like thanksgiving.

I鈥檝e felt quite embarrassed speaking Somali sometimes, It鈥檚 quite hard speaking in a different language around people that can鈥檛 understand me, doing something like that is a little unnerving. But I do like speaking in Somali when my friends and I want to talk privately without someone else understanding what we鈥檙e saying. Being a Hijabi even if I refused to wear our cultural clothing they鈥檒l know I鈥檓 different because I鈥檓 visibly Muslim. And if I ever feel a little shy or embarrassed wearing it I always think, If I鈥檓 pious enough to wear my religion, then I am loyal enough to wear my heritage that Allah blessed me with. So even though I feel a little embarrassed I wear it as a symbol of pride because of the brave Somali women who made it for us.

Assimilation affected me when I first came to America, being a shy little immigrant I wanted to desperately fit in, so I tried wearing the clothes they wore, the way they talked, and other things. I wanted to whitewash myself and the discrimination from when I came here at first did lead to my whitewashing myself. I’m very connected to my culture, I hang out with only our people, I鈥檓 surrounded by Somali people, Somali foods, and Somali clothing. So I consider myself very connected.

What are you doing now?

I was never the type to ask for help until I came here and realized that I can鈥檛 cruise through life knowing everything on my own. I figured out that if you are trying and failing you are doing the right thing because failing is better than not trying.

I take advantage of every opportunity that comes my way. I attend every networking event and job fair and plan to leave college 鈥淓very hand shook and baby kissed鈥� because you never know who you might meet who can give you an opportunity later in life.听

My social life is non-existent because school takes up most of my time. Sometimes my friends and I will go bowling or visit Chicago but mostly I focus on school.听

You are President of the Black Student Union, Vice President of the Trine Muslim Association, Vice President of the Trine Student Marketing Association and you host a Black Student Union podcast鈥n addition to your studies. How do you manage to do it all?

Taking on these leadership roles has taught me time management and how to use weekly planners. I use my outlook calendar to organize my day. Sometimes I鈥檒l be doing a task and then the reminder pops up, and it鈥檚 really helpful. My leadership also taught me what to prioritize and how to say no.

Trine is in a very rural area and isn鈥檛 very diverse. The Black Student Union鈥檚 main objective is to uplift the Black community and give Black students a safe space and give under-represented students a voice on campus.听

How did WHS prepare you for your current success?
I really enjoyed how we did speeches and presentations instead of exams. In business school, we give more speeches than anything else. WHS taught me to be an effective communicator. it took confidence and practice to get up there and fight the urge to sit back down. Anyone can take an exam but getting up and speaking coherently to a room full of people about your learning takes courage!

In 私房俱乐部, we also excelled at creating interpersonal relationships and friendships, which is a skill I鈥檝e brought with me to college.听

I like to think I鈥檓 living proof of what 私房俱乐部 has been able to accomplish.听

Advice for current students?
Wake up early! You only have so much time in a day. There are only 24 hours and 7/8 are for sleeping. School classes are only a few hours a day so make sure you focus. Make sure you make time to grind, time to sit down, and time to take care of your mental health and figure out what is going to make you continue to strive.

You should plan the day so you aren鈥檛 reacting to what is going on but you have planned for what鈥檚 going on.听

My other advice is: Talk to everyone. Join clubs. Speak up. It might be hard at first but you have to get through the 鈥渘o鈥� to get to the 鈥測es鈥�.听

Fondest memory of 私房俱乐部?
I have great memories of the breakfast break between the first and second class. They gave us 20 minutes to talk to our friends in the morning in the hallway. I also have good memories of lunchtime in Mrs. Poquette鈥檚 class.

I remember I used to fake sickness so I could go take a nap in the health office. I’d nap, get some crackers, and go back to class. Then they caught on and I didn鈥檛 get away with it anymore!聽

Why do you heart 私房俱乐部?
私房俱乐部 is a family. It鈥檚 so small you are forced to know everyone (in a pleasant way). Mr. McQuinn, Mr. Lit, Mr. McNally, Mr. Clark, and Ms. Poquette, they were all easy to talk to and so friendly. We were a very tight-knit group.

I want to remind students to be nice to their teachers because they will miss them in the years ahead. Now that I鈥檓 able to friend my high school teachers on Facebook it鈥檚 nice to see what they鈥檝e been up to and share memories.听

Kindergarten Screening Day will take place on April 5th, 2023 with sessions scheduled throughout the day.听

To sign up for a session, please call the JFK main office at (802) 655-0411

At least one parent or guardian will need to attend with their student. When students and families arrive at Kindergarten Screening Day, we will have a short welcome and staff will be introduced. After introductions, the students will go to one of our Kindergarten classrooms with the Kindergarten teachers and other JFK staff to play and complete some academic screenings. The screenings look at students鈥� play, engagement, social skills, number and letter knowledge, and fine motor skills. We know that these screenings are just a snapshot of who your student is as a person and learner.听

While the students are in the classroom, the families will participate in a welcome to JFK overview presentation, complete registration, and fill out a sheet that tells us all about your student. Please bring your child鈥檚 birth certificate, updated immunization records, and proof of residency to the appointment.

If you are not able to attend on April 5th, please call the JFK main office to inquire about other options for completing this necessary step to sending your child to Kindergarten.

After attending Kindergarten Screening Day, JFK Elementary staff will begin working on placing your student in a Kindergarten class for the 2023/2024 school year. You will be contacted in August with information about who your child鈥檚 teacher will be.听

How did 私房俱乐部 prepare you for your current success?
私房俱乐部 prepared me for success in a few unique ways. First of all, 私房俱乐部 is unlike any other school in Vermont, a small gem full of diversity. 私房俱乐部 really opened my eyes up to the people in the world, the turmoils humans face in/outside the U.S., and really just made me learn how to respect everyone and love them for their diversity. Yes, there is one human race, but our individuality and identities shape us– ground us. Therefore our uniqueness should be celebrated, never ignored or reformed. The second way 私房俱乐部 shaped me was its size. Being a graduating class of 29 students really let me get the best out of all aspects of high school. I was an athlete, participated in school plays, marching band, etc. You really can do it all in 私房俱乐部. In addition, the small size means that you matter. Your teachers do NOT work at 私房俱乐部 for the paycheck, believe me. They come to work day in and day out for you, they are passionate about delivering you an education. They want you to succeed. The educational staff at 私房俱乐部 values you for you, and that just made my learning that much more enjoyable. I felt valued, so I took going to school seriously and felt appreciated there. I wasn鈥檛 just a number, I was Amanda Nattress. On top of that 私房俱乐部 offers a plethora of resources when it comes to self-directed learning. They allowed me to explore my interests. I was able to attend both virtual high school and take 鈥渟emester鈥� long one-credit high school classes in a variety of topics that weren鈥檛 offered at 私房俱乐部 such as Exploring the Holocaust, Biochemistry, Meteorology, Poetry, and many more. Finally, 私房俱乐部 prepared me for success because they had the resources to push me. For example, we didn鈥檛 have more than one AP class, and I wanted to get college credit so they helped me secure the funding I needed to go to UVM in 2013. They also helped navigate me to other funding so I could take a total of 19 college credits for a very small fee by the time I graduated.听

Advice for current students?
My advice to current students is to never ever doubt yourself and let someone tell you that you can鈥檛. Growing up, a lot of people made fun of me for being from 私房俱乐部, saying that I would never amount to anything because it is a 鈥渂ad school鈥� and/or 鈥渢oo small to be competitive.鈥� Well let me tell you, I graduated UVM with a 3.87 GPA, majored in Biochemistry, minored in Pharmacology and Nutrition. It doesn鈥檛 matter what anyone else says. You are the only person who sits down to take the exam at the end of the day. You are the only person who gets to define what your life is. So take control of it. Hold yourself accountable. Push yourself, you know you鈥檙e capable of it. And if you fall down, get up and try again. Failure only occurs when you accept it. Until then, it is a mere lesson.听

Fondest memory of 私房俱乐部?
I have a lot of fond memories from 私房俱乐部. I think my fondest memory is when my basketball team won the Vermont Division III Women鈥檚 Basketball championship. My time on the court and with the team is something I will never forget. I am still friends with a lot of my teammates today.听

Why do you heart 私房俱乐部?
鈥溗椒烤憷植� my town,鈥� -A2VT. Honestly, I couldn鈥檛 imagine growing up any other place than 私房俱乐部. I have been so lucky to see people from all walks of life, something that many people in VT don鈥檛 have the luxury of. I learned the meaning of cultural humility, and how to appreciate our uniqueness. I learned that small is not bad, it allows for a true connection. 私房俱乐部 is and forever will be my home at heart.

• The COVID-positive student must go home and quarantine for five days. The day your child tests positive is Day one (1).
• Please inform the 私房俱乐部 COVID Coordinators at 802-556-2243.
• On days four and five they should take a rapid antigen BinaxNOW test (spaced 24 hours apart). The school can provide take-home test kits while supplies last.听(Call the COVID Hotline at 802-556-2243 to get a kit.)
• If the results of the BinaxNOW tests are both negative, your child may return to school on day five (5) as long as their symptoms are significantly improving.
• Your child may also be rapid tested upon their return to school as determined by the COVID Coordinators.
• If your child tests positive on either day four (4) or five (5) they must stay home until day 10. They may return to school on day 11.

Please watch the video below to make sure you are using the BinaxNOW rapid antigen tests accurately:

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In the past eight years, the 私房俱乐部 Spartans have raised over $70,000! The funds support programs that foster the inclusion and acceptance of people with disabilities through athletics. The funds directly support the 私房俱乐部 Unified Sports program where athletes practice and compete in bowling and bocce.

We are hoping to have a record turnout after last year鈥檚 virtual event! Our team is open to 私房俱乐部 students, staff, town residents, city employees, and local businesses.