Laraway Job Fair in Newport on April 28th

   
     Did you know that Laraway is opening a new micro-residential program in Westfield, Vermont? We were selected by the State of Vermont following a competitive bid process.  Westfield House will be modelled after Laraway's successful Foote Brook House in Johnson, providing crucial transition-related services to youth.  Programming is activity-based with lots of outdoor adventuring.
     Laraway will be holding a Career Fair on Tuesday, April 28th from 1:00-5:00 p.m. at the Emory Hebard State Office Building, CCV Conference Room, 100 Main Street, Newport.  Positions for which we are recruiting:  Residential Program Leads, Residential Support Staff, Residential Case Manager and Community Support Staff.
     For more information, please contact Rhonda Stuart at RhondaS@Laraway.org or 802-635-2805 x 105.

Earth Day at Laraway: Time to plant some trees

   
     Hazelnut.  Apple. Aronia.  Black Walnut.  Poplar.  Hickory.  Persimmon.  These varieties represent the 600+ trees Laraway plans to plant this spring.  Rain clouds lifted this morning after several days of rain.  The soil at our 39-acre farmstead has been freed from winter's ice, snow and deep frost.
     It is, perhaps, a sweet coincidence that our inaugural planting of 2015 coincides with Earth Day.  The first Earth Day, celebrated in 1970, was launched to raise awareness of the need to protect our environment to insure clean air, water and soil.  It followed the 1962 publication of Rachel Carson's groundbreaking book, Silent Spring.
     The trees we plant today will take years to grow to maturity.  We hope they will grow tall and stand strong.  We have the same hopes for the youth we serve.

Rite Aid Foundation supports youth programs with KidCents

     Looking for an easy way to support Laraway?  If you shop at Rite Aid, please consider rounding up your purchases to support Laraway's programs for children, youth and families.  To sign up, please go to www.kidcents.com to create an account and designate Laraway as your preferred charity. Every little bit counts.  Thank you!

Support Laraway with AmazonSmile

   
When shopping online thru AmazonSmile, you can support Laraway Youth & Family Services' work with children, youth and families.  Visit smile.amazon.com to choose Laraway as your designated charity.  Amazon will then donate 0.5% of eligible purchase amounts to support our work. Thank you!

Laraway School receives Arbordale Fun eReader Grant

     Laraway School has been selected to receive a two-year Arbordale Fun eReader Grant.  This grant gives the school free access to all science and math picture books in the Arbordale library.  Students will be able to access titles via computers and tablets.  Titles have enhanced features which include word highlighting, speed control and usage data allowing teachers to track individual students' reading.
     Literacy activities are woven into Laraway School's curriculum, across content areas.  The Arbordale grant puts another tool in our teachers' toolboxes to get students excited about reading.

Got Sap?

     Collecting sap and boiling it down to sweet, amber syrup is a rite of spring in Vermont.  Since moving to our 39-acre farmstead, we've been able to tap into the maple trees on our property to produce Laraway's very own maple syrup.
     Laraway School students learned about the science behind the maple sugaring process. Fifty-two tree taps were readied, waiting for optimal conditions for sap to flow:  warm days and cool nights. Buckets filled with sap.
     An outdoor wood fire served as the hearth for transformation from sap to sweet maple syrup.  Students and staff fed the fire and supervised the steaming cauldron sending wafts of maple-infused steam into the air.
     What's the yield been so far?  A whopping four gallons...and counting!  It takes a lot of sap to cook up just one gallon of maple syrup. What's the SWEETEST part of the deal?  Laraway is serving our maple syrup in the school cafeteria.
     Think sunshine.  Think spring.  Think students learning and doing science in hands-on, tangible and tasty ways.  Think Laraway maple syrup!