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Just a quick reminder that South Burlington's school budget is up for a vote on Town Meeting Day on March 7th. This includes a bond issue that plans to address the overcrowding that is impacting the elementary schools.

Information is available on the district website and will be discussed at school board meetings throughout January and February.

Every season, Girls on the Run creates a safe and FUN place for girls of all abilities to make new friends, establish healthy habits and challenge themselves with personal goals. The program is for 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders. It is 10 weeks and features 20 lessons. Information for girls to register will be coming soon.

We need at least 3 coaches to get the team going! We require that at least two coaches be present at each session, and we recommend identifying at least three volunteer coaches so there’s flexibility for any planned or unplanned absences throughout the season. Substitutes and Team Helpers are also required to submit a coach registration form.

Coach registration is open: gotrvt.org/coach

Coach | GOTR Vermont

Girls on the Run coaches are trained volunteers who lead a team of participants through a season of powerful and fun lessons. You do not need to be a runner; you simply need to have a desire to support and encourage the next generation.

gotrvt.org

Or you can contact Courtney Howard courtney.howard107@gmail.com or Nurse Farrell kfarrell@sbschools.net with questions.

Our Youth Cheer Team took first place in their first cheer competition last weekend! They competed at Missisquoi Union Valley High School against four other teams. Some of these smiling faces are GCS students!

A Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS) is a data-driven, problem-solving framework to improve outcomes for all students. MTSS relies on a continuum of evidence-based practices matched to student needs. PBiS is an example of MTSS centered on social behavior. All students receive universal supports in their classroom, like our Second Step program and Wolf Pack Time, and some students receive universal and other layers of assistance. These layers provide more opportunities for practice and feedback while keeping the intervention efficient. At Gertrude Chamberlin School we have a wide variety of interventions for students requiring more than universal supports. We have Second Step booster groups, CICO, Mini Mentors, breaks, jobs, guidance intervention, small group instruction, lunch groups and more. We look at data to determine what group might be the best fit for a particular student. If you would like more information about our layers of support at GCS, please feel free to contact our PBIS coordinator, Ms. Finlayson lfinlayson@sbschools.net or our behavior coaches, Mrs. Rundle lrundle@sbschools.net or Mrs. Goyet mgoyet@sbschools.net.

Last spring many of you responded to a survey that was sent out by our PBIS Team. Our staff spent time reviewing the answers and noting common themes. We used this information to form our action plan for the 22’-23’ school year. One area we are focusing on, is creating a mentorship program for families who are new to GCS. If your child is joining us in 1st-5th grade, families may not know about our traditions, culture, and routines. In an effort to help our new families become familiar with our community, we will pilot a mentoring program between GCS families. Along with this letter is a link to a “Family/Caregiver Mentor Interest Form”. Mentors would meet with Mrs. Post for a training before they meet with their mentee. The mentor and mentee will ideally meet once a month, and have access to an agenda that is managed by the school. The mentor and mentee can decide if they would like to meet more often than the once a month meeting. See our Mentor Handbook for more information.

One of our goals at GCS is to include different stakeholders in our PBIS Universal Team. Our current team includes a coordinator, administrator, a K-2 rep, a 3-5 rep, a special educator, support staff, School's Out staff, and student representatives. We are missing a very important stakeholder, families! We meet once a month to discuss our universal practices, PBIS events, and review non-confidential behavior data to create universal supports for our students. We meet one Monday afternoon a month from 2:50-3:20. 2023 dates are pending at this time. If you are interested in representing our community, please reach out to Mrs. Post at

epost@sbschools.net

The Asthma Surveillance Report from the Vermont Department of Health shows that 1 in 12 children have current asthma (~9,000) and 61% of those children had an exacerbation during the past year.

Triggers

When a child with asthma breathes air mixed with scented products (essential oil diffusers, perfume, smoke from cigarettes or wood burning, etc.) their asthma may flare up and make it more difficult to breathe. These are called asthma triggers. Triggers can also include respiratory infections, allergens, irritants, exercise, cold air and emotions. It's important to remove triggers in the child's environment that can make asthma worse. The main triggers that were identified in the Vermont Surveillance Report were indoor pets, gas stove cooking, carpet / pets in the bedroom and wood stove and fireplace use.

Identifying and reducing triggers in your home

It may seem a bit daunting, but this EPA checklist provides key points, potential action steps and helps identify asthma triggers (and thank goodness we don't have cockroaches in VT!).

Reducing 1-4 triggers can lend to improvement of symptoms.

Asthma Action Plan

3 out of 5 children received an Asthma Action Plan (AAP) from their provider. Consider obtaining an AAP and providing the school nurse with a copy. Communicate with your school nurse(s) about your child's asthma triggers and when their inhaler may be needed.

Be kind, stay well~ Mrs. Farrell

Our 5th graders were working hard this week on their Westward Expansion research projects, learning irregular verbs, understanding dimensions, and plotting data points from a science experiment to find out how many drops of water you can put on a penny. We have a very focused group of 5th graders!

Mark your calendars and visit the University Mall in South Burlington from February 13th - March 17th to see some of our student art work on display!

It's time to order your 2022-2023 yearbook! They come in full color, with an amazing cover of Lego self-portraits designed by our 5th graders, with tons of pictures and are only $20.00/each! You can also order personalization for an extra $2 and icons for $1/each. Deadline to order is April 21st, 2023. You can order online at https://jostensyearbooks.com/?REF=A09886709 or by filling out and returning the form coming home with your child. Again this year, the cover will be artwork from our awesome 5th graders! If you have questions about the yearbook, please contact Heather Osborne at dauben20@gmail.com or Cat Cutillo at catcutillo@gmail.com.

Chamberlin School is a great place to work! Please call Mrs. Baechle at 802-652-7403 or email Ms. Rouelle at hrouelle@sbschools.net if you are interested in any of the following positions:

Behavior Facilitator - This .5 position supports students with proactive check ins, regulation breaks, recess supervision and processing/problem solving. This position could be combined with another position to offer a full day of work, or stand on it's own from 10:15 AM - 1:15 PM.

Interventionist - This position is working 1:1 with students who have Individualized Education Plans and need direct support to access their learning.

Paraeducator - This position is working with small groups of students who need supports in math, reading and/or writing.

Recess Monitor - This is the perfect part time job! You can get fresh air every day and have fun outside with our students during recess. This could be 5 days a week or a few days a week for a few hours each day.

Please let us know if you are interested in supporting students at GCS and joining Team Chamberlin!

Translations of the P-EBT template letter to households are now available in 23 languages on the AOE’s P-EBT for School Officials webpage. Translations of the FAQs for households will be posted shortly to DCF’s P-EBT for Households webpage.

School's Out Early Education program is opening its doors to the public for the Late Winter School Break.

Need childcare for your potty trained 3-, 4-, or 5-year-old (not yet in Kindergarten) from Feb 27-Mar 7, register here.

See the information below on purchasing tickets. There is a limit of 100 children, so sign up soon if you are interested! There are some 50% off scholarships for this event - please contact Brett at bleonard@southburlingtonvt.gov

Upcoming in January and February, we have some special activities for kids in grades four and five. The Marabella Kidspace also has a designated area for students in grade 5 through 8 called The Hangout. It features two public access computers and a private place to study, read or just …hang out! Additionally, students in grade 5 and above are welcome to be at the library without a parent or guardian.

Here is the calendar of events for February!

Kelly Kendall

Children’s Librarian

South Burlington Public Library

Main Library phone: 802-846-4140

Direct line: 802-383-1794

180 Market Street

South Burlington, VT 05403

Library Hours

Monday-Thursday: 10am to 7pm

Friday: 10am to 5pm

Saturday: 10am to 2pm

Assistant Principals, Olivia Kane and Stephanie Sumner

Email: hrouelle@sbschools.net
Website: https://vt01819219.schoolwires.net/Domain/10
Location: Chamberlin School, White Street, South Burlington, VT, USA
Phone: 802 652 7403
Twitter: @hrouelle