THE NEWSLETTER
December 2, 2022
CHARLOTTE CENTRAL SCHOOL CELEBRATIONS
Congratulations to Monica Littlefield who welcomed a new member into their family during our Thanksgiving break week. To sustain our music department for the rest of the week, we are fortunate to have Courtney Christie at CCS in the mornings and Emy Berger supporting afternoons at CCS.
Congratulations to Julia Beerworth who was featured this week in The Citizen. Our entire community benefits from Julia’s passion for music and dedication to students.
Congratulations to Lucia Hackerman, Oliver Smith, Sarah Stein, Ryder Jones, Rory Donahue and Owen Scriver. They will be representing CCS at the District III Music Festival in February 2023 as part of the honors band. We are proud of all of you!
Our fourth graders shared their performance of Paul Revere during our school wide assembly this morning. Their reading of each part was spectacular and the audience gave them an appreciative and energetic round of applause at the conclusion. Well done, 4th graders!.
WORLD CUP COMMUNITY-BUILDING AT CCS
Tuesday afternoon was an exciting gathering of students in both middle school and the primary grades as we came together to watch the start of the World Cup Soccer game IRN v USA. While we could only watch the first 30 minutes at the start of the game, there was a unified energy celebrating attempts on goals, saves by goalies and the great passing abilities of the players. Students across the cohorts could be heard explaining to others what they know about players, the team, and the World Cup tournament. As students were dismissed for the day, there was a constant replay of the single score made and a collective excitement to get home to watch the conclusion of the match.
ADMINISTRATION UPDATE
Dear CCS Families, Caregivers and Community Members,
Charlotte Central School is always working to wrap our supportive arms around all children to give them the instruction and support necessary to feel successful academically, socially, emotionally and behaviorally. We have a team of dedicated humans with specific expertise to meet the targeted needs of students. Our instructional team is an exceptional resource we use flexibly to meet the needs of children through target groups that re-teach or pre-teach skills being instructed to all students in the class. Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS) is an acronym for the systems we put into place to meet needs of all students in school. MTSS is how our system runs and it is essential all families, caregivers and stakeholders understand how we use this layered approach to make sure every student is getting what they need to feel safe emotionally and to feel successful academically.
The term “layered” is intentionally used because students do not exist in a tier of learning and instruction as the acronym suggests. As a public school, we provide a universal layer of instruction to all of our students- this can be in mathematics, literacy, language/communication, social-emotional learning and behavior. If the student is struggling to find success in the first layer of the learning, additional accommodations (and layers) can be added to reteach or pre-teach the skills necessary for their success.
At Thursday’s Administration Coffee, we introduced three experts who focus on the social and emotional needs of students: Betsy Lloyd, Amy Sayre and Gabby Clow. In addition to those on our team who were present, we are fortunate to have two outside clinicians who set office hours at CCS to provide therapy to students.
Betsy Lloyd universally supports all (352) students. It’s a balance providing the support kids need academically, socially, emotionally. Sometimes Betsy pushes into classes to be proactive and provide instruction with whole classes or small groups to develop strong pro-social relationships. Betsy also does small lunch bunches, hosts snack groups and responds to acute emotional needs of students. Some kids are seen on a short-term basis, depending on what’s going on in their lives (loss in the family, rough patch, etc.). She can connect students, caregivers and families to the community and outside resources. Families can always reach out to Betsy for education or information. Outside information, resources, and support can be overwhelming, and Betsy can assist families in navigating these. Her goal is to put energy in the right place to help kids grow and be successful. Betsy is open to feedback to grow her skills as the CCS school counselor.
Amy Sayre is the Student Assistance Program Counselor (SAP). She works at CCS 2.5 days a week and is shared with Hinesburg the other 2.5 days a week. At CCS, Amy teaches a wellness class to our 5th-8th grade students. Highlights of that curriculum this year have been our community service projects and student learning about the Science of Happiness. She leads our GLOW (Gay Lesbian Or Whoever) groups for the middle school and host an additional lunch bunch with a group of kids. Additionally, Amy collaborates with Betsy to support the general needs of students at the universal Tier 1 layer. This team of SEL experts work collaborating to connect with kids and get them what they need. Amy is also the Parent-In coordinator for CVSD. That role supports all parents. Most recently, a focus in this role has been around the topic of vaping and promoting prevention information related to vaping. More information about Parent In (Facebook and CVSD Site). Amy can access experts based on the CVSD community needs for families and caregivers. She will continue to support the PTO in her Parent-In role in any way that is meaningful to our community.
Gabby Clow came to CCS as a fulltime School Services Clinician this year. CCS added an additional .5 support from the Howard Center this year, as a buffer for changing needs in the endemic that have impacted students and families. Gabby’s caseload is intentionally limited so she can support a diverse amount of needs students and families may experience. She came to CCS after working in the Winooski School District in this role for 7 years prior. She also has her own private practice, specializing in equine assisted psychotherapy. Gabby focuses on mental health and emotional wellness, and she provides therapeutic services for students and families. She works the whole family on a variety of needs - access to food, access to community resources, Howard resources access point, etc.
Each one of the humans in our school is unique with their own personalities, strengths and goals. As a public school, we are committed to supporting every child to progress through the emotional, physical, social and academic stages. Thursday’s SEL team presentation is only one team that collaborates to meet the diverse needs of our students, their families and our community. In the coming months, we will continue to introduce additional resources and systems we maximize to support you and your children. As a community, we are collectively responsible to raise awareness and rejuvenate commitment to all of our students’ mental, social, behavioral and academic success.
Thank you for your partnership!
With gratitude,
Jen, Courtney and Beth
IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER
Wednesday, Dec 4
Early Dismissal, 1:40 start loading buses, 1:50 car pick up begins. AM & PM, please do not enter the front parking lot until all of the buses have departed.
Saturday, Dec 10
CCS Holiday Market - Gym and MPR, 9:00am - 3:00pm
Wednesday, Dec 14
Early Dismissal, 1:40 start loading buses, 1:50 car pick up begins. AM & PM, please do not enter the front parking lot until all of the buses have departed.
Friday, Dec 16
Staff Appreciation Luncehon, Staff Room, 11:00 - 1:00. Sponsored by the 5/6 CCS families.
Monday, Dec 19
Winter Concert, MPR, 6:30pm
Wednesday, Dec 21
Early Dismissal, 1:40 start loading buses, 1:50 car pick up begins. AM & PM, please do not enter the front parking lot until all of the buses have departed.
Friday, Dec 23 through Monday, Jan 3
NO SCHOOL - Early Winter Break
MUSIC NEWS
Please mark your calendars for the 2022 Winter Concert featuring the CCS Jazz Band, 5th grade band, 6th grade band, 7-8 Band and the 5-8 chorus. This special event will take place on Monday, Dec 19, 2022 at 6:30 pm in the MPR at CCS. Performers should arrive at 6 pm. The concert is free and open to the public. We hope to see you there!
MORE MUSIC NEWS!!
Congratulations to Lucia Hackerman, Oliver Smith, Sarah Stein, Ryder Jones, Rory Donahue and Owen Scriver! They will be representing CCS at the District III Music Festival in February 2023 as part of the honors band. We are proud of all of you!
SIGN UP TO RECEIVE SMS/TEXT MESSAGES!
Please enroll to receive text messages from the district and our school. If you haven't done this yet or if you are new to CVSD, follow the easy steps on this flyer. We don't overuse this method of communication, but it is helpful for reminders and quick announcements. Don't miss out!
LET'S TALK!
Last March, the school district softly rolled out a new communication tool called Let's Talk. Let’s Talk makes it easy for parents, students, staff, and community members to ask questions, request information, and share feedback. Over the summer, we added topics for each of our schools. See this blog post to learn more and view a short video that explains how easy it is to use Let's Talk.
22-23 CVSD BUDGET MEETING SCHEDULE
CVSD invites all community members to learn about and join in on the budget development process by attending upcoming School Board meetings. All members of the CVSD community are always welcome to attend Board meetings. See the topics and schedule in the image above and on the Budget page of the district's website. https://www.cvsdvt.org/budget
Links to join the virtual meetings will be available on that page and on the website calendar. We will also post the presentations on the Budget page afterward for those that cannot attend.
CCS HOLIDAY MARKET
The Charlotte Central School (CCS) Holiday Market is back and we hope you can join us on Saturday, December 10th! The holiday market will be open from 9am to 3pm. We will have two gyms filled with artisans, as well as several on site food options. There will be a kids zone with free art projects for kids to create while you shop. We are excited to welcome back former CCS art teacher, Mrs. B, who will be leading spin art projects for kids.
New this year is our silent auction! The auction will open up online Saturday, December 3 at 8am. The auction features a week-long stay at Claybrook, Sugarbush, VT and artwork by Jessica Scriver. We have many other items from local businesses including, Elli Parr, Saratoga Olive Oils, Red Barn Kitchen, Mysa, The Gilded Elephant, and many more. To access the silent auction, please go to ourschool.auction/CCSholidaymarket
Silent auction and raffle proceeds will go directly to the CCS PTO to support a variety of student enrichment programs including STEM, Theater, Athletics, as well as our community Emergency Care Fund. We look forward to seeing you on December 10th.
ACCESS - COMMUNITY EDUCATION FOR ALL
Access is back in action with another semester of amazing enrichment options for both in-person and online learners. The Fall/Winter 2022 season runs from September – January, and the majority of classes take place at CVU High School, with the exception of online classes offered through Zoom. Class descriptions and details are listed on our website and can be sorted by category, month, week, or online. With over 200 class options and 89 fabulous instructors, there is something for everyone at Access!
ENROLL TODAY! Popular classes fill quickly, and low enrollment leads to canceled classes. To view the complete list of classes and to enroll online, visit our website https://cvsdvt.ce.eleyo.com/ (or Google, ACCESS CVU). For questions about classes or to enroll via email or phone, contact us at access@cvsdvt.org / 802-482-7194.
ABOUT US
Jen Roth, Lead Principal, Grades K-6
Courtney Krahn, Assistant Principal, Grades 7-8
Beth Slater, Director of Special Services
The Newsletter is published every Friday, when school is in session. It is delivered to our families via email, posted on our website, and on Front Porch Forum. A hard copy is available by contacting the school.