THE NEWSLETTER
August 14, 2023
ADMINISTRATION UPDATE
Greetings to all of the CCS students, families, caregivers and community members,
Welcome to the 2023-2024 school year! We hope this message finds you all well rested and ready for a new school year. Summers always fly by watching projects come together at school. This year has been no different. There is so much to celebrate and a few details still needed to button-up the building to have it ready for staff and students. The CVSD Blog has captured much of what has been happening in the building.
As we embark on this new year, CVSD has released updated Values, Vision and Mission centering on our students. At the heart of it, we are committed to educating and empowering all students with the knowledge, understanding, skills, and curiosity to contribute to and flourish in a complex world. Collaborating with families, caregivers and the broader community can make this a reality. We are thrilled to have you, the youth of Charlotte and our outstanding team of educators coming together soon.
Messages from the Charlotte Administrative Team
Jen Roth, CCS Principal - I am thrilled to be joining CCS for another year as the lead administrator. Seeing students be curious, compassionate and working hard to accomplish their goals inspires me. I’ve been in public education as a teacher and school leader for over 25 years. I am the mother of four children ranging in age from 18-28, whom I can watch blossom and find their place in the world. When I find down time, being on the lake or spending time with family and friends fuels me. Please reach out if you’d like to share more about your hopes for the coming school year.
Amanda Riggleman, CCS Assistant Principal - Hello! I am very excited to be joining CCS this school year as the assistant principal. I am originally from Virginia where I spent much of my career as a science educator before moving into administration. I have a deep love of science and learning about the natural world that surrounds us. I have enjoyed paddleboarding, hiking, and spending time with my family this summer. I also am an equestrian outside of school and love spending time in the barn and riding. My family includes my husband, our rescue cat, and two horses as well as lots of nieces and nephews. I am looking forward to the start of school and meeting everyone in the CCS community.
Beth Slater, Director of Student Service - Happy August!! I am excited to start my 7th year at CCS. I am the Director of Student Services and the 7th grade special educator. I have spent my summer playing pickleball, dodging rain to road and mountain bike and spending time with my family. I am excited to connect with students, staff, and caregivers this upcoming school year.
Assignments for the 2023-2024 School Year:
Kindergarten - Sarah Cota and Beth Rowntree
Grade 1 - Michelle Filardi, Monica Lubic
Grade 2 - Danielle Hall-Potvin, Shannon Spellman and Jane Redden
Grade 3 - Linda Poirier and Sophie Hatch
Grade 4 - Katie Fraser and Dana Hanf
Special Educators K-4 - Lizzy Kruger, Doug Pierson and SLP Alyssa Jones
Grade 5: Dave Baird (Math and Science) and Brian Loughlin (ELA and Social Studies)
Angie Morin, Grade 5 Special Educator
Grade 6 : Chris Evans (Math and Science), Conor Emerson (ELA and Social Studies)
Allison Carr, Grade 6 Special Educator
Grade 7/8 : Matt Lutz and Julia Beerworth (Humanities), Sarah Pierson (World Language)
Rachael Miller (Math) and Andrew Lounsbury (Science)
Betsy Martin, 8th grade Special Educator and Beth Slater, 7th grade Special Educator and
SLP Caroline Homan
Our Essential Arts Specialists
Steve Flint: Science Technology Engineering & Math
Matt Kent: K-4 Physical Education and Wellness
Nick Elderton: 5-8 Health, Physical Education and Athletic Director
Erika Norris: Art
Andy Smith: Gr 3-8 General Music and Instrumental Gr 5-8
Chris Gribnau: Gr K-4 General Music & Vocal Gr 5-8
Heidi Huestis: CCS Library and Media Specialist
Amy Sayre (CVSD SAP): Wellness gr 3-8
Math: Mary Tierney, Elisa Miller, Liz Kehr
Literacy: Deb Killkelley, Nan Boffa, Laurie Maichel
Behavior Supports: Tim Holcomb and Meg Powell
Our Educational Support Professionals: Kari Cuneo, Genevieve Trono, Simon Ateny, Zach Pichette, Donna Fraser-Leary, Kim Johansen, and other positions still being filled.
Part Time Lunch/Recess: Kate Ahrens, Robert Caldwell, Carol Blanshine
Administrators: Jen Roth (Lead), Amanda Riggleman (Assistant), Beth Slater (Director of Student Support)
Administrative Assistants: Naomi Strada, Cindy LaWare, Kathie Wagner
We are all here to support your student’s return to school on August 30th! We look forward to partnering with all of you in this work. Please enjoy the last few days of summer!
All our best,
Jen, Amanda and Beth
CCS COMMUNICATION
We are excited to be writing this, our very first 23-24 CCS Community Newsletter. Every Friday that school is in session, throughout the school year, our administrative team sends home communication with the most important information to prepare you and your students for the coming week. Each grade level team will also be communicating with families and caregivers via blogs, newsletters or through the SeeSaw app. All of the teams will be sending out a welcome letter to you this week with important highlights about what to expect for the year. Please reach out to your child(ren)’s teacher(s) with your specific questions.
Clarity and collaboration is very important to us. We have our updated CCS Family and Student Handbook, the revised CVSD Family and Student Handbook, and our newly revamped CCS Website full of great information to help you prepare for the year.
A few dates to have on your radar and the CVSD K-8 School Calendar to refer to.
First day of school- Wednesday August 30th (Early dismissal)
Mon. Sept. 4th Memorial Day- No School
Thurs. Sept 21th PTO Open House (5-6 PM) and Potluck (5:30-6:30)
Fri. Sept 22nd Picture Day
Mon. Sept 25th- No School Yom Kippur
MIDDLE SCHOOL ATHLETICS
CCS Athletics Welcome Letter (please read!)
At CCS, we want to make every sports experience rewarding for all student-athletes. We want to help foster an atmosphere of support, sportsmanship, and encouragement to all athletes so they can achieve their individual & team goals. Our website is designed to give families the ability to see what each sport offered at CCS is all about and to see any news and announcements. We want to provide your child with a positive experience and build positive cultures, not only within each individual program, but as a community as a whole. With an ability to have positive, student-centered coaches alongside positive work ethics from all athletes, we will have a lot of success and fun along the way. If any questions come up, please feel free to reach out to me via email.
Athletic Director, Nicky Elderton Nelderton@cvsdvt.org 2023 Sports registration form
FINGERPRINTING SUPPORT FROM OUR PTO
CCS teachers and the administration will be making efforts this year to increase volunteer opportunities—in both K-4 AND 5-8! We encourage parents, grandparents, and all caregivers to volunteer!
If you would like to be an unsupervised chaperone (field trips, etc.) or volunteer with CCS during the next school year, the PTO is hosting a Fingerprinting Drive on Thursday August 31! Sign up for an appointment here. All expenses will be paid for by the PTO.
Please book a spot by Thursday August 24. There are only 12 spots so book your appointment soon! Need childcare for little ones during this time? Please let us know and we’ll try to figure something out for you!
Do these times not work for you? You can do the same process on your own. You just need to make an appointment with the police department (Mondays and Thursdays only from 8:20-1:40 or so) and go into the CSVD office 5 minutes before. It’s all in the same building which is very convenient! Jessica with CSVD is super helpful! Payments are required to CSVD ($11.25) and the police department ($25)--check or cash.
Please contact Damaris Herlihy with any questions. Damaris.herlihy@gmail.com
CVSD TRANSPORTATION
Link to CVSD Transportation plan for CCS 2023 school year will be updated in the coming week. The district is currently developing the routes and will update the district page as soon as it is complete.
HELPFUL CCS LINKS
HELPFUL COMMUNITY LINKS
ABOUT US
Jen Roth, Lead Principal
Amanda Riggleman, Assistant Principal
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.