CCS Newsletter
January 10, 2020
ADMINISTRATION UPDATE
Dear CCS Friends and Families,
As we shared last week, we will be using the next several newsletters to share details about the work we are doing in specific areas with students, staff, our school, and our community that is innovative and worthy of celebration!
Students have benefitted from the two-year CVSD Innovation Grant proposed and received by Mr. Miller last year. We are in the midst of Phase 1 of this work - the creation of a small scale pilot project at CCS that will allow us to explore multiple implementations of VR / AR (virtual reality, augmented reality) technologies in various classrooms and grade levels. Through this work we will identify the equipment and training needs for a larger implementation, as well as creating some model lessons that can be confidently used across the district in Phase 2. Thus far at CCS, learning experiences have included:
- Testing the system in grades 4 through 8 including touring active geologic sites around the world as part of a systems /volcano unit in 4th grade, touring the solar system as part of a space unit in 5th, taking 6th graders for a VR tour of the International Space Station as part of an engineering design challenge, and developing multiple personal interest projects in 7th and 8th.
- creating a lockable, cart based storage / charging system that makes this entire pilot VR system portable throughout the building (and ultimately the district);
- Having samples of 5 different Virtual Reality headset systems in hand for testing / comparison to determine which is most effective and reliable for creating a full CVSD classroom system;
- Our 5th - 8th grade Essential Arts rotation classes have learned to share a tour of their life in virtual reality, embedding podcasts inside a 360 degree image to share the story
- initiated work with a "focus group" of students who will help explore, test, and implement new ideas for classrooms;
- Presenting a workshop sharing initial findings and Virtual Reality opportunities with VT educators at the Dynamic Landscapes conference last May.
Many CCS teachers are engaged in coursework on site with Scott Thompson (our Tarrant Institute Professional Development Coordinator) and CCS Digital Learning Leader Allan Miller. This course, entitled "Developing Safe, Effective and Sustainable Digital Workflows for K-8 Teachers" is supporting the overall technology integration model at CCS. Students will directly benefit from this as teachers develop and implement action research projects within their programs.
CCS has been recognized as a Common Sense Certified School for Digital Citizenship. Launched in 2011, Common Sense's Digital Citizenship Curriculum was designed to help educators, administrators, and schools navigate the tricky online world their students are living in. At CCS, this work focuses on the explicit teaching of skills for safe, respectful and purposeful use of technology for learning and everyday activities, communication with families and community members to support this mission and as a tool within our Behavior Support System to combat and address cyberbullying.
Speaking of digital citizenship, we would like to pass along a couple of resources to help parents navigate online/social media platforms and apps that students may be using. Here are a couple of good resources:
- Common Sense - Apps to Watch Out For
- Common Sense - Parents Ultimate Guides (to Instagram, TikTok and more)
CCS educators and students have been actively engaged in Lego Robotics and Hour of Code this year. Most recently our 3rd and 4th graders learned to code a micro: bit microprocessor and our K-2’s learned to program Dash and Dot robots to navigate a simple maze. Our first Lego Robotics Team also earned Rookie of the Year honors at the Vermont FIRST Lego State Championships in December.
As schools around the country have struggled with how to best manage students’ personal mobile device usage at school and the impact of their use on our students. The research on this subject is compelling. The more time that middle school students spend separated from mobile devices, the more they learn, and the less anxious they feel. A resource educators at our school and other CVSD middle schools have been reviewing is called "Away for the Day".
CVSD’s Director of Integrated Wellness, Christine Lloyd-Newberry, will be facilitating a book Discussion with Raising Humans in a Digital World on Wednesday, January 22 at the Charlotte Public Library. See the flyer below for more information.
Last, but certainly not least, CCS Digital Learning Leader Allan Miller has been awarded a Fulbright Distinguished Award in Teaching Short Term Program (Fulbright DAST) grant. Mr. Miller will be taking a short leave of absence later this month, traveling to do some exciting work in Samarkand, Uzbekistan training a cohort of science and technology teachers in current STEM pedagogy. Click here for the full press release.
During Allan’s leave, we will have Deb Sigel leading the STEM Essential Arts rotations in 5-8th grade. She has been working in engineering and teaching hands-on STEM/tinkering/tools for the last 16 years. She is an experienced engineer with a background in mechanical engineering, aerospace engineering, and robotics. She is also an artist on the side.
Over the next few weeks, we look forward to sharing more celebrations and innovations at CCS with you, including the areas of equity, personalization, physical climate and social-emotional learning!
Kind Regards,
Stephanie, Jen and Cassandra
IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER
Friday, January 10th
Principal Q & A, 2:15pm - 2:45pm
Tuesday, January 14th
Early Release, 1:55pm
Bolton Valley Ski & Ride, 2:00pm - 7:15pm
Friday, January 17th
Semester 1 Ends
Monday, January 20th
SCHOOL CLOSED - Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Tuesday January 21st
Early Release, 1:55pm
Bolton Valley Ski & Ride, 2:00pm - 7:15pm
CVSD Board Budget Mtg, CVU Rm 160, 6:00pm
Wednesday, January 22nd
Field Trip - Omega to Flynn Theater, 9:00am - 11:45am
Friday, January 24th
Winter Ball! (Grades 7 & 8), MPR, 7:00 - 9:00
Tuesday January 28th
Early Release, 1:55pm
Thursday, January 30th
8th Grade Student & Parent Night, CVU Gym, 6:30pm - 8:00pm
CVU 8TH GRADE STUDENT & PARENT NIGHT
AN INVITATION
To 8th Grade Parents and Students of the Class of 2024
8th Grade Student & Parent Night
Champlain Valley Union High School
CVU Gym, Thursday, January 30, 6:30-8:00 p.m.
This evening will provide you and your child an introduction to the academic and elective programs they will experience in the 9th grade.
MUSIC NEWS
Our 5th and 6th Grade Winter Band and Chorus Concert is coming up on Wednesday, January 29th at 7 PM in the MPR. Students should dress up for the occasion (no blue jeans or t-shirts please, sneakers are fine) and be prepared for a great performance!
Mr. Smith and Mrs. Littlefield both offer before-school music classes starting at 7:30 AM.
Mondays and Thursdays: 7-8 Jazz Band
Wednesdays: 5-6 Jazz Band
Tuesdays: 6-8 Concert Choir (starting again on January 14th)
Fridays: 6-8 Ukulele Band (starting on January 17th)
With the exception of 7-8 Jazz Band (which is a year long commitment) any middle level student is welcome to come check out these ensembles for the second half of the year and then commit for the remainder of the year if desired. Students are responsible for their own transportation to school. We encourage carpooling when possible!
The 5-8 Spring Chorus Concert date has CHANGED. It is now Monday, May 4th. Please make this important change to your calendars! The 5-8 Band Concert will remain Thursday, May 21st.
2020/2021 KINDERGARTEN REGISTRATION AT CCS
If your child(ren) will be 5 years old by September 1, 2020 they are eligible to attend kindergarten at Charlotte Central School for the 2020/2021 school year.
Registration will be held on Friday, February 7, 2020, by appointment only.
In preparation for your visit, we kindly ask you to complete this short survey.
CVSD PRESCHOOL LOTTERY INFORMATION
Champlain Valley School District School-Based Early Education Programs Preschool Lottery is coming soon!
The CVSD School-based Early Education Programs are now accepting applications for a random preschool lottery drawing for the 2020-21 school year. Our part-time, partial days, preschool classrooms are 5 STARs, licensed early education programs that provide play-based, developmentally appropriate environments for all children in an inclusive setting. Our curriculum is based on the Vermont Early Learning Standards (VELS) and Teaching Strategies Gold. We believe that a diverse classroom offers opportunities for adults and children to practice acceptance and compassion and also provides a broad range of learning experiences.
Our programs follow the CVSD school calendar. Students who will be age 3 or older by September 1, 2020, but not yet 5 years old, are eligible to enter the lottery for our programs.
All applications must be received by February 7, 2020 and are located on the CVSD website under Student Support Services. More information is available there also. Students will be selected via a lottery and families notified in February.
CVSD BUDGET MEETINGS
CVSD budget meetings will be held starting in November and continuing into January. Members of the CVSD communities are welcome to attend any and all meetings.