THE NEWSLETTER
December 20, 2022 (Special End of Year Edition)
ADMINISTRATION UPDATE
Dear CCS Families, Caregivers and Community Members,
For the last ten years, my family has adopted a practice in December to focus on presence- time together appreciating each other, creating something, sharing stories, or cuddling up together to watch a show on tv. Over the last two weeks, that presence shined through in the halls and classrooms of CCS. From staff and students having read-a-thons to saving time in the day for collaborative games. Please look through our photos from This Week at CCS to see highlights of our time together.
We wish all of you a safe and peaceful winter break.
Happy Holidays,
CCS Administration
Celebration of Learning this week-
Authors in fifth grade shared their narrative writing with classmates who left post-it notes of positive feedback.
Second grade completed their poems and shared with classmates
Fourth grade will present their Revolutionary War books
The 5th-8th grade bands performed a variety of songs for a full house.
The 5th-8th grade chorus pulled together some seasonal songs of snow that had a crowd dancing in their seats.
Bus Transportation during the winter months can lead to some unexpected obstacles. In Charlotte, our buses navigate some of the trickiest rural roads and certain buses use drives to do K-turnarounds. This week, we’ve needed to send back-up buses out to finish bus runs whose route was too icy and a bus needed to wait on a tow-truck to pull a bus out of a snow drift. Our bus drivers are outstanding and when they face challenges, we are in constant communication with the Town of Hinesburg and Town of Monkton road crews and our director of transportation. Help us in our mission to keep kids safe. Make sure your child(ren) is/are always dressed for the weather conditions. Know that our drivers take it slower on wintery days and the window of time normally set for pick-up will be later.
Teacher Appreciation Luncheon pivoted to Monday for the CCS staff due to Friday’s snow day. Our staff room was filled with soups, pasta dishes, salads and lovely sweets. Having the CCS staff take 20+ minutes to enjoy a lunch, to connect with colleagues and grab a delicious dessert, is a real treat. Thank you to everyone who contributed.
After School Notes- As we prepare for the second half of the school year, we will be discarding ALL CURRENT BLANKET NOTES. Many of the children's after school activities have changed. If your child has a regular recurring after school activity please send a NEW BLANKET NOTE when school begins in January. This will ensure we have the most accurate and up to date information to support your child's dismissal plans. (Please include classroom teachers and Cindy Laware on all emails regarding end-of-day plans). Thank you in advance for your attention to this matter.
Digital Safety for students- We are navigating a growing number of situations that involve students experiencing different social norms on social media than they would be used to using in a face-to-face situation. Some of the challenges we are responding to are helping kids take perspectives about what is happening in digital contexts. We are supporting students as they realize comments in text are hard to interpret. Here are some resources for families to refer to when providing children with
Should You Read Your Kids Texts?
What are the basic safety rules for cell phones?
What are some basic social media rules for middle schoolers?
Yearbook 2022-23 is still looking for an advisor. If you have an hour or two a week to work with students and educators to gather photos of the yearlong experiences of students in grades 5-8, this could be a position for you. Please reach out to Jen or Courtney if you are interested.
IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER
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
TOWN PARTY & COMMUNITY DINNER - ALL OF CHARLOTTE IS WELCOME!
To quote a line that needs no introduction, “There’s no place like home.”
What are the many and varied reasons you love this place we call home?
What drew you here and why do you stay?
We want to hear from you! As we consider the future of our beloved little town, there’s never been a more important time to share our thoughts on what matters to each of us. Please save the date and join us for chili, cornbread, and pie (provided!), live music, and community conversation about our special little town. Community Heart and Soul is a grassroots effort to unite all voices of the community toward a collective future. Let’s gather to share a meal and start the conversation by sharing what we love about Charlotte.
All are welcome- young, old, and everyone in between. Teens, please bring your Charlotte friends!
When: January 20, 2023, Doors @ 5 PM, Conversation @ 5:30
Where: Charlotte Congregational Church
Why: To activate our community and our voices in support of Charlotte’s future
Who: All of us
RSVP: CharlotteCommunityHands@gmail.com
For more information on Community Heart and Soul in Charlotte please reach out to us at CharlotteCommunityHands@gmail.com
PRESCHOOL LOTTERY IS NOW OPEN FOR 2023-2024!
The CVSD Early Education Program is now accepting applications for a random preschool lottery drawing for the 2023-24 school year. This lottery is for an opportunity to enroll in one of our school-based classrooms which run 10 hours per week. (Note: Any Charlotte drawn eligible students would attend classes at the Hinesburg Community School.) Our school-based 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).
Our programs follow the CVSD school calendar. Children who will be age 3 or older by September 1, 2023, who have not enrolled in kindergarten, and live in the communities of Charlotte, Hinesburg, Shelburne, St. George, and Williston are eligible to enter the lottery. Families who are selected for the lottery and choose to enroll their child in a CVSD program access their Act 166 publicly funded pre kindergarten funds for the school-based program.
All applications must be received by February 3, 2023, and are located on the CVSD Early Education website under 2023-2024 Preschool Lottery . Paper applications are available upon request.
For additional information, questions about our program, or any concerns about your child’s development, please visit our website or contact Director of Early Education, Erin Gagne at egagne@cvsdvt.org. Our Early Education team is also available for developmental screenings in the areas of communication, social-emotional development, motor skills, adaptive development, and cognition.
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.
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.