Gertrude Chamberlin School
Family Newsletter October 30, 2020 Volume 15 Issue 16
Reminders:
* there is no school on Tuesday, November 3rd, due to voting. students will attend school on wednesday, November 4th.
* picture retakes will be on Tuesday, November 10th, beginning at noon. VTVLC students are welcome to come between 12:30-1:00 PM. Beltrami is hoping to again take these photos outside if the weather cooperates.
* There is no school November 23rd - 27th due to conferences and Thanksgiving break.
PTO STUDENT DIRECTORY REGISTRATION FORM
Gertrude Chamberlin School student directory - make sure your student is included!
Every family will receive a printed directory booklet, BUT FOR YOUR STUDENT'S INFORMATION TO BE INCLUDED, you MUST go to this link and provide your contact information. Due to privacy concerns, you must opt-in - your information will not appear unless you provide your contact information using the link.
Here is the link: https://forms.gle/tF415uj6FMPckk8x7
By including your contact information, you make it easy to connect with other Chamberlin families and help create a strong Chamberlin Community! The Directory is being created and provided by the PTO. Please fill out the form no later than Friday, November 6th to have your information included.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Jennifer Doig, PTO co-president, anytime at doig.jennifer@gmail.com.
5th grade science this week at GCS - engineering design process
Using the Engineering Design Process - Build the tallest free standing tower to support one large marshmallow.
Student teams designed their towers using specific constraints and criteria.
Students created a prototype that they can test and improve...while keeping social distanced!
Check out the creative towers...
and incredible teamwork...
5th grade engineers showing perseverance!
Parent Teacher Conferences
Our Integrated Arts team, who also has a different teaching format this year, would also love to meet with you! Here are their schedules:
To schedule a music conference with Ms. Finlayson, click here.
To schedule an art conference with Ms. Wales, email or call jwales@sbschools.net
(802)652-7412.
To schedule a physical education conference with Mrs. DeGuise, email or call ldeguise@sbschools.net (802)652-7432.
To schedule a library media conference with Ms. Balk, email or call abalk@sbschools.net (802)652-7445.
5th Graders used pumpkins to create their favorite book characters with Ms. Balk!
Check out the amazing artwork from our students in the art news:
Fall is Here...And Physical Education is Outside Almost Every Day!
Lunch Time at GCS
The Book Fair is Coming!
GCS Reading Teacher
Farm To School News
Hello South Burlington Families and Friends!
Another fun and engaging lesson is underway this week, through Common Roots’ Farm to School program. This month, we are focusing on winter squash and seed saving. With such a wide variety of winter squashes available to us in Vermont, this is a great storage crop that continues to feed us hearty, nutritious meals through the fall and winter. As we continue to discuss minimizing waste, seed saving is a great way to use the whole squash - all the way from drying squash seeds to plant in the spring, to toasting with a bit of salt and oil as a yummy snack!
We used our detective skills in a fun Winter Squash Seed Matching game, and used all of our senses to determine what type of squash was the mystery ingredient in our pudding! To quote a Chamberlin student, “this pudding is AMAZING”. You won’t regret making this one:
Ingredients:
For the pudding:
1 butternut squash, peeled and cubed - save the seeds! (also works with pumpkin, acorn, delicata)
½ cup apple cider
1 tsp fresh grated ginger
½ tsp cinnamon
For the toasted seeds:
Butternut squash seeds, rinsed, drained, or soak overnight for easier digestion
Drizzle of olive oil
Pinch of salt
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400°F and get a large pot of water up to a boil on the stove.
2. Peel and deseed the squash, setting the seeds aside in a bowl.
3. Cut the squash into large cubes and add to the boiling water. Boil until soft when poked with a fork (about 10 min).
4. Rinse the seeds and remove any strings of butternut. Pour the rinsed seeds on a clean towel and pat dry. Transfer to a baking sheet.
5. Drizzle seeds with olive oil and season with a pinch of salt. Roast until golden brown (about 10 min).
6. Once the squash is cooked, transfer to a food processor or blender and add the cider, ginger, and cinnamon. Blend until smooth.
7. Pour pudding into small bowls and top with toasted seeds for a little crunch!
Be sure to check out the Common Roots blog for additional lessons to do at home. Come visit our Farmstand at South Village - there are lots of things to see and explore if you are looking for a weekend adventure that includes seeing so many varieties of squash for making Mystery Pudding recipes!
November Farmstand hours: every Saturday 9am-6pm
Stop by on 11/24 9am-12pm to pick up some Thanksgiving ingredients and a chance for you and your children to meet Farmer Fae!
Till next month, Nourish to Flourish
Lauren Jones, Farm to School Educator for Common Roots
Continuing the Tradition of Our Annual Food Drive - October 26th - November 18th
A statement from our Food Shelf partners: We are "recognizing a need in our community, a small group of South Burlington residents and community leaders formed a coalition to help address the problem of food insecurity in Vermont’s second largest city. Inspired by their faith and by a commitment to their neighbors, the group is leading the effort to build a food shelf that will serve South Burlington’s food-insecure individuals and families. We’re called to love each other, take care of each other and serve each other.”
Please join our Food Drive efforts by donating food this year. Thank you.
The South Burlington Food shelf is located on:
356 Dorset Street / South Burlington, VT 05403
Hours: Thursday 5:15 – 7:15 PM / Friday 8 – 10 AM / Saturday 8 – 10 AM
Family Conversation With Joelle VanLent
For four years, we have been working with Joelle VanLent, a clinical psychologist, on how to foster resilient learners in our district. Joelle has supported our work in social emotional learning, including self-regulation, and trauma informed practices. Each of our elementary schools has staff that have been trained by Joelle in resiliency strategies, and these "trainers" support other staff members in our schools. We know this is a very stressful time for families as well, and Joelle is able to create a tailored video to support our South Burlington elementary families. Instead of a live question and answer, we thought it would be best to get your questions and then record Joelle answering them so you could access the presentation for whenever it works for your schedule. If you would like to share your thoughts and questions, please feel free to complete whatever parts of the attached questionnaire that you would like. Please respond by Tuesday, November 3rd if you would like your questions considered for the presentation.
Also, here is a great article on building resilient children during a pandemic from Joelle.
Box Tops For Education
This year families are able to send in any unexpired box tops directly to General Mills. You can find step by step instructions on the website: www.boxtops4education.com. As a reminder only the old version of unexpired Box Tops clipped can be sent in. With products that have the new Box Tops logo, the only way the school can get credit is if you download the free app and scan your physical receipts within 14 days of purchase. If families have any questions regarding this, please email Marie Andalora msandalora@gmail.com. Any families sending in box tops must have them postmarked by November 2nd. Thank you for supporting our schools with Box Tops!
Health Updates From Mrs. Farrell
Halloween Is Tomorrow!
What would Halloween be without costumes and candy? Please remember to keep candy at home for eating. Keep these social distancing best practices in mind to keep everyone safe.
Stay home if sick
Trick-or-treat with people you live with
Remain 6 feet apart from people not in your household
Wear a face mask covering BOTH your mouth and nose (even under/over your Halloween mask)
Hand sanitize (with sanitizer containing at least 60% alcohol) frequently while out, especially during key times like before eating or after coughing/sneezing
Wash your hands as soon as you return home
The CDC outlines low, medium and higher risk activities to review when considering Halloween festivities. See the recommendations here.
RUVNA APP
If you make a mistake on the app:
(For example, pressing an illness symptom when your student is not ill), please call the front office at 652-7403 to report the mistake.
When your student is sick or staying home:
Please continue to fill out the Ruvna App and call the school's attendance line to report your student's absence. If you are emailing your student's teacher about an absence, please also phone in the absence.
I am trying to reach out to parents/guardians when a student stays home due to illness, to assist with next steps; if you are unsure if your student should be attending school, please contact me.
Information for Families: Return to School Following Illness
I continue to be grateful to all of our families and your patience with the new illness protocols and return to school guidelines. I understand it can be challenging to keep children home who have symptoms that may not seem concerning but we are approaching illness with an abundance of caution to keep us all safe.
Here is the form again if you have not had a chance to review it.
For Families: Return to Child Care or Out of School Care Program Following Illness
English
English
For Families: Return to Child Care or Out of School Care Program Following Illness
Arabic
العربية
For Families: Return to Child Care or Out of School Care Program Following Illness
Burmese
မြန်မာစာ
For Families: Return to Child Care or Out of School Care Program Following Illness
Chinese
中文
For Families: Return to Child Care or Out of School Care Program Following Illness
French
Français
For Families: Return to Child Care or Out of School Care Program Following Illness
Karen
ကညီကျိ
For Families: Return to Child Care or Out of School Care Program Following Illness
Kirundi
Kirundi
For Families: Return to Child Care or Out of School Care Program Following Illness
Nepali
नेपाली
For Families: Return to Child Care or Out of School Care Program Following Illnes
Somali
Soomaali
For Families: Return to Child Care or Out of School Care Program Following Illness
Spanish
Español
For Families: Return to Child Care or Out of School Care Program Following Illness
Swahili
Swahili
For Families: Return to Child Care or Out of School Care Program Following Illness
Vietnamese
Tiếng Việt
Kerry Farrell, RN 652-7449 kfarrell@sbschools.net
October 23rd Update from Superintendent Young
Dear Parents/Guardians, Staff, and Community Members,
What an extraordinary late October day! I hope you had an opportunity to get out in the sunshine today. We continue to be pleased with how well our students, families, and staff have adjusted to the increase in students in our elementary schools. We were excited to mark the second week of our PreK-2 students being back to in-person learning four days per week and as you can see from the videos posted on the Rick Marcotte Central School Twitter page, our students feel the same way! Next week, we’ll welcome back Grades 3-5. See more below.
Reopening Update
We will be welcoming our Grades 3-5 students back to four days per week of in-person learning beginning Monday October 26. Wednesdays will remain at home learning days. Please note there will be no school Tuesday, November 3 due to voting. Look for details specific to your child(ren)’s school from your principals. Schools are anticipating a higher volume of traffic next week due to the return of all elementary students to four days of learning. Please be patient and anticipate a longer wait at arrival and dismissal time. You may want to plan for extra time for drop off and pick up.
In last week’s letter I mentioned conversations that continue around the desire to bring back more of our students to in-person learning. These circumstances are not ideal and while we would ultimately like to have both our middle and high school students return to more in-person instruction, we currently face challenges, particularly around physical distancing requirements, that impede this desire, given the state’s current Strong and Healthy Start Guidelines.
Translated COVID Information
The Vermont Department of Health has recently added translations of important COVID information. Please feel free to share.
Reminder on Travel and Hosting Guests
As holidays and vacations approach, families and staff may be considering traveling out of the area. This is a gentle reminder that the care and safety of our school community depends upon all of us following federal and state travel guidelines. Prior to traveling, be sure to check the cross state travel map from the State of Vermont which is updated every Tuesday. Areas that are in yellow and red require quarantines upon return to Vermont. Please plan your getaways accordingly. You can find more detailed information about travel and quarantine at the Vermont Department of Health website. In addition, the CDC recently released a helpful guide for safely celebrating upcoming holidays.
In addition, families and staff may be hosting guests from out of town in the coming weeks. The Vermont Department of Health offers guidance on how to approach this. “If you are hosting travelers under quarantine in your home or lodging, you do not also need to quarantine. If you are sharing space, stay at least six feet from the people under quarantine. People under quarantine should wear a mask in common spaces. Disinfect commonly touched surfaces and check for symptoms for 14 days."
All employees who plan to or who have traveled out of state are expected to fill out this FY21 Covid Travel Notification Form.
Nutritional Services Update: Free Meals Through End of School Year
Great news! Free meals will now be provided to all PreK-12 students through the end of this school year! The announcement was made by U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Purdue last week. The USDA previously extended child nutrition waivers through December 2020 based upon available funding at the time.
National school lunch week was last week! Thank you to our district nutritional services team who have kept our students well nourished through this ever changing time. From delivering food via bus, during vacations, and on site, our dedicated staff has and continues to be a crucial part of our work. Check out this slideshow on our district website to see some of the delicious meals our team is serving up this year!
Important Information About your Property Tax Bill From the City
Given the later than expected passage of the school budget August 11, final, revised 2020-2021 tax bills were recently mailed to homeowners by the City office. These replace the green colored interim tax bills. The bills reflect that the residential tax rate has been adjusted by the State of Vermont to reflect the approved school budget August 11, 2020. If the updated education tax rate caused a remaining balance due from the September 15, 2020 installment, that amount has been divided equally and added to the December 15 and March 15 installments. If you have further questions, you can contact the South Burlington City Deputy Tax Collector Martha Lyons at mlyons@sburl.com or (802) 846-4109.
School Happenings
Last weekend, an incredibly inspiring antiracism event was held on our very own Munson Field in collaboration with the UVM Student-Athletes of Color and South Burlington and Burlington High School Athletic Departments. This event SOLD OUT! The evening involved numerous speakers to share their experiences and perspectives of being people of color in Vermont. The evening concluded with a “Fight Racism” girls' soccer game vs Burlington High School. The inspiration for the game came from SBHS junior and varsity soccer team member Josie Oliveira! If you missed the event, you can check it out on the Burlington School District Athletics Facebook page.
In addition, a food drive at SBHS to benefit the South Burlington Food Shelf will begin October 26th and run until Thanksgiving break. The drive is being organized and sponsored by the Coalition for Community Service. Josie Kummer and Hiba Ali are the club leaders and Food Shelf board members. Student Marina Prikis helped with advertising and Erin Randall and Christine Lundie serve as the club advisors. While there is a competition element involved for high school students (with prizes!) community members can also participate by dropping off food curbside at the high school 8:00-9:00 am weekdays beginning Monday. Chamberlin School’s annual food drive is also launching October 26th and will run through November 18th.
At FHTMS, the Student Affinity Group began meeting Wednesday, October 21st over Zoom. This group is open to any student who identifies as Black or a student of color and is led by Giulia Gennari, a graduate of FHTMS and current high schooler. This is a video from Giulia that includes more information.
At Rick Marcotte Central School, Principal Kathleen Kilbourne wants to hear from you! Kilbourne has launched “Design A Principal.” “Design a principal is something I have done when I have come to a new school and community. It is one way for all stakeholders to have voice and input on priorities, then I know what to aim for and where to put my energy,” Kilbourne wrote. This project is for staff, families, students, and community members. Fill out the survey by October 30th! In a November "Family Friday Focus" newsletter, the top five most selected characteristics will be shared. Then, in February, the list will go out again to gain feedback on how well the top prioritized characteristics are being met and implemented.
Gertrude Chamberlin School students have been doing a great job following the “3 Be’s” Be respectful, Be responsible, Be safe and were rewarded with an all school celebration! Enter, wacky outfit day! Check out this photo compilation video to see all of the creative ensembles.
At Orchard School, the reading continues! According to Library Media and Instructional Technology Specialist Donna Sullivan-Macdonald, “Between 500-600 books are checked out of the library EVERY WEEK! When books are returned, they are placed into quarantine to ensure our students' safety.” On Orchard School’s Twitter, you'll see how book quarantine looks in their library.
Transportation
Students in grades 3-5 will be picked up at their normal bus stops at the same approximate times they have been on the days they were previously coming to school, either Monday/Tuesday or Thursday/Friday. We still encourage parents/guardians to drive their child(ren) or have them walk or bike to school whenever possible. Please communicate any questions or concerns to Kathy LaRock at klarock@sbschools.net or (802) 652-7479. If unable to reach Kathy, please contact Christa Chambers in the Office of Operations and Finance at cchambers@sbschools.net or (802) 652-7053 for assistance.
Thank you all for your continued support and have a wonderful weekend.
Sincerely,
David Young
Family Resources:
Travel
Family Support with Technology/Chromebooks
How Can I Get Library Books During Hybrid Learning?
Here's the link to the breakfast and lunch menus.
Chamberlin School
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