THE VIKING
Hinesburg Community School - October 8, 2020
The Principal's Corner
Dear HCS Families:
We want to remind you that we do not have school tomorrow, but we will be in school this Monday, October 12th. Our hope is that we will get some sunshine this weekend so that everyone can get out to enjoy the beautiful fall weather. In that vein, thanks to PiE, our staff today was able to celebrate another fall tradition, eating cider donuts and having a nice cup of cider. We are so appreciative of the support PiE has given our staff over the years and in these challenging times, this thoughtful gesture was a great way for us to start our day.
Reinforcing PiE's message, we also want to say thank you for a job well done. Over the past five weeks, our staff has radically changed classroom routines, helped make classroom procedures COVID friendly, all the while figuring out how to best meet the needs of our students. They have approached the tasks with a growth mindset constantly re-evaluating and re-thinking. On top of this, they have worked with we administrators to make the best use of our staff and facility. This effort has left many of them exhausted, but they keep on plugging away. We are proud to be working with them, and we encourage you to send some positive reinforcement their way.
Have a wonderful weekend HCS community!!!
Warmly,
Suzan and John
Library News
Greetings from the library, where we have been busy processing new books and the many, many requests we’ve received through Destiny Discover! Students have been doing an excellent job using our library software to virtually browse the collection and request the books they’d like to read. This can be done from home, too; visit https://sites.google.com/cvsdvt.org/hcs-library/destiny for a link to Destiny Discover and to watch tutorials on how to use its various features.
Monday, Oct. 12, is Indigenous Peoples’ Day, and so I’ve been featuring and circulating books by indigenous/Native American authors and illustrators such as Joseph Bruchac, Virginia A. Stroud, Louise Erdrich, Monique Gray Smith, Julie Flett, and Irving Toddy. For more information about Indigenous Peoples’ Day in Vermont, you can refer to this article from VPR.
Finally, please note that your student(s) may have received an overdue notice from the library. We understand that the abrupt school dismissal in March meant that some of HCS’s library books stayed in your homes longer than expected; that is okay! We are NOT charging you any overdue fees. (The notice says “unpaid fines” at the top - please ignore this automatically-generated message, which we unfortunately cannot turn off.) You can also check on the due dates for library books at any time by logging into Destiny Discover, clicking the menu in the upper-left corner, and selecting “checkouts” from the menu. Feel free to reach out to me, Jessie Moore, if you have questions or concerns: jmoore@cvsdvt.org or 482-6288.
CloseGap Information
Dear HCS Families,
We are excited to announce that the K-8 schools in CVSD, along with the VLA, will begin to implement an emotional wellness platform, CloseGap. CloseGap is an online check-in tool that supports students in learning how to identify their own emotions, connect body sensations to those feelings, and learn helpful strategies. CloseGap allows teachers to know which students might need some extra support throughout the school day. This is an important step in ensuring the emotional safety of our students as we return to school. To learn more about CloseGap, please visit: www.closegap.org/for-parents
We will be introducing it first in grades 7-8 at HCS over the next two weeks and then we will begin to introduce it to our students in Kindergarten through sixth grade. Students will be using CloseGap to check-in.
Here is an informational video to learn about CloseGap that you can watch with your student: Video for students to learn about Closegap
Hispanic Heritage Month
Hola: I am impressed and grateful by the resilience of students, families, staff, and teachers accommodating to the new school routines. Thank you for your flexibility and understanding. I miss my classroom and Elementary students.
The Hispanic Heritage month (September 15th-October 15th) has been the focus of learning during the first weeks. Music, geography, history, culture, and games have been part of each class. 5th grade students are focused on the Spanish speaking countries and their capitals locating them in the World map. 6th grade students are building vocabulary about things they like to do. 7th grade students are learning about descriptive language. 8th grade students are learning about Cesar Chávez and the struggle of the latinx farm workers in the U.S.
PiE News!
Dr. Leah Costello will be speaking at next week's Partners in Education (PiE) meeting. If you would like to hear updates from Dr. Costello, as well as have a chance to ask her questions, please click on the link to join the PiE meeting on Tuesday, October 13th, at 7pm.
Link to PiE meeting on October 13th at 7pm: meet.google.com/not-zmvc-pgo
Unfortunately, PiE volunteers were unable to find pumpkins to sell to our community this year. Maybe pumpkins, like us humans, find 2020 more stressful than other years! Please consider donating your pumpkin money to PiE's "Virtual Pumpkin Sales" between now and October 31st and we will give all the money raised to HCS's Snack and Backpack Program. You can also donate non-perishable, individually wrapped snacks; students can drop them off in the box next to the main office at HCS.
PiE's Spirit Wear store is now open with lots of options to choose from! You can place an order between now and October 31st; apparel will be available for delivery or pick-up in time for the holidays.
link to Spirit wear
👇 Ms. Sertz Teaching Music on a Beautiful Autumn Day 🎵
About Us
Suzan Locke, HCS Co-Principal, Grades K-4
482-6299, slocke@cvsdvt.org
John Pontius, HCS Co-Principal, Grades 5-8
482-6298, jpontius@cvsdvt.org
Alicia Kurth, HCS Special Education Administrator
425-6285, akurth@cvsdvt.org
Email: hcsinformation@cvsdvt.org
Website: https://www.cvsdvt.org/hinesburg
Location: Hinesburg Community School, 10888, Route 116, Hinesburg, Vermont, USA
Phone: 802-482-2106
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Hinesburg-Community-School-125786304154731/
The Viking Newsletter is published bi-weekly, when school is in session. It is available on our web site and is also delivered to email via Blackboard Connect. If needed, a hard copy can be provided for your child to bring home. The Viking includes upcoming events, after school opportunities, notes of interest for parents and the community and updates from our school administration.