CCS Newsletter
January 15, 2021
ADMINISTRATION UPDATE
Dear CCS Families and Community members,
We started this year out with a commitment to keep students at the center of what we do. We think through the systems that are in place weighing the attention to students’ hearts, bodies and minds. Are students feeling connected socially and emotionally with peers and their teaching team? Are we keeping students safe by adhering to the Health Department and Agency of Education guidelines? Are we nurturing their minds with learning experiences that boost their curiosity, their drive to understand and their confidence in what they have learned?
We will soon be reporting out on students’ academic progress for students in Grades K-4, as our elementary schools follow a two-semester schedule (our middle schools follow trimesters and had their first report in December. This is one way that we measure our efforts in placing attention on students’ minds and their academic growth. In this unusual context of hybrid models, an emphasis on Social-Emotional Learning, and a prioritized curriculum focused on the most essential and high-leverage concepts, reporting may be different from past expectations for learning in the first semester. We continue to calibrate around learning expectations, considering the potential need to integrate curriculum from previous years more than in other years, as well as to assess where students are with concepts, meeting them there and teaching from that place. This focus will be a continual learning design process throughout this year and future years as well.
As we assess all students’ academic growth, our team discussions often center around how their strengths that are more related to their “hearts and minds” help them as learners! The past two weeks have been a true testament to that, and to the prioritization of connection, engagement and physical safety and comfort, as we’ve re-engaged with students following the Winter Break. Following a break, it often takes a little time for students to build stamina while getting back into learning routines - offering social and heart-based connection opportunities, movement breaks and extra time outside buoys our students and they quickly jump back into their academics with excitement and effort! When our teachers see student stamina or energy dipping, they first ask what the students’ hearts and bodies might need, and offer that - a break, a walk, fresh air. Recognizing this helps our students recognize what they need to be successful in their learning. Some highlights of this week’s learning include:
- PE classes taking advantage of our proximity to the Pease Mountain trail and campus during “Camouflage”. Today’s unusually foggy weather provided a new element to that activity!
- Classes making connections to important concepts related to the national holiday of the Martin Luther King Jr. day - one example is a class reading Malala’s Magic Pencil and connecting it to other words that have been important to impacting positive change in our world;
- CCS teachers and staff members participated in the first week of a two-week professional development experience designed by our CCS Equity Team (inclusive of teachers, staff members, parents and community members) - participating in one of three workshops focused on deepening adult understanding of some demographic areas in which there is inequity in our world: racial justice, gender identity and expression, and socio-economics/classism.
In some of our team meetings over the past two weeks, we’ve discussed adult stamina as well - not just for teachers and staff, but for our CCS families, knowing that everyone is juggling a lot right now and we’re in the midst of what has felt like a gray winter. We hope this long weekend offers all of you a chance to pause a little longer, check in with yourself and see what you need in the moment, or just to give yourself a little extra time to do something special for yourself. When our children see us enact self-care, they follow suit!
Warm Regards,
Stephanie, Jen and Cassandra
IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER
Monday, January 18th
NO SCHOOL - Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday
Wednesday, January 20th
Remote Day for All
Wednesday, January 27th
Remote Day for All
8TH GRADE INVITE
CHAMPLAIN VALLEY UNION HIGH SCHOOL
AN INVITATION
To 8th Grade Parents and Students of the Class of 2025
Join us virtually for
8th Grade Student & Parent Night
Champlain Valley Union High School
Online Thursday, February 11, 6:30-7:30 p.m.
Hosted by Principal Adam Bunting
and the CVU Student Council
This evening will provide you and your child an introduction to the academic and elective programs they will experience in the 9th grade.
We’ll be live at:
WINTER SPORTS ANNOUNCEMENT
Dear Charlotte Community,
The Governor's office, along with the VPA, have opened up winter sports, with some restrictions. This allows us to have "non-contact" practices with individual skill development as our goal. These practices will resemble shoot arounds for the time being. While all of us want to get back into full-blown practice mode right away, we cannot. Even so, we still feel that getting back into the gym is a huge, positive step.
Our practices will begin on Monday, January 11th and continue through Friday, February 19th.
Some details about logistics and restrictions are:
- 5-8th graders are allowed to play this year.
- 5-6th graders will practice all four days that they are in the school building
- 7-8th graders will practice only on the two days that they are in-person at CCS.
- Practices will begin at 3:00 and end at 4:20. There may be some adjustments to start and end times of practices as the season progresses.
- All of the state guidelines regarding masks, social distancing, etc. will be followed.
- We are not able to use our locker rooms. Players should wear their practice clothing to school as much as possible. Players must have separate shoes for the gym, ie. indoor and outdoor footwear. All players will be asked to leave their book bags, boots, etc. at a designated location.
Pickups after practice will be at the gym entrance on the east side of the building. Ride providers are not allowed to enter the building. Coaches and other staff will facilitate the pickup process. We ask that you be prompt in your pickups.
We know that our lower numbers will make forming teams somewhat complicated for potential games and that we might need to do coed teams on some days.
The district AD's have proposed an inter-district game schedule. This is very tentative and would only happen if we get additional relaxation of state/district restrictions.
Our season will be a shortened one that will last until February break.
This year’s basketball experience will look different than it has in the past. Even with the health guidelines, we feel strongly that we will provide a positive, meaningful, and safe basketball season for our student athletes. We are also confident it will be the much-needed fun allowing players to move forward with their skill development. Our coaches, Mike DiNicola and Nick Elderton, are excited about getting the season going and we all look forward to seeing our CCS basketball players on Monday.
If you have any questions, please reach out to mhulvey@cvsdvt.org.
CCS IS LOOKING FOR MENTORS!
Do you think kids are fun? Does spending time with children bring you joy? Are you interested in giving back to your community? Then you’d probably be a good mentor!
Mentors are caring adults who spend about an hour a week with a student. Mentors bring with them a sense of shared fun, new experiences and great listening skills. Mentors bring encouragement and options for expanding a young person’s regard for themselves and their world. By sharing yourself with your mentee you can inspire them to create a richer future for themselves.
Mentors are distinct members of a team of caring adults who show up for youth in addition to parents, caregivers and teachers.
If you can commit to spending an hour a week with a student through the end of the school year, please be in touch! We would love to hear from you. Please reach out to Joshua Rooney, Mentoring Coordinator at jrooney@cvsdvt.org or (802) 425-6642!
SEEKING SUBSTITUTE TEACHERS
PRESCHOOL LOTTERY
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 closely follow the CVSD school calendar. Students who will be age 3 or older by September 1, 2021, but not yet 5 years old, are eligible to enter the lottery for our programs.
All applications must be received by February 5, 2021. You can download an application here: Early Education Lottery Application. More information is available on our CVSD Early Education Website also. Students will be selected via a lottery and families notified in early March.
ParentIN
Being a teen can be tough.
Parenting teens isn’t exactly easy, either.
That’s why we created ParentIN – to empower parents and caregivers of Champlain Valley School District students with the support they need to help their children make healthy choices. Reported substance usage among CVSD students drastically increases each year from 6th to 12th grade. We want you, and your child, to be prepared for what’s to come. ParentIN offers evidence-informed educational tips and resources, community engagement events, and facilitated meet-ups aimed at helping our kids live substance free lives. You know a lot about your child; we know a lot about preventing substance abuse. We are IN this together.
And here is the video link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=84fsOlNaJaA&feature=youtu.be