Gertrude Chamberlin School
Family Newsletter August 20, 2021 Volume 16 Issue 2
IMPORTANT DATES:
Kindergarten Meet and Greet Under the Tent, Friday August 27th
Mrs. Bahrenburg’s Class - 12:30-1:00 PM
Mrs. Brown’s Class - 1:15-1:45 PM
Mrs. Preska’s Class - 2:00-2:30 PM
Monday, August 30th - First Full Day of School
Monday, September 6th - No School, Labor Day
Friday, September 17th - Picture Day
Friday, September 24th - 12:30 Dismissal for Staff Professional Learning
Kindergarten Meet and Greet
Hello Kindergarten Families,
We are so excited to be starting the school year soon! We know that you may still have some questions or things you are wondering about. Due to our current health and safety precautions to keep us all in school, we are not able to have the traditional open house at this time. However, we still want to be able to offer a way to say hello and introduce ourselves and begin to get to know each of you!
To that end, we are offering a specific time for each K class to host a meet and greet under the tent behind the building of Gertrude Chamberlin School on Friday, August 27th. We have selected a 30 minute time for students and parents/guardians to come meet your new teacher and have your questions answered.
Please meet us under the tent behind the school at the specific time for your child’s teacher if you are able to join us. As we are still putting rooms back together due to the construction, children will not be going into the school until the first day of school, Monday August 30th. On the 30th, parents/caregivers will be dropping their child off outside, as we are allowing only students and staff inside the building. We hope this Meet and Greet time on Friday the 27th will help you make a connection to your child’s teacher!
Mrs. Bahrenburg’s Class - 12:30-1:00 PM
Mrs. Brown’s Class - 1:15-1:45 PM
Mrs. Preska’s Class - 2:00-2:30 PM
Please note your child’s time specifically, as we are hoping they can see their classmates for the first time as well. We recognize that this will not replace the traditional open house completely, but it will offer the opportunity for a beginning connection and relationship to help ease the transition of coming to school full time!
GCS is filled with loving and nurturing staff who will support each child where they are, as they come to school for the first time.
We know that parents are their children’s first teacher and we look forward to collaborating and partnering with you all to make this a fun and exciting year with your child(ren).
If you are unable to make this time and planned event, please go to our “Meet the Teacher” FLIPGRID, that is on our website. This allows you to click on the staff member that you would like to ‘meet’ or hear an introduction from. These few minutes of introductions also help to take some of the mystery out of who will be supporting and teaching your child this school year. At GCS we work in teams. Please feel free to listen/watch as many of the staff welcome as you and your family wish.
Looking forward to a great school year in partnership with families and our larger South Burlington community!
Sincerely,
Ms. Rouelle, GCS Queenipal
Girl Scouts for our Incoming Kindergarteners!
Daily Health Screening - Ruvna App
Transportation Updates
Dear Parents and Guardians,
Bus routes will soon be posted on our website! Look for Transportation Services under the Families tab.
We are looking forward to your student's return to full-time instruction this year! Student(s) living in the marked zone in the photo below have been assigned to walk to and from school due to the close proximity of their residence to the Gertrude Chamberlin School. The transportation department has reviewed the walking route and is confident that it is a safe method for your student to travel to and from school. We understand that this may be in an area that has been serviced by a bus in the past. Due to capacity and driver limitations, we have expanded walking zones for this school year. If you have concerns about this assignment, please contact Kathy LaRock at 652-7498 or Gary Marckres at 652-7052.
Thank you,
SB Transportation Department
2021-2022 School Year
Kindergarten - Mrs. Brown, Mrs. Bahrenburg, Mrs. Preska
1st Grade - Mrs. Boudreau, Mrs. Gover, Mrs. Routhier
2nd Grade - Mrs. Custer, Mrs. Rogers
3rd Grade - Mrs. Simpson - math, Mrs. McCarthy - reading and Ms. Testone for science and writing
4th Grade - Mr. Provost - math, Ms. Murphy - reading
5th Grade - Ms. McKegney - math, Mr. Diamond - reading, Mrs. Zuchman - science and writing
Meet our new 3rd grade teacher...Ms. Testone!
Meet the Teaching Team at GCS for the 2021-2022 School Year!
To view it, please…
- Click on the link https://flipgrid.com/0dda92e8
- Click Enter your guest password (see image below)
- The password is GCSTeachers
- Click the blue GO button
What Do I Need for School?
- A MASK, as well a a few spares in their backpack in case they break, get dirty, etc.
- We do recommend that students have a pair of sneakers for Physical Education. These can be left at school in your child's cubby if they chose to wear other shoes to and from school.
- A lunchbox for a daily snack is also a good item for them to have. Each class has snack every day, and this is not provided by the school. We encourage healthy snacks such as yogurt, fruit, crackers, popcorn, pretzels, etc. Please save the cookies, cakes, and candy for home. Your child's teacher will let you know in advance if there are any allergy restrictions in the classroom. It's a great idea to have your child practice opening any containers that they might be bringing to school with snack or lunch items...we encourage them to be as independent as possible! We also do not have access to a microwave or refrigerator for food, so consider having ice packs and a good thermos to keep things cold or hot.
- A sturdy backpack that your child can carry, as well as open and close independently, will help keep them organized when they need to bring home papers and library books.
- We do like to have fun at GCS, and sometimes there are spills and messy things involved in learning! Please provide an extra set of labeled clothes in case your child needs to change during the day. A large Ziploc freezer bag with your child's name on it is a great way to keep a spare set of clothing in their cubbies.
- A few permanent markers are a good think to invest in so you can label all of your child's belongings...the changing VT temperatures means that children are constantly taking their layers of clothing on and off, and our Lost and Found becomes a treasure trove of unclaimed items very quickly!
And most importantly...a positive attitude and a smile so we can make new friends, enjoy learning and have a great school year together!
Arrival and Dismissal
Arrival:
7:50 - busses out back
7:55 - 5, 3 and 1 (and siblings)
8:00 - K, 2 and 4 (and siblings)
8:05 - preschool
Announcements at 8:10 - students arriving after 8:10 will be marked tardy.
Dismissal:
2:15 - staff will pick up students from their classrooms who are going to the School's Out program
2:20 - busses in front and Pre-K students at the Kindergarten doors (Station 3)
2:25 - K, 2 and 4 (and siblings)
2:30 - 5, 3 and 1
Mrs. Baechle, our Administrative Assistant is the voice of GCS!
Ethan is getting ready for School's Out!
Our custodians are hard at work...
preparing our learning spaces for the 30th!
Thank you, Mrs. Lampman, Mr. Hendee,
Jamyang and JB!
August 12th District Update From Superintendent Young
August 12, 2021
Dear Parents/Guardians,
It’s another hot one today! I hope you are all staying safe and cool. As we approach the beginning of the school year, I am excited to welcome you and our students back, for what we plan on being full time, in-person, 5 days per week, learning for all students. It is incredible how far we have come on this COVID journey and I am proud of how resilient this experience has made us as individuals and as a District.
I will admit that as the Delta variant continues to spread, I am concerned for the health and safety of all, therefore, I wanted to give you a heads up on a few key items related to protocols as we begin this school year. Please know that I, along with my team, are keeping a close eye on guidance from the CDC, the Vermont Agency of Education , and the Vermont Department of Health to help inform decision making and adjust course as needed.
Is School Starting Early?
We have received questions about why school seems to be starting early this year. It has to do with the number of instructional days required by the state and the five additional days we need to add. Last year, due to unknowns around COVID, the state pushed back our start date to after Labor Day. We usually begin before then. Each District varies slightly in that regard, although we do adopt a regional calendar annually that has 175 days. As a reminder, school begins for 6th, 9th, and new students August 24 and all other students August 25 except for Gertrude Chamberlin students who will begin classes August 30 due to the construction project that has been taking place over the summer.
Masking Required for All
All students and staff can expect to begin the school year masked when inside. Masks are not required outside. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that all students older than 2 years and all school staff should wear face masks at school (unless medical or developmental conditions prohibit use). They outline their rationale and reasoning for this which includes, not only decreasing the spread of COVID19, but other respiratory viruses as well. The CDC also recommends universal indoor masking for all teachers, staff, students, and visitors to K-12 schools, regardless of vaccination status. I trust these recommendations and again, will let you know if universal masking changes.
The Importance of Staying Home When Sick
Given that there will be a continued need for contact tracing this year, the RUVNA app will be coming back online for both students and staff. We will let you know the precise date soon. I feel this will continue to be a valuable tool for all of us to stop and check-in with our student(s) each day to see if they really are feeling well. Staying home when sick is one of the best ways (in addition to frequent hand washing and masking) to slow the spread of COVID and other respiratory illnesses like colds and flu.
Other Mitigation Measures
We will be continuing many of the measures we had in place at the end of the last school year. Ventilation will continue to be encouraged by opening windows and using the outdoor tents (they’re coming back!) for classes and activities, routine cleaning by our amazing custodial services staff, frequent handwashing, and utilization of air purification systems in our classrooms and offices. We have also added air purification units in other areas of our buildings to increase air exchange.
Volunteers in Schools
At this time, I would like to limit the number of people entering our schools, therefore, we will not be allowing volunteers on site (this includes mentors and parents/guardians) I will let you know if this changes.
Protocols for Activities
While we are awaiting more guidance from the state and the VPA (athletics: p.s. registration for fall sports ends August 20) on how activities will look this year, what we do know is that singing will take place outside for now, art classes will be in arts classrooms, and field trips will need to be requested for a risk-assessment through me. Physical education will be held outside as often as possible with low impact activities encouraged indoors.
No Remote Learning Option this Year
This year, we are not planning on offering a remote learning option for students, even if a class needs to quarantine. More specifics will come from individual principals on what those days should look like for students.
Transportation
Please note that our busses will be at full capacity and transportation services still need to follow the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines for travel on school buses. This means that students and drivers are required to wear masks. Bus routes will be posted to the District website August 19. If you have any questions or concerns regarding your student(s) transportation needs, please feel free to contact Kathy LaRock, Transportation Coordinator at klarock@sbschools.net, 652-7479 or 318-0435.
Nutritional Services Update
Our nutrition services team has been hard at work all summer providing meals to families both on site and by delivery. Amazing! The last day of this program will be August 19. For the upcoming 2021-2022 school year, all children will receive free breakfast and lunch at school, regardless of household income eligibility.
However, It is still very important for families to submit the Application for Free and Reduced Price School Meals to track our community’s Free and Reduced Percentage which gives greater access to grant funds for schools and telecom reimbursements for the greater community.
Submitting an application could also make your family eligible for other benefits such as EBB, Emergency Broadband Benefit, and P-EBT, Pandemic EBT
You still have time to apply and become eligible to receive the Summer P-EBT benefit of $375 per eligible student, please complete and return the paper Free & Reduced-price meal application or apply through our online application system, MySchoolApps. Please make sure to fill out all the requested information, incomplete applications cannot be processed and could make you ineligible for the summer benefits. We will review the application to determine if you qualify. Please return the paper applications to Rhonda Ketner, 500 Dorset Street, South Burlington, VT or rketner@sbschools.net by August 16th ,
We're Hiring! Do you love working with children? Would you like a career that has working hours that follow your child's school schedule, NO nights, No Weekends, No Holidays? Several positions available including Full Time, with benefits, Part time and Substitutes $14.00- $20.00 per hour. No experience necessary, we are willing to train. Please contact Rhonda Ketner, Nutritional Services Director at: rketner@sbschools.net for more information.
Surveillance Testing
We will once again be participating in voluntary COVID19 surveillance testing for students (age 5 and above) and staff this year. More details and how and where this will be rolled out are forthcoming. In the meantime, the state continues to offer numerous options for getting a COVID19 test if you need or want one.
Vaccination
Although Vermont continues to be a leader nationwide in our vaccination rate and indeed in Chittenden County, the percent positivity rate continues to climb. The state is continuing to offer vaccinations at a variety of sites throughout the state and we, like many of our fellow Districts, will be offering pop-up vaccine clinics for those ages 12 and above at the high school from 9:00 am-5:00 pm on the following dates:
Thursday, August 26
Thursday, September 16
Thursday, October 7
I realize this is a lot to take in and I encourage you all, if you have the time during these days before school begins (and especially afterward), to take care of your mental well being. Going for a nature walk, reading, meditation, and checking out some of the resources offered by the state as well as COVID SupportVT are all great options.
As I said last week, I take my job as Superintendent very seriously especially where health and safety are concerned. I gladly abide by the “duty of care” enshrined in state law that requires districts to protect students “from being exposed to unreasonable risk.” COVID, for me, falls into that category. I know there will continue to be questions as we approach the start of school and I will be in touch frequently with updates. In addition, look for detailed information in the days to come from your student(s) school via email, school websites, and social media including an upcoming Instagram Q and A with Patrick Burke for high schoolers.
Please do not hesitate to reach out with questions or concerns and have a great weekend.
Sincerely,
David
Please Register Your Student for the Upcoming School Year. This Is Required for Returning Students.
- Click on the big "P" icon in the blue ribbon on the top of the Gertrude Chamberlin home page.
- If you have forgotten your Username or need a password reset, please contact Mrs. Baechle at 652-7403 or Chamb_Reg@sbschools.net
- If more than one student is linked to the portal account, choose the appropriate student at the top left corner
- Choose the Forms link from the left navigation bar
- Under the Annual Student Update category, click “Update A. Getting Started: Annual Student Update 2021-2022” to begin completing the forms packet
The Registration website (www.sbschools.net/register) has helpful, translatable, information for parents/guardians. Instructions to register their students, lists of required documents, and guides to creating parent portal accounts and linking student(s) can be found there.
If you need assistance, please contact Mrs. Baechle at 652-7403 or Chamb_Reg@sbschools.net.
Lacrosse Clinic at St. Michael's College
Hello! My name Is Morgan Barlow and I am the Assistant Women’s Lacrosse coach at Saint Michael’s College in Colchester, VT. We will be hosting a morning clinic for all players in grades 2-8. Participants will have the opportunity to train and play with instruction from our current student-athletes and coaching staff. This is a great opportunity to work on skill-development and enjoy a little bit of fall lacrosse! The clinic will run from 8:30-11am on Duffy Field at Saint Michael's College on September 11th.
Registration link: https://saintmichaelsprospectday.totalcamps.com/shop/product/39664
The New South Burlington Public Library is Open! What a Great Way to Continue Your Summer Reading!
We will also have new after-school programs that will start in September. A link to that info from our website is here: https://southburlingtonlibrary.org/594/afterschool-at-the-library-art-tinkering-and-play-for-ages-6-and-up . We will have a print calendar that will be available toward the end of August.
We are open at our new location on 180 Market Street! Hours: Monday – Thursday: 10:00am – 7:00pm Friday: 10:00am – 5:00pm Saturday: 10:00am – 2:00pm VISIT US AT: https://southburlingtonlibrary.org/
How to Get a Library Card at the South Burlington Public Library
1. If you are 5 years old or older, and want a library card, come to the library with a grownup. Make sure they bring a piece of identification that has your legal, permanent South Burlington address on it. This could be a driver’s license, a utility bill or a rent/lease agreement. It could be paper or on a device: phone, tablet or computer.
2. Go to the circulation desk and ask for a library card. You and your grownup will show the librarian your identification information, fill out a short form; (staff is available if assistance is needed), and be entered into our system electronically. You will then get a new library card! Having a library card shows that you are responsible and mature enough to take care of the materials that you check out. Take good care of your card, and always bring it with you to the library when you want to check out books.
3. You will also get a booklet of information about the library. It will tell you about our collection, how long you can borrow books, and other resources to find at the library.
4. Kids in grades 5 and up can come to the library by themselves, without a grown up. Kids in grades four and younger must come with a grownup. We expect all patrons, regardless of age, to follow our Patron Code of Conduct. The Patron Code of Conduct can be found on our website. Library Mission and Policies (southburlingtonlibrary.org)
From our website:
Library Cards
Any legal resident of South Burlington over the age of five may obtain a resident library card with identification that clearly shows name and current legal address. Any South Burlington resident in good standing may use this library card at any of the other local libraries that are part of the Homecard system. Non-residents (outside of the Homecard system) and temporary residents may purchase a card to check out physical items at the South Burlington Public Library. Please come to the Library to sign up.
We hope to see you at the library!
Kelly Kendall, Children’s Librarian
South Burlington Public Library
Gertrude 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