CCS Newsletter
October 02, 2020
ADMINISTRATION UPDATE
Dear CCS Families,
The changing and dropping of leaves is a sure sign that we are fully into fall and the school year! We continue to feel so fortunate to live where we do, enabling us to take learning in and out of the building frequently.
Our teams continue to implement hybrid learning models as student stamina builds. This week, remote devices went home with our youngest learners to support learning through technology integration on their remote days. We’re doing this as we plan to begin transitioning elementary students back to increased in-person learning days over the next month. As communicated in the CVSD newsletter last week, the intended timeline for transitioning K-4 students back, as recommended by Governor Scott, is as follows:
- Kindergarten - October 5th
- Grades 1-2 - October 19th
- Grades 3-4 - October 26th
This schedule will have students attend in-person on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday each week. Wednesdays will continue to be remote learning days. We will continue to monitor and analyze key metrics as we navigate this plan.
- There is no or very low COVID activity in our communities.
- Our ability to staff our classrooms remains stable and sufficient.
- Our routines are efficient, effective, and any trouble-spots are easily worked out.
- We are able to maintain compliance with VT DOH and AOE guidance.
- We are confident in the DOH’s ability to respond to any positive cases in our school community.
In grades 5-8 teachers are continuing to layer on tools to enhance in-person instruction and the continuity of learning when remote. The goal has been to introduce technology and academic practices while simultaneously teaching student strategies to manage time and materials; developing strong habits of learning. These last four weeks have focused on developing the foundation for the rest of our year: Safe learning communities, pro-social connections, routines and habits that center on students’ hearts, minds & bodies and reminding students of their natural curiosities as learners.
We know you are possibly growing fatigued by the sheer amount of communication you are receiving from both CCS and CVSD. These are unprecedented times and we are certainly committed to making sure you have the information you need to make informed and supportive decisions for your student(s).
Sometimes in these overlapping waves of communication, there is a gem, a small nugget, that is worth highlighting, if only to assure it does not get lost in the shuffle. Last Friday, CVSD put out a newsletter that contained a document entitled "COVID-19 Symptomatic and Positive Cases Guide". You can access it here.
As we think back to the many meetings and public forums over the summer, this document answers some of the most important questions that parents and caregivers had for our school system:
- When should I keep my child home from school?
- When does a sick child need a test?
- What if a family member of a student or staff member tests positive?
- What will happen if there is a positive test in the school?
- What communication will we receive from school?
We feel strongly that taking the 10-15 minutes it will take to review this document would go a long way to making you feel you understand your responsibilities and the responsibilities of the school in this unique public health environment.
We hope you find it helpful.
We wish you all a wonderful weekend!
Take Care,
Stephanie, Jen and Cassandra
IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER
Monday, October 5th
Kindergarten begins 4 day/wk transition
Monday, October 5th - Sunday, October 18th
Online Bookfair - see below for details.
Friday, October 9th
NO SCHOOL - K-8 Schools Only, Parent/Teacher Conferences
Tuesday, October 13th
Group 1 Picture Day Afternoon - see below for details.
PLEASE REVIEW THIS UPDATED OCTOBER CALENDAR
Please review this updated October calendar.
We will release the adopted 2020-2021 school year calendar after it goes through the approval process of the regional partners and the CVSD school board. For now, it is important to note the following changes.
- No school for CCS on Friday, October 9th.
- There is school on Monday, October 12th.
- All Wednesdays through the month of October are “remote” learning days. We anticipate that remaining for the foreseeable months to come.
SEEKING SUBSTITUTE TEACHERS
CCS is looking for a few energetic and reliable people to join our guest teacher list for the 2020-2021 school year. If you love working with children, this is a great opportunity to become involved in your community school. If you are interested in more information, please contact Naomi at email nstrada@cvsdvt.org.
OCTOBER 10TH IS WORLD MENTAL HEALTH DAY
This October, our community partner, Howard Center, is offering free webinars “for community education and engagement to reduce stigma, raise awareness, and to connect to the global movement to ensure our communities have access to mental health supports when they are needed”. On their World Mental Health Day pages, you’ll find the full roster for speaker series (advance registration is required) and a host of resources which include ways to reach out to Howard Center and other local and national organizations. There are articles and publications that address a variety of real life topics many of us are facing. Please take time to look, to learn and to always reach out if you or a loved one needs help.
There are some things in life, you should never face alone. Please let us know how we can support you.
CVSD CHILD FIND NOTICE
Champlain Valley School District (Charlotte, Hinesburg, Shelburne, St. George and Williston)
Child Find Notice
Champlain Valley School District is required by federal law to locate, identify and evaluate all children with disabilities. The process of locating, identifying and evaluating children with disabilities is known as child find.
Champlain Valley School District schools conduct Kindergarten screening each spring, but parents may call to make an appointment to discuss their concerns at any time. As the school district of residence, CVSD has the responsibility to identify and provide services to any child with special needs who may require special education and related services in order to access and benefit from public education.
If you have, or know of any CVSD resident who has a child with a disability under the age of 21 or a child who attends a private school located in Charlotte, Hinesburg, Shelburne, St. George or Williston, Vermont, we would like to hear from you. Sometimes parents are unaware that special education services are available to their children.
Please contact the School Principal (Charlotte Central School – 425-2771, Hinesburg Community School – 482-2106, Shelburne Community School – 985-3331, Williston Central/Allen Brook Schools – 878-2762) or the Director of Student Support Services, Meagan Roy at 383-1234 or mroy@cvsdvt.org.
STUDENTS AND MASK WEARING
CONGRATULATIONS LIAM!
REMINDERS FROM THE FRONT OFFICE
With all of us trying to recalibrate our routines, we thought a few PICK UP reminders might be helpful.
Early Pick up: If you need to pick up your child early for an appointment, please plan on picking them up no later than 2:15pm. With our new dismissal process our busses are in front of school no later than 2:30 and we do not want you to get caught up in that traffic.
Dismissal Pick Up: We have 4 separate locations for parent pick up. Please use these locations as you are writing pick up notes.
- K - Dismissed by the cafeteria/kitchen door.
- 1 - 4 - Exit through the front entrance.
- 5 - 6 - Exit through the cafeteria door.
- 7 - 8 - Exit through the Flagpole door.
PICTURE DAYS AT CCS!
Picture Day for Group 1 (M/T students) will be Tuesday, October 13th. (This will include ALL kindergartners and any VLA students who did not get their picture taken on October 1st.)
The schedule will be as follows:
12:30: Poirier
12:40: Evans/Duthie-Fox
12:50: Hanf
1:00: Gerber
1:10: Hatch/Thayer
1:20: Hall-Potvin/Spellman
1:30: Rowntree
1:40: Cota
1:50: Servin/Lounsbury
2:00: Baird/Fraser
2:10: Lutz/Houghton
2:20: Lubic/Filardi
3:15 - 3:45: VLA Students
Beltrami Studios will be returning once again to CCS in order to take student and staff photos. In order to comply with Covid-19 guidelines, they are encouraging families to order their photos on-line. Charlotte Central School on-line ordering is now open and ready to use - the link is:
password: ccs320
We do have a limited number of hard copy order forms. If you do not have internet or on-line payment capability, please contact Naomi Strada (nstrada@cvsdvt.org or 425-6600) and she will send an order form home with your child.
If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact Naomi Strada at CCS or Beltrami Studios directly, 863-6223.
SCHOOL LIBRARY NEWS
Save the date! Our book fair is going virtual this year, October 5th-18th! All book purchases will be mailed to your homes. Free shipping on $25 of book purchases (non-book-related items are not included in free shopping estimate). Please contact Mrs. Huestis with questions.
FOR YOUR CONVENIENCE: MIDDLE LEVEL FRIDAY BULLETIN LINKS
REMOTE LEARNING DAY ACTIVITIES TO THINK ABOUT
Are you looking for enrichment activities for your students on remote learning days? UVM Extension 4-H can help!
Check out our offerings at www.uvm.edu/extension/youth/announcements
All programs are FREE but registration is required. Programs are developed for certain ages but please inquire if interested.
Youth Environmental Summit (grades 6-12):
This year's Summit will run for 3 weeks with a kick-off on Friday, October 30 and stay open until November 20. This will allow you to attend when it works with your schedule! Using Flipgrid we are building a virtual community learning space with keynotes, workshops, "Be the Change Audio Wall" and more to make sure the sharing, learning, and networking that usually happens at YES will still happen.
4-H Speak Up Contest (grade 3-12):
Part of civic engagement, a key mission of the 4-H program, is helping young people use their voice to drive change in their communities. The 4-H Speak Up contest encourages youth to explore and share their thoughts and ideas. Enter a video for a chance to be heard! Contest ends November 30; a $50 gift certificate will be awarded to the winner in each age category.
Animal Scoops (grades 3-5):
Upcoming sessions on October 7 (Llamas & Alpacas), October 21 (Whitetail Deer), November 4 (Wild Geese), November 18 (Turkeys) from 9-10:00 a.m. Activities include trivia, videos, books and recipes.
Gardening & Nutrition (grades 6-12):
Sessions continue on Oct. 13, Oct. 27, Nov 10, Nov 17, 11:00 a.m. - 12 noon. Explore fall harvesting and how to prepare and preserve your crops.
VTeen Science Exploration (grades 7-12):
Join us every Wednesday afternoon from 3:30 - 4:45 pm at our weekly virtual teen science cafe where you will meet a scientist, learn about their work, explore different science pathways, engage in informal discussions and ask questions. We record all sessions. You can see a list of past and upcoming teen science cafes to decide what you would like to watch and then click here for the recordings or register for the live session.
QuaranTeen Time (grades 7-12):
These sessions were held April - June 2020. You can see a list of topics and then, to view recordings, click here.
Natural Resource Management Academy (grades 7-12):
This program was offered in July 2020. You can see a list of topics and then, to view recordings, click here.
Distance Learning Socials (grades 3-8):
This program was held April - June 2020. You can see a list of topics and then, to view recordings, click here.
Questions? Please reach out to me at Lauren.Traister@uvm.edu
Lauren Traister
4-H Teen & Leadership Program Coordinator
University of Vermont Extension
(802) 888-4972 x 402