Shelburne Community School
Weekly Newsletter
April 12, 2021
Principal's Message
SCS Families,
I hope this week's newsletter finds you in good spirits after enjoying what was a picture-perfect weekend. Whether you spent large portions of the last two days outdoors, or simply enjoyed having your windows thrown open, there was something invigorating about it all.
The recent weather certainly sets the mood for our upcoming spring break. But, we are not there quite yet, as we have one more important week of school to look forward to. As you'll see below in the news section, this is a week of many deadlines that you will want to be aware of. You can certainly read more below, but here is the summary:
- Yearbook orders are due today! If your family grabs a book each year, or you have a soon-to-be 8th-grade graduate...do not miss the opportunity. You can find the link to order below.
- We are gathering parent input to inform our class placement process for next year. Yes, I know it is hard to believe that it is already that time, but it is. Placement is an internal process that takes a large amount of time each spring. Gathering input from parents and caregivers is just the first step. These forms are due back to us on Wednesday. Please look through your email to find Patty's initial email.
- Our fabulous PTO has been sending you information on their Red Wagon Plant Sale. You know you spent some time in the yard this weekend! Support our PTO and local business by putting in an order today. the deadline is Friday.
On the COVID front, I am sure that many of you have heard or read about the recent impact of cases on our school system and the K-12 community as a whole in VT. The number of cases over the past two weeks has been larger than what we have grown accustomed to in our schools this year. The impact of these cases has been immense as contact tracing efforts have moved forward using the same standards we've utilized all year. The raw number of close contacts has shut down classrooms, whole teams, and schools across Vermont and here within CVSD. It has been a very challenging time as schools have balanced higher case numbers in children with the desire to bring more students into schools at closer proximity, for more days. We are so thankful that SCS has been largely spared over the last 2-3 weeks and we will continue to work to protect our students and to limit disruptions to learning.
New health and safety guidance from the state landed with us just last Thursday. All school systems are working to figure out how the distilled guidance with impact their plans after spring break. While I had hoped to have some information to share this morning, it is more likely that all CVSD families will receive a unified message/plan from district leadership sometime this week.
Throughout the pandemic, one of the things that has been most lacking from our collective lives is "something to look forward to". In a normal time, we all plan for and look forward to the next gathering, the next night out, and the next vacation. We are fueled and energized by our next opportunity to connect with others. We've all missed that desperately.
I hope that the upcoming break offers something for you and your children to look forward to. It may be time with loved ones, it may be travel, it may be as simple as a vaccination appointment. Whatever hope is currently fueling you and yours, I hope it is realized over the break.
With that said, I ask you to not lose sight of what is ahead of us as a school community. While some restrictions have been relaxed and opportunities to connect have increased, I ask you to consider how the choices we make over the next two weeks will make or break the remainder of the school year. I ask you to be both cautious and thoughtful about your plans over the break and your plans for re-entering school after the break. This entire year has been a slow and intentional process of opening up our school for our students. It would be so difficult to see that progress stalled or reversed after the break. We've all heard the impassioned discussion of how important in-person learning is to our students and our community. If we can back those words with responsible behavior over the next two weeks, I believe that the final weeks and months of the 2020-2021 school year will be the best ones yet.
Have a wonderful week!
Updates from Ms. Celmer
In an effort to reduce the length of our PreK-8 Community Newsletter, I have moved our PreK-4 information into the following Shelburne Community School Elementary Newsletter for April 2021 (digital format), PDF format. I invite you to click on this link monthly for new updates that are specific to our youngest learners. I hope you enjoy this new format and the content provided. We will also provide a hardcopy version per family on the first Friday of every month.
Families, please complete the following Google Form Survey this week (if you haven't done so already) to give us your feedback on your recent family conference. Your feedback will help us plan future conferences. Thank you!
SCS News
Family Input Forms were sent out through the InformedK12 system by our Registrar, Patty Spagnolo, on April 1st. Please check your SPAM folder if you didn't see it, we need these forms completed by this Wednesday, April 14th to help with our placement process. Thank you to those who have already completed and submitted the form. The information that you provide to us is invaluable in our placement process for the coming school year.
One Week Left to Order your Red Wagon Plants
SCS has teamed up with Red Wagon again to offer a great selection of vegetable plants, herbs and flowers. Help support SCS and a local business while taking care of all your gardening needs!
This year, you can also buy a plant and donate it to the SCS Vegetable Garden or the SCS Rain Garden.
Order Forms Due: April 16th
Plant Sale Pick Up at SCS: the week of May 24th (more details to follow)
Submitting Your Order Form:
Please fill out the order form and return it 1 of 2 ways:
- make a copy and e-mail to ctharpe25@gmail.com
- print a copy and send in with your child to be dropped off at the front office
Payment Options:
- Venmo @ SCSPTO
- PayPal
- Checks made payable to SCS and mailed or dropped off at the front office
Questions? Email ctharpe25@gmail.com or go to www.redwagonplants.com for more information about the plants.
Thank you for your continued support!
This is the FINAL DAY for yearbook orders. All orders are due today, Monday, April 12th.
Please use the link below or return your order form to school with a check for $30 made out to Shelburne Community School with "yearbook" written in the memo line.
CVSD News
Food Service
We are so happy to share that the USDA has announced it is allowing schools to continue to provide free breakfast and lunch meals to all children 18 years old and younger. CVSD will be offering in-school meals, pickup, and delivery. To read about our program, see our menu, and place your order, go to our district website at https://www.cvsdvt.org/ and scroll down to "Foodservice." Our amazing food service team is excited to continue to serve the children of our community meals that are safe, nutritious, and delicious!
Your child will have the opportunity to order breakfast and lunch each morning when they arrive at school.
Important Upcoming Dates
(A complete calendar can be found on the SCS website)
Apr 12th - Yearbook Order Deadline
Apr 13th - SCS PTO Virtual Meeting (6:00pm)
Apr 16th - SCS PTO Red Wagon Plants Order Deadline
Apr 19th-23rd - No School - Spring Break
Apr 23rd - May 1st - Heath Family Fundraiser
May 11th - SCS PTO Virtual Meeting (6:00pm)
Shelburne Community School
Scott Sivo - Lead Principal (5-8)
Email: ssivo@cvsdvt.org
Website: https://www.cvsdvt.org/shelburne
Location: Shelburne, VT, USA
Phone: 802-985-3331
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ShelburneCommunitySchool/
Twitter: @SCSLearns