Gertrude Chamberlin School
Family Newsletter June 4, 2021 Volume 15 Issue 41
Wednesday, June 9th - 12:30 Dismissal. Early Release for Staff Professional Development
Friday, June 18th - Last Day of School, 11:30 AM Dismissal
The GCS Yearbook Has Arrived!
If you would like your child to have a yearbook, it's not to late! Please send in cash or a check made out to Chamberlin PTO for $17.00 with your child and we will send them home with a yearbook!
Agency of Education School Guidance Updates
At the Governor’s press conference last week, Secretary of Education Dan French announced the release of a joint memo from he and Health Commissioner Dr. Mark Levine regarding prevention recommendations for the end of the year. It notes that when the state of emergency ends, much of the COVID-19 guidance for schools will no longer be enforced since its underlying authority is derived from the Governor’s Emergency Order. This includes the Strong and Healthy Year guidance. However, the department recommends that schools continue to follow current prevention strategies outlined in the guidance for the remainder of the school year because students will not be fully vaccinated by mid-June.
The AOE also released guidance on instructional operations for the fall of 2021. This presumes that we will be back to full time, in-person instruction in the fall and notes that distancing requirements for students and staff will no longer be necessary. We look forward to welcoming our current full time remote students back in August for learning in our school building! We will be working through this update and providing details on what school will look like for our district as our planning process continues.
We Filled The Hive!
Three Sisters Garden
Mrs. Zuchman's 3rd grade class is learning about Native American history and culture. To complement what they are learning in the classroom, they planted a "three sisters" garden at the Gertrude Chamberlin School Garden. Three sisters is a Native American method of planting corn, beans and squash together. As the three different types of plants grow, they support one another and make for a healthy garden. They also produce a lot of nutritious food! Mrs. Zuchman used this website for the pre-gardening activity, to have students learn about the Legend of the Three Sisters through a story and video.
https://ganondagan.org/learn/legend-of-the-three-sisters
After the gardening, students reflected on their planting experience by writing a How To Plant Corn Manual! (see photos).
News From the South Burlington Public Library
“Tails and Tales!”
Starts Today! The 2021 Summer Reading Program, will run from June 1st to August 20th. Summer Reading Kits for ages 0-3, 4-12 and teens are available from June 1st to June 11th at the University Mall location, and can also be picked up at the end of the Bag ‘n Wagon Parade on June 13th. Kits will also be available at the new location starting July 19th. Pick up a kit and start reading! More information can be found on our website. Summer Reading 2021: "Tails and Tales" (southburlingtonlibrary.org)
The Bag ‘N Wagon Parade!
On Sunday, June 13th, The South Burlington Public Library will begin its move to our new location with a “Bag ‘n Wagon Parade”, generously supported by Mascoma Bank! We'll be joined by special guest: “The Big Blue Train” as we parade from the University Mall, across Dorset Street and right to the front doors of 180 Market Street. It’s a walking celebration of South Burlington’s new library and you are invited! Check out our website for information. Celebrate with a "Bag N Wagon" Parade sponsored by Mascoma Bank! (southburlingtonlibrary.org)
The Moving Timeline: Details for Patrons
It’s happening! We’re packing, we’re sorting and we’re organizing to make the move to 180 Market Street. Our University Mall location will remain open for browsing or curbside pick-up—but just until June 11th. On that date, at 5pm, we will close the University Mall location, and won’t re-open until mid-July when we are settled into our new location at 180 Market Street. Click this link for a Moving Timeline: Library Closed - Moving (southburlingtonlibrary.org)
NOW is the time to grab as many books, books on CD, DVDs and magazines as you will need to get you through this transition! There are no renewals after June 11, but also no late fines. The Bookdrop will also NOT be available after June 11th, so please hold on to any returns until we are on Market Street.
Important Library Policy Updates
After July 19th, when you visit our new library, please know that children in fourth grade or lower must be accompanied by an adult. Children in fifth grade and up may attend the library unaccompanied. All patrons, regardless of age, are expected to follow our Patron Code of Conduct PATRON CODE OF CONDUCT.pdf (southburlingtonlibrary.org).
Additionally, the Library supports the right of all persons, regardless of age, to have equal access to the Internet. Parents are encouraged to accompany their children and guide their
Internet exploration. The Library does not assume responsibility for monitoring Internet content accessed by children. Click the link for the full policy. Computer and Internet Policy 1 16 20.pdf (southburlingtonlibrary.org)
Thanks for your understanding and patience during this transition period. We look forward to seeing you in our beautiful new space!!
Save the Date: July 23rd, The Official Open House and Ribbon Cutting Ceremony. All Welcome!
4th Graders In Mr. Provost's Class Had a Fun Time on Their Hike At Mt. Philo This Week!
Hello and Goodbye Assembly, June 17th
We will also be saying hello to new staff at our assembly. Stephanie Custer will join us as a second grade teacher, as Mrs. Preska is going to kindergarten. Mrs. Custer is currently teaching in Barre Town. Ellie Gover will join our first grade team. Mrs. Gover is currently teaching in Cambridge. Jenny Goodrich, will be our new art teacher. Mrs. Goodrich is currently teaching in Swanton. We welcome back Amanda Rickard as our reading teacher and Amanda McCarthy as a 3rd grade teacher. They both took positions at other schools when our budget failed multiple times last year. Karen Crawford will join us from the high school as our new ELA special educator in grades 2 and 3. Katie Wessels will join us as our new Howard clinician! Mrs. Wessels is a social worker in Ohio and she will be moving to VT in the next month.
Keeping with our tradition, kindergarteners will be sending our 5th graders off with a carnation at this final assembly. We are excited that they can gather in the gym for a quick in person flower hand off! This will be a bittersweet assembly as we send off those who are moving on and welcome those who will be joining us for next year.
Summer Happenings at GCS
Farm To School, Common Roots and the South Burlington Food Shelf
As Common Roots completes our 13th year of Farm to School lessons in your 3 elementary schools, we would like to say Thank You for welcoming us as essential educators this year, and accolades have expressed for our bringing Farm to School lessons with taste tests to your children.
Several of you have already come to our Farm with your children and picked up your FREE Seed Starter Kits, very exciting! We have plenty more!
This Saturday, June 5th is our Farm Hop. 11-2 at the Farm at South Village, 55 Allen Road East, simply follow the signs. Your children may walk our farm with you, hear stories from our educator, taste yummy foods, and meet our honey bees in person (safely in their habitat)!! Lauren, who has worked with your children will be ready to meet you at our Farmstand. See the attached poster to learn about this fabulous event we have prepared for you!
If you cannot make the Farm Hop, please stop by our farm for a visit. We are open Monday through Saturday, 8 am - 6 pm.
The Food Shelf continues to be open and likely in July, you will be able to go inside and select what you would like. Common Roots Farmstand is set up every time it is open. You select whatever you like for the week and we bring it fresh 3 times a week.
SOUTH BURLINGTON FOOD SHELF
356 Dorset Street
OPEN
Thursdays 4:30 - 6:30 pm
Fridays and Saturdays 8-10 am
If you would like to get texts with updates throughout the summer, e-mail carol@commonroots.org
If you know anyone who needs food, send them our way!
Thank You and Nourish to Flourish,
Carol McQuillen
Director of Common Roots
South Burlington Planning Commission Task Force Seeking Volunteers
We are seeking volunteers for a City Task Force to consider zoning amendment for land east of Airport Parkway in the vicinity of Kirby Road Extension.
The South Burlington Planning Commission is seeking up to three residents of the Chamberlin neighborhood to serve on a Task Force to evaluate a possible zoning amendment to the area east of Airport Parkway in the vicinity of Kirby Road Extension. The Burlington International Airport has submitted a request for this land’s zoning to change from Residential 4 to a designation that would allow for an Airport function and buffer consistent with the Airport’s Re-Use Plan for the area. The land is present unoccupied.
The Task Force will work with a consultant staff member to review the request, gather community input, and develop a formal recommendation to the Planning Commission including draft amendments if appropriate. The Task Force is anticipated to meet approximately twice monthly, using a digital platform at least to start. The final report / amendments would be provided to the Commission no later than September 17th.
If you are interested, please contact Paul Conner by Monday, June 7th:
Paul Conner, Director of Planning & Zoning
pconner@sburl.com or (802) 846-4106
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.
May 28th Update from Superintendent Young
May 28, 2021
Dear Parents/Guardians and Staff,
It’s hard to believe how quickly Memorial Day weekend has arrived! We have had yet another busy week of activities and learning in the District. From our vaccine clinic Tuesday, to launching text messaging, to planning for end of year celebrations. This is always an exciting time for students, staff, and families alike as one school year ends and we begin to look hopefully to the next; especially this year. I continue to be so proud of each of you. It is amazing how we have persevered through these times together. Please see more updates below.
SBHS Hosted Vaccine Clinic A Success
SBHS hosted a vaccine clinic for all Vermonters aged 12 and over May 25 from 11-6. According to nurse Caryl Davidson, “The vaccine clinic went very smoothly. They vaccinated approximately 125 people. People seemed very appreciative that the clinic was so convenient.” The second dose clinic will be held Tuesday, June 15. Only those who were vaccinated at the clinic Tuesday will be allowed to attend.
Missed the clinic? Not to worry, you can find an evolving list of vaccination sites and how to register here. Vermont residents 12 and older can also access vaccination walk-in clinics, but individuals in that age group should look for clinics that offer the Pfizer vaccine and bring a parent or guardian with them. Vaccine informational videos in multiple languages have also been generously created by the Vermont Multilingual Coronavirus Task Force.
Agency of Education (AOE) School Guidance Updates
At the Governor’s press conference today, Secretary of Education Dan French announced the release of a joint memo from he and Health Commissioner Dr. Mark Levine regarding prevention recommendations for the end of the year. It notes that when the state of emergency ends, much of the COVID-19 guidance for schools will no longer be enforced since its underlying authority is derived from the Governor’s Emergency Order.This includes the Strong and Healthy Year guidance. However, the department recommends that schools continue to follow current prevention strategies outlined in the guidance for the remainder of the school year because students will not be fully vaccinated by mid-June. This falls in line with my note last week that masks will continue to be required of all students and staff through the end of this school year.
Today, the AOE also released guidance on instructional operations for the fall of 2021. This presumes that we will be back to full time, in-person instruction in the fall and notes that distancing requirements for students and staff will no longer be necessary. We will be working through this update and providing details on what school will look like for our district as our planning process continues.
Connecting with the School Board: Upcoming Opportunities
Thanks to all of the community members who have been joining the board for their regular meetings and Zoom chats! Next week, Chair Bridget Burkhardt will not be holding her usual Monday Zoom due to the Memorial Days holiday, but please feel free to join Rebecca Day Tuesday, June 1 from 10:00-11:00 am and Brian Minier Tuesday, June 1 from 6:00-7:00 pm. Check out the School Board's Facebook Page and the District website for the latest dates and links!
Next week, the board will also have their regular school board meeting Wednesday, June 2 beginning at 7:00 pm. Join via Zoom or catch the livestream on the Media Factory website. You can find all of the board’s meeting minutes, agendas, and backup information on the District website.
School Happenings
SBHS Students Inducted into Japanese Honor Society
On May 19th, five seniors at South Burlington High School celebrated their induction into the Japanese National Honor Society Pre-College Chapter (JNHS). This organization “recognizes and encourages scholastic achievement and excellence in Japanese study by working with teachers and administrators to develop and maintain high standards of Japanese language education and promoting cultural activities.” This year’s inductees were Marjorie Candreva, Jaden Cypes, Avery Houston, Taylor Magnant, and Taryn Turner.
“Even though the TIE Japan exchange program was cancelled last year,” noted Ms. Sinyoung Ra Evans, SBHS Japanese Language Instructor, “the determination to learn Japanese kept flourishing as strong as ever for these students. Starting from learning hiragana (one of the Japanese alphabets) to the level of real-life communication in Japanese or even creatively writing scripts for Japanese skits, learning a non-western language for a native speaker of English takes patience and perseverance.”
FHTMS Students and Educators Gather to Hear from Author Angie Thomas
The Vermont Humanities Council offered a free Zoom event this week as part of Vermont Reads 2020 which featured Angie Thomas, who is the author of five acclaimed books, including The Hate U Give. Social Studies teacher and SOAR advisor Christie Nold wrote that “45 students and educators gathered (physically distanced) in the library to hear from Thomas. Angie spoke about her childhood, the writing process, and her struggles with mental health. She named that, "the way you perceive the world is the way you lead the world" and encouraged our students to recognize their power and all that they are capable of right now to make a difference in the world.”
This event also marked the first time this school year that SOAR members were able to meet in person! Christie wrote, “We are so thankful to the hard, dedicated work of the South Burlington community to keep our students safe which is now allowing us to come together in person.”
Also, shout out to the FHTMS Why Not? Students who held a successful battery drive May 25! 83.3 pounds of batteries were collected to recycle! Well done everyone!
Rick Marcotte Central Students Learn How to use Google Slides
Teacher Stephanie Hockenbury noted that recently, all three second grade classes worked with Kristen Courcelle, the SBSD K-5 Technology Educator, to learn skills related to creating Google slides. Each class had their own Zoom session with Kristen where she introduced and modeled features to use. This Zoom session also included time to practice and ask questions. Students will be using these skills as they create projects about their literacy work in the coming weeks.
Gertrude Chamberlin School Students Garden and Dance!
In music classes at Chamberlin School this week, 3rd graders learned about Malaysian music and two students recognized one of the dances as the national dance of the Philippines.
In addition to dancing, these classes also planted a Three Sisters garden with parent Ryan Roberge, who generously maintains the beautiful school gardens! Prior to planting, students learned about the importance of the three sisters crops, corn, beans, and squash and how they, when planted together, help each other to thrive. Keep your eyes on Principal Rouelle’s Twitter and weekly newsletter as well as the District website for photos!
Orchard School: It’s Starting to Feel like Summer at the Library
Looking for ways to keep your children reading this summer? Come to Orchard School's library! SBSD employee and former Orchard School parent, Janette Hasenecz, will once again be running the Summer Library program at Orchard School. Thanks to the generosity of the PTO, the library will be open for eight weeks on Wednesday mornings from 9-12, beginning June 23rd and ending August 11th. The summer theme is "Go for the Gold." Every student who comes to Summer Library will receive a special prize that just might have an Olympic game connection. Families may come in each week for a different surprise. While at Summer Library, Orchard School students may play a game of checkers, build with LEGOs, and, of course, check out some books.
Can't make it on Wednesday mornings? Check out Orchard’s "Little Free Library" located in front of the school. It’s always open and is a place where students can give and take donated books. Please feel free to clean out your bookshelves for donations, as well as stop by to pick up a couple of "new to you" books over the summer.
Thanks for reading and have a relaxing Memorial Day weekend!
Sincerely,
David
Here's the link to the breakfast and lunch menus.
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