Gertrude E. Chamberlin School
Family Newsletter August 5, 2020 Volume 14 Issue 4
ENROLLMENT OPTIONS FOR YOUR CHILD(REN) - RESPONSE NEEDED FROM ALL FAMILIES BY FRIDAY, AUGUST 14TH
What follows are the enrollment options for South Burlington families as we begin the year on Step 2: Hybrid Learning. We need to know what choice you are making for your child(ren) by FRIDAY, AUGUST 14th. Please read the following descriptions and complete the survey information.
Option 1) Hybrid Learning in South Burlington Schools
South Burlington students attend school in person at our elementary schools, on either Monday & Tuesday (A-K last name) or Thursday & Friday (L-Z last name), and engage with online learning during the rest of the week from home/Childcare. Remote lessons will be prepared by SBSD teachers, and review and follow up of remote lessons will happen during the 2 days of in person learning. By dividing each class into two cohorts, all schools will be able to conduct in-person learning with physical distancing and other safety precautions fully in place. Wednesday mornings will be the time that teachers follow up with students with targeted support for online learning and to check in as needed. On Wednesday afternoons, teachers will be engaged in professional learning, collaboration, and planning for online instruction.
During Hybrid Learning, students who need special accommodations in order to access their education will continue through our IEP or 504 Plan processes. Through this process, a team will meet to identify the supports and accommodations needed for the student to be successful in this model.
Option 2) Online Learning with Vermont Virtual Learning Cooperative (VTVLC)
Students participate in this 5-day, online option instead of attending school. Students are assigned to a virtual class that may include students from South Burlington as well as neighboring districts. VTVLC prioritizes assigning students to an online teacher from their local district whenever possible. However, students may be in classes with a teacher and students who are not from South Burlington. All teachers and students are from Vermont. Students participating in this fully remote program are still enrolled as students in South Burlington School District and still access support from our staff (e.g., guidance counselors and special educators) and co-curricular opportunities.
VTVLC is a well established online program where many Vermont high school students have taken high-quality online courses for over a decade. With the coronavirus crisis, VTVLC has partnered with the Vermont Agency of Education to provide a full-time online option for students of all ages with instruction from licensed Vermont teachers who already have or are working towards their Online Teaching endorsement. The program is a combination of asynchronous and synchronous learning offered through Canvas, an online learning platform. The k-5 curriculum is designed to be engaging for online learning and is based on online elementary program from Florida.
Students participating in VTVLC will be enrolled for a MINIMUM OF ONE SEMESTER with the option of returning to the Hybrid Model, if they choose to, at that time.
Students who need special accommodations in order to access their education will continue through our IEP or 504 Plan processes and work with South Burlington special educators from their school. Through this process, a team will meet to identify the supports and accommodations needed for the student to be successful in this model.
Option 3) Homeschooling
Families also have the option of homeschooling their child, however, this removes the child from enrollment in the South Burlington School District. The homeschooling option also requires parents & guardians to file an application to change their child’s enrollment status and follow related guidelines from the VT Agency of Education.
SCHOOL BUDGET - REMEMBER TO VOTE ON AUGUST 11TH!
PLEASE FILL OUT THE HARDSHIP REQUEST FORM IN MR. YOUNG'S LETTER IF YOU ARE WANTING A SWITCH FOR YOUR CHILD FOR THE DAYS OF THE WEEK IN OUR START OF THE YEAR HYBRID MODEL. IF YOU SENT AN EMAIL TO MS. ROUELLE OR MRS. BAECHLE, YOU MUST ALSO FILL OUT THE FORM TO BE CONSIDERED FOR A CHANGE. WE WILL BE USING THE INFORMATION COLLECTED FROM THE FORMS TO LOOK AT ALL OF THE REQUESTS IN OUR DISTRICT, SO WE ARE BEING AS FAIR AND CONSISTENT AS POSSIBLE.
Latest Update From Superintendent Young on School Reopening
The beautiful summer weather has continued this week and I hope you are getting out to enjoy as much of it as possible. During these challenging times, taking a moment to enjoy our outdoor spaces can help ground us in many ways. This week, we as a District continued our work toward school reopening, with a pivot toward the new start date for schools as outlined by Governor Phil Scott. Please see more on this, our reopening plans, and the upcoming budget vote below.
School Reopening: Start Date Delayed
Governor Phil Scott signed an executive order July 29 delaying the start of school from August 26 to September 8. We have decided that we will be starting the school year at Step II, the hybrid model I described in my July 22 letter to families. We recognize there are many questions around school reopening and will be using multiple avenues to communicate with families and staff as information becomes available. These include e-mail, our District website, and individual school principals’ communications. At the high school level, Principal Patrick Burke has begun holding regular Q and A sessions around reopening @sbhsvt instagram you can also access links to the webinars here.
How Classes will be Split in this Model
SBSD Hybrid (Step II) finds students placed in cohorts, with two days of in person learning and three days of remote learning. The District needs to do this for health and safety reasons. The cohort splits are based on the last name of a household's youngest student. The cohorts are (A-K) and (L-Z). During hybrid (Step II) the A-K cohort will be on campus Monday and Tuesday, all students are remote on Wednesdays, and the L-Z cohort is on campus Thursday and Friday.
The District will consider hardship requests for a change in cohorts. However, requests must be based on specific criteria and not all will be granted. Decisions regarding individual hardship requests will be made consistently across all schools in South Burlington. Initial decisions will be made at the school level and can be appealed to the Superintendent. The Superintendent's decision is final.
2020-2021 School Reopening and Transportation Survey
Last week, in collaboration with my fellow superintendents in the Champlain Valley, I released our joint guidance on school reopening. My July 22 letter outlined our current plan to utilize a hybrid instruction delivery model. Subsequent to this note, I sent a link to the 2020-2021 school reopening and transportation survey which was administered from our PowerSchool Parent Portal. Thank you to everyone who filled out their survey. We received a 65% response rate and are currently reviewing the feedback.
Transportation Cont.
Given the above described schedule where students will be divided into two groups coupled with the information collected from the survey, the transportation department is working on establishing routes to both pick-up and drop off students. The routes will not be finalized until the end of August.
Budget Information
We will be holding our official public hearing on the revised, proposed FY21 budget this coming Wednesday, August 5. You can find the agenda and participation information here or join us via . RETN. There will also be an opportunity to ask questions about the budget at the board’s final mini budget information session prior to the vote. This one will be held on a weekend, Sunday, August 9 at 7 pm for those who couldn’t join us during the week. As with all of our meetings, minutes are posted on our district website and you can always watch the meetings you missed via RETN. You can review the latest, proposed budget information here.
Voting: School Ballots are In
The re-vote on the revised, proposed FY21 budget will take place August 11th in conjunction with the state primary. If you requested an absentee ballot in either of the prior votes, you will automatically receive a school ballot. A reminder that time is getting tight to request and receive an absentee ballot (a ballot can be requested via the Secretary of State’s My Voter page) in time to return it to City Hall by August 11.
We recommend mailing your ballot no later than August 5 in order for it to arrive on time. After August 5, you may drop off your ballot at City Hall weekdays from 9 am-noon and 1:00-4:00 pm (these are also the hours by which you may vote in person until August 10 at noon) or place it in the night drop box outside City Hall until 8:00 am August 11. In person voting will also occur August 11 from 7:00 am - 7:00 pm at all three of our polling locations: Orchard School (7-1), FHTMS (7-2, 7-3), and Chamberlin School (7-4).
Important Information On Deadlines: The last day to request an absentee ballot is the day before the election, August 10. Nothing can be dropped off at City Hall on election day. Any ballot that is received in the mail on election day will count. Anything received after the polls close at 7:00 pm, will not count.
A Note on Masks
Governor Phil Scott’’s executive order regarding mask wearing both inside and outside when physical distancing of at least 6 ft. is not possible, goes into effect August 1, 2020. As previously noted, masks will be required for all students and staff in our schools this coming school year. We encourage practicing wearing masks at home as a way to help students adjust to this change. At today’s press conference, the Governor announced that thousands of masks will be distributed at sites statewide for community members. We will share information on local pickup sites when it becomes available. In the meantime, check out this resource guide on where to purchase a mask or make your own.
Childcare
We are working with several partners to identify additional childcare options for parents and guardians to consider during this period. More to follow.
I continue to be grateful for your support during these times. We are working very hard to navigate the unknowns and be nimble in the face of ever changing circumstances.
Sincerely,
David
Kavitha Chandran - Interventionist
Allison Balk - Library Media Specialist
Jennifer Signorino - Kindergarten Teacher
Samantha Earys - Preschool Paraeducator
Louise DeGuise - Physical Education Teacher
Updates For Our GECS Start to School - Welcome New Staff!
Teaching Teams
Kindergarten - Tina Brown, Alexandra Bahrenburg, Jennifer Signorino
1st Grade - Jennifer Boudreau, Maryanne Routhier
2nd Grade - Sally Zimmer, Nancy Rogers, Renae Preska
3rd Grade - Laura Payson, Keelin Simpson
4th Grade - Kathy Murphy, Chris Provost
5th Grade - Dan Diamond, Suzanne McKegney
Our new addition is Jennifer Signorino, who taught kindergarten last year at Rick Marcotte Central School. Before coming to Vermont, Jennifer lived in Missouri, where she taught kindergarten for multiple years as well as 3rd grade. She has a Bachelor's degree in Elementary Education with an emphasis in Early Childhood and a Master's degree in Curriculum and Instruction.
These teacher teams could shift with the passing of the budget, as we will be able to add an additional teacher, and gain an instructional coach and literacy teacher for our school.
Integrated Arts Team
Art - Joannie Wales
Music - Lisa Finlayson
Physical Education - Louise DeGuise
Library Media Specialist - Allison Balk
Louise most recently taught Health and Digital Citizenship at Frederick H. Tuttle Middle School. She is a graduate from Norwich University with certification to teach PreK-12 health and physical education. With 16 years of teaching experience, Louise is a peer review panelist for the Vermont Department of Education helping new teachers in the field seek certification. Louise is a First Aid, CPR, and AED certified Instructor as well as a South Burlington resident.
Allison is originally from NY, and taught 1st grade last year in Ludlow, VT. She is currently enrolled in a Master's degree program in School Librarianship from UVM, having started her coursework at the University of Buffalo. She has a Bachelor's degree in Early Childhood Education and Childhood Education. Fun fact: her Mom is an elementary librarian in NY, so Allison is very excited to follow in her Mom's footsteps!
New Support Staff
Interventionist - Kavitha Chandran
SBSD Preschool Paraprofessional - Samantha Earys
We welcome Kavitha Chandran as a new Interventionist. Kavitha is a Chamberlin parent and has subbed frequently in our building, including a long term sub for Julie McLane. She has a Bachelor's degree in Electronics and Communication Engineering from India, and a Master's degree in Management from the UK. She has been a business owner, as well as working in the business/management realm for other companies.
Our SBSD preschool will also have a Chamberlin parent working as a Paraprofessional. Samantha Earys. Samantha has a Bachelor's in Human Development and Early Childhood Education. She worked 10 years at the Howard Center as an interventionist and the Early Connections Coordinator. During that time, she was awarded the Judy Wade Award for Child Centered-Practice and the James Aia Program Excellence Award. For the past few years, she has been a childcare provider in her home.
We are excited to have an experienced and dynamic team of educators supporting our students and families!
Health Updates
More things to consider providing for your student, as you plan for returning to school:
- Consider having a couple of water bottles for your student to use at school. The water fountains will not be available, but the water-bottle filling stations will be open.
- Provide an extra set of clothes to be kept at school and replaced as needed (including pre-kindergarteners to 5th graders!).
- Consider various snack and lunch options that will not include the most frequent allergens, such as loose nuts, sticky nut and peanut-butter spreads and nut milks. If your child has nut or other food allergies in their classroom, you will get further information closer to the start of school.
- If your child is having lunch from home, be sure they have reusable containers that they can open independently, to limit contact by others with their food items.
- Have multiple facial coverings for your student. Extra facial coverings will be helpful to have at school in case your student(s) lick or suck the fabric, drop it on the ground, sneeze, or if it just gets misplaced when it's taken off for eating.
Upcoming Food Distribution Event Dates and Locations
Detailed information about food distribution events for the last two weeks of August is available on the State of Vermont Food Help website. It is requested that households pre-register for their pickup via the Vermont Food Help website. Those who are unable to access the website or need assistance with registration should dial 2-1-1.
Distributions for the weeks of Aug. 17 and Aug. 24, 2020:
- Aug. 17, 2020: South Burlington and St. Albans
- Aug. 18, 2020: Rutland and Bethel
- Aug. 19, 2020: Brattleboro and Springfield
- Aug 20, 2020: Newport and Brighton
- Aug 21, 2020: Barre and Hartford/White River Junction
- Aug 24, 2020: South Burlington and Burlington North End
- Aug. 25, 2020: Rutland and Shoreham
- Aug 26. 2020: Brattleboro and Bennington
- Aug 27. 2020: Newport and Richford
- Aug 28, 2020: Barre and Morrisville
INTERNET SERVICE AND BROADBAND SPEED
The Department of Public Service is collecting any information that you can provide to reach out to Internet service providers and other utilities to see what can be done to help you get Internet at your home address. This information will be used to identify locations where students lack access to the Internet or where consumers want service to be improved. Responses, without identifying information, may be shared with service providers.
The map shows the maximum reported broadband speed available at each location. The legend, available on the map by clicking the "Legend" button in the upper left, and copied below, depicts what the colors on the map show.
Internet service providers voluntarily provide information annually to the Department about where they offer service, and the speeds they offer. The Broadband High-Speed Internet Availability in Vermont page presents this information in static printable map format and offers statistics by town.
If you are not able to enter your address on the map, the Consumer Affairs & Public Information (CAPI) Division can help. Just call 1-800-622-4496 and a CAPI specialist will work with you and enter your information on the map.
CLICK THE LINK BELOW TO ACCESS THE LINK AND SURVEY.
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