CCS Newsletter
February 5, 2021
ADMINISTRATION UPDATE
Dear CCS Families and Community Members,
We hope everyone had a wonderful first snow day this week! We are certainly appreciative of having snow for our students to play in during their school day. We are also appreciative of our PTO supporting our fleet of sleds to enable a little extra fun at recess!
We couldn’t have picked a better week to celebrate our Winter Carnival. On the first day planned, all of the students and teachers celebrated the first snow day of 2021. We hope everyone took time to play in the snow. Today, many staff and students finished off the week with fun in the snow outside - this is a good time to remind us - please make sure your child(ren) comes prepared for some outside fun like sledding, street hockey, shelter-building, snowshoeing, snow soccer and more.
February Happenings:
We often receive many inquiries about Valentine's Day at school, particularly in our elementary grades. Our K-4 classrooms will be recognizing Valentine's Day in an inclusive manner - focused on kindness toward one another. Classrooms will focus on a day, week and/or month of kindness and appreciation. This includes giving kindness to our community - students in grades 1-4 are making kindness prints to be shared with residents at Wake Robin for Valentine’s Day!
We ask that individual Valentine's cards and treats not be brought in from home, as classrooms will be focused on already planned activities and creations.
Reminder - our February school break is coming up in two weeks. School will be on break the week of February 22nd - 26th, returning on Monday, March 1st. Before each school break, we ask that students and families check in with our Lost and Found to claim any items that they may have lost. This year, that table is in our front entry way between the double doors. Any unclaimed items are donated to local agencies.
COVID Information and Updates:
If a student is positive, do their siblings stay home as well?
This is a frequently asked question, particularly when our school has a positive case. If the Department of Health determines that siblings and family members are close contacts, based on the science that defines what constitutes a close contact, they must quarantine. One of our daily screening questions that everyone (staff and students) must answer each day is: “Have you been in close contact with a COVID positive person?” If the answer is “yes,” then you are not to come into our school buildings.
When a student is identified as a close contact, but not positive themselves, siblings are still allowed to attend school if the person (parent or child) who is a close contact is able to quarantine from the rest of the family. If families are unable to keep the close-contact parent or child quarantined from all other family members, they must keep their other students at home. Each family system and setup is unique in terms of how and when they interact in their home, so it’s not a one-size-fits-all answer. This can also vary greatly depending on the age and developmental stage of the student. We rely greatly on families sharing their plans with us and making a plan that keeps both their family and our school building healthy. The diligence with which our community has navigated our positive cases so far has greatly supported our goal of keeping our students and staff as safe and healthy as possible. Please know that we follow up on such matters and that our CCS families have been incredibly responsive and responsible in their decision making regarding sibling attendance.
If there is a situation affecting our school community, we work directly with our CVSD COVID response team and the Vermont Health Department. Our district maintains all of the current updates on the CVSD website under the headings of “CVSD COVID Reporting Dashboard” and the “CVSD COVID-19 Symptomatic and Positive Cases Guide”.
Warm regards,
Stephanie, Jen and Cassandra
THANK YOU PTO FOR THE NEW RECESS SLEDS!
MIDDLE SCHOOL ICE SKATING DURING RECESS
2ND GRADE MATH GAMES
TODAY'S WINTER CARNIVAL PICTURES - WHAT A GREAT AFTERNOON!
IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER
Wednesday, February 10th
Remote Day for All
Wednesday, February 17th
Remote Day for All
Monday, February 22nd through Friday, February 26th
NO SCHOOL - Winter Break
DEAR CVSD COMMUNITY MEMBERS AND VOTERS
FY22 budget season is upon us. While many voters may cast early ballots, for those who prefer to vote in person, TUESDAY, MARCH 2, 2021, is your chance to vote on the FY22 Proposed CVSD Budget and school-related Articles. (Articles and Ballot Questions refer to the same thing.)
As Finance Committee Chair, I am pleased to report that your District Administration and School Board are optimistic and future-focused. We developed the FY22 budget with a goal to return this August to the familiar in-person 5-day per week instruction.
There are NINE ARTICLES for voter approval this year. This letter will be the first in a series of communications to highlight the FY22 Budget Articles to help you prepare for voting. Read more at this link and find further information on the CVSD website: www.cvsdvt.org/budget.
2021-2022 KINDERGARTEN REGISTRATION
We are asking potential 2021-2022 kindergarten families to please use the below link in order to inform our 2021-2022 Kindergarten Registration process. Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter.
CCS Kindergarten 2021-2022 Interest Survey
LOST AND FOUND IS OVERFLOWING ONCE AGAIN
The Lost and (not yet) Found is once again overflowing. Please have your child(ren) check the tables in the FRONT LOBBY ENTRANCE for any missing items. These items will be donated on Friday, February 19th (before the Winter Break). We hate to give away a family's missing items, so please come by!
8TH GRADE INVITE
CHAMPLAIN VALLEY UNION HIGH SCHOOL
AN INVITATION
To 8th Grade Parents and Students of the Class of 2025
Join us virtually for
8th Grade Student & Parent Night
Champlain Valley Union High School
Online Thursday, February 11, 6:30-7:30 p.m.
Hosted by Principal Adam Bunting
and the CVU Student Council
This evening will provide you and your child an introduction to the academic and elective programs they will experience in the 9th grade.
We’ll be live at:
CCS IS LOOKING FOR MENTORS!
Do you think kids are fun? Does spending time with children bring you joy? Are you interested in giving back to your community? Then you’d probably be a good mentor!
Mentors are caring adults who spend about an hour a week with a student. Mentors bring with them a sense of shared fun, new experiences and great listening skills. Mentors bring encouragement and options for expanding a young person’s regard for themselves and their world. By sharing yourself with your mentee you can inspire them to create a richer future for themselves.
Mentors are distinct members of a team of caring adults who show up for youth in addition to parents, caregivers and teachers.
If you can commit to spending an hour a week with a student through the end of the school year, please be in touch! We would love to hear from you. Please reach out to Joshua Rooney, Mentoring Coordinator at jrooney@cvsdvt.org or (802) 425-6642!