Shelburne Community School
Weekly Newsletter
October 8, 2021
Principal's Message
SCS Families,
We hope this message finds you enjoying a long and relaxing 4-day weekend. While there are so many topics I could tackle in today's newsletter, I am going to take a very different approach from most weeks and use this space to make a singular ask of families. Today, I am drawing your attention to one single problem we face at SCS, in the hopes that we can get some real meaningful action from parents and caregivers over the next week.
Over the summer, CVSD made a huge changeover in our SIMS system (Student Information Management System). This system contains all of the information that we have about our students and their families. This includes addresses, phone numbers, emergency contacts, health information, transportation preferences, and permissions. This new system is far more dynamic than anything we have had before it. Simply put, we are a better organized and safer school district for having a tool like PowerSchool. This summer we sent every SCS family a letter in the mail that guided you to complete two different tasks:
1. Create a PowerSchool account
2. Complete the four required forms for your family to update contact, health, transportation, and permission forms
At this point, less than 50% of SCS families have completed this task, which is one of the lowest percentages of any school in our district. This poses a legitimate safety concern for us, as vital information that would be utilized in a school or health emergency, has not been updated in over a year. It is absolutely imperative that we improve this situation and assure we have updated information for all SCS students.
What can I do to help?
If you have your letter that came from SCS this summer, you can create your account and then fill out all four outstanding forms using the directions in the letter.
What if I lost my summer letter?
We understand that many families likely misplaced their summer letters that came in the mail. Right now, Patty Spagnolo is pulling these letters for families that are yet to create an account. She is downloading these letters into PDF files and will be emailing them out to all families that have yet to set up their accounts
.
This is over 300 families, and we thank Patty for doing this incredible amount of work to help us get this essential work done. Please support Patty and the school by looking for the email this week if you do not have a PowerSchool account.
What if I created an account, but did not complete any forms?
There are also a large number of families that got halfway through the process. Many created their account but did not complete all the forms. If you are in this situation, Patty will be sending an email to indicate this. If you remember creating an account, but not completing the forms, please log into your account to complete the process.
We are really hopeful that we can put a big dent in our total number of outstanding accounts and forms this week. If you know that you haven't started the process, be assured that an email will be coming from the school this week with setup instructions. If you are not exactly sure what you have or have not completed, feel free to email Patty (pspagnolo@cvsdvt.org) with your questions or concerns.
With so much concern about health, safety, and mitigation strategies over the past two years, it is extremely worrying that the most basic building blocks of school safety are not currently in place for over half of our students. If you have taken the steps to update your student's info, we are so thankful for your attention and diligence. If you have not yet completed this work, please take some time this week to help SCS be as informed and responsive as it can possibly be in keeping our students safe.
I hope we will be able to celebrate 80%+ of our forms being completed by our next newsletter. Thank you, as always, for your support.
Have a wonderful week!
Davis Park Crosswalk Safety
JP puts a ton of effort into managing this area every afternoon and morning, but the real key to our collective safety is the caution used by drivers in the area. Maintaining low speeds, being aware of pedestrians, and stopping when asked is absolutely essential. Please continue to operate with caution. There are many young children using our crosswalks every day. It is our collective responsibility, no matter how rushed we may feel, to do our part to keep our community safe.
We thank you in advance for your efforts.
SCS News
Due to a delay in the arrival of the Student Portrait Order Forms, AMV Photography will not return to SCS until Tuesday, October 19th. The intended schedule for the Make-Up / Re-Take Day will still match the one that was sent to all families on September 23rd, via School Messenger.
Families with students who participated in photo days, should receive their order forms during the week of October 12th. The order form will have a URL and student-specific code printed on it so that you'll be able to view the photos online as well.
Students who missed photo days, as well as those who desire a re-take, should let their classroom or prime teacher know that they wish to participate in this opportunity on Tuesday, October 19th.
If you have questions, please contact Garrath Higgins.
Shelburne Recreation: Bolton Valley Afterschool Program Announced
Shelburne Parks and Recreation is pleased to announce the return of the Bolton Valley After School Program this winter! This year we will be offering the choice of 2 sessions, both of which are on Wednesdays (early release day). Students in grades 5th – 8th are eligible to participate and may choose one of the two sessions. Registration will open at 9:00 am on Oct. 20. Please see the Shelburne Parks and Recreation website for detailed information about the program and registration. http://www.shelburnevt.org/184/Bolton-Ski-Ride-Program . Questions about the program should be directed to Shelburne Recreation at 802-985-9551 or email: bcieplicki@shelburnevt.org
CVSD News
Digital Citizenship Week is October 18-22
All CVSD schools will participate in Digital Citizenship Week later this month. Using many resources, including those from Common Sense Education, we will focus on one strand collectively across the district: Privacy and Security.
From Common Sense:
We care about everyone’s privacy. Students learn how to protect personal information and gain a deeper understanding of their data privacy rights so they can advocate for themselves and others.
We will share more information as we get underway. Here are some resources for families related to Online Privacy and Security from Common Sense.
If you are not familiar with Common Sense Media, it's a fabulous resource for families on all topics related to technology in the lives of our children. (reviews, forums, and much more!)
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.
CVSD's COVID Recovery Plan
CVSD schools have re-opened for the 2021-2022 school year following the guidelines provided by the Vermont Agency of Education. Vermont school districts are working to meet the needs of all students, especially after a pandemic year. We were required to create a Recovery Plan for the Vermont Agency of Education for approval. CVSD is calling this our Strategic Response Plan. Learn more about the plan and provide feedback at this link. Click here to view Superintendent Sanchez's message about CVSD's COVID Response Plan.
Important Upcoming Dates
(A complete calendar can be found on the SCS website)
Oct 11th - No School, Indigenous Peoples Day
Oct 12th - SCS PTO Meeting, Green Commons (6:00-7:30pm)
Oct 19th - Student Portraits Make-Up / Re-Take Day
Oct 21st - DEI Community Meeting (6:00-7:00pm)
Oct 26th - Music Boosters & Curriculum Meeting, details TBA
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