SCS Weekly Newsletter 1.30.23
Week of January 30, 2023
Principals' Message
Hello SCS Families and Caregivers,
What a week at SCS! Despite the uncertainty around the weather, we managed to pull together a fantastic open house on Thursday. Thank you to all of our families, staff members, and students who came together to welcome the entire community back into the building after a few fractured years. Watching your children lead the way through the packed halls, hearing their excited chatter, and seeing the smiles on faces of families who may never have been into our classrooms before was a real treat. The PTO will be reaching out to our three raffle winners from the pool of passports/maps that were dropped off at their table in the lobby at the end of the night. We greatly appreciate their support with the evening, which included feeding our hard-working staff members and supporting local Shelburne businesses with the raffle. Thank you, PTO! We encourage anyone interested in getting involved to join the next PTO meeting on Tuesday, February 7 (see below for more details).
The excitement continues this weekend, as our First Lego League team (AKA the RoboCats) heads down to Norwich for the first statewide FLL competition. A huge thanks goes out to Tim O'Leary, Joey Adams, support from the CVU team coached by Olaf Verdonk, and the numerous parent volunteers who have helped out so far. Between securing the grant funding for this program, managing a hugely passionate group of 40+ students, and coordinating the logistics around materials and a Saturday field trip, this has truly been a community-wide effort. Some of the team's work was even featured on WCAX this week. We are proud of you, RoboCats! You can read more about First Lego League here.
We're also gearing up for more exciting events in February. Our compassionate students are creating cards and notes for the residents at Wake Robins again this February - talk about authentic writing opportunities! Our fantastic Physical Education Department (Mr. Membrino, Mrs. Olson, and Ms. Alysia) is leading the charge with the American Heart Association's Kids Heart Challenge beginning this week. We've got our Winter Walk to School day coming up on Wednesday, 2/1, and the Penguin Plunge is next Saturday, 2/4. Finally, we're looking forward to kicking off our first school-wide Read-a-Thon fundraiser. You can read about these events and more below.
It's shaping up to be a cold week weather-wise, so please make sure your kids are coming to school with appropriate recess gear. Don't hesitate to reach out to your school counselor if you need assistance securing these items. We will be going outside as long as the "real feel" including wind chill is above zero degrees. Thanks to everyone who stopped by the lost and found on Thursday to grab those missing mittens, boots, and sweaters - we'll need them this week!
Take Care,
Alison, Brett & Emily
Open House Reflections - Looking for Your Feedback & Input
We are beyond excited with how many of you were able to join us for our PreK-8 Open House last week. Thank you for helping to make this event so successful! We would really appreciate it if you could take a few minutes to reflect on your experience at the Open House and share with us some ‘glows’ (things that went well, that you’d like to see us repeat again in the future), and/or some ‘grows’ (areas we could improve and constructive suggestions) using this short Google Form Survey. We will take this feedback into consideration while planning future community-school events. For those of you who were not available to attend our Open House this past week, we’d love to hear from you as well. Please use this short Google Form Survey to share what would have been helpful in our planning to make it more accessible.
Please complete ONE survey per family before Friday, February 3rd, 2023, so our Program Council can review the results at our next meeting. Thank you!
Our American Heart Association - Kids Heart Challenge is HERE!
We are getting ready to kick off our event on Tuesday, January 31st with a Virtural Assembly, hosted by the American Heart Assocation! Get a head start and go online to register to take a Challenge to Move More or Be Kind.
Click here to find our school (Click Here for Link).
When students join the Kids Heart Challenge, not only will they raise funds to help kids — and all people — with special hearts, but they’ll also learn about their heart health. Activities and interactive technologies make it fun to learn how to keep your heart and brain strong and emphasize both physical and emotional wellness. Plus, our school can earn PE equipment!
CVSD DEI Committee - ~VOLUNTEERS NEEDED~
CVSD is looking for volunteers to sit on a feedback committee to give feedback on the shared vision/ understanding for the Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI) .
We hope to have 17-20 members on this committee from teachers, students, parents, community, support staff, and admin.
If you are interested or have any questions please feel free to contact Lashawn Sells SCS DEI Coach at 802 985-3331 or email me at lsells@cvsdvt.org. The committee is looking to start in February .
SKAT Updates
SCS Walk/Roll to School Event - February 1, 2023 at 7:30am in the center of Shelburne
SCS is so excited about our upcoming Walk/Roll to School event with LocalMotion! We are encouraging all to join us to walk (or roll) to school on Wednesday, February 1st, starting at 7:30am in the center of Shelburne at 'the green'. We are thrilled to already have 10 community volunteers helping us to make this a safe event for all - thank you for your support! Each of our school bus drivers will provide the option for students to get off the bus at the green and join us for the walk/roll to school event.
Here is an “opt-out” letter for families to choose not to participate in this program Opt-Out Form. Please get these forms to your child's classroom teacher by this Tuesday morning so we can give them to the correct bus driver Tuesday afternoon (in preparation for Wednesday morning). We will have a list of student names/photos who DO NOT have permission to walk to school, for our volunteers that morning. Thank you!
Pre-K Lottery is Now Open
The CVSD Early Education Program is now accepting applications for a random preschool lottery drawing for the 2023-24 school year. This lottery is for an opportunity to enroll in one of our school-based classrooms which run 10 hours per week. Our school-based preschool classrooms are 5 STARs, licensed early education programs that provide play-based, developmentally appropriate environments for all children in an inclusive setting. Please visit this page for more information. Applications are due by February 3.
SCS Kindergarten Registration (for 2023-2024) Opens February 1, 2023
All children who will be 5 years old by September 1st, 2023 should be registering for Kindergarten for the 2023-2024 school year. Registration will be completed via PowerSchool online - please reach out to Patty Spagnolo at pspagnolo@cvsdvt.org with any questions, she's more than happy to help!
LAST CALL for 2022 - 2023 Late Winter Sports (VOLLEYBALL) REGISTRATION
If you have a student in 6th - 8th grade who would like to participate in volleyball, you will need to complete our registration for SCS athletics. In addition, you will need to submit a Wellness Exam - Sports Participation Form, if your student has not yet participated in a sport this school year.
The Late Winter (Volleyball) sports season will begin on March 6, 2023 (the day we return from February break) and run until April 7. Student-athletes will not be allowed to participate until their registration and wellness forms have been completed and submitted.
Feel free to check out the SCS Athletics website, as there is a wealth of information available for families.
If you have any questions, please reach out to Leigh Petrucelli, SCS Athletic Director.
SCS Penguin Plunge! - Saturday, February 4th, 2023
To sign up:
1. Click Here
2. Press register
3. Press Join a team
4. Look up Shelburne Community School Plungers
5. Click it and sign up!
Taking Things Apart! Free Family STEM Workshop
Learn how everyday things work through the simple act of taking them apart. We teach
safety and how to use tools, then you dissect real machines with the help of our
friendly engineers and volunteers. Enjoy taking things apart and making a mess at the
library, without getting in trouble. Great for girls! Lead by a female engineer. More info and registration details are available here.
Saturday, Feb 4, 2023, 10:30 AM
Pierson Library, Shelburne Road, Shelburne, VT, USA
8th Grade Family Night
Wednesday, Feb 8, 2023, 06:30 PM
Champlain Valley Union High School, C V U Road, Hinesburg, VT, USA
SCS Read-a-Thon is coming soon!
The PTO is sponsoring Shelburne Community School's first ever school-wide Read-a-thon from Thursday, February 9 through Friday, March 10! Check out the attached calendar of events and join us at our kick-off BOOK SWAP in the Green Team Common Room.
WHAT? FREE Book Swap
WHEN? Thursday, February 9 from 5:45 - 7:15 pm
WHERE? Green Team Common Room
TELL ME MORE! Bring gently used books to swap, and join us for pizza and crafts as we celebrate the start of our month-long Read-a-thon! Donations will be accepted beginning Thursday, January 26 in the SCS lobby (or just bring your books on February 9). All are welcome -- you do NOT need to donate books to attend. Please RSVP here so we order enough pizza.
To find out more about the Read-a-thon and see frequently asked questions, go here. We are using a web-based platform called PledgeStar to track minutes read and donations made during the event. Before February 9, please register your family on PledgeStar or search for the PledgeStar app on your phone and use event code "SHELBURNE." Fundraising is optional, and all families can participate by logging minutes read throughout the month and tracking each classroom's progress on the school leader board!
Questions? Please email scsreadathon@gmail.com.
Happy reading!
CVSD Strategic Planning - We Welcome Your Input!
The CVSD Strategic Planning committee has drafted some elements of the plan and is seeking input from all community members. That includes parents/caregivers, those without children in our schools, faculty/staff, and students.
Please view this set of slides, which were shared at last week's virtual Town Hall, and then use this form to share your thoughts. These links are also available on the Strategic Planning page of the district's website. Please contribute your input by February 15. Thank you!
CVSD Intra-District Choice
SCS Yearbook Orders
The 2022-23 SCS Yearbook is now on sale! The cost is $32. All students at SCS are included in the yearbook. Orders can be submitted to your child's classroom teacher or on-line until April 7th. Order forms went home last week.
You are also welcome to order online anytime until April 7th. The link to order on-line is: Yearbook sales
Access CVU
ACCESS CVU, your community education program, is pleased to announce the Winter/Spring 2023 Catalog is now open for registration! With over 170 classes (online and in-person) and 80 instructors there is something of interest for all ages and for all towns. The semester runs from Feb 1-June 2, and is packed full of exciting classes from popular favorites to 39 brand new courses!
Sign-up for the ACCESS CVU Newsletter HERE and follow us on Instagram @ACCESSCVU.
New Spring Course Offerings From Access CVU
Wow! Don't miss the new offerings from Access CVU. Access CVU is pleased to announce the Winter/Spring 2023 Catalog is now open for registration! With over 170 classes and 80 instructors, there is something of interest for everyone and all ages. There are 63 in February alone! Get information about the courses, how to sign up, and more on this CVSD Story blog post.
Let's Talk
SCS PTO
Still Need More Information?
Website: https://www.cvsdvt.org/shelburne
Access Information on the CVSD Website
See the year at a glance on the 2022-2023 K-8 School Year Calendar.
The CVSD Mission is to develop citizens who learn, think, live, contribute, and pursue excellence. See The CVSD Story.
Shelburne Community School Administration
Brett Cluff, 5-8 Principal
Emily Cogan, Director of Special Education