Williston Candidates' Forum a Great Success

Last Friday, the middle school students at Williston Central School hosted their biennial Candidates' Forum. The teachers and their students invited the Republican and Democratic candidates for US Senate, US House of Representatives, Governor, Lt. Governor, and Attorney General.

Various candidates for federal and state offices were invited and nine were able to attend. This is a great opportunity to inform students and educate them about the political issues facing voters in the November elections. These are the offices our 7th and 8th students were busy researching and preparing questions for. The 5th and 6th grade students also studyed the candidates, political parties, and issues of the election. They created posters that lined the walls in the school and auditorium. Following the forum, students will use the evidence from the forum for a writing assignment.

“The Williston Candidate Forum is an authentic way for our students to learn about democracy. It encourages students to thoughtfully engage in the process of educating themselves about relevant issues and asking questions to further their understanding of the topics,” said Jackie Parks, Williston Central School Building Principal. “Ultimately we want students to become active in their communities and this learning experience provides them with the foundation to build on as they grow into responsible and involved citizens.”

The following candidates and the office they're running for attended this year's forum: 

• Gerald Malloy (R), US Senate
• Peter Welch (D), US Senate
• Becca Balint (D), US House of Representatives
• Phil Scott (R), Governor of Vermont
• Brenda Siegel (D), Governor of Vermont
• Joe Benning (R), Lt. Governor of Vermont
• David Zuckerman (D), Lt. Governor of Vermont
• Michael Tagliavia (R), Vermont Attorney General
• Charity Clark (D), Vermont Attorney General

In addition to posing challenging questions to the candidates, some students were behind the cameras livestreaming and recording the event. They had support from the Media Factory. The complete recording can be seen at this link, thanks to the Media Factory. 

This was the 12th candidate forum sponsored by the social studies committee at WCS. Thank you to this exemplary group of teachers for preparing your students so well!

Here's a small sampling of photos taken at the event.



View additional coverage of the event from local TV stations.
WPTZ: Vermont Students Meet with Candidates During Forum
WCAX: Students Questions Vermont Candidates on the Issues

WFFF: Vermont Candidates Discuss Major Issues in Middle School Hosted Forum

CVSD Update, October 6, 2022

Dear CVSD Families and Caregivers,

Happy Fall! We are eager to share this latest update with you as it contains important and timely information about upcoming events happening around the district and for the district. We hope you will get involved and share your voice. 

In this edition, you will find: 

• A letter from Superintendent Sanchez
• Information about our Strategic Planning process, including Community Forums and a survey
• An invitation to join us at the DEI Virtual Town Hall next week
• Celebrations throughout the month of October 
• and more
  

As always, let us know if you have questions, feedback, or compliments using our Let's Talk page on the district's website. 

RoboHawks Get to Work and Support the Community

Here's a guest post from the CVU Robohawks team. 

This week the RoboHawks and JV Redhawk Robotics teams met and started to dig deep into brainstorming, designing and prototyping this year's bot after the season's release on the 10th, as well as hosted a workshop to introduce the CVSD middle school students to robotics.

The workshop hosted at CVU by the RoboHawks this past Tuesday for students and parents in the CVSD district focused on the FIRST Lego League (FLL) robotics competition. The event marks the beginning of the program after months of behind-the-scenes work and makes their goal a reality of helping each district middle school start an FLL robotics team. The RoboHawks aim to strengthen and encourage participation in STEAM programs within the community by promoting and supporting opportunities for middle school students. The workshop was tremendously successful, with excellent attendance and representation from every CVU sending school! The RoboHawks worked with students to begin their coding adventure in FLL robotics and gave parents a great overview of why the program is valuable and fun! This year’s challenge is power themed and includes tons of fun challenges to tackle. We can't wait to see FIRST Core Values grow in each district school and see where the program goes!

RoboHawks will be hosting another FLL workshop in the near future. For more information or if you would like to learn more about our team, check out our website, or feel free to contact us at cvu_robohawks_2022@cvsdvt.org.

CVSD Update, September 15, 2022

 Dear CVSD Families and Caregivers,

We are happy to share the latest update from the district. We know that you also receive school newsletters and hope that you take the time to read both. They each provide you with important and timely information. 

In this CVSD update you will find: 

• A letter from Superintendent Sanchez
• Information about our strategic planning process (it's underway!)
• A reminder to fill out the school meal application (it's for everyone to fill out)
• Upcoming events
• Additional reminders
• and more!

Thank you for taking the time to read this newsletter. As always, reach out with questions, feedback, and compliments using Let's Talk.

The Champlain Valley School District

It's Time to Take An Access Course!

We are excited to pass along this announcement from our friends at Access CVU. If you haven't had a chance to take a course (or teach one!) please explore the many offerings. 

Greetings from Laura and Jen 

at Access CVU!

Fall/Winter 2022- Registration Is Now Open!

Access CVU, your Community Education Program, is back in action with another semester of amazing enrichment for both in-person and online learners. In-person classes take place at CVU High School and start after 4pm, Monday-Thursday. Online classes are offered through Zoom.

Over 200 classes (new classes added monthly!) 

and 89 local instructors.

Enroll today! Popular classes fill quickly and low enrollment leads to canceled classes. Invite your family and friends!

New classes and instructors are added every month! Don't miss out; sign-up for the weekly Access CVU Newsletter.

• Follow us on Instagram @accesscvu for class announcements and PROMOS!

• Looking to teach a course at Access CVU? Complete the New Instructor Form (also located on our Homepage)

• Visit us at https://cvsdvt.ce.eleyo.com/ or Google, Access CVU. Questions or to enroll via email or phone, contact us at access@cvsdvt.org / 802-482-7194.

Thank you for supporting Access CVU and keeping community education thriving in CVSD. We hope to see you soon!

CVSD Update, September 1, 2022

 Dear CVSD Families and Caregivers,

We have had a fantastic start to the new school year and we have you to thank for that, along with all CVSD employees. Welcoming everyone, whether new to our district, new to your school, or new to a grade or classroom, was a true pleasure over the past two days.

Through this message, we share the latest district newsletter. We publish these about every two weeks and try to make sure they don’t overlap with school newsletters. We appreciate you taking the time to read the newsletters.

In this edition, there is a letter from Superintendent Sanchez and below that, other updates, news, and events. Many of these are repeated from our last newsletter and that’s intentional. These are important and we encourage you to read them.

Some elements that you don’t want to miss:

• The superintendent’s letter
• A community-building welcome back event this Tuesday, in collaboration with the Flynn
• Many reasons why you should fill out the Free/Reduced Meals form, even though meals are free for all this year
• A hiring event taking place this Saturday
• And many other important and timely reminders

As always, please use Let’s Talk to provide feedback, ask questions, or share compliments.

Enjoy the long weekend ahead!

The Champlain Valley School District

Welcome Back CVSD Faculty

Today marked the official first day back for our faculty across CVSD. For the first time in three years, we gathered together at CVU for Convocation and professional development. With nearly 500 faculty members in CVU's auditorium and library (livestreamed), we started the day with speeches and a fabulous keynote. 

First, CVU's student co-presidents Asa and Kyle spoke to the whole group about their experiences in CVSD schools, with shout-outs to the many educators that had a direct impact on them. They reminded us that they have yet to experience a high school year not impacted by COVID-19 and are excited to embark on this final year of learning and connecting. 

Angela Arsenault, our School Board chair, shared an inspirational welcome message. She acknowledged the challenges we've all faced through the pandemic. She led us through an exercise to envision our dream school and district that is supportive and inclusive for all children. 

Superintendent Rene Sanchez told of the work that the district's leadership team engaged in this summer, helping to develop a focus for the year. With teaching and learning at the center of our work, we will emphasize growth and belonging for all. Incorporated into that are the more specific topics of identity, direction, connection, and proficiency. We'll be sharing more information about how we will define and incorporate those terms into our work with students and one another soon. 

Rene also recognized faculty and staff who had been in the field of education for longer than 30 years, culminating with CVU teacher, Norm McClure, who is starting his 50th year! (Yes, you read that number right!)

Our keynote today was Joelle van Lent, a licensed psychologist who focuses on resiliency. Her presentation was authentic, inspiring, and engaging. There are many things that resonated with everyone, especially after the last few years. She provided ideas and suggestions for how we can support our students and each other. 

After a short break, we shifted the focus to those four areas of identity, direction, connection, and proficiency. Everyone was offered the choice of reading an article, listening to a podcast, or watching a video (there were multiple options for each under each topic). Then we gathered in rooms by topic and discussed our experiences and ideas. 

Our final activities were community circles of about 10 in each group. There were 50 groups spread out in rooms around CVU. We responded to questions about identity, direction, connection, and proficiency. And then each group created a collaborative quilt square with some plans and intentions for the year. These squares were collected and displayed together for all to see and appreciate. It's an impressive collection of creative and thoughtful expression and ideas. Zoom in if you can!

It was a great welcome to a new school year with a positive tone, engaging speakers and activities, and inspiration for a fabulous school year. Thank you to everyone who helped plan, coordinate, and facilitate the day. We're excited to welcome students back next week!