Charlotte Central School Student Wins 2019 GeoBee Vermont State Competition

Vegarandhura Tariyal a 6th grader from Charlotte Central School, in Charlotte, Vermont took top honors at the 2019 National Geographic GeoBee Vermont State Competition at the Laumiester Art Center at Southern Vermont College.

Vegarandhura Tariyal will advance to the national competition, which will be held at National Geographic Society headquarters in Washington, D.C., from May 19 to 22, 2019.

Julian Siegel, an 8th-grader from Hilltop Montessori School, came in second place and received a cash award of $300. Connor Byam, a 6th-grader from Edmonds Middle School, came in third and received a cash award of $100.

In its 31st year, the National Geographic GeoBee (formerly the National Geographic Bee) is an academic competition for grades four through eight that challenges student knowledge of geography, cultures, physical features, history and earth science. A total of 2,529,020 students in nearly 10,000 schools across the United States, District of Columbia, U.S. Atlantic and Pacific territories and Department of Defense Dependents Schools competed in the GeoBee this year. After winning their School GeoBee, students took an online qualifying test and the top-100-ranked students in each state advanced to the state competition. A total of 54 GeoBee State Champions receive a medal, a $1,000 cash prize and a trip to the National Geographic GeoBee Championship in May.

The National Geographic GeoBee Champion will receive a $25,000 college scholarship, a lifetime membership in the National Geographic Society and an all-expenses-paid Lindblad expedition to the Galápagos Islands aboard the National Geographic Endeavour ll; the second-place winner will receive a $10,000 college scholarship; and the student placing third will receive a $5,000 college scholarship. The top-10-scoring students will each receive $1,000 in cash.

Follow the national competition at natgeoed.org/experiences.

ABOUT THE GEOBEE

Developed by the National Geographic Society in 1988 to promote geographic knowledge among young people in the United States, the National Geographic GeoBee is an academic competition for public schools, private schools, and homeschools in the United States and its territories, as well as the Department of Defense Dependents Schools (DoDDS). Students in grades 4-8 from nearly 10,000 schools participate annually. Over more than three decades, 120 million students have learned about the world through participation in the GeoBee. More information about the GeoBee is available at NatGeoBee.org.

WCS Earns 1st Place

Each year at the end of March, a special history-based event takes place at Vermont Technical College in Randolph. The event is called 3D Vermont. Teams of students from middle and high schools across Vermont share their learning and a piece of local history. They also compete in an effort to showcase their learning and design skills.

Each team studies a building in their town's history. The learn about the building, it's story, and it's place in the town. They interview people and do extensive research. After that, they use a program called Sketch-Up to design a 3D version of the building. A 3D printer is used to create and print a replica of the building from their design.

Williston Central School's Voyager team has sent a team to 3D Vermont for each of the last 4 years. Each year the group has learned about a different building in Williston. This group of students, led by teacher Aron Merrill and librarian Ellen Arapakos, met once a week after school for many weeks doing the necessary work to prepare for the event.

And today, it all came together for them. They shared their learning with judges via videos of their process and a physical display. They showcased their 3D model of the Thomas Chittenden/Clark Family Farm in Williston.  And they came away with a first place win for a middle school team.

Bravo to all of the students and their teachers for a job well done! Watch for them on tonight's TV news too.

Legislators Visit CVSD

For many years now, the Champlain Valley School District has hosted a legislator breakfast. Invited are members of the House and Senate from districts represented by our communities, along with the Governor and Lieutenant Governor. 

This year's breakfast took place this morning at CVU. Six guests from Montpelier joined seven School Board members along with some of the CVSD leadership group. Joining us today were: Terence Macaig, Kate Webb, Virginia Lyons, James McCullough, Jessica Brumsted, and Mike Yantchka. 

During the breakfast, the legislators shared updates about the work of their various committees, with a special focus on how that work may impact education and our schools. Today's topics included lead in the water supply, Act 46, E-911 compliance, weatherization of our schools and homes, prevention programs, mental health programs, childcare and preschool programs, and e-cigarettes. The conversation was informative and extremely helpful. 

In return, the legislators wanted to hear about issues we're working on and are facing in our schools. They also took the time to applaud the work of CVSD, our educators, and especially our students. From them we heard accolades for our students who present at the State House and how poised, articulate, and informed they are on many topics about which they're passionate. 

We thank those who devoted their time to connect with us today and for their dedicated work on behalf of our students, families, and all Vermonters. 

Hashtags Help Us Share Our Story

The term hashtag was first used in 2007. Since then it has permeated our lives and most of us have some level of understanding of how it's used today. But did you know that there's power in the hashtag in terms of education? What we also refer to as the number sign has taken on a special meaning for those in our schools. 

In the Champlain Valley School District, we have many hashtags that our schools and educators use to share events, highlights, and help tell our story. This past week, Angela Filion, principal at the Allen Brook School, shared a tweet that was incredibly well-received. How do we know that? It was liked and retweeted a lot, at least by our standards! (20 retweets and 184 likes as of this writing)

Angela did not use hashtags in her tweet, but did include the usernames or accounts (look for the @ sign), which signaled to others that they were mentioned in the tweet. Her tweet was noticed and featured in this Burlington Free Press article, spreading the word even further.  We're honored that UVM men's basketball star Anthony Lamb chose to devote time in a very important week to young students at ABS. Though UVM didn't win their game in the tournament, they're winners to us.

Hashtags help us reach a wider audience. Searches on Twitter and Instagram by hashtag result in a bevy of posts in which those hashtags are featured. It's a way to filter or narrow down the many tweets or posts. Many CVSD schools and educators in our district include the #cvsdvt hashtag in their tweets and Instagram posts. It helps those who want to see what's happening in the district find those all in one place. There are many educators within our schools using these hashtags ranging from administrators, classroom teachers, librarians, athletics, and specific departments. 

Search for these usernames and hashtags on Twitter as another way to get a window into what's happening in our schools: 

CVSD District   @cvsdvt           #cvsdvt
Hinesburg          @hcslearns      #hcslearns
Charlotte            @ccscvsd        #ccscvsd
Shelburne           @SCSLearns  #scslearns
CVU                                           #cvuhs  
There are a variety of accounts associated with CVU! Check out @CVULearns and @CVUAthletics to get started.

In the coming week, you'll see tweets coming from our schools celebrating Public Schools Week and incorporating these hashtags as well. 

National hashtags: #publicschoolproud and #psw19

Vermont-specific hashtags: #celebratevted and #vted

We thank the many educators in CVSD who are helping to communicate in a variety of ways with our communities. 

CVSD's Challenge to Unplug

The National Day of Unplugging is a “24-hour, global respite from technology. It highlights the value of disconnecting from digital devices to connect with ourselves, our loved ones, and our communities in real time.”

The National Day of Unplugging happened from sundown on March 1st to sundown on March 2nd. Because this was during our school vacation week, CVSD is creating a district-wide day to replicate this Day of Unplugging in ways that are critical, thoughtful, and give teachers the autonomy to determine how that best works for them in their classrooms.

The Champlain Valley School District encourages all educators and students to take the challenge and unplug in various ways on Friday, March 15. Contact your child's teacher to see how they may be taking part. 

We invite families to join in as well! Extend the challenge into the weekend. Afterward, share how you participated as a family as a comment below or on our Facebook page.

"ALMOST EVERYTHING WILL WORK AGAIN IF YOU UNPLUG IT FOR A FEW MINUTES, INCLUDING YOU."

- ANNE LAMOTT

Here are a few resources about Media Balance and Well-Being from Common Sense Education:

• Have a conversation about device and media use. Incorporate this Family Media Agreement into the discussion. 
• New Healthy Media Habits for Young Kids
• 5 Signs Your Kid Has a Healthy Media Relationship with Screens (video)

CVSD Board Response

Dear Members of the CVSD Community,

The Champlain Valley School District is a vibrant and diverse district. In response to recent acts of bias perpetrated at our high school we are reaching out to send a clear and united message: Hate has no home in the Champlain Valley School District.

It is the responsibility of the CVSD Board, in partnership with the Administration, to ensure that every person walking into our buildings feels welcome and secure. We strive to provide all students with the opportunity to learn in a safe, supportive setting where every member is treated with respect and dignity. Verbal slurs and racist and anti-Semitic graffiti, which occurred recently on the CVU campus, go against our core values of diversity and inclusion and we denounce them. These acts of intimidation by a person or group within our community are an attack on our community’s health.

Our educational mission is to develop citizens who demonstrate a capacity for empathy and respect for differing cultures, values, and points of view. We understand that student safety and emotional well-being are critical components of that mission. We will continue to foster a nurturing environment where every student receives the resources and educational opportunities they need to learn and thrive.

We welcome an open dialogue with the broader community as we move forward with the resolve to do better. While the discussions may be difficult and the solutions complex, we know that we must create systems that disrupt unfair practices, address implicit and explicit biases, and promote methods that will help all students succeed.

Kind regards,

CVSD Board and Superintendent Pinckney 
Josilyn Adams

Kelly Bowen
Erin Brady
Russ Caffry
Dave Connery
Lynne Jaunich
Ray Mainer
Kevin Mara
Barbra Marden
Colleen McKinnon
Brendan McMahon

Specifics About the Budget, part 3

This posting is one of a series of CVSD Board communications about the proposed 2019-2020 school budget.

Article IX relates to bus purchases. Voters are asked to authorize borrowing up to $485,000 for the purpose of purchasing five school buses. Currently, the district has a fleet of 62 buses. Our goal is to replace five to six vehicles each year, keeping the average age of a bus to eight years.

* Please note: The printed flyer that is arriving inserted into local newspapers this week has a typo and states that we have a fleet of 562 buses! As much as some folks in our transportation shop would like to have 562 buses - one for every 8 kids - we really only need 62. This is an increase from 59 as we added three buses to provide transportation for Charlotte Central School last year.

To provide further opportunities to ask questions and provide feedback, we are offering a series of budget information meetings across the CVSD. The list of meetings can be found on the district’s website and you are welcome to attend any presentations that are convenient for you. In addition, our website page www.cvsdvt.org/budget has many resources, including our Annual Report and our FY 2019-2020 Proposed Budget Flyer, and our budget FAQ’s.

Hard copies of our Annual Report can be found at each school and town office or can be mailed to you by calling 985-1914. The CVSD Board Budget Meetings were recorded and can be viewed at www.RETN.com. Lastly, email us at CVSDBoard@cvsdvt.org with any questions.

The Champlain Valley School District Annual Meeting takes places at CVU, room 160 on Monday March 4 at 5:00 pm. Join us! 

We encourage all residents in Champlain Valley School District towns to vote either on March 5th or earlier at your town offices.