Some Fireside Entertainment

WCS band students, working with band teacher Kim Thompson, have continued to adapt and find new ways to perform remotely. Musicians were empowered to choose, rehearse and record winter songs for the community, families, and friends to enjoy. In the video below, you will hear a variety of musical styles, content, and developmental levels spanning grades 5-8. There are some surprise guest performances from teachers and staff as well. Music is alive and well at Williston Central School!

CVSD Update: December 22, 2020

Dear CVSD Families and Friends,

In 2020, we took care of our families and each other. We collaborated and made connections in new ways. We adapted to change. We now look to the future and imagine, in a positive light, what 2021 may bring.

Please take a moment to view our latest newsletter. You'll find information about staying healthy and having fun over the break, a new video celebrating 2020, and an updated version of the Health Screener Questions.

You'll also notice a new format. Our hope is that it is more accessible to all viewers in our community. if you would like it translated or more easily accessible for reading, see the options on the top right panel.

I wish you a safe, happy, and healthy holiday season and winter break.

Elaine Pinckney,
Superintendent

Congratulations to CVSD Leaders!

The Champlain Valley School District celebrates and benefits from many previous participants in the Snelling Center for Government's Vermont School Leadership Program (VSLP). We are proud to recognize four leaders who recently completed the program under very different circumstances. According to this article in Vermont Digger, this cohort endured unusual challenges. 

The VSLP Class of 2020 experienced many unique elements over the course of the 17-month program. Most notably, the program was interrupted by the COVID-19 shutdown in the spring, but associates soon adapted to new ways of meeting, both in-person and virtually, that allowed momentum to gather over the summer and fall.

The 2020 cohort includes 22 Vermont educators, four of whom are leaders in CVSD:

• Jeff Evans, CVSD's Director of Learning & Innovation
• Alicia Kurth, Director of Special Education, Hinesburg Community School
• Stephanie Sumner, K-4 Co-Principal, Charlotte Central School
• Scott Sivo, Lead Principal, Shelburne Community School

Our district is fortunate to have motivated leaders who strive to learn, enhance their skills, and challenge themselves in order to best support our students.

CVSD Food Service Important Announcement for the Break

 

In an effort to provide as much food for families as we can going into this winter break, we will be sending out Winter Break Bonus Meals on Monday 12/21. Please sign up on the Remote Meals Order Form that you normally use for your students who are learning remotely. The link to the order form for your school can be found here. There will only be one Remote Meal Distribution, so please sign up early. These meals are available FREE to all children 18 and under. Delivery is available to anyone in our district from your local school.

TAKE OUT & DELIVERY ON MONDAY 12/21 ONLY
Winter Break Bonus Meals will be distributed with all meal orders on Monday. If you do not need remote meals on Monday and / or Tuesday, but want Winter Break Bonus Meals, check the box on the order form. All Winter Break Bonus Meals will go out on Monday 12/21.

Our local Food Shelf programs have been stocking up to help families and if you need food assistance during the break, please contact them.

We hope you have a safe and happy early winter vacation. See you in 2021. Normal remote meals will start up on Monday 1/4/2021, when school resumes.

If you have any questions please contact Scott Wagner at swagner@cvsdvt.org or call your school's food service director.

This institution is an equal opportunity provider.

Thanks!

Your hardworking CVSD Food Service Program

CVSD Update: December 13, 2020

 

December 13, 2020

Dear Friends and Families,

I hope you enjoyed your Thanksgiving holiday, and I appreciate the steps everyone took to stay safe and healthy. We were able to keep our schools open for in-person learning because of your efforts and are hoping that a similar commitment to adhering to the Governor’s orders will enable us to reopen in-person on January 4th. We understand that we are asking you to make enormously heart wrenching decisions. On behalf of all the Champlain Valley School District, thank you in advance for your vigilance.

I had the great fortune of observing early elementary students participating in an engaging and exhilarating physical education class last week and it reminded me that an eventual snow day is just around the corner. As I’m sure you know, there has been much discussion about whether or not we need to take snow days now that we have a fully remote option available to us. As you can imagine, there are individuals on both sides of this issue.  Some say, “save our snow days”; others say, “we’ve already lost enough student days”. In the end, there is more than just the ability to provide remote learning that comes into play when we make these decisions. Therefore, we will be using a combination of traditional snow days and remote learning days when faced with inclement weather. The timing of the weather event and the forecast will guide our decisions. 

• If the severity of the weather event is not known until the wee hours of the morning, we will have a traditional snow day. This will be a snow day for all of our students - in person, in hybrid, and VLA.

• If the severity of the weather event is known to us by noon of the previous day, we will prepare for a remote learning day. This will ensure that students have the materials and devices with them when they leave for the day.

We will communicate with you about any weather event in all of the traditional ways: by phone and email notification, the district’s website, CVSD social media channels, and local media outlets.

Celebrate! Starting this week, all of CVSD's PreK-6 students will be in school, in-person four days a week. We can’t wait to have them all in. Our experience to date confirms what we all know - students are best served by in-person schooling. They thrive and so do their teachers. Our Grades 7-12 students will continue in the hybrid model for the foreseeable future. Unfortunately, we are unable to meet the social distancing requirements that would allow us to bring back these older students.

Reminder: December 21 and 22 Schedule

Families of 7th through 12th-grade students should be aware that the final two days of school before the holiday break will be divided between the A and B cohort. This is taking place across the district to ensure equitable access to in-person instruction for all students in grades 7-12.   

Winter sports

We’ll keep everyone informed if/when any updates are available from the Governor and the Vermont Principals Association. 

Important Information

CVSD Reopening Site

CVSD Positive Cases Guide

CVSD Reporting Dashboard

Contact us with any questions using this form

Tis the season, and I wish you all love, light, and happiness.

Take good care-

Elaine

Emotional Support Resources

We have faced many, many challenges since last March, things we never anticipated, and some that were compounded by the stresses of the pandemic. One of those is taking care of ourselves and our mental and emotional health. We must consider the toll that the pandemic is taking on all of us, adults and children alike. 

At last week's press conference with Governor Scott, Mental Health Commissioner Sarah Squirrell talked about the strain COVID-19 has placed on our daily lives. People are struggling with isolation, unemployment, financial pressure, housing and food challenges.

“My message to Vermonters today, is that you are not alone, it’s OK to not feel OK right now,” Squirrell said. “Do not be afraid to talk about it, and don’t be afraid to ask for help.” 

If you or someone you know is in crisis or needs emotional support, help is available 24/7:

• Call your local mental health crisis line.
• Text VT to 741741 to talk with someone at the Crisis Text Line.
• Call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255.  For more information visit healthvermont.gov/suicide.

• Visit our Coping With Stress web page.
• Get connected to Alcohol and Drug Support Services at VT Helplink.
• Get self-help tips and connect to mental health services at COVID Support VT.

Last week, CVSD's Director of Integrated Wellness, Tony Moulton, shared a 1-minute meditation exercise with faculty and staff. We thought we'd pass it along to others as well. 

1-Minute Resiliency Building Meditation

A. 10 seconds align posture: This does not require a quiet place. It can be done in a busy environment or a room where you are alone. Ideally it is done sitting but this can also be done standing. It is wonderful for waiting in a physically distanced line at the grocery store. First consider your posture. Straighten your back and neck, soften your shoulders, relax your jaw allowing a space to open between your teeth, and close your eyes if you are sitting and it feels comfortable to do so.

B. 50 seconds environment-awareness: Bring your awareness to the noises around you. Observe them without judgement or commentary. Move from one to the next with interest and curiosity. When your mind wanders, which it will, to thoughts and plans that might involve work, home or loved ones, gently invite your attention back to what you are hearing. Those sounds could include: conversations, the clattering of dishes, a fan from a heating system or your own stomach grumbling. Regarding conversations try not to focus on the words being said, but instead the sounds and tone being conveyed. Then gently move on to observe what other noises you can find in your environment.

C. Wrap Up: Take a few moments to reflect on what you heard. Take an inventory of the sounds that brought your attention back to the present moment and withdrew it from the stories, plans and internal dialogue we can all get lost in. Like other healthy habits, if you repeat this daily it will soon become a normal and welcome respite and will help build your resiliency.

Post-Thanksgiving Letter

Dear CVSD Families and Staff,

We hope that you have had a good week and that Thanksgiving provided time for all to ponder the many things for which we are thankful. As you know, on November 20, Governor Scott’s Executive Order suspended multi-household social gatherings. The Order prohibits multiple households from participating in the same social gatherings, including group trips, gatherings, related ceremonies, holiday events, parties, celebrations, and sharing accommodations with anyone outside of your household. At a recent press conference, Scott mentioned that a significant number of positive cases can be traced back to social gatherings. 

The suspension of multi-household social gatherings acts as an extension of the state’s travel guidance in which the Governor asks families to quarantine if they travel out of state or attend or host a multi-household gathering. We will not be asking students and staff this question upon their return to school. We do, however, expect families and staff to do the right thing and keep their students home if they have not conformed with the Governor’s order. If we learn that your child(ren) did travel or gather with other households, we will call families to come pick them up and keep them home until their quarantine period is complete. 

Thank you for being considerate of the health and safety of all members of our school community. We are doing everything we possibly can to maintain in-person instruction for as many students as possible. This can only happen if we all follow the health and safety guidance.

If you traveled or if you participated in multi-household gatherings, please keep your child(ren) home in quarantine, and let the school know what dates your student will be out of school. 

If you have any questions, please contact CVSD COVID Coordinator Jocelyn Bouyea (jbouyea@cvsdvt.org) or the school nurse at your child’s school. You may also post questions on the 

form on our Reopening Site and we will respond as quickly as possible.

Thank you for your patience as we continue to navigate these challenging times.

Elaine Pinckney

Superintendent

Thank You and Thanksgiving

 

Image created by HCS World Language Teacher, Zalfa Kasti

Dear CVSD Friends and Families,

I extend my best wishes to you and your family as we head out for the Thanksgiving break. We know how important it is for our students to be in school. This has been our main goal throughout the fall. Today during the Governor’s press conference we heard the Governor, Dr. Levine, and Sabina Brochu, CVU student and member of the State Board of Education, pleaded with us to make the safe and healthy decisions that will keep our schools open. All of them underscored the need for particular vigilance right now when the Vermont numbers are surging. Specifically:

• We need to limit all non-essential travel and to quarantine if we travel ANYWHERE out of state
• We need to avoid social gatherings outside our immediate households
• We need to continue taking prevention steps such as mask-wearing and social distancing

If you do travel out of state or you host someone from out of state at your Thanksgiving gathering, your child will not be able to attend school. We will expect your student to quarantine for 14 days - or for 7 days and a negative test result. If your student is quarantining as a result of non-essential travel or as a result of having been in contact with someone from out of state, we will not be providing additional educational resources, separate from what is already available.

We know that the best way for us to ensure a safe return to school is to abide by these orders. The school data is reassuring. Schools are safe. Our mitigation strategies are working. In fact, we learned today during the Governor’s press conference that “schools may be the safest setting for students and staff.” This will only remain true if we continue to be vigilant. As Dr. Levine said, “With a little patience and a lot of compliance, we can turn this around. We did it in the spring; we can do it again.” He also offered some talking tips to help navigate difficult social situations - see the COVID Talk Conversation Tips found on the Department of Health website.

We can’t thank you enough for all you are doing to support your children in these efforts and they are doing a great job too! We truly appreciate our families, students, faculty, staff, and administrators for the extra effort everyone is making in this most unusual of school years. We wish you all the best for a safe, healthy, and happy break and holiday.

Elaine


Elaine Pinckney, Superintendent

Access CVU Shifts and Adapts

Many of you are likely familiar with Access CVU, the valuable program that offers courses for community members to expand their knowledge and learn new things. Laura Howard, the Program Director for Access, shared the post below with us. This is in no way intended to be an advertisement for Access; we want to highlight what they have accomplished and what they continue to offer our community especially during a challenging time. Okay, maybe it's a bit of an ad. Keep this in mind for the upcoming Winter/Spring semester! 

Ginny Joiner Watercolor Plein Air

Access had to pivot quickly this semester to comply with the COVID state guidelines that stated no public access to educational buildings. At a crossroads we had two choices: Either postpone the program to the following Fall school year 2021, or embrace virtual and outdoor learning. We sent a survey to our Access members and had an overwhelming response from the public to continue offering classes in any capacity possible! So, to meet the needs of the community we started to work with our instructors to offer online and outdoor classes this Fall. With a very limited budget and only a team of two, myself and Jen Morton, we managed to offer 156 classes this semester!

Thankfully, last fall we had transitioned to using an online registration platform, Eleyo, which also hosts our website: https://cvsdvt.ce.eleyo.com/. Many members already had user accounts so enrollment and online payment was easy. We are fortunate to have for the 3rd year in a row, CVU Senior, Isaac Krementsov, volunteer his time to help instructors and community members with any technical, Zoom or computer issues. This has been a huge asset for many of our partners that were intimidated to take or host an online class. To date we have had 745 registrations and still have 40 new class offerings that have not yet started!

It was not feasible to produce the famous "Access Brochure" this year so we got creative with our advertising. We used FPF, Social Media, local newspapers, and started a weekly newsletter (highlighting upcoming classes) which yields the most uptick in registrations. We were also fortunate that the Shelburne News did an article on Access at the beginning of the semester, which can be found here.

Some of our class highlights this semester:

• Watercolor for Beginners with Ginny Joyner. This class was offered outside on the CVU campus (see photo) and has now transitioned to online for the remainder of the semester
• Carving in Wood- The Spoon with Bob Lindemann, "Under The Lights!"
• Ethiopian Injera - Take Out Dinner with Alganesh Michael - We served an overwhelming 60 meals at the back of the cafe!
• Intro to Kickboxing on the CVU Green!
• Spanish Language Classes online with Dunia Partilo
• Primitive Fire Building with Mischa Tourin
• Shaken & Stirred: A History of Cocktails from c.1700 to present day, 3-part series with Adam Krakowski
• Lincoln Hill's 19th Century Black Farming Community with author, Elise Guyette
• Canine Manners- Dog training class under the CVU pavillion
• Chinese Medicine 101- Online with Liz Geran
• Digital Photography with Sean Beckett. Plus, 4 other virtual photography classes!
• Yoga for Women with Jane Taylor- Online for all ages and abilities

So many more...

We send out surveys after completion of each class so that we can improve upon the experience and give feedback to our instructors. The silver lining for Access this year is that we can now reach communities near and far with virtual learning. Although, nothing beats the in-person connection, we will continue to offer enrichment and enjoyment with virtual options. We are currently planning the Winter/Spring semester that begins in February. Virtual classes will begin the semester and as the weather warms in late Spring we are hopeful to offer outdoor learning again in May/June.

Thank you, as always, to CSVD for your support of the Access CVU community ed program!

Kickboxing under the tent

Mala Bead

Watercolor for Beginners

Surveillance Testing for Faculty and Staff

Dear Families,

We want to keep you informed on happenings in and out of our schools. As you may have heard from various Vermont media outlets, the State of Vermont will begin offering regular COVID-19 testing to all teachers and staff in Vermont school districts. Schools have been selected for surveillance testing as part of a larger public health strategy to provide a statewide picture of COVID-19 activity. Because teachers and staff represent a larger group of individuals that are spread geographically and proportionally throughout the state, schools are ideal for a population study.

Surveillance testing does not mean that teachers and staff are at a higher risk for contracting COVID-19 and testing does not change nor impact the prevention and mitigation strategies that we have implemented in our district. Staff and students will continue to practice mask-wearing, hand hygiene, physical distancing, and staying home when sick, even if there are no positive tests.

In CVSD, testing for faculty and staff is scheduled for Monday, November 16 at each of our school buildings. They will not have to quarantine while they wait for test results. These are PCR tests, not antigen tests. The testing is for asymptomatic teachers and staff only.

Our first priority is that schools are a safe and healthy place for students and adults. This testing provides the Vermont Department of Health with important data, but does not directly impact our day-to-day operations. We will continue to wear masks, social distance and wash our hands regularly at school. This testing will not impact the operation of school for your child.

Thank you for reading and for your continued support in helping to keep our schools open.

Elaine PInckney

Free Meals for Children During Thanksgiving Week

 

Dear CVSD Families,

Important information about Thanksgiving Week Meals from your CVSD Nutrition Services team.

Meals are FREE for all children 18 and under. There will be one meal distribution Thanksgiving Week on Monday 11/23 from CCS, HCS, SCS, and WCS. CVU students can pick up meals from any of the K-8 schools. 

We will be sending out three days of meals which you can order starting at 11:00 AM Friday 11/13 through 8:00 AM on Monday 11/23. Here is the link to the CVSD Food Services Page where you can order meals from your local K-8 school. The pick-up window is expanded to 10:00 - 11:00 AM on Monday 11/23 only. Delivery is available thanks to many volunteers from Williston and Hinesburg school staff and the Rotary Club of Shelburne, Charlotte, and Hinesburg.

We hope you have a safe and Happy Thanksgiving.

Thanks!

Your CVSD Food Services team

CVSD Update: November 6, 2020

 

November 6, 2020

Dear Friends and Families,

How can we already be in November? It feels more like March 236 than it does like November 6th. The days just keep running into each other with very little difference from one to the next. No wonder we’re all looking back fondly on past Thanksgivings when we all joined around a big table with a big happy group of friends and relatives to give thanks and share our gratitude for one another. This year, even our joyful events come with a modicum of restraint. Here is what Dr. Levine had to say during Tuesday’s Press Conference:

“We know that social gatherings — often among trusted family and friends — are a driving force behind much of the virus’ spread right now nationwide,” Dr. Levine said. “Adding the element of travel to the mix only makes it more risky.”

Please see the Q&A included in this newsletter for further guidance about out of state travel.

I also want you to know that we plan to be in school on the Monday after Thanksgiving. I know there are many rumors swirling around this topic, but they are just that - rumors. We have every intention to be in school and will be in school. We learned today that the state will not be preemptively closing schools either. The Vermont conditions do not warrant a return to Step 1. As long as we are able to meet the basic criteria that govern our decisions, we will be in session. Our criteria are also posted in this newsletter as a reminder of what needs to be in place for us to be in school.

I wish I could tell you that we have a firm timeline for bringing back 5th and 6th graders to four-days per week in-person instruction. We are actively working on it, but there are challenges. At this point, it is easier for us to bring back these students in our smaller schools than in our larger ones. The very complexity that afforded our larger schools more flexibility during hybrid learning creates greater logistical challenges. Our plan is to bring Charlotte and Hinesburg 5th and 6th graders back for four days per week instruction as early as November 16th and continue working with Shelburne and Williston in hopes of bringing their 5th and 6th graders back after the Thanksgiving break - but no sooner than December 7th. As we have done in the past, we will survey families to learn their preference of instructional model (4 days-per-week in-person or fully remote).

I wish you all a very lovely November weekend. Be well.

Elaine


Opening Criteria:

Our criteria for operating school in-person includes:

• There is no or low COVID activity in our communities
• Our ability to staff our classrooms is stable and sufficient
• Our routines are efficient, effective, and trouble spots have been worked out
• We are able to maintain compliance with Vermont Dept. of Health and Agency of Education guidance
• We are confident in the Dept. of Health’s ability to respond to any positive cases in our school community

Q&A:

Will students need to quarantine if they have traveled to orange or red zones?

If you travel to a red or orange zone, your student will need to quarantine upon return. Students who need to quarantine because of voluntary travel will not be able to attend in-person instruction for fourteen days, or until receiving a negative test, which may be administered after quarantining for 7 days.


Will the school provide remote learning opportunities for quarantining students?

We do not have the resources or staffing capacity to support remote learning opportunities separate from what is already available. Students who are quarantining because of voluntary travel will not receive instructional support during their quarantine period. They may continue to attend the remote learning sessions that are part of their regular schedule.


Will students who are quarantining as a result of voluntary travel be marked absent?

Yes, their absence will be marked as unexcused.


How does having guests from out of state impact the need to quarantine?

If you are hosting travelers under quarantine in your home or lodging, you do not also need to quarantine. That means you can go to school, work, or the grocery store. However, you need to stay at least 6 feet from the people who are under quarantine. People under quarantine should wear a mask in common spaces, use a separate bathroom, eat separately, and otherwise not be in close contact with the people who are hosting them. Be sure to disinfect commonly touched surfaces, and check yourself for symptoms for 14 days.

 

A Visit to Tree Island at ABS

A few years ago, members of the kindergarten team at the Allen Brook School did a lot of research and investigation around outdoor education and how that would benefit students and learning. Many valuable concepts were put in place. When we returned to school this year, that group of educators enhanced their work even more. 

The teachers involved include: Adam Deyo, Laura Dyer, Sarah Read, Chelsea Laberge, and Marie Fetters. Adam provided the guest blog post below and he and Laura shared the photos seen in the slideshow. A while back, past kindergarten students named their outdoor classroom space Tree Island, as seen on the sign they inventively created. 

“Hey, look over there, it’s Leafy!” says one Kindergartener as they walk with the group up the winding trail from the Allen Brook. Leafy is a Boxelder Maple tree that was aptly named earlier in the Fall. “I found a corndog!” says another child as they pluck a cattail from the tall grass along the trail’s edge. “Let’s go to the Hideout and build a boat!” The hideout is a small cluster of mostly invasive Buckthorn that creates a tiny little nook perfect for constructing. Near the entrance, another child practices her high bar routine from an evening gymnastics class on a hearty branch while another swings from a vine. These are just a few examples of how children are making sense of the landscape around our school and in turn developing a sense of place through play. Long before the onset of COVID, the benefits of playing outside were well known to help children build self-regulation and cope in an anxious world.

The University of Vermont’s PLACE program references this quote from Mitchell Thomashow, “People are typically interested in understanding who they are in relationship to where they live. By exploring the places that are most important to them, they are most likely to take an interest in the human and ecological communities of those places” (Bringing the Biosphere Home: Learning to Perceive Global Environmental Change, 2002) . Through intentional revisiting of an outdoor space throughout the year, we believe that the roots of curiosity and stewardship are fed through experiences in the natural world at school. As a team, we have been following research and practice closely in this area over the past 5-10 years. Our outdoor program was incrementally built each year, starting with Laura Dyer and Sarah Read’s classroom and now all four of the classrooms spend long periods of the day outside each with their own style, and with many shared routines and purposes. We were also fortunate to take a summer course with Eliza Minucci that allowed us to imagine one “forest day” becoming a daily practice. This solidified our intentions and confidence!

The land around Allen Brook school provides countless opportunities. As the children visit familiar trees to observe change over time, search for unique leaves, or use sunflower seeds on a ten-frame to build 1-to-1 correspondence and number sense, they are learning in the outdoors. In a recent talk with a group of teachers and administrators Joan Haley of Shelburne Farms discussed multiple ways outdoor education can occur. This nesting model includes (from large to small/gradually more integrated): learning with the outdoors, learning from the outdoors, learning about the outdoors, and learning in the outdoors. COVID has focused the spotlight on outdoor experiences at school and we are fortunate to have built a strong foundation of experiences of learning in nature.

We are grateful for the support of our Building Principal Angela Filion, Williston Schools Principal Greg Marino, CVSD Superintendent Elaine Pinckney, and the many families in our classrooms. Our hope is that the shift to outdoor learning sticks when COVID restrictions are lifted, the benefits are easy to see and a sense of reciprocal joy is deeply felt.

A Letter to the Community from a Parent and Pediatrician

The following letter was sent to us by Dr. Leah Costello. Dr. Costello is a local pediatrician and a parent in one of our CVSD schools. She is also one of the pediatricians who supports and consults with CVSD for our reopening efforts. This letter was unsolicited. She asked that we pass it along to our families and faculty/staff. 

10/27/20

Dear Parents/Guardians,

Last night my son Theo had trouble falling asleep so he and I did a mindfulness activity on gratitude. He is grateful for going back to school 4 days a week.

He is not alone. I see kids in my office all day who feel this way. And honestly, as a parent, I feel this way too.

As part of my role in the CVSD reopening, I have been meeting with teachers as they reopen grades K-4. I am amazed at how our teachers, staff, and administrators are bending over backward to keep our children safe at school. There are so many guidelines! I read the revised document last Friday, it is 41 pages! All I had to do was read through the revisions, but our schools have to make sure every piece of that 41-page document is in place to keep our kids safe. Incredible! Send your schools a thank you note, and coffee and healthy snacks while you are at it!

Parents and guardians, it is now our turn to step up and show that same level of commitment to our community. It is our job to keep COVID 19 out of the schools. Luckily, we don't have a 41 -page document with guidelines we have to follow! We actually have it much easier than the schools. We have a 3 step process to follow "Six-foot spaces, Mask on faces, Uncrowded places." But parents, I think we can go farther than that. Think about what is truly essential in your day to day activities. If you really need to do an activity, then do it with safety measures in place. If you think about it and realize it is not truly an essential activity, then revise your plans to a safer alternative. The schools are making sacrifices for us and we need to do the same for them.

Here is the really hard part. We need to seriously think about the upcoming holidays and how we can keep our children, teachers, and schools safe and healthy. This might mean it is not safe to see out of state family or have extended family gatherings for the holidays. If many of us travel and COVID 19 cases increase to a critical point, we may be in the same position we were in the spring. We need to do everything we can to prevent that! Changing our holiday plans is really hard, I know. I am devastated about this too - family and friends are extraordinarily important to us.

Vermont continues to lead the country in the management of COVID 19. We continue to have a very robust and phenomenal contact-tracing program to find cases and prevent the spread of the virus. Despite that, we still have cases of COVID 19 and we are NOT immune. Please do your part to keep COVID 19 out of the schools so we can keep our kids in school and our schools healthy. This is on us, parents, and I know we can do it.

If you have questions about your upcoming holiday plans please reach out to the Vermont Department of Health to discuss - call 802-863-7240 or see their FAQ page.

Thank you,

Leah Costello, MD

Timber Lane Pediatrics

WCS Candidate Forum Adapts But Goes On During COVID

If you have not yet voted here in Vermont, or even if you have - check out this video! 

Williston Central School has a long-standing tradition of hosting a Candidate Forum every two years. This is usually held in the school, which had to change this year. Middle school students did a LOT of research on important topics and issues and then sent them in video form to various candidates. The candidates sent back video responses, all using Flipgrid. They have been compiled into one final video for your viewing. We learned a lot from this video and are so impressed by the quality of the questions!

Click on this link to view the video if the viewer below doesn't work. 

CVSD Update, October 26, 2020

October 26, 2020

Dear Families and Friends,

This week we celebrate bringing our K-2 students safely back for four-days per week instruction and look forward to welcoming most of our Grade 3 and 4 students.. The joy and enthusiasm generated by having them in school is palpable. By next week, we hope to have all students in this age group back. Staffing issues, not our ability to meet health and safety guidance, is what is keeping us from bringing all Grade 4 students back at this time. Please know that we are doing everything we can to resolve this issue as soon as possible - and know that we’ve been working on it for several weeks now. We have broadened our normal venues for posting positions and are making personal contacts with qualified individuals. 

Last Friday, the Agency of Education released revised Safe and Healthy Schools guidance. The main changes impacting our CVSD plans relate to social distancing. The new guidance explicitly sets a 3 feet minimum for students through Grade 6, and a 6 feet minimum for Grades 7-12. Gone are the “if possible” qualifiers. We are currently meeting these more stringent guidelines with our Kindergarten through 4th graders. The guidance also frames the use of plexiglass as an added layer of protection rather than a means of reducing distancing requirements. Now that 6th graders have officially been included in the 3 feet group, we will start to discuss how and when we will bring these students back for four days per week of in-person learning. 

As you can imagine, there is a lot of conversation about Thanksgiving travel and the possible need to quarantine. If you are traveling outside of Vermont, please be aware that there are travel restrictions put in place by Governor Scott that would require you to quarantine for up to 14 days upon your return to Vermont if you have travelled to a red or orange zone. We have been notified that the Vermont Agency of Education will be providing guidance regarding travel of families and staff for the upcoming holidays by the end of October. We will share this information with you at that time. Obviously, we need to work together to ensure adequate staffing and a safe and healthy school environment.

And finally, please know that our middle level principals are working together to clarify expectations for hybrid learning on remote days. While there will always be differences between schools based on individual choices and unique configurations, we aim to provide equity of learning standards, learning opportunities, and learning time.

Wishing you a safe and healthy week - and Halloween!

Elaine

View the full newsletter, which includes this letter and more!

CVSD Community Budget Forum

We invite all members of the CVSD community to share your thoughts in a number of ways as we kick off the 2021-2022 budget development season. 

Please add your thoughts and rate those of others to the CVSD Budget Thoughtexchange by October 23.  

Please join us for a Virtual Community Budget Forum on October 27 at 6:00 pm. We'll start with an overview of the process, share updates about Board goals, and share insight gained from the Budget Thoughtexchange. After a short period together, community members will then have the opportunity to join principals from each building or town for a question and answer period.

We hope you will join us and share your voice. 

Topic: CVSD Community Budget Forum
Time: October 27, 2020, 06:00 PM

Join Zoom Meeting
https://cvsdvt-org.zoom.us/j/92218271427

Meeting ID: 922 1827 1427
Passcode: CVSDbudget (required to join)

The links to the separate school meetings will be posted on the district website and all school websites that day.

CVSD Update October 16, 2020

Dear Friends and Families,

We have just completed our first experience with a positive COVID case in our schools While we would have wished not to have any cases - ever - I am so proud to let you know how smoothly it all went. Every part of our plan went as imagined. Kudos to the Williston administration for having their systems in place and being able to provide all of the information being requested by the Vermont Department of Health team. This went a long way towards narrowing the scope of the impact. I’d also like to give a shout-out to the CVSD Reopening Team that mobilized at a moment’s notice on a Sunday afternoon. It feels very reassuring to be part of a team that works well together, and more importantly, is committed to doing whatever it takes to ensure the best possible results for our students, their families, and our faculty and staff. For those of you who read the Williston Observer, I want to point out that the letter we sent to you on Sunday night was written by us. A sub-group of the team spent over an hour considering every line in that letter. We knew how important this first communication was and we wanted to make sure we got it as exactly right as possible. If others used portions of our letter to express the same sentiment, we are fine with that, but we want you all to know how seriously we took the messaging of this information. For those of you who don’t receive the Williston Observer - there was a sentence at the end of a very good report that indicated our letter may have been a form letter that we downloaded. It was not.

We are continuing the process of bringing more students back for in-person instruction. Our kindergarten students have been in for two weeks and everyone involved is thrilled to have them back. I heard from every single K-4 principal about the energy and excitement their presence generated. It has gone very smoothly. On Monday the 19th we will welcome our grades 1 and 2 students for four days of in-person instruction. We’ve been planning for this transition for several weeks and are confident that it will also go very smoothly, I can’t underscore enough how vigilant our teachers and administrators have been around making sure that we are able to follow all of the health and safety guidance. We have full confidence in the practices we have put in place. The following week, if all goes as well as we anticipate, we will be bringing in our grades 3 and 4 students. Again, our plan could be adjusted based on our experiences, our community context, and the greater Vermont context. We will always consider the health and safety of our students first.

Please note the republishing of our School Year Calendar. I say republishing because there will be no additional changes to the calendar that was distributed last spring. In the recent legislative session, the legislature set the number of student days required to 170. Our calendar, as adopted last spring, has 172 student days for our K-8 students and 173 student days for our high school students.

I wish you all good health and a lovely fall weekend!

Elaine Pinckney

CVSD Superintendent

The full newsletter, with additional news, announcements, resources, and reminders can be found at this link. 

CVSD Budget: Community Input Welcomed

The CVSD School Board encourages you to get involved and share what’s on your mind as we begin the budget process for the 2021-2022 school year. This budget will be presented to voters before and on Town Meeting Day, March 2, 2021.

While this has been quite the unusual year, the board and administration are planning around a return to normalcy for the 2021-2022 school year. Are there parts of our current experience that we should continue? Thanks to federal and state funding, we are optimistic we will be starting next year on sound financial footing. Should this change, what areas of the budget do you believe are important to protect? We invite you to join us in the discussion.

Your voice is important and valued. There are at least 3 ways to get involved:

• Please share your thoughts and rate those of others on the CVSD Budget Thoughtexchange by October 23.
• Join the virtual CVSD Community Budget Forum on October 27 to discuss what you value most in our schools.*  Find out about CVSD’s financial outlook. Gain an understanding of our budget process.
• You are also invited to attend all future budget meetings. The full schedule of meetings can be found on the district’s website: www.cvsdvt.org/budget

Feel free to get in touch with the School Board at any time: cvsdboard@cvsdvt.org

* Information about how to join the Community Budget Forum will be posted on the Budget page of our district’s website and communicated through school newsletters.

CVSD Update, October 2, 2020

 Dear CVSD Families and Friends,

We have a few short updates to share with you this week. We are very excited to welcome many of our kindergarten students to school four days a week beginning on Monday. For those with first and second graders, if you have not yet completed the survey that was sent at the end of last week or early this week, please do so as soon as possible. 

Here are a few additional items of importance: 

October 9th for K-8 schools:

This year, as in past years, we have designated two days for Parent-Teacher conferences on our calendar-- October 9th and March 19th. There is no school for K-8 students on these days. We hold these conferences to ensure that there is strong communication between teachers and families around the growth of their students socially, emotionally, and academically. It is an important time to take stock of your child as a whole. It is also an opportunity for teachers and parents to get to know each other better. We strive to build as strong a connection with our families as possible. Many, many teachers and parents have already met this school year to reinforce these important connections.

All of our K-8 teachers will once again schedule a conference with their students’ families. As in past years, this conference may be scheduled on October 9th, but also may be scheduled any time between now and the end of the term. In fact, we are encouraging our teachers to schedule these conferences at a mutually convenient time for the teacher and the family and avoid scheduling too many conferences all on one day. Many of our teachers, across the school district, have been implementing this practice for many years. We find that the time allotted is not only more convenient, it is also more focused.

With this expectation, we provide a flexible day for our teachers. We believe this is a win-win situation - better, more personalized conferences for you, and more manageable scheduling for teachers. To summarize, you may have a parent-teacher conference scheduled on October 9th, or it may be scheduled at another time more convenient for both you and your child’s teacher. Be assured that we will make time for this important conference.

A reminder: There IS school for CVU students on October 9.

Temperature Checks

We’d like to thank parents for their diligence in screening kids at home for fevers (above 100.4F) and COVID symptoms before sending them to the bus or school. Parents of bus riders should be aware that, based on the extremely low incidence of finding anything other than normal temperatures, on some routes we have deferred the temperature screening from the bus to the school.

Transportation

The guidance from the Vermont Agency of Education around transporting students on buses includes the following information:

Step II Guidance:

• Create physical distance between students and on school buses (for example, seating students one child per seat, every other row).

Step III Guidance:

• Students should be spaced out for the number of riders

As we move toward increasing the number of students in schools when our kindergarten transitions to 4 days a week on October 5, our plan for adapting transportation is a slow, methodical process. We will still spread students out, students from the same family may continue to sit together, and we will, when necessary, allow up to two kindergarten students and eventually first and second graders to sit together in a seat. Additional changes will depend on ridership and will be communicated to parents of students on the affected routes before they occur.

A Friendly Reminder About Positive COVID Cases

If and when we have a confirmed positive COVID-19 case in our district, we will only be able to share very limited information with our community. We must abide by FERPA and respect the privacy of those impacted. We will use language that leaves out any identifying information in order to protect that privacy. Please view the information about FERPA and HIPPA, as well as details about our processes in the CVSD Symptomatic & Positive Cases Guide. If and when we have a positive case in our learning community, the Department of Health will identify close contacts and reach out directly to those individuals as soon as possible (typically within 24 hours). You can help this process by answering your phone if they reach out to you and being prepared to support their contact tracing efforts. If you have specific concerns about your student’s health, please reach out to your pediatrician.

Thank you for your support. Have a wonderful fall weekend,

Elaine Pinckney 

CVSD Update September 25, 2020

Dear Family and Friends,

For the past two weeks, we have been assessing our readiness for bringing back our kindergarten students to four-days per week of in-person instruction. This assessment included a review of our ability to maintain social distancing and all other DOH and AOE guidelines, as well as our capacity to provide stable and sufficient staffing. To that end, we sent a survey to our kindergarten families to understand what, if any changes, families might make if we were to institute this change. We held a Q &A session with Dr. Leah Costello for our kindergarten teachers, principals, and school nurses. The results of the survey, as well as our review of the criteria, all indicate that we are ready to welcome our youngest students back for four days per week, beginning on October 5.

We will be undergoing this same level of assessment, review, and planning for phasing-in, over the next month, our Grades 1 through 4 students. This process will begin with our Grades 1 and 2 students. A survey will be going out later today to these parents. During the next two weeks, faculty and administration will conduct a thorough assessment of our criteria:

• There is no or very low COVID activity in our communities
• Our ability to staff our classrooms remains stable and sufficient
• Our routines are efficient, effective, and any trouble-spots are easily worked out
• We are able to maintain compliance with VT DOH and AOE guidance
• We are confident in the DOH’s ability to respond to any positive cases in our school community.

Assuming a successful re-entry of our Kindergarten and Grades 1 and 2 students, and our continued ability to meet all criteria, we would turn our focus to Grades 3 and 4. Here is the tentative timeline for this to happen.

• Oct. 5 Kindergarten students Mon. Tues. Thurs. Fri. - or Virtual Learning Academy
• Oct. 19 Grades 1 and 2 students Mon. Tues. Thurs. Fri. - or Virtual Learning Academy
• Oct. 26 Grades 3 and 4 students Mon. Tues. Thurs. Fri. - or Virtual Learning Academy

Please know and understand that all of these dates are tentative. If at any point, we are unable to meet the criteria we’ve set, the dates could be moved out or even canceled.

In other news, we are including the October calendar with this newsletter. We cannot finalize the year’s calendar until the legislature has acted upon an expected change to the statute. As soon as this has been accomplished, we will share our adjusted school year calendar. We do not anticipate many if any changes to the calendar that was shared in the spring.

And finally, I know there is some confusion around the Secretary of Education’s announcement that schools are now in Phase III. In reality, there are very few changes to the guidance between these two phases. The social distancing requirement - 3 feet for students age 10 and under and 6 feet for our older students has not changed. This does not mean that students must be socially distanced at 3 ft or 6 ft at all times. It does mean that we should do our best to minimize the number and amount of time that our students are in closer proximity AND add other layers of protection when they are. For example, wearing our masks, sitting side-by-side instead of face-to-face, and being vigilant about hand hygiene all help to mitigate the transmission of the virus. The main areas of change are; the clearance for our sports teams to hold competitions - GO Redhawks! - and the relaxing of the rules for use of our gyms and cafeterias. In Phase II these spaces could only be used as classroom overflow and only if absolutely necessary. In Phase III, these spaces may be used as long as we are still able to follow all other guidelines (social distancing e.g.).

I hope you all have a very relaxing and restful weekend with your families.

Sincerely,

Elaine


To see this letter as well along with other updates, please view our full newsletter.

CVSD Educator Presented with Literacy Award

We are thrilled to share that CVSD's District Literacy Leader, Jensa Bushey, is the recipient of the Vermont Council on Reading's 2020 John T. Poeton Award. This award is usually presented at the VT Council on Reading's Spring conference, but that event didn't take place this year due to safety concerns around COVID-19. 

As stated on the VT VCR website, "The John T. Poeton Award is presented annually by the Executive Board of the Vermont Council on Reading at the Conference. A plaque shall be presented by the President or his or her designee at the Annual Spring Conference to an outstanding educator working in a Vermont school setting fostering literacy development with students and colleagues."

Jensa exemplifies this to the greatest degree. She is an inspiring leader and advocate for literacy with teachers and students alike. In addition to her valued literacy role in CVSD, Jensa stepped up this year and is also teaching kindergarten in our Virtual Learning Academy. This only illustrates how dedicated Jensa is to her work, our district, and student learning. Jensa is a former Shelburne Community School teacher and literacy coordinator.

Congratulations Jensa and thank you!

Remembering a Beloved Principal

The CVSD community lost a beloved past principal last April. Monica Smith was the principal at Charlotte Central School for 20 years, from 1990-2009. She touched and influenced so many in our community and beyond. 

Today, some former colleagues organized a tree-planting at CCS in her memory and planted a sturdy oak tree. Members of Monica's family were present, along with many others who were recipients of her generosity, time, friendship, and colleagueship. 

Superintendent Elaine Pinckney spoke and shared some thoughts, which are highlighted below. 

Monica was full of love. She took care of everyone. She took care of CCS students and staff in the same way that she took care of her treasured family. Through small tokens of affection and appreciation, she made time together special. She instituted many traditions which are carried on at CCS to this day, including Grandparent's day and the Carnation Ceremony.

Monica was a relationship person and was full of joy. She loved people, she loved life. she was generous, unselfish, caring, thoughtful. Those of us fortunate enough to know her, and that's many, count ourselves so lucky to have been a part of her orbit.

The tree is near the playground behind CCS and has a special sign to help visitors find it.

Thank you to all who helped make this special event for a very special person happen.

Schools Are OPEN in CVSD!

We are so excited to see students in person! Here are a few photos from the first days with Cohort or Group A. 

CVSD Update and Food For All Under 18!

Dear CVSD Families and Community,

This is the last update before school starts on Tuesday, September 8. There are some new updates available in this newsletter. We hope that between this and communications from your schools, you're as ready as we are to get this school year underway.

Many of you may have received this message earlier, but we wanted to repeat it here.

We are so happy to share that the USDA has announced it is allowing schools to continue to provide free breakfast and lunch meals to all children 18 years old and younger. CVSD will be offering in-school meals, pick-up, and delivery. To read about our program, see our menu and place your order, go to our district website at https://www.cvsdvt.org/ and scroll down to "Foodservice". Our amazing food service team is excited to continue to serve the children of our community meals that are safe, nutritious, and delicious!

Wishing you a safe, healthy, and happy long weekend. We look forward to seeing your children on Tuesday in one way or another.

Superintendent Elaine Pinckney

CVSD Reopening Schools Update: August 28

Dear Friends and Families,

The CVSD newsletter this week features information about the start of school, health screenings, the K-8 Virtual Learning Academy, transportation, childcare, and much more. We hope you find it helpful.

Have a wonderful weekend,

Elaine Pinckney

CVU Earns National Banner School Recognition

CVU has been recognized as an official Special Olympics National Banner Unified Champion School! They received the following information last week.

On behalf of Special Olympics International, we are honored to share the exciting news that Champlain Valley Union High School has been declared an official Special Olympics National Banner Unified Champion School! The CVU community has demonstrated unyielding determination and fortitude in the pursuit of our collective goal to truly create a ‘Unified Generation’ of young people who embrace differences and lead social change. Together with your remarkable students, you are redefining the future as you make your community more inclusive of people with intellectual disabilities, and in doing so, are making the world a more accepting place for all.

• CVU is part of the “Class of 2020 National Banner Unified Champion Schools” and joins 150 others receiving the honor this year. Learn more about this incredible honor here. 

• To achieve this honor CVU met 10 National Standards of Excellence in the areas of inclusion, advocacy and respect through their excellence in Unified Sports, Inclusive Youth Leadership and Whole-School Engagement.

• CVU joins BFA St. Albans and Rutland High School as the third Unified Champion School in Vermont to receive this honor for their exemplary work in the areas of inclusion, advocacy and respect.

CVU will receive a banner to proudly hang in the gym and we will work together with Special Olympics to determine a way to celebrate this amazing achievement.

CVSD Reopening Schools Update: August 21

Dear CVSD Families and Friends,

Our faculty and staff returned at the end of this week and the wheels are churning with energy and enthusiasm to welcome students back soon. I wanted to share this newsletter with you. We appreciate the incredible support our community is providing in this endeavor.


Thank you, have a wonderful weekend,

Superintendent Elaine Pinckney

Contact Tracing: What Does This Look Like For Our Schools?

We had an intriguing conversation with educators from our district, along with health professionals and a contact tracer from the VT Department of Health about contact tracing. Some of the big takeaways were: 

1. Answer your phone; it might be a contact tracer reaching out to you.
2. Keep track of who you've been with, especially those within 6 feet for more than 15 minutes. 
3. Stay home! Do not travel unless it's absolutely necessary, do not gather in large groups. 
4. If you have a generic message on your phone, create a personal message. This helps contact tracers know they have reached you. 

As always, wear masks, practice social distancing, wash hands often. Help our schools open and stay open!

Summer Meals Program Reminder

The CVSD Summer Lunch Program has 2 more weeks (ending on Friday 8/28) and we hope you will take advantage of these delicious free meals for your children 18 years of age or younger, while we are able to provide them. Distribution days are Monday, Wednesday and Friday at CCS, CVU, WCS and the Red School House in St. George. You can order online HERE.

Here is the menu for next week…

Monday: Turkey Sandwich

Tuesday: Nacho Box

Wednesday: Spaghetti and Meatballs

Thursday: Baked Chicken Tenders

Friday: Fresh Baked Pizza

Saturday: Sloppy Joe Sandwich

Sunday: SunButter and Jelly Sandwich

All lunch meals come with fruit, vegetables, milk and a snack. Also a delicious breakfast meal!

We have been getting some great fresh vegetables from our local school gardens and incorporating them into our meals.

If you are not able to make it to one of our distribution sites and need food, please contact us and we can arrange delivery. swagner@cvsdvt.org or (802) 871-6198

Thanks very much for your support this summer and we are happy we have been able to help so many children get great delicious meals this summer.

This institution is an equal opportunity provider. See some photos of the amazing meals below! 

CVSD Reopening Schools Update: August 13, 2020

Dear Families and Friends,

Thank you for your patience and understanding as we further develop plans for the reopening of our schools on September 8. Our latest newsletter features a message from Superintendent Elaine Pinckney as well as an update from our school nurses.

As we near September 8, we all must make a concentrated effort to help our schools open. Please remember to practice social distancing, wear masks, refrain from large gatherings, and wash hands often!

Thank you,

The CVSD Administration