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.