CVSD Update July 19, 2021

 

July 19, 2021

Good afternoon Champlain Valley School District Communities!

I hope that the midpoint of the summer finds you enjoying the lovely weather, family time, and the Vermont outdoors.

I want to thank the family and community members who came out to the Shelburne Farmer’s market on July 10. We liked it so much that we are planning to make it a monthly event. CVSD will have a booth at the Shelburne Farmer’s Market on the first Saturday of each month. Not only will we be there to meet people, but we will be able to provide information and updates on our COVID-19 Response Plan, the return to school, job opportunities, and much more.

Though the original date for the Charlotte Grange on the Green was postponed, CVSD plans to have a table at the August 12th happening. We are also looking to be present at the July 28 Hinesburg Concert in the Park. If you are interested in listening to some great music, please join us at these wonderful events.

As we prepare for a full five-day-a-week return for the fall, the Vermont Department of Health is still recommending that unvaccinated people over the age of two should wear masks indoors. It also recommends several other ways to remain safe, even though Vermont does not have state COVID-19 restrictions or requirements for Vermonters or visitors to follow. However, we still need to follow the Centers for Disease Control’s (CDC) guidelines for travel on school buses.  Students and drivers are required to wear masks until further notice, including for transportation this summer.

We have no doubt that there will be additional guidance provided between now and the first day of school. We are in frequent contact with Secretary of Education French and with the Champlain Valley Superintendents Association so that we can align our policies, our communication, and our actions to other school districts in Vermont, and especially in the Champlain Valley region.

Finally, in coordination with our district’s annual focus on literacy, especially when it comes to summer reading, I would like to share the books that I am currently working through in July. The first is Coaching for Equity by Elena Aguilar and the second is Noise by Daniel Kahneman, Oliver Sibony, and Cass R. Sunstein. Both books are valuable scaffolds for my role as an administrator and both are by authors whom I have read in other contexts. Noise is heavy on the research surrounding bias while Coaching for Equity provides the hands-on, personal experiences that coaches challenge practitioners to muddle through in order to grow their craft. Though written in very different styles, I still find myself working through their text rapidly, but attentively. If you have time this summer, please wander through any of our town libraries to see if some book or other story-telling medium catches your or your student’s interest. (Charlotte, Hinesburg, Shelburne, or Williston).

We will be sending out regular communications and updates, so look for the next one in a few weeks.

Rene Sanchez, CVSD Superintendent

This letter and more can be found in the full newsletter here. We also post these communications on our website and on our Facebook and Twitter accounts. 

A Warm Welcome from CVSD's New Superintendent

Good Friday afternoon CVSD!

I am so excited to begin my tenure as the Champlain Valley School District Superintendent. From the Little League baseball fields outside of my office window and the church bells ringing on the hour, to the rainbows on the back-to-back days when I arrived, my joy is overflowing to serve here in your district as superintendent. Though I will oversee the district, I, too, will be a CVSD resident and a parent who will send students to our schools. As we transition from the distance and hybrid learning of the last 18 months to more recognizable instruction for the next school year, we must learn from each other what was missed, what worked well, and what we need to sunset. Like you, I want to ensure that we provide the schools that our students and community deserve. However, CVSD cannot create those schools alone. We are counting on students, families, and the community to help us.

First, this coming fall will be an exciting time. Our students and staff will return to their campuses five days a week. In preparation for the return, many of our schools are undergoing renovations to improve the learning environment. Thanks to additional federal and state funding, our school district will implement a COVID Strategic Response Plan with three main components: Social-Emotional Learning, Student Engagement, and Academic Success. CVSD has created a website and survey for the community to learn more about and provide input for the plan.

Next, so we can engage with parents and families about the plan and introduce myself to the community, we have identified several occasions to inform and seek feedback on the Strategic Response Plan and for me to meet attendees to local events. Members of the CVSD administration and I intended to be present at the Williston Book Sale on July 2, but the weather has impacted that plan. So instead, I will be at the Hinesburg Parade on July 4, the Grange on the Green in Charlotte on July 8, and at the Shelburne Farmers’ Market on July 10. Please find me and say hi!

I look forward to meeting you and your current, future, and past students of CVSD over the next few weeks. Please stop by one of the events in July so I may introduce myself to you. If you cannot stop by this time, I will attend school Curriculum Nights and extracurricular activities, so do not hesitate to say hello for the first time or for the second or third time at that point. Have a great holiday weekend with your family, and I hope to meet you soon.

Rene Sanchez, Superintendent



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