CVSD Update, August 2023

Dear Families, Caregivers, and CVSD Faculty/Staff,

We are so excited to kick off a new school year this week. For most of you, that's tomorrow! Please view updates in the latest CVSD newsletter.

It includes:

• A video welcome from Superintendent Sanchez
• Celebrations
• Reminders (get those PowerSchool forms in today if you haven't already!)
• Communication reminders
• a little bit more, but not too much!

As always, reach out using Let's Talk with questions, comments, concerns, suggestions, or compliments.

Welcome back!

Champlain Valley School District

Students at CVU Awarded National Recognition!

We’re celebrating fourteen Champlain Valley Union High School (CVU) students, representing some of the 72,000 students from across the country who earned academic honors from College Board’s National Recognition Programs! The National Recognition Programs honor the strong academic achievements of underrepresented students. They’re an easy way for students to showcase their hard work in high school. The programs not only benefit students. They also benefit colleges looking to recruit diverse, talented students.

There’s so much that makes students like these unique. That’s an asset to colleges and programs. The National Recognition Programs help students like these find ways to celebrate that. Eligible students apply on BigFuture. They have a GPA of 3.5 or higher. They’re the top 10% of PSAT/NMSQT® or PSAT™ 10 assessment takers in each state for each program or have earned a score of 3 or higher on two or more AP® Exams. They either attend school in a rural area or small town, or identify as African American/Black, Hispanic/Latino, or Indigenous/Native. They’re invited to apply during their sophomore or junior year. 

Awardees (as of August 17) from CVU High School include:

• Abby Niquette: NRSTA
• Ava Bouchard: NRSTA
• Brendan Fellows: NRSTA
• Charles Sprigg: NRSTA
• Charles Simons: NRSTA
• Elias Leventhal: NRSTA
• George Fidler: NRSTA
• Hannah Kuhlmeier: NRSTA
• Jacqueline Goldsmith: NRSTA
• Kaylee Bliss: NRSTA
• Kyle Stewart: NRSTA
• Lily O'Brien: NRSTA
• Veronica Miskavage: NRSTA
• Zorah Ngu: NAARA

Award Key:
National African American Recognition Award (NAARA)
National Hispanic Recognition Award (NHRA)
National Rural and Small Town Award (NRSTA)
National Indigenous Award (NIA)

Congratulations!

HCS Awarded An Exciting Grant

 

HCS is One of Ten Schools and Districts Selected for the Second Cohort!

Hinesburg Community School (HCS) was selected as one of 10 schools nationally to partner with the national education nonprofit organization, Transcend, to be a part of their second cohort of the Rural Schools Design Community. This is a ten-month program where school administrators and faculty will prioritize reimagining their school model to better serve students and families.

At the start of the ten-month program, each school community will identify a core team to lead the process in their communities. Through this program, teams work locally to enlist their broader community in shaping the vision for their reimagined school. Throughout the 10 months, the groups will also engage in convenings, exploring high-impact topics such as generating a community-led school design process to achieve equitable results for all students, understanding the skills and mindsets needed for young people to thrive in and transform the world, learning how to ensure community aspirations and needs are reflected, and understanding school & district design.

The 2023-2024 Transcend Rural Schools Design Community includes:

• Calistoga Joint Unified School District in Calistoga, CA
• East Range Academy of Technology & Science (ERATS) in Mt. Iron, MN
• Elizabeth City-Pasquotank Public Schools in Elizabeth City, NC
• Hinesburg Community School/Champlain Valley School District in Hinesburg, VT
• Lasara ISD in Lasara, TX
• Los Lunas Schools in Los Lunas, NM
• Riverhead Charter School in Calverton, NY
• Rugby Public Schools in Rugby, ND
• Southern Berkshire Regional School District in Sheffield, MA
• Warren County Schools in Warrenton, NC

The Rural Schools Design Community will take place at no cost to participants thanks to a grant and will commence in August of 2023.

We will provide updates when the work gets underway. Congratulations HCS!

Mid-August CCS Construction Update

Jen Roth, principal at Charlotte Central School, has provided us with another update on the construction work, along with some new photos. 

Spaces on both floors of the building are beginning to come together so furniture and teaching materials can be set up for the start of the year. As the contractors complete a learning space, it gets turned over to our maintenance crew to wipe down and polish the floors. First floor carpets will be cleaned this week opening up time for the CCS crew to return furniture to the classrooms.

The CCS STEM room feels a little bigger now that the extra storage closet has been removed to make room for additional hands-on tools for kids. It’s almost ready for a deep cleaning and the addition of furniture.

The utility space out front under the front porch, has been sealed up and the porch's structural components will be replaced in steps this coming week. The bus parking lot has had lines added to help provide adequate spaces for the fleet of buses used by CCS and SCS.

Our contractors are still at work in the cafeteria, the library and outside of the building. We’ll send updates on those particular projects in the near future.

 

Back to School Reminders

Dear CVSD Families and Caregivers,

The school district's offices are gearing up for the upcoming school year. You can help us! Please view these reminders and take the necessary action. We truly appreciate your help and support and are excited to kick off the school year soon!

1. We know that you all received notifications and emails about completing the PowerSchool Annual Forms Update. This is required each year and is important for many reasons including safety and security as well as for the various permissions that are needed annually. Contact your school if you need assistance.

2. We also want to remind families and caregivers about filling out the Free and Reduced Meal application each year as well. Students need healthy meals to learn. The Champlain Valley School District offers healthy meals every school day. In School Year 2023-2024, all students will receive free breakfast and lunch at school. Even though there is no charge for breakfast and lunch, we are asking you to fill out this application for free and reduced-price school meals. 

This document provides many of the reasons why it is important to fill out the forms even though meals are free to students this year. Please go to the Free and Reduced Meals page on our website to learn more and to access the online and printable forms. 

3. And finally, mark your calendar for the 2nd annual Playing Fields event! Join us on September 7 from 6-8 pm at CVU. This is open to all CVSD families and community members.

As always, feel free to reach out with questions, feedback, or compliments using Let's Talk!

Save the Date for a Great Community Event!

 

The Flynn and the Champlain Valley School District are excited to bring Playing Fields to CVSD for the second year in a row. Bring your friends, family, and neighbors to come play with us on Thursday, September 7th from 6-8 pm at CVU. Come at 6:00 to make sure you don't miss anything!

This whimsical event is a free back-to-school celebration for the school district and surrounding community. 

Be amazed as 12-foot tall, luminous horses light up the field and joust, dance, and play with the crowd. 

Mark your calendars now! 

Early August Update on CCS Construction

Thank you to Jen Roth, principal at Charlotte Central School, for providing this update on the construction at CCS. 

Here are some new details about the work happening around CCS for the last two weeks. Behind the scenes, I’d like to thank our entire custodial crew (May, Audrey, Ester, Jeremy, Alex, Mike H., Jack S. and Mason M.) for using every possible minute to polish up spaces in the building to make it safe and welcoming for everyone.

The placement of the water storage tanks has been completed. Concrete is getting poured to start building out the new utility room and to add the foundation from the front porch on the 1939 building.

 

Crews are updating the utility access to the front of the building and running conduit through the first floor of the building.

 

  

Second Floor classrooms are nearly polished. Carpets have been installed in the planned spaces. Some painting has been completed to brighten things up. Worn down shelves were given a coat of paint where possible. Final touches to the second floor will include waxing the green hallway, shampoo the carpets and finalizing any IT installations.

First floor rooms are still under construction. Switches for fire have been updated and the sprinkler pipes have been placed. Old electrical and tech lines are being pulled to align with necessary codes. A crew is going through this week to hang ceiling tile grids. Then the spaces will be turned over to the CCS crew for cleaning and the placement of furniture.

  

 

 

The bus parking lot is coated with blacktop and setting. The last step is to paint the lines to be ready for the buses.

 

 

  

Thank you to everyone for your patience and understanding. Things are coming together!