It's that time of year where, with bittersweet emotions, we recognize those that are moving on and retiring from CVSD.
Thank you, thank you.
If you'd like to reach out to any of these people, feel free to use the CVSD Kudos topic on Let's Talk and we'll make sure your message gets to them.
We extend our sincere congratulations to:
Colleen O'Brien - Early Adolescence MathematicsColleen, Courtney, and Deb join others in CVSD who have achieved this recognition. At fifteen, our district has the largest number of Board Certified Educators in the state of Vermont!
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Matt Meuneir, the Student Assistance Professional (SAP) at CVU, is an assistant coach for the St. Michael's College baseball team. The coaches ask their players to be thinking of ways they can help their community. The senior captain had the idea of doing a toy drive for a group of young students. The team decided that Hinesburg would be a great place to do it. Matt reached out to HCS saying some of his players wanted to give back to a school. The players wanted to do something for the kindergarteners.
We are proud to share that Jen Bickel-Hayes and Michaela Whitman were recognized recently at UVM's 43rd Outstanding Educator event. Jen is a school counselor at CVU and Michaela is a primary teacher at Hinesburg Community School. They were nominated by their peers and building administrators.
The comments below were submitted with their nominations for this award.
Jen Bickel-Hayes Champlain Valley Union High School, Champlain Valley School DistrictJen takes responsibility for the students who she most directly serves, and works tirelessly meeting their educational and mental health needs. She manages the school’s Naviance system, communicates with families, helps coordinates with transfer students, while squeezing in more students than her schedule physically allows - and all with a smile on her face. She makes every student feel seen, heard, and cared for. Jen cares about her work, the people she serves, and the systems she oversees.
Michaela Whitman Hinesburg Community School, Champlain Valley School DistrictMichaela is an incredibly collaborative teacher. She is eager to learn new teaching strategies. I see her actively implementing those ideas and sharing her observations with her team. Michaela builds a community within her classroom and finds ways to include all students. She works actively to keep all students engaged in the classroom. Michaela has a wealth of professional knowledge about teaching.
For those who don't know, this week is often referred to as Teacher Appreciation Week. Scattered throughout the school year are appreciation days, weeks, and months for a large variety of important roles people play in our schools and in our district. Rather than scatter the recognition and thanks, here in the Champlain Valley School District, we are recognizing ALL employees this week. You will see a variety of social media posts honoring about 30 groups represented in our district throughout the week.
In addition, we compiled a list of employees who have contributed to CVSD for more than 25 years. One of the wonderful things about this list is how it is made up of people who play many different roles, including teachers, bus drivers, food service, paraeducators, administrative assistants, librarians, and more. This group comprises about 7.5% of our workforce. Their devotion, connection, and commitment to CVSD and our students speaks volumes and provides a great example for others to follow.
Thank you ALL.
Thank you to Jen Canfield, a kindergarten teacher at the Allen Brook School, for submitting this post. She also wrote the grant to the Williston Families as Partners (FAP) organization that funded this incredible opportunity. The FAP's fundraising efforts provide grants to teachers and programs within the Williston schools.
We want to express our sincere thanks and appreciation for four CVSD board members who are stepping down from their roles as of Town Meeting Day 2023. They have dedicated themselves to the well-being of students, made exceptional contributions to the effective and efficient operation of the Champlain Valley School District, and have championed CVSD through many different challenges, changes, and successes. Though their terms of service to CVSD vary in length, they each have made their mark on the district, its schools, and students in meaningful ways.
Thank you and congratulations!
Today marked the official first day back for our faculty across CVSD. For the first time in three years, we gathered together at CVU for Convocation and professional development. With nearly 500 faculty members in CVU's auditorium and library (livestreamed), we started the day with speeches and a fabulous keynote.
First, CVU's student co-presidents Asa and Kyle spoke to the whole group about their experiences in CVSD schools, with shout-outs to the many educators that had a direct impact on them. They reminded us that they have yet to experience a high school year not impacted by COVID-19 and are excited to embark on this final year of learning and connecting.
Angela Arsenault, our School Board chair, shared an inspirational welcome message. She acknowledged the challenges we've all faced through the pandemic. She led us through an exercise to envision our dream school and district that is supportive and inclusive for all children.
Superintendent Rene Sanchez told of the work that the district's leadership team engaged in this summer, helping to develop a focus for the year. With teaching and learning at the center of our work, we will emphasize growth and belonging for all. Incorporated into that are the more specific topics of identity, direction, connection, and proficiency. We'll be sharing more information about how we will define and incorporate those terms into our work with students and one another soon.
Rene also recognized faculty and staff who had been in the field of education for longer than 30 years, culminating with CVU teacher, Norm McClure, who is starting his 50th year! (Yes, you read that number right!)
Our keynote today was Joelle van Lent, a licensed psychologist who focuses on resiliency. Her presentation was authentic, inspiring, and engaging. There are many things that resonated with everyone, especially after the last few years. She provided ideas and suggestions for how we can support our students and each other.
After a short break, we shifted the focus to those four areas of identity, direction, connection, and proficiency. Everyone was offered the choice of reading an article, listening to a podcast, or watching a video (there were multiple options for each under each topic). Then we gathered in rooms by topic and discussed our experiences and ideas.
Our final activities were community circles of about 10 in each group. There were 50 groups spread out in rooms around CVU. We responded to questions about identity, direction, connection, and proficiency. And then each group created a collaborative quilt square with some plans and intentions for the year. These squares were collected and displayed together for all to see and appreciate. It's an impressive collection of creative and thoughtful expression and ideas. Zoom in if you can!
It was a great welcome to a new school year with a positive tone, engaging speakers and activities, and inspiration for a fabulous school year. Thank you to everyone who helped plan, coordinate, and facilitate the day. We're excited to welcome students back next week!
We honor and thank those who are retiring from CVSD this year and wish them all the very best on their next adventures.
Today, CVU educator TJ Mead, was recognized as a UVM Outstanding Teacher. TJ is truly well-deserving of this honor.
This information was submitted with his nomination:
In the ever-changing landscape of health education, the need for trusted adults who authentically engage students in meaningful work is paramount. TJ is one of those adults. Trusted by students and colleagues alike, TJ embraces challenges and empowers students to do the same all while navigating sensitive topics. TJ understands the importance of relationships; and it's clearly evident when observing his classroom and team.
In January, the Vermont legislature will pass a resolution declaring January as School Board Recognition Month. “This is a time to promote awareness and understanding of the important work performed by school board members,” said Sue Ceglowski, Executive Director of the Vermont School Boards Association. The Champlain Valley School District is joining all public school districts across the state to celebrate School Board Recognition Month to honor local board members for their commitment to CVSD and its children.
It takes strong schools to build a strong community, and these men and women devote countless hours to making sure our schools are helping every child learn at a higher level. They make the tough decisions every month and spend many hours studying education issues and regulations in order to provide the kind of accountability our citizens expect.
The key work of school
boards is to raise student achievement by:
School board members give citizens of CVSD a
voice in education decision-making. Even though we make a special effort to
show our appreciation in January, their contribution is a year-round
commitment.
