CVSD Update, October 27, 2022

 

Dear CVSD Families and Caregivers,

We write to you on the night of our last community forum for the strategic planning process. We hope to see many community members at our forum at 6:00 tonight.

Learn about this process and much more in this latest newsletter, including:

• A letter from Superintendent Sanchez
• A note about Learning Targets
• Celebrating the raising of the LGBTQIA+ flag at some of our schools
• Upcoming events, announcements, and more!

As always, let us know if you have questions, feedback, or compliments using our Let's Talk page on the district's website.

Abenaki Guest Speaker at WCS

This guest post was provided by Brie Healy, Williston Central School educator. 

On Friday, October 14, 2022, Clover and Summit House students welcomed Michael Descoteaux, a member of the Abenaki tribe, in recognition of Indigenous Peoples Day. 

In reflecting on the presentation, Summit 8th grader Reed Claro, shared, 

“Michael opened up a whole new world in our history. In his amazing presentation, we learned so much about the origins of many of the words we speak, as well as the uses and origins for our food. The Abenaki culture and language is a vital part of our history and cannot be taken away from us. Michael and so many others are working to restore and keep the language and culture alive, and by giving him an hour of our time, we can do the same.” 

In addition, Summit 8th grader, Kendall Batdorf shared, 

“I enjoyed hearing about how they built their houses, fought and defended themselves, caught their food, built their gardens, and preserved their food. Some people got grossed out about how they used all parts of the animal and didn’t waste almost anything, but I found it interesting and caring. It was important to the Abenaki to not waste anything that they killed, but to get the most use out of it. This makes so much sense! Nowadays we are killing whole sharks just for their fins!” 

What a valuable learning experience, thank you Michael!

Williston Candidates' Forum a Great Success

Last Friday, the middle school students at Williston Central School hosted their biennial Candidates' Forum. The teachers and their students invited the Republican and Democratic candidates for US Senate, US House of Representatives, Governor, Lt. Governor, and Attorney General.

Various candidates for federal and state offices were invited and nine were able to attend. This is a great opportunity to inform students and educate them about the political issues facing voters in the November elections. These are the offices our 7th and 8th students were busy researching and preparing questions for. The 5th and 6th grade students also studyed the candidates, political parties, and issues of the election. They created posters that lined the walls in the school and auditorium. Following the forum, students will use the evidence from the forum for a writing assignment.

“The Williston Candidate Forum is an authentic way for our students to learn about democracy. It encourages students to thoughtfully engage in the process of educating themselves about relevant issues and asking questions to further their understanding of the topics,” said Jackie Parks, Williston Central School Building Principal. “Ultimately we want students to become active in their communities and this learning experience provides them with the foundation to build on as they grow into responsible and involved citizens.”

The following candidates and the office they're running for attended this year's forum: 

• Gerald Malloy (R), US Senate
• Peter Welch (D), US Senate
• Becca Balint (D), US House of Representatives
• Phil Scott (R), Governor of Vermont
• Brenda Siegel (D), Governor of Vermont
• Joe Benning (R), Lt. Governor of Vermont
• David Zuckerman (D), Lt. Governor of Vermont
• Michael Tagliavia (R), Vermont Attorney General
• Charity Clark (D), Vermont Attorney General

In addition to posing challenging questions to the candidates, some students were behind the cameras livestreaming and recording the event. They had support from the Media Factory. The complete recording can be seen at this link, thanks to the Media Factory. 

This was the 12th candidate forum sponsored by the social studies committee at WCS. Thank you to this exemplary group of teachers for preparing your students so well!

Here's a small sampling of photos taken at the event.



View additional coverage of the event from local TV stations.
WPTZ: Vermont Students Meet with Candidates During Forum
WCAX: Students Questions Vermont Candidates on the Issues

WFFF: Vermont Candidates Discuss Major Issues in Middle School Hosted Forum

CVSD Update, October 6, 2022

Dear CVSD Families and Caregivers,

Happy Fall! We are eager to share this latest update with you as it contains important and timely information about upcoming events happening around the district and for the district. We hope you will get involved and share your voice. 

In this edition, you will find: 

• A letter from Superintendent Sanchez
• Information about our Strategic Planning process, including Community Forums and a survey
• An invitation to join us at the DEI Virtual Town Hall next week
• Celebrations throughout the month of October 
• and more
  

As always, let us know if you have questions, feedback, or compliments using our Let's Talk page on the district's website. 

RoboHawks Get to Work and Support the Community

Here's a guest post from the CVU Robohawks team. 

This week the RoboHawks and JV Redhawk Robotics teams met and started to dig deep into brainstorming, designing and prototyping this year's bot after the season's release on the 10th, as well as hosted a workshop to introduce the CVSD middle school students to robotics.

The workshop hosted at CVU by the RoboHawks this past Tuesday for students and parents in the CVSD district focused on the FIRST Lego League (FLL) robotics competition. The event marks the beginning of the program after months of behind-the-scenes work and makes their goal a reality of helping each district middle school start an FLL robotics team. The RoboHawks aim to strengthen and encourage participation in STEAM programs within the community by promoting and supporting opportunities for middle school students. The workshop was tremendously successful, with excellent attendance and representation from every CVU sending school! The RoboHawks worked with students to begin their coding adventure in FLL robotics and gave parents a great overview of why the program is valuable and fun! This year’s challenge is power themed and includes tons of fun challenges to tackle. We can't wait to see FIRST Core Values grow in each district school and see where the program goes!

RoboHawks will be hosting another FLL workshop in the near future. For more information or if you would like to learn more about our team, check out our website, or feel free to contact us at cvu_robohawks_2022@cvsdvt.org.

CVSD Update, September 15, 2022

 Dear CVSD Families and Caregivers,

We are happy to share the latest update from the district. We know that you also receive school newsletters and hope that you take the time to read both. They each provide you with important and timely information. 

In this CVSD update you will find: 

• A letter from Superintendent Sanchez
• Information about our strategic planning process (it's underway!)
• A reminder to fill out the school meal application (it's for everyone to fill out)
• Upcoming events
• Additional reminders
• and more!

Thank you for taking the time to read this newsletter. As always, reach out with questions, feedback, and compliments using Let's Talk.

The Champlain Valley School District

It's Time to Take An Access Course!

We are excited to pass along this announcement from our friends at Access CVU. If you haven't had a chance to take a course (or teach one!) please explore the many offerings. 

Greetings from Laura and Jen 

at Access CVU!

Fall/Winter 2022- Registration Is Now Open!

Access CVU, your Community Education Program, is back in action with another semester of amazing enrichment for both in-person and online learners. In-person classes take place at CVU High School and start after 4pm, Monday-Thursday. Online classes are offered through Zoom.

Over 200 classes (new classes added monthly!) 

and 89 local instructors.

Enroll today! Popular classes fill quickly and low enrollment leads to canceled classes. Invite your family and friends!

New classes and instructors are added every month! Don't miss out; sign-up for the weekly Access CVU Newsletter.

• Follow us on Instagram @accesscvu for class announcements and PROMOS!

• Looking to teach a course at Access CVU? Complete the New Instructor Form (also located on our Homepage)

• Visit us at https://cvsdvt.ce.eleyo.com/ or Google, Access CVU. Questions or to enroll via email or phone, contact us at access@cvsdvt.org / 802-482-7194.

Thank you for supporting Access CVU and keeping community education thriving in CVSD. We hope to see you soon!