Vermont Wildlife Education Fund Student Art Competition

From the CVU Art Department: 

We are proud to announce that several CVU students entered the Vermont Wildlife Art competition. Not only did our students submit work, but they also took home the 1st, 3rd, and honorable mention spots. You can see the full list of winners here. 

1st Place - Shakeh H., Grade 9, Champlain Valley Union

“The red eft played a huge role in my childhood. Its magnificent orange hue, its luminous transparent skin, and its large glassy eyes were and are a magical jewel in the forests of Vermont.”

Title: "Jewel of the forest"

Medium: Oils Size: h 20 inches X w 24 inches

3rd Place - Aren E., Grade 10, Champlain Valley Union

While driving home from babysitting, I narrowly avoided hitting a small rabbit. I was surprised but not too worried about it. Later in that same drive another bunny leaped in front of the car and froze. I slowed down but it was too late and I heard a thud and felt a small impact. I brought the car to a stop, got out and checked for the bunny. I did not see it, but I am pretty sure it did not survive the incident. I made this drawing to honor and remember that innocent bunny.

Gianna P., Grade 9. I chose to paint these fish because I go fishing a lot with my Dad. I think a lot times people forget how colorful Vermont fish really are because they are not ocean fish. They are very mysterious in the water. I wanted to paint them in watercolor to show how vibrant and colorful they really are!!!

Gianna P., Grade 9. I like to paint cardinals because of their color. I like how their color really pops against the snow in the winter time! Also, I like how they look a bit different in the brown trees in the spring!

Congratulations to these talented artists!

CCS Second Graders Craft A Poem About Their School

Second graders at Charlotte Central School have been learning about poetry. One focus has been poems of address. 

Here's a recent creation: 

CCS

By Room 107

You were the old place we saw

From far away

You were dirty and dingy.

You take care of us everyday.

You help us learn to read and write.

THANK

YOU

You take care of us by helping us have

Food, water, shelter, warmth

You protect us

We will take care of you.

Charlotte

Central

School

You deserve

New layers…new siding

Warmth…new windows

We will take care of you.

CVSD Update, December 16, 2021

 

Please see the December newsletter for information about a variety of topics, including:

• Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) updates
• A letter from Superintendent Sanchez
• COVID updates (testing, vaccines, and a guest letter)
• Celebrations

and more!

Non-Credible School Violence Threats on TikTok

December 16, 2021

Hello CVSD Staff, Families, and Caregivers,

I wanted to alert you to information that CVSD and all Vermont school districts and supervisory unions received on the afternoon of December 15, 2021, from Secretary of Education Dan French regarding some non-credible school-based threats circulating on the TikTok social media platform.

These posts with non-credible school-based threats have made their way into Vermont, and other states in our region are reporting similar social media activity. These posts describe the potential for school-based violence on December 17, 2021. We want to stress again that, at this time, there is no credibility to any of these threats. The Vermont Intelligence Center and our law enforcement partners across the state will continue to monitor this situation and keep us updated if anything changes.

If you believe your child is active on social media and you feel it’s appropriate, please have a conversation with them to make them aware of this situation. As always, if you have any school safety concerns, we encourage you to contact your local law enforcement agency to make them aware of this information. We take these situations very seriously and collaborate closely with all of our school safety stakeholders to provide an open, safe and welcoming environment. The safety of your children and our staff is our number one priority.

If you or your child become aware of any potential threat posted to social media or anywhere else, please notify a school staff member or trusted adult right away.

We know that these non-credible threats may increase fear and anxiety in your student, your school, and within your family. As the lead representative of the school district and as a parent with students in CVSD schools, I can understand both of those emotions. We trust the information that we have received from the Agency of Education and the Vermont Intelligence Center regarding this issue. We hope to ease your student’s and your family’s concerns about these social media posts by sharing this letter.

Should we have any additional information presented to the district, we will let you know as soon as possible.

Thank you so very much,


Rene Sanchez, Superintendent

Champlain Valley School District

VT Pediatrician Shares A Letter with the Community

We thank Dr. Leah Costello for sharing this unsolicited letter with us. It addresses COVID, testing, colds, and more. Dr. Costello's words are helpful as we get closer to the holiday season and potentially more gatherings with others.

Dear Parents and Guardians,

I write to you with high COVID case rates in Vermont, the news of the omicron variant, and the holidays approaching. Obviously, this is not how we were wanting to close out 2021. But there is hope. With vaccines and the right precautions, we can gather as small groups this holiday season and still keep our schools and community safe.

As a pediatrician and parent, I am relieved that school-aged children are eligible for the Pfizer COVID vaccine. Over 60% of children ages 5-11 in Chittenden County have received their first dose at the time of this letter! The CDC has recommended that all adults over age 18 should get a booster and just approved boosters for 16 to18-year-olds. If you or someone in your family has not received the COVID vaccine, now is the perfect time to get it. Your school nurse can help if your family requires assistance. If you have questions about the vaccine please talk to your physician or listen to one of these question and answer sessions.

An added safety measure this year is the use of testing before and after gatherings. If your entire family feels well, you can use two rapid antigen tests prior to gathering with others. Use one test the day before and one on the day of the gathering to ensure your negative result is accurate. To protect the community, we strongly recommend a PCR test 5-7 days after gathering. If you or anyone in your family is sick, please make the hard, but right, decision to skip your planned event and arrange PCR testing.

COVID is not the only virus we are seeing in our community. Unfortunately, without proper testing, there is no way to know if that mild runny nose is COVID or “just a cold”. We recommend that anyone with symptoms, even the most mild, stay home and be tested with a PCR test. If you choose to do a rapid test and it is negative, you must confirm with a PCR test and stay home until you are all better. This applies to vaccinated and unvaccinated children and adults. If at any point you receive a positive rapid or PCR test please stay home and follow the recommendations of the Vermont Department of Health.

Remaining at home if you are sick is of utmost importance this year. Even if your child is fully vaccinated or has a negative PCR test you must keep them home until they are all better. Sending your sick child to school puts others at risk. Risk of illness, risk of missing school, and risk of disruption for working parents. As a parent of 3 young kids, I understand how hard this is – and how it differs from the time before COVID. We thank you for your efforts.

We are fortunate to offer Test To Stay in many Vermont schools. This allows children who are exposed to COVID at school and who do not have any symptoms to remain at school. In this situation, we use daily rapid antigen tests administered at school. This is the only situation in

which we can use rapid testing for school entry. Children exposed to COVID outside of school and children who are sick are not eligible for Test To Stay.

The continued demands on families and schools are astounding. I am in awe of what our schools are doing on a daily basis to maintain the health of our school communities. And parents, wow, this has been the most challenging time to balance work and parenting. Everyone is doing their best. We are in this together and must hold each other up.

Best wishes for a happy and healthy new year.

With Gratitude,

Leah Costello, MD

Timber Lane Pediatrics

Mosaic House Hikes for Hunger

Williston Central School’s Mosaic House has participated in the Hike for Hunger every year since 2009 (before that the team was called Lighthouse). Hike for Hunger raises money for Hunger Free Vermont, an organization that addresses food insecurity in Vermont. On October 21, 2021, the 83 students on Mosaic House along with teachers, staff and parents completed the two mile hike at Catamount Outdoor Center. This week, after all of the donations had been collected and tallied, they sent a record $2700.00 to Hunger Free Vermont.

Literacy Spotlight - Global Read Aloud 2021

This guest post was provided by CVSD's District Literacy Leader, Jensa Bushey


Librarians and literacy coaches across the Champlain Valley School District partnered to plan an experience for children in grades kindergarten through fourth grade in which a common set of books was read and discussed. To do this, we joined other educators across the world in a project called the Global Read Aloud. For elementary students, the Global Read Aloud featured picture books written by Duncan Tonatiuh and the book Dragons in a Bag by Zetta Elliott.

We picked the Global Read Aloud as a focus point this year because it allowed us the opportunity to live out several parts of the CVSD literacy vision. This includes modeling joyful reading and writing and sharing diverse stories. Children explored the themes of celebrating differences, personal and cultural identity, and perseverance.

Here’s a visual diary of some of the reading, learning, and thinking that the Global Read Aloud brought to our schools.

An enthusiastic group of second grade students activate their prior knowledge before Cara Clopton, Allen Brook School Librarian, reads them The Princess and the Warrior by Duncan Tonatiuh.

Heidi Huestis, Charlotte Central School (CCS) Librarian, discusses what students notice about the cover of the book Separate is Never Equal by Duncan Tonatiuh. In the background, a digital storyboard displays Duncan’s books along with virtual links to read alouds.

Which book will be the ultimate favorite? Each week CCS students voted between two of Duncan Tonatiuh’s books to decide which moved ahead in the bracket! At Charlotte Central the favorite book was Feathered Serpent and the Five Suns.

In the Hinesburg Community School (HCS) Library, second graders engaged in an author study during Hispanic Heritage Month using The Princess and the Warrior and Diego Rivera: His World and Ours. Students paid attention to Duncan Tonatiuh’s illustration style, especially the ornate swirls and curves inspired by pre-Columbian Mixtec art. Students also took two virtual field trips: the first to Popocatépetl (one of the volcanoes from The Princess and the Warrior) using the Smithsonian’s Global Volcanism Program, and the second to MoMA to see one of Rivera’s paintings.

This is a quick snapshot of of the volcano virtual field trip!

At Williston Central School (WCS), every grade 3-4 teacher was given a copy of Dragons in a Bag to read aloud to their class, and every grade 5-6 English Language Arts (ELA) teacher was given a classroom copy of The Jumbies.

During library time, 3rd & 4th grade students heard eight picture books by author Duncan Tonatiuh during the Global Read Aloud author study. They concluded the author study with a student vote for their favorite, and the most ancient story won: Feathered Serpent and the Five Suns: a Mesoamerican Creation Myth.