Cornwall School News 8/2/24

It has been busy at Cornwall School in July! Here are a few highlights:

• Our summer four week summer program wrapped up this week. Throughout the program, our days were joyful and (mostly) calm, and our kids thrived. In the last week, I learned the term frass, and we all watched a monarch caterpillar spin its chrysalis in real time. You can see the wonder on our students' faces in the photo! A huge thanks to summer program teachers Val Calzini, Mindy Harvey, and Patricia Roeding for making this so successful for students.

• So much gardening! Thanks to the families who joined, our gardens look tended and happy. Shari Johnson from the UVM Master Gardener program has also been checking in regularly on our vegetable garden and harvesting the cukes and tomatoes to the delight of our summer program students.

• Full speed ahead planning for the school year. That list is too long and too boring to include here, but Cornwall families can be confident that this new principal is getting a huge amount of support and feeling up to the task.

I'm headed to the ACSD leadership retreat next week, and then on to a family vacation of my own. Cornwall staff will spend the week of August 19 getting ready for our students, and before we know it, they'll be here! We can't wait.

- Nadya

Annual forms (which everyone needs to fill out) will be mailed to families before school starts. Please make every effort to complete the forms before the first day of school and send them in with your child.

As you're planning for the school year, some reminders:

• The Cornwall School day starts at 7:50 am.
• To keep everyone safe, please do not drop your child off before 7:40; we do not have adult supervision before this time.

August 5-14, Cornwall School closed

August 26, First day for students

TBD, Back to School Night and FOCS Potluck. Stay tuned!

Click here for the ACSD 24-25 school year calendar.

Our flowers will be thirsty while we're gone for a few weeks. The flowers in the window boxes on either side of the building, as well as in the school sign planter out on the lawn--need water just about every day if it's hot. There's a watering can next to the front door and a hose at the front, hidden by the flower bed.

In prolonged hot weather, the beds along the south side of the school and the circular pollinator garden by the flag pole also could use a drink - there's a hose at the front for that purpose. Thanks!

Once school gets underway, there will be more opportunities to volunteer, such as chaperoning a field trip or providing transportation. ACSD has a sign-up process that ensures our students’ safety. For all the details on how to do that, see the ACSD website under Work With Us.

There are quite a few steps. Don't despair! Once you're in the system, it is much easier moving forward.

We love, and rely on, our substitute teachers! In addition to classroom substitutes, we need subs in the library, as paraprofessional classroom supports, and in our nurses offices. You can always say yes or no to days. You can sign up in advance for expected absences or receive a call for emergent needs.

To apply please visit this listing. If you have trouble with that link, please go to schoolspring.com and search for "Substitute" using the area code "05753".

Kids and teens under 18 can eat for free all summer at these locations:

• Mary Hogan Front School Entrance 11:00 - 12:30
• Middlebury Union Middle School 11:00 - 12:00
• Bridport Elementary Front Entrance 11:00-12:00

All meals are grab-and-go. For more information, click here.