CVSD Update May 2024
Dear Champlain Valley School District Staff, Families, and Community,
Here we are approaching Memorial Day weekend and the final three weeks of the school year. It seems like yesterday that the school year was beginning. Summer found us quickly this week, but fortunately, the season returns to better weather this weekend.
As we draw nearer to the end-of-the-year celebrations, 8th-grade promotions, and high school graduation, the anticipation for these events grows with each passing day. I encourage you to take a moment to step outside and enjoy all that Vermont has to offer. The promise of summer has so much potential as it guides us through the final stretch of the school year.
Each campus will have its traditional end-of-the-year activities and celebrations over the next few weeks. Please keep an eye on school newsletters and other communications for information about various events. As a parent, I will celebrate two graduates: one at an eighth-grade event and one at CVU’s graduation. So, if you happen to see me at either one of these events, I will be somewhere between the joy for their future and the tearful joy of my children growing up.
Please have a wonderfully long and restful weekend.
Rene
CVSD announces the appointment of Katherine Riley as the Interim Principal of the Champlain Valley Union High School (CVU) for the FY25 school year. Her appointment will be effective July 1, 2024. Learn more on our blog, The CVSD Story.
Vermont is among the first states to launch the new permanent Summer Electronic Benefit Transfer (SEBT) program to help feed eligible school-aged children during the summer vacation months.
The benefit is $120 for the summer per eligible child. Learn more in this document and in this VTDigger article.
The Champlain Valley School District will use a new parent/guardian app, Stopfinder, for the upcoming school year. Stopfinder is the easy-to-use, secure, all-in-one app that allows you to have the most accurate information about your student’s bus schedule at any time from anywhere. You will be able to set up alerts to let you know when your bus is approaching for both morning pick-up and afternoon drop-off. Only parents and guardians will be able to see the information for their student(s) unless they authorize others to see their student’s transportation information in the app.
The email address that is currently on file in Powerschool with the district will be used for Stopfinder setup this summer. This is another important reason for families and caregivers to update Powerschool forms when requested over the summer. Please contact your school’s main office to make a change to your primary email address any time you have a change.
Stopfinder can be downloaded for free from the App Store or Google Play. Stopfinder will require
an invite and registration through the district prior to accessing your student’s transportation
schedule. Please watch for a Stopfinder invitation, which will be sent to your primary email
address, between August 15 th and August 20 th, 2024. Please contact me with questions at
gmarckres@cvsdvt.org.
Gary Marckres, CVSD Chief Operations Officer
Art created by HCS students in kindergarten and first grade is on display at the Shelburne Museum. Go see it and celebrate this wonderful collaboration!
Students on the Equinox team at WCS recently won national recognition, which included an ice cream party as the prize. Learn more about their adopted friends in the CVSD Story, our blog.
There was an incredibly exciting finish at the State Geo-Bee Finals! See who came out on top!
The Angel Fund (funded through the SCS PTO and donations) enabled some Afghan students to attend the recent Kite Runner performance at The Flynn Theater. Not only did they get to experience some cultural elements such as a wedding and kite flying, they also got to hear the Persian language spoken on stage. They were overjoyed to think some of the actors were Afghans.
CCS Teacher Julia Beerworth is working with the Omega (grades 7-8) Student Council and the Sustainability Committee at CCS to collect 1,000 pounds of plastic as a part of the NexTrex Recycle Challenge. The school has a year to gather the plastic in exchange for a Trex® furniture bench which will live in an outdoor space at CCS.
SCS student writers are spreading positive news. Thank you to WCAX for sharing their story.
On Friday, May 3, we celebrated the Congressional Art Awards in Castleton with Congresswoman Becca Balent. CVU moved five pieces forward for consideration. Clark Clark won the top award for Chittenden County. Hanna Wolny, Delainey LeBlanc, Lily Gruber and Matilda Kauffman had their pieces shown as well. Congratulations to all!
CVU Photo Club had another photography contest. The themes were Doors, Weather, and Love for Lake Champlain. Congratulations to our winners and thank you to all of the participants. Here are the winning entries.
In addition, CVU is running their 2nd annual Ultimate Photo Contest for the 2023-24 school year. Vote for your favorite photo HERE.
Jacob G was honored for being the top individual scorer in the Greater Burlington Math League this year. Here he is presented with the plaque that now bears his name, along with previous champions. The plaque will be proudly displayed in the halls of CVU. Congratulations to Jacob! (Pictured left to right Monica Carter, Adam Bunting, Jacob, Charlie MacFadyen and Kiran MacCormick)
Mohamed Elhassan, a student who joined CVU from Sudan this year, spoke to his fellow students about the war in Sudan. He talked about his experiences and how our community can support Sudanese Vermonters and their efforts to protect their families back in Sudan. If you are interested in learning more about supporting these families, please check out their gofundme for more information. https://gofund.me/0de892de
Student PSA Production with Media Factory
Part of the work Connecting Youth does across our district provides opportunities for youth empowerment and youth advocacy. Last week, 7th and 8th grade students from WCS, CCS, and HCS student prevention groups produced their own public service announcements (PSA). With guidance and expertise from our partners at Media Factory, these students learned the key components that make an impactful and behavior-changing public service ad.
After four hours in the production studio, acting out storylines, capturing voiceovers, and working on precise editing, groups walked away with polished PSAs ready for media distribution.
For more information about Connecting Youth and the Youth Empowerment work we do, learn more HERE
FREE Viewing Access of Screenagers - Under The Influence
In case you missed the live viewing of Screenagers: Under the Influence, ParentIN CVSD partnered with Winooski Partnership for Prevention offering on-demand and FREE viewing access until June 5th. This is the latest documentary in the Screenagers Series, “exploring the latest research and learning more about the personal experiences of teens and families…the film highlights the changing landscape of the substances themselves, offering solutions for how we can best empower teens as they face decisions about what they will and will not be influenced by.”
Ahead of summer’s more unstructured time and schedules, this is increasingly relevant for parents/caregivers of middle and high school youth. At 70 minutes in length, watch from the comfort of home OR listen to it like a podcast - it’ll yield just as much information and impact. We promise!
Access link here Password (Case Sensitive): SUIWPP24
