SCS Community Newsletter
Week of March 11, 2024
Principals' Message
Dear SCS Families and Caregivers,
As you likely know, we implemented a "Secure the Building" protocol at school on Thursday morning. After becoming aware of an incident in the community that may have involved a threat directed at our school, we immediately convened our school safety team and connected with the Shelburne Police Department. Together, we determined that the safest course of action was to implement a “Secure the Building” protocol to limit access to SCS while the situation was investigated. This process included an announcement over the PA system, an email message to all staff members with some basic information, and our administrators and counseling team circulating throughout the building to check in with students and staff members as needed. We’re grateful to the Shelburne PD for helping come to a speedy resolution, allowing us to lift the “Secure the Building” order in time for recess to proceed as normal.
Shortly after the order was lifted, we shared a note via email with all SCS families and caregivers. In consultation with our community partners, we made the decision to wait to communicate to families until the situation was fully assessed in order to avoid unnecessary stress, traffic, and phone calls that could tie up our systems here in the building.
There was some additional, unrelated, stress at dismissal yesterday afternoon. A loud noise in the vicinity of the School Street entrance as Kindergarten was being dismissed caused confusion, as the source of the noise was unclear. We again contacted Shelburne PD, who came through and determined that there was no threat. In the context of an already stressful day, it was - not surprisingly - unsettling. We are trying to use the entire experience as a learning experience for our safety team and staff members while we support all of the people who were impacted by any of the events that took place on Thursday.
We wanted to share a reminder about the distinction between a "Secure the Building" situation and a full "Lockdown." They are markedly different.
Secure the Building: We activate this protocol if something happens in the vicinity of the SCS campus that warrants extra caution. Examples could include an animal on the loose that may be dangerous, a noxious odor in the area, or a nearby incident involving the town’s police or fire and rescue departments. All students and staff remain inside, and we limit movement into and out of the building to the main entrance. Learning proceeds as usual within classrooms, and transitions within the building continue. This is what we did yesterday.
Lockdown: A lockdown is reserved for situations where there's a violent threat, either within the building or imminently targeting SCS. All doors in the building lock automatically, the exterior “blue lights” are activated to signal that we’re in a lockdown, emergency services are automatically notified, and everyone in the building finds a safe spot to hide with the lights out and windows covered. Depending on the emergency, teachers may also direct students to take evasive action, including leaving the building. While we have discussed and practiced with students what to do in the event of a lockdown, we have not had to implement this protocol the last 7 years. We certainly hope that will continue to be the case moving forward.
We fully understand that these exercises, whether undertaken as a drill or a real situation, can cause anxiety. It's completely normal for kids to have questions or worries. If you notice your child is feeling anxious, take some time to talk about it at home. Reassure them, listen to their concerns, and help them feel safe. Our school counseling team is also a wonderful resource, so please feel free to reach out at any time for additional support or ideas. Here is a helpful resource from the National Association of School Psychologists that our counselors recommend for talking with students about crisis situations. It includes guidelines for students at a variety of developmental levels.
One of the toughest parts of our jobs is communicating important information in a timely fashion with everyone who needs to know while also protecting the confidentiality and right to privacy of students, staff, and community members alike. While you may be curious for more details about what led to Thursday’s “secure the building” call, we ask for your understanding that we’ve shared all we can at this point. Our most important takeaway is that, once again, the kids and adults at SCS modeled how to remain calm under pressure and stay focused on the important work of teaching and learning that is at the heart of what we do everyday. We’re proud of all of them and appreciative of your support.
Thank you,
Alison, Brett, and Emily
Mark Your Calendars
3/11 - VTCAP Testing window opens (grades 3-8)
3/12 - PTO Meeting (6:00 pm, Green Team Common Space)
3/13 - DEI Community Meeting (5:00-6:00 pm, SCS Library)
3/14 - Small Ensemble Recital - Wind Ensemble (7:00 pm, Cafeteria)
3/15 - 7th/8th Grade Concert Choir Trip to Boston
3/15 - CVSD DEI Event celebrating Somali community in Vermont (6-8 pm, Williston Central)
3/15 - 5th & 6th Grade Dance (7:00-9:00 pm, Cafeteria & Gym)
3/19 - CVSD Board Meeting (6:00-8:00 pm, CVU)
3/20 - DEI Coffee & Conversations (8:00 am, SCS Cafeteria)
3/22 - No School for Students (Parent-Teacher Conferences)
3/22 - 4th/5th Grade Chorus Festival at CVU
3/22 - SpongeBob Square Pants play performance (7:00 pm, Shelburne Town Gym)
3/23 - SpongeBob Square Pants play performances (2:00 pm & 6:00 pm, Shelburne Town Gym)
3/29 - 7th/8th Grade Dance (7:00-9:00 pm, Cafeteria & Gym)
4/3 - CVSD Housing Support Drop-In Office Hours (1:00 pm, Conference Room)
4/3 - DEI Community Meeting (5:00 pm, Library)
4/6 - PTO 3v3 Basketball Tournament
4/8 - Half-day for ALL CVSD faculty, staff, and students (Solar Eclipse)
4/10 - No School (Eid al-Fitr)
CVSD K-8 Calendar
Celebrations
New Clubs Started in Middle School Community Connects
Across grades 5-8, we launched a new model for Community Connections time. There are now 17 different clubs meeting after lunch on Wednesdays, with students mixed up across 5-6 and 7-8 grades. See below for some photos from our first week. Thanks to our 8th grade WEB leaders for supporting the 5-6 Clubs! We look forward to trying out a new roster of clubs with a true mixup of students across grades 5-8 after April break. Please ask your middle schoolers how their first meetings went.
8th Grade vs Staff Basketball Game
After a hard fought battle, the 8th grade student team triumphed once again this year. It was a two point victory after a late 3-pointer put the kids team back on top for good. Students and spectators demonstrated fantastic teamwork, inclusive cheering, and it was a ton of fun for all. The final score is irrelevant as always when we come together in such a positive way. Thanks to Mr. O'Leary for running a live stream so that our younger classes could tune in as well.
Tech Team-Up
Sally Steven's first graders and Nancy Nahkleh's second graders explored learning through Adobe Express with our Digital Learning Leader, Leah Joly. What an incredible collaborative learning opportunity for our students and staff!
Thank you to Ms. Sanders who is bringing a large group of SCS chorus students
to this event Saturday.
8th graders with their voice and choice - Red 8a with the Tubman quote and yellow 8D with Rafiki created in art class with Ms. Lilly. Thanks to Sean and crew for the super professional install too!
Ramadan
Ramadan, the Muslim month of fasting and reflection, begins on Monday, March 11. Some students and staff at SCS will be participating in the month-long fast. Ramadan ends on April 10 with the holiday, Eid al-Fitr. There is no school in CVSD on Eid al-Fitr and students may be curious about it. If you'd like to talk about Ramadan with your students, this kid-friendly video is a great resource. Thank you - not only for supporting our Muslim students and staff at SCS, but also for helping all of our students become global citizens.
Annoucement: Yearbook Permissions
For families who checked off "no photo" at the beginning of the year on your PowerSchool forms without a note saying the yearbook is okay, please note that your child's photo will not be included in the yearbook. If you would like your child's photo in the yearbook, please email Nancy Nakhleh at nnakhleh@cvsdvt.org to let her know. Please notify Nancy by March 25. If you have questions about the status of your child's permissions, you can check your PowerSchool account or contact Katie Schut at kschut@cvsdvt.org.
PTO Readathon Results
Congratulations, SCS readers! Our second school-wide readathon ended on Thursday, March 7, and it was a great success. This year, we had 201 readers participate, and together we read 139,029 minutes and raised $8,915 for the SCS PTO. WOW! The middle level team that read the most was the GREEN TEAM with 23,399 minutes, but the BLUE TEAM was soooo close with 22,927 minutes! And the elementary class that read the most was Mr. Cadwell’s fourth grade class with 12,899 minutes. To celebrate, some of our elementary school readers won book prizes in our Readathon raffle:
- Kindergarten: Léa Lysior in Ms. Baird’s class
- First grade: Ellis May in Ms. Stevens’s class
- Second grade: Tove Wilde in Ms. Kozikowski’s class
- Third grade: Parker McBride in Ms. Fontaine’s class
- Fourth grade: Xavier Brubaker in Ms. Bartell’s class
Finally, it's not too late to contribute to the Readathon! If you missed the chance to sign up on PledgeStar, you can still donate to the PTO (just write "Readathon" in the memo line):
PayPal.me/scspto
Congratulations to all our readers, and thank you to the students, teachers, parents, administration, and staff at SCS who create such a love of reading in our school community!
Exciting Announcement! Families with K-4 ballers, get ready for a fun halftime show at the SCS PTO 3v3 Spring Basketball Tourney on April 6th at 12pm! Featuring a free b-ball clinic hosted by St. Michael's College basketball players, a special appearance from Rally Cat, music, raffles, and food. Don't miss this free event for our youngest athletes!
Also, a reminder to all: the deadline to register teams for the tourney is approaching on 3/15. Parents, grab your friends for the adult division and remind your 5-8 graders to form their team.
Submit the forms here or in the main office to secure your spot in the tournament (free lunch, prizes and raffle entry for all teams!) Get ready for a day of basketball excitement - see you there!
CVSD News
March 8 Budget Update
Superintendent Sanchez has provided an update on the development process for a revised budget. Please see this post on the district's blog for the full text of his update. Thank you!
INTRA-DISTRICT K-8 SCHOOL CHOICE - Deadline April 1
Children entering grades K-8 who live in the towns of Charlotte, Hinesburg, Shelburne, St. George and Williston may exercise school choice. Our goal is to both allow options for families and also make balanced class sizes to provide a positive learning environment for all of our children. Processes for intra-district choice of school will be guided by the needs of students, space availability, and existing resources. Given this, we will work to meet as many families’ needs as possible. Guidelines and Application
SCS Useful Links
CVSD Info
Find information about monthly School Board Meetings, community forums such as the DEI Town Hall, and more on the district website. See the year at a glance on the 2023-2024 K-8 School Year Calendar. See The CVSD Story for the latest blog posts about what's happening across the district.
Let's Talk
Still Need More Information?
Website: https://www.cvsdvt.org/shelburne
Shelburne Community School Administration
Brett Cluff, 5-8 Principal
Emily Cogan, Director of Special Education