Cornwall School News 9/6/24

Kindergarteners practiced the letters B (bat) and T (top) in all sorts of ways this week, including jumping! They also learned the routines for Number Corner, which is part of our Bridges math curriculum. Number Corner routines are based on the calendar, and provide students math fluency practice. Kindergarteners also watched our monarch caterpillars spin a chrysalis!

Fourth graders built independence and had fun this week playing partner math games. They also got a lesson in origami balloons from Mira, our resident expert.

Friends of Cornwall School (FOCS) invites you and your family to Back-to-School Potluck & Information Night on Thursday, September 12, from 5:15-7:30 p.m.

Please join us in welcoming the 2024-25 school year with our annual family potluck! It’s a wonderful way to reconnect with old friends, meet our new Cornwall School families and staff, and learn more about Friends of Cornwall School (FOCS).

Please see to the Back-to-School Potluck flyer for details on what foods each class should bring.

**Please avoid bringing dishes with peanuts.**

Teachers will open their classrooms for Back-to-School Night after dinner. Our students will take the lead and guide us through the evening. There will be two bells. At the first bell, students will go inside to prepare while caregivers meet the new principal, Nadya Bech-Conger. When the second bell rings, caregivers will join their students in the classroom for the night's activities.

We are looking for a K-2 parent volunteer to partner on this event. If you are interested, please contact EJ Bartlett at ebartlett@middlebury.edu.

We look forward to seeing you!

Friends of Cornwall School (FOCS)

• Under the new system, all pick-ups will be drive-through at 2:50. No one will park and come in to pick up their student.
• All traffic will be single file, just like a line of kindergarteners going to lunch.
• This coming week, Nadya will do a communication blitz to help everyone understand the new system. If you drop off or pick up your child, you will start seeing new cones, spray painted lines, signage, and possibly Lord of the Rings characters.
• We will start the new system on Tuesday, September 17.
• We will be kind and patient, and we will help you learn.

• Please email Ms. Laurie if your student will be absent. lballantine@acsdvt.org
• If email is inconvenient, call the school and leave a message if no one answers.

Ms. Bech loves to greet families in the morning; it turns out she's terrible at remembering to tell Ms. Laurie when families have one child who won't be in school!

September 11, 3rd Grade Field Trip to the Knoll #2

September 12, 5th grade field trip to Middlebury College disc golf course

September 12, Back to School Night and Friends of Cornwall School (FOCS) Potluck

September 18, 3rd Grade Field Trip to the Knoll #3

September 25, 3rd Grade Field Trip to the Knoll #4

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

ALERT: Increased health risk from mosquito bites in this area.

Avoid spending time outdoors as much as possible between dusk and dawn. This area has an increased health risk for Eastern equine

encephalitis (EEE)—a disease caused by a virus that spreads through bites from infected mosquitoes. In rare cases, EEE can be serious and life-threatening.

Health officials strongly recommend that people in the area avoid spending time outdoors as much as possible between between dusk and dawn – just before the sun sets, through the night until the sun rises — when mosquitoes are most likely to bite.

Follow simple steps to protect yourself and your family:

• Use EPA-approved insect repellent.
• Wear long-sleeved shirts and pants when outdoors.
• Get rid of standing water.
• Cover strollers and outdoor playpens with mosquito netting.
• Fix holes in screens or other gaps in windows and doors.

HealthVermont.gov/EEE

We serve a delicious, nutritious breakfast and lunch every day. And sometimes kids are hungry in between, for all sorts of reasons. We are looking for donations of granola/snack bars, single-serve bags of crackers, cheese sticks, snack bags or other long-lasting snacks.

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 and as paraprofessional classroom supports. 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".

Do you volunteer in our schools? Join Superintendent Wendy Baker for a discussion about how to streamline, strengthen, and improve our volunteer program at ACSD schools. We will schedule a time to meet this fall to gather your feedback. Interested?