Dear CVU Community: Vermont winters require checkpoints and milestones. Do not. I repeat. Do not do the math on how many days our winters last. Terrible idea. For anyone who has ever competed in a running race, imagining actual spring is like fixing your mind on a finish line. You just get overwhelmed and look for a root to sprain your ankle on (which is actually what I tried to do in my first XC race in high school). Nope. Instead of the finish line, celebrate the smaller achievement: "I made it through this 1k. I'm okay in this one breath." December 1, in my calculation, is a major achievement in the navigation of a Vermont winter. We are only 20 DAYS from the solstice and longer days!!! Next week marks the halfway point of our 2nd quarter. By the time we close our Mid-Year Wrap-Up Week, sunset will be back to 5pm. Also, one other tip to our adolescents: if you sleep until noon or later, the daylight is highly compromised. Get to bed earlier and you get more sun! (Wow. I sound like my grandfather.)
Also, don't forget that we are celebrating Hour of Code next week. Learn more, here.
Happy Friday, CVU, it’s Ariel! Over break, Student Council hosted its second annual Turkey Trot 5K, right here at CVU. It was a great success! Lots of CVU students, faculty, and community members showed up to support Student Council and come together as a community before celebrating gratitude and eating delicious food. Another opportunity for the CVU community to come together will be the Special Olympics’ Penguin Plunge on Saturday, February 10 at the Burlington Waterfront. Take the plunge to raise money for a great cause, and to share a fun experience with friends and classmates! Penguin Plunge Sign Up Instructions 2024
CVU’s Junior Class Council is kicking off our annual Toys For Kids campaign to gather toys for families in our area for whom the winter holidays can be a financial challenge. This program is important to so many of our families and every year CVU’s generosity is so helpful! Toys can be dropped off in the barrels in either the Direction Center or the Main Office. The campaign comes to an end on December 19th. If you have questions, please email pbooth@cvsdvt.org
From Meredith Visco: The Friday before vacation, students in Visco and Rodriguez's Spanish 2 classes had the opportunity to cook empanadas with Catalina, a chef who is part of the Viva el Sabor colectiva and has her own catering business. She generously spent half of her day at CVU, sharing her knowledge and secret cooking skills with Spanish students. She was patient and very kind towards our students as they got to practice their speaking and their tortilla pressing skills with her. Catherine Saladino also helped out as the TA in our class and ran a frying station for us:)
From Jennifer Marriott: Photos are from Wednesday, November 28th - Outdoor LTA students went on a winter hike to Stowe, VT. We trekked 3.2miles on the Pinnacle Trail through the snow to the top of Bald Rock Summit. It is considered a "moderate" hike ... but maybe not on this day. We would have classified it to be a "very challenging" hike. Students had to navigate fresh snow, ice, rock and steep terrain. They learned a lot about themselves, their peers and their environment. I am SUPER proud of all the students who braved the winter weather!
The CVU 10th grade student council is hosting a holiday food drive for the weeks leading up to the holiday break! This is a themed food drive competition where each house will be donating food that contributes to an overall meal. Nichols’ theme is Pasta, Snelling’s theme is Chile, Fairbanks’ theme is holiday cookies and Chittenden’s theme is birthday cake! Donation boxes will be in the respective house offices. Donation ideas will be posted in each house office. Please make sure all donations are non-perishable. Advisories, if you’d like to donate as a group please make sure you have all your donations by Friday (12/8) or Friday (12/15) and email (jacklynwhittier@cvsdvt.org or lancelamorey@cvsdvt.org) and we’ll be by to pick it up. Each advisory that participates will be entered into a house raffle to win a sweet treat! We hope our CVU community will show up and support our community.
From Charlie MacFadyen: Charlotte Central School recently hosted a STEM evening and asked if CVU students could volunteer to share STEM experiences with their younger peers. Anna D, Sara D , Lydia E, James H, Clay N, Elle M, Libby M, and Jillian U stepped up. The event was a big success! Kudos to these students for giving their time and effort to furthering STEM in CVSD.
CVU's Environmental Action Club is hosting a Patagonia FIlm Festival in the CVU auditorium on December 8th from 6:30-8:00 pm. This event is open to all community members! These films will aim to educate and inspire the CVU community environmentally. These films focus on people, activism, and hope, which are all values of EnAct. Also, EnAct will be selling raffle tickets at the door to raise money for Seacology, a nonprofit that works to restore mangroves all over the world. Raffle prizes include Patagonia backpacks, Lake Champlain chocolates, and Palmer Lane maple candies. Whether you are an environmental supporter or outdoor enthusiast, you will love the EnAct Patagonia Film Festival!
CVSD's Virtual Town Hall December 13
Mark your calendars for December's Virtual Town Hall on Wednesday, December 13 from 6:30-7:30. We'll share updates about the budget development process and our strategic plan and engage in conversations with those attending. This is a great way to connect with Superintendent Sanchez and other district leaders! The Zoom information is posted on the CVSD website calendar.
