CBMS Community Cougar Comments

Dear Crossett Brook Community Members:

We had an amazing first trip to Sugarbush will all students on Friday January 17. Smiles were seen all around and relationships were built. Back here in the building students were working together on spelling practice, journalism projects, geography, math practice and VTCAP prep. In AAs, students were exploring social emotional wellness in day 1 of an 8 day project led by AA teachers. It was a really nice mix of building social emotional skills and academic skills mixed with healthy outdoor activities for life.

It's hard to believe that we are nearing the end of January already. This week ends the halfway mark of the year. Please see below for the parent explainer about Jump Rope. All 5-8 teachers have fully transitioned to using Jump Rope this year for grades. As such, separate comments are not entered, since they are entered on individual assignments. Jump Rope is a live grade book and in a proficiency system, what is sent home may change in core classes if students complete make up assignments or retakes. Trimester 1 Applied Academic grades will not change. We are almost halfway through the second trimester, so Applied Academics grades for Trimester 2 are still being updated daily.

Sincerely,

Jen and Duane

Students need to come to school in the morning to participate in the ski and ride program. We take attendance and need to do so for tracking purposes and safety. Students cannot meet at the mountain unless there is a necessary accommodation. If there is a necessary accommodation (appointment, for example) please contact Duane or myself to discuss needs.

Check the website for this month's menu.

We are doing our best to allow for students to get outside and get fresh air with safety in mind.

Hand, ears, arms, legs and feet must be fully covered to go outside.

Gloves or mittens

Hats/hoods/ear muffs or headband that covers ears

Winter jacket

Socks and shoes, preferably boots.

Pants/snow pants, if students are playing in the snow

Consider helping Sugarbush donate to mental health. Check out the Descent to Rise Above challenge linked below to help skiers and riders get in a BILLION vertical feet this season and Sugarbush will donate $50,000 to NFI VT, a non-profit focusing on mental health programming and education for Vermont's families.

How to participate? Just download the Sugarbush app. When you ski or board, go to Trail Map and Tracking and start tracking those stats. The mountain opens this week!

What's in it for you? Top three vertical earners qualify to get great prizes.

Here are some important updates and items about Sugarbush days.

1. All equipment MUST be dropped off in the morning by 8:20. Our volunteers need to be able to pack and transport the equipment before the first group gets to the mountain. Drop off location is at the end of the parking lot near the gym entrance along the large yellow pillars. There will be separate sections for grades 5/6 and 7/8. Signs will be posted.

2. All equipment MUST be picked up at the same location or underneath the gym eaves by 5:00. Any equipment left behind will be left under the eaves.

3. ALL equipment MUST be clearly labeled with your student's first name, last name, grade and team, the tape used needs to stay on in the cold (painters tape or duct tape are often the best options).

4. Phones are allowed on the mountain for emergencies and photos. Acceptable use requirements apply just like at dances (always have permission for pictures, etc).

5. If students are staying at the mountain with a parent or other adult, students must be signed out through our sign out process (more information to come).

6. If students are staying at the mountain, an adult who is signing the student out MUST be present to sign them out. Students will not be permitted to sign themselves out to stay at the mountain on their own.

7. At the end of the CBMS hours at Sugarbush, all equipment and belongings MUST be moved out to the Schoolhouse building and taken to another lodge, if students are staying at the mountain. The Schoolhouse will not be available to our students or chaperones after the buses leave and the doors are locked.

8. ALL snacks MUST be nut free. This includes all peanuts and tree nuts. More information on nut allergies will be linked below.

9. Proper mountain attire: Students should have gloves/mittens, winter coat, snow pants, boots (if snowshoeing) and hats/face covering.

10: Goggles are optional, but recommended. We do not have goggles to loan out this year.

11. Grades 5/6 will be provided lunch back at school after the program. If your 5/6 student is staying at the mountain, they will need to bring a home lunch. Grades 7/8 will be offered lunch to bring to the mountain.

12.While at CBMS, students will be engaging in academic learning activities on team as well as project based learning during applied academics time. Students choosing to stay at the mountain may have an expectation for their teachers for follow up.

• 1/24 Second Sugarbush field trip
• 1/31 Third Sugarbush field trip
• 2/11 CBMS Spelling Bee

• Feb 13th will be the 9th Grade Parent Transition Night at the High School : Tours start at 5:30 and presentations begin at 6:00. The evening is geared toward parents, but kids are welcomed and encouraged to attend.

Team Prodigy is so excited for the upcoming ski and ride days at Sugarbush! Last week was a huge success!

During these Fridays, the schedule is set up so that we will have about an hour of time for core classes after the buses return to school. So that's an hour for math, social studies, science and language arts classes. There's also the fact that some students will choose to stay at the mountain. So ... what to do with this time–how to make it meaningful? What we've decided to do is study one topic as an entire team. This means that every day after we return from the mountain, students will be responsible for completing an assignment during that hour of time.

For those who stay at the mountain (which is totally fine!) or students who are absent for the day: they are still responsible for this assignment, which is true whenever they miss school. (The assignments are designed to be completed remotely.) Everyone will have one week to finish the work and turn it in for credit.

We thought this would be a unique way to learn about the world, and stay engaged academically during a schedule interruption. The topic we are going to study this year is journalism.

So, just to summarize: we are going to continue doing meaningful academic work on ski and ride days (after the ski program ends for the day). Every student is responsible for completing that day's assignment, whether they are in school or not.

Thank you for your continued support of the Sugarbush Winter Program and the work we do here on team Prodigy!

Harwood MS Gymnastics v. Tuttle MS

Friday January 17, 2025

In the individual events:

Anna Wulff 1st 🥇 on Floor with a 9.45

Kassidy Noyes 2nd place 🥈 on vault with a 9.15, beam with an 8.7 and floor with a 9.4

1st 🥇 on Bars with an 8.7, and 🥇 all around with a 36.35

Team score Harwood MS 1st 🥇 with a 140.95. Tuttle second place with a 131.25

Please see the flyers for community opportunities.

VTeen Science Pathways Cafés, Jan 11, Feb 15, March 22, April 12 & May 10

Join us for monthly hands-on science workshops by UVM faculty, graduate students and other STEM professionals and coordinated by the 4-H VTeen Science Ambassadors. These are excellent opportunities to learn about a breadth of careers and current research in a variety of STEM fields. Workshops are for teens age 13+. Cafés take place on UVM campus on Saturdays from 5:00-7:00 pm and pizza and soft drinks will be served. Upcoming topics include:

Jan 11 Disease Detectives: Genetically Engineering Bacteria in the Microbiome for Therapy

Feb 15 Finding Patient Zero: Tracking Disease Outbreaks

March 22 Medical Laboratory Science

April 12 Brain Parasites, Behavior, and Public Health

May 10 Stop the Bleed: Emergency Medicine

Please register for these free events here: https://go.uvm.edu/afe. Space is limited for some cafés. You will receive an email before the event with campus location, parking and other information (please provide your email address). To request disability-related accommodation, please contact Margaret at mcoan@uvm.edu, or (802) 656-7634, 3 weeks prior to the session you want to attend so that we may assist you.

Aiken Discover Engineering Day, February 22, 9:30-2:30, 2025

Discover Engineering is a day of hands-on learning and exploration for youth in 5th-12th grades to learn about engineering, build skills, and network with college students, professors, and professionals in the field. Organized by UVM’s College of Engineering and Mathematical Sciences (CEMS) and UVM Extension 4-H, the day includes an Engineering Scavenger Hunt (interactive exhibits showcasing various types of engineering and career pathways), and an afternoon of learning through hands-on workshops. Lunch provided. Sponsored by the Lola and George Aiken Fund. Register for this free event taking place on UVM campus here: https://go.uvm.edu/2025

To request language interpretation/translation assistance and/or a disability-related accommodation to participate in this program, please call or email Margaret Coan at 802-656-7634 or margaret.coan@uvm.edu before Friday, January 31, 2025 so we may assist you. Registration open until filled or Monday, Feb 17 at 5:00 pm.

4-H World Changers: Learn to Code

Join UVM Computer Science Professor Lisa Dion on this introduction-to-coding journey!

In this 4-H World Changers series, you will learn how to use foundational coding concepts to build your own customizable quiz game! You get to choose the theme, characters, questions, and animations using the Scratch coding platform.

By the end, you'll get to test friends and family in a fun interactive game!

When: Wednesdays from 4:00-5:00 pm, February 5-March 5, virtual program For: Youth in 4 th -8 th grades. Free event but registration is required. You will receive a link to join via email.

Sessions will be recorded and available after the live session.

Register here: https://go.uvm.edu/0h7ei

VTeen Science Pathways Cafés, Jan 11, Feb 15- this date is full, March 22, April 12 & May 10.

Join us for monthly hands-on science workshops by UVM faculty, graduate students and other STEM professionals. These are excellent opportunities to learn about a breadth of careers and current research in a variety of STEM fields. Workshops are for teens age 13+. Cafés take place on UVM campus on Saturdays from 5:00-7:00 pm and pizza and soft drinks provided. Upcoming topics include:

Jan 11 Disease Detectives: Genetically Engineering Bacteria in the Microbiome for Therapy

Feb 15 Finding Patient Zero: Tracking Disease Outbreaks- FULL

March 22 Medical Laboratory Science

April 12 Brain Parasites, Behavior, and Public Health

May 10 Stop the Bleed: Emergency Medicine

Please register for these free events here: https://go.uvm.edu/afe. Space is limited forsome cafés. You will receive an email before the event with campus location, parking and other information (please provide your email address). To request disability-related accommodation, please contact Margaret at mcoan@uvm.edu, or (802) 656-7634, 3 weeks prior to the session you want to attend so that we may assist you.

Discover Engineering Day, February 22, 9:30-2:30

Discover Engineering is a day of hands-on learning and exploration for youth in 5th-12th grades to learn about engineering, build skills, and network with college students, professors, and professionals in the field. Organized by UVM’s College of Engineering and Mathematical Sciences (CEMS) and UVM Extension 4-H, the day includes an Engineering Scavenger Hunt (interactive exhibits showcasing various types of engineering and career pathways), and an afternoon of learning

through hands-on workshops. Lunch provided. Sponsored by the Lola and George Aiken Fund. Register for this free event taking place on UVM campus here: https://go.uvm.edu/2025

To request language interpretation/translation assistance and/or a disability-related accommodation to participate in this program, please call or email Margaret Coan at 802-656-7634 or margaret.coan@uvm.edu before Friday, January 31, 2025 so we may assist you. Registration open until filled or Monday,

Feb 17 at 5:00 pm.

Hold the Dates:

STEM Showcase on March 29

AgroTek Conference on June 28

Natural Resources Management Academy on July 11-13

Hi Folks

Yes we are knee deep in snow but not too early to think about the 2025 HU Sports and Activities Calcutta.

It will be held 5/10 at the American Legion in Waterbury.

More details to follow.

If you want to reserve a number now(they will go quick) please email, text or just tell me.

Tickets are $100.00 with a chance at $1500.00 plus a meal and a great time at the event.

All proceeds go to our sports and activities programs.

Thanks

Brian McCarthy aka Bmac

CBMS Calendar

Website:https://cbms.wwsu.org/

Phone: 802-244-6100

Location: 5672 VT Rt. 100 Duxbury, VT 05676