Cornwall School News 9/13/24

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

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

Wednesday, September 24, Bus evacuation drill

Thursday, September 26, Fire Drill

Friday, September 27, Options-based emergency discussion (in class)

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

• 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.

ACSD is partnering with 802 Smiles to offer dental cleanings and screenings at school. Paper forms were sent home with the school picture forms, and must be returned to the school nurse. The enrollment deadline is October 1st; dental care visits will happen the 2nd and 3rd weeks of October.

5th graders have been learning about volume. The students have built many rectangular prisms and compared them to composite rectangular prisms. The class began a whole-class read titled Erik vs. Everything. The students are using the book to practice writing chapter summaries, building vocabulary, and creating discussion questions to deepen their understanding of the text. 5th graders also made a joyful noise in their Music lesson this week, and the drum (semi)circle could be heard all the way to the windmill! We then had a small group shared their drum work at the first All School Meeting of the year. They also took a field trip to the Middlebury College disc golf and tried out their skills. Lots of frisbee practice at recess this week!

In addition to our phone/email communication, ACSD has a text messaging system. Families must opt-in to receive texts. ACSD will only use text messaging for short, time-sensitive messages (like early dismissal and snow days). Your school may also text you for important school updates. We will test this service on Thursday Sept 19th after the school day. To receive texts, you must opt-in:

• Text “yes” to 67587. You will get a reply confirming your registration. If you ever want to stop receiving texts, just text STOP.

• Make sure we have your wireless number in our student database. This is the number you share on school forms. (If you currently receive school/ACSD calls on your cell phone, we probably have your number.) Please contact your front office if we do not have this number.

Due to growing instances of phishing scams and concern for potential hacks of our computer networks, we will be removing al staff email addresses from our website directory. This change comes at the direction of our Technology Dept and we join many K-12 schools, colleges, and businesses in making this change. Staff phone numbers will still be available in our staff directory. You may also request a teacher’s email by phone or by calling our front office at 802-462-2463. Thank you for your understanding as we balance family communication needs with tech privacy and safety.

Last night was inspiring and absolutely beautiful, yes, in part due to the gorgeous weather but more because of the community Cornwall brings together. You could see it in the tables filled with amazing food and the conversations that happened between old friends and new ones. This wouldn’t have happened without you, the families and caregivers who showed up with all the decadent dishes, and all the kids who brought the energy and led us in their classrooms.

A special thanks to Kristen Waggoner and Greg Waggoner for co-chairing this event and doing prep work, grocery store runs, and bringing tablecloths to put the touch on making it feel like a movie set. Thank you, Molly Daly, Elissa Eckhardt, Stever Bartlett, Julia Berazneva, and Jen Thompson, for setting up, organizing us behind the scenes, and welcoming families. There were countless helpers at the end of the night breaking down tables and carrying chairs back to the school. It is magic when so many people join in to make light work.

The night’s heroes were our teachers, staff, and our new principal, Ms. Bech, for opening classrooms and decorating the school with artwork, ensuring we had tables and chairs and the school was spotlessly clean.

There was an excitement last night. New year, new beginnings. Thank you, Cornwall community. It’s good to be back together.

Best,

EJ Bartlett, on behalf of The Back to School Committee

In order to volunteer at Cornwall School, such as chaperoning a field trip, you must complete the 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.

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?