CBMS Community Newsletter

Dear Crossett Brook Community Members:

Our teachers have been preparing all week to welcome students into the building. We hope those of you who joined us at our Back to School event were able to meet new teachers, get a feel for the building and familiarize yourselves with the building. We will be having another more formal open house in mid-October along with our annual Harvest dinner.

This is a reminder that students do not have school on Monday August 26, as teachers have one more day to prepare their classrooms. We are excitedly awaiting all our students in the building on August 27th. Crossett Brook's first day for students is the 27th. Harwood Middle and High School will have 7th graders and 9th graders on that day.

In this newsletter, please see updates about this year's CBMS Snow Sports Program at Sugarbush, the upcoming middle school musical, Dr. Katz climbing club and much more. If you are looking for information on drop off/pick up procedures, team back to school updates, cell phone expectations, or other nuts and bolts, please check out our last installment.

For all new families, please see the attached information and videos detailing who's who in the building and food service procedures.

Sincerely,

Jen and Duane

Coming in late: Please remind your student to sign in at the main office, even if you have already completed a late arrival form.

Leaving early: Please, also, remind your student to sign out in the main office when leaving.

Breakfast will be served from 8:20-9:20. We advise students to get breakfast right away and bring it with them to their homerooms or AGs, which start at 8:30.

Lunches are served during these times:

Grade 7- 11:15-11:45

Grade 8- 11:45-12:15

Grade 5- 12:15-12:45

Grade 6- 12:45-1:15

Grades 5 and 6 have an established snack period mid-morning to account for the later lunch this year.

Research has shown that caffeine consumption and energy drinks are detrimental to student health and can have impact on learning and focus in schools. There are many articles and pieces of information about helping kids stay healthy and ready to learn without energy drinks. Crossett Brook Middle School is recommending that energy drinks not come to school with students.

Please see the article from Seattle Children's Hospital on Energy Drinks and teens.

See the posting below for musical news.

Dear Parents and Guardians,

To ensure the privacy and security of our students and their families, you have the option to opt out of having your personal contact information (email) shared with the photography company who takes yearbook photos for our school.

If you do not wish for your personal contact information (Name, child’s name, your email) to be shared with these companies, please notify the school’s secretary or complete and return the opt-out form below by 9/6/24.

Opt-Out Form

I, the undersigned, hereby request that the personal contact information for my family not be shared with any photography companies taking pictures for CBMS.

If Opting out, please copy the above statement into the body of an email and please send the email to jdurren@huusd.org to let us know. Include your name, your child(ren)'s name and their grade(s).

We have solidified the dates for this year's Winter Sports Program at Sugarbush. More information coming soon on times. Please check out the website for more information. There will be forms going out soon for program sign ups and rentals as well.

If interested in volunteering, please make sure you are a Level 3 volunteer and approved by the district. This requires both a background check and fingerprints. More information on how to do this can be obtained from Meg Libby at Central Office by emailing mlibby@huusd.org.

• August 27: First Day of School for Students
• September 2: No School, Labor Day
• September 5-9: Auditions for HUMS/CBMS Musical, The Little Mermaid Jr.
• September 10, 17, 24: MakerSphere Student Cooking Class, 3:30 in the Sustainability kitchen

If your child will need prescription medication at school, the nurse will need a new provider order and written parental permission for your child's medication for the upcoming school year. You may have your child's provider fax the order to the school at 244-6899. Please let us know if you have any questions.

Sunscreen is important all year. Please consider having your students apply sunscreen before coming in each day.

As we return to school, we wanted to share recent information from the Vermont Department of Health regarding COVID-19. Here is an explanation of the signs and symptoms, along with the current guidance from the Vermont Department of Health on when to return to normal activities. If you choose to test, you can access test kits at local ambulance services, grocery stores, or pharmacies. The Vermont Department of Health requests that anyone who test positives report to this website: https://survey.alchemer.com/s3/6507748/Vermont-COVID-19-Self-Test-Result-Reporting-Form.

The CBMS PTO will be having its first meeting of the year Wednesday, September 4 at 530PM in the CBMS library. Any parents/guardians or school staff are welcome to join.

The CBMS PTO has been able to support student field trips, teacher appreciation events, student projects, class celebrations and Friday fun nights in the past and looks forward to doing so again this school year. Last year was a huge success thanks to the generous support of the community giving to our fall No-Fuss Fundraiser and purchasing raffle tickets during our winter Calendar Raffle. The PTO meets monthly to plan fundraisers and coordinate events and projects and will be looking to determine our budget for the year, elect officers and set dates for some events in our first meeting.

The Crossett Brook Middle School Climbing Club 2024-2025

This will be the eleventh year that an introduction to technical indoor and outdoor rock climbing has been offered to middle school students at Crossett Brook. We rebuilt the gym climbing wall to modern standards in 2019 and did some remodeling this summer. There are now five different climbs ranging from easy to hard, all the equipment needed, and even fellow student climbers who have gone through the program and are helping as “assistant coaches.” They have become skilled climbers and excellent mentors. Dr. Richard Katzman, a local physician, coordinates the program with help from Kathryn Delay, a fellow climber and CBMS math instructor as well as parent/grandparent volunteers. We teach young people the basics of this now popular and multifaceted sport.

During the school year, we climb at the CBMS gym Wednesdays after school (3:30-5:30 PM) and on Saturday afternoons (1:00-3:00 PM). For those interested who have developed some basic skills, we take trips to the Metrorock climbing gym in Essex Junction and outdoors to local climbing areas in Bolton. There is no cost to participate in this program except for a $14/session fee at Metrorock; scholarship funds are available if needed. Email sign up for each session is sent a few days ahead so we can keep the groups small and be sure everyone who wants to climb has a fair chance to do so.

To begin, we need to know how many students may be interested when we get underway a few weeks after the start of the school year. Your response is not a commitment, and it is understood that students often have other activities going on, so that the climbing club can certainly be occasional or seasonal. Last year 35 students expressed interest. The two hour sessions at CBMS are ideally done in small groups of 2-3 climbers, so it takes several weeks to give everyone a chance to start climbing, get fit with the right harness and shoes, and see if they want to continue the activity when they have time.

Please reply to Dr. Katzman (rkatzman@uvm.edu or 802.793.3661) if you’d like your student(s) to be on the climbing club list. *** I need to know if your student is a returning climber or new to the CBMS Climbing Club, his or her name, current grade, parent(s) name(s), BEST PHONE NUMBER and BEST EMAIL to use!!!*** Include any other information you think helpful and any questions you have which I shall try to answer promptly. Parents are welcome to be involved in the program if they have time or interest. Over the years a few have become as excited about climbing as their kids!

Waterbury Youth Soccer is a recreational soccer league for players in Kindergarten - 6th grade living in Waterbury, Vermont, and surrounding communities. Registration is $50 per child for the Kindergarten program, $60 per child for 1st-2nd grade program, and $65 per child for the 3rd-6th grade program. Scholarships are available. Registration closes on August 31, so don't wait to sign up!

The season kicks off the week of Sept 2!

Player Registration Link (Kindergarten - 6th grade):

https://system.gotsport.com/programs/99858166Y?reg_role=player

Coach Registration Link:

https://system.gotsport.com/programs/99858166Y?reg_role=coach

Please visit www.waterburysoccer.com to learn more or reach out to waterburyyouthsoccer@gmail.com with any questions!

Please remember to complete returning student or new student registration on the district website.

Returning Student Registration. A new requirement is the residency requirement. We are asking families to upload proof of residency. The website lists acceptable residency documents.

The transition from elementary to middle school may be a bit turbulent for some students. Students will have more teachers to connect with, increased homework; and the need to be responsible for navigating from one class to the next by themselves, instead of following in line with their classmates. Not only that, middle school students are entering the years of their lives where they will experience the greatest personal changes. You want your son/daughter to have a smooth transition from elementary school to middle school.

1. Talk About It

Is your child excited by changing schools or intimidated by it? Does your child have specific questions about middle school? Take the time to talk through the transition ahead of time. Discuss everything that your child needs to expect, from navigating the hallways to keeping up with homework assignments. If your child has any worries, talk through them and discuss how they can navigate any obstacles they’re expecting.

2. Set Them Up for Success

When your child headed off for kindergarten, you packed a backpack full of all the supplies on the list to make sure they had everything they needed. As they head off to middle school, you’ll need to do the same thing again. Purchase or acquire the tools your child will need for academic success. You know your child’s weaknesses and the areas where they struggle. Get them what they need to make middle school easier! For example, a child who struggles to find new locations might benefit from a map of the school or the chance to walk through it before their first day of classes. If your child has trouble keeping up with homework, a great planner or planner app can make it easier. Preparing for middle school academically

3. Get Social

The transition to middle school often means new opportunities to make friends and get involved. Start discussing social activities with your child: clubs and sports that interest them, groups they’d like to be part of, or friends that they’d like to make sure they connect with in middle school. Social fears are a concern for many middle school students. By providing your student with opportunities to socialize, you’ll discover that they’re better prepared for everything they’ll face in middle school.

4. Change the Way You Communicate

In elementary school, parent involvement was understood. You got notes home from your child’s teacher on a regular basis and could expect an email or phone call any time things didn’t go well. As your child enters middle school, teacher communication will change–but that doesn’t mean you have to give up this insight into your child’s academic career. Instead, find new ways to connect with teachers. Connect through email or over the phone with your child’s teachers whenever you have concerns. They still want to work with you and form a team to make sure your child is successful.

Middle school may be a big transition for your child, but with preparation, support and open communication, you can provide your child with everything they need in order to make a successful transition. Don’t take a “wait and see” attitude to discover whether or not your child will thrive! Instead, take the steps necessary to help prepare them with everything they need. Please contact us if you have questions or concerns.

4 Ways to prepare your child for middle school

CBMS Calendar

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

Phone: 802-244-6100

Location: 5672 VT Rt. 100 Duxbury, VT 05676