CBMS Community Cougar Comments

Dear Crossett Brook Community Members:

There are a lot of important dates and events to keep track of over the next few weeks moving into the end of the year. Please check the upcoming dates below.

We will be sending out team placement information the weekend prior to our step up day on the 16th. If you haven't received a placement message by 3:00 on Sunday June 15, please contact Jen Durren, jdurren@huusd.org.

Please check out all the amazing things that teams and groups have been doing over the last couple weeks in classes and around the school. We are so excited to showcase all of the great work that teachers and teams are doing with students.

If you're still in need of summer options for students, there are some new offerings listed below as well. Please check out the flyers.

Lastly, please see an IMPORTANT update from the HUUSD Athletics Department about changes for Middle School sports registration in the fall.

Sincerely,

Jen and Duane

Check the website for this month's menu.

Greetings,

We are implementing a few new procedures for HU Athletics. One will begin this spring and another will start in the fall - details below:

Spring Update:
We are exploring options to help ensure away games can still take place when transportation is unavailable. Parents with current spring sports participants, please check your email for more details and a required form related to this plan.

Fall Update:
Starting this fall, we will ask Middle School students to identify their first and second choice when registering for sports. For full details, please here.

Thank you for your attention and continued support.

Spring sports are almost over and playoffs are right around the corner. To see the schedules, please click here.

GO HIGHLANDERS!

Thank you,

Ian Fraunfelder

Athletic Director

It's the time of year again, already. It's hard to believe, but we are putting out our Yearbook order form. Yearbooks will go home in mid-June, during the last week of school. If you would like to order a yearbook for your student, please use this form: https://www.treering.com/purchase?PassCode=101487271062670

If you ordered a yearbook for your student, they will be arriving on June 6 and handed out the week of the 16th. If you haven't done so yet and still want to, they can be ordered from the link above, but will be mailed to your home.

Dream Team is taking a field trip to the Audubon Nature Center on June 10th from 9:00-2:15. We’ll be taking part in the Aquatics Ecosystems Program, which ties in nicely with our study of Ecosystems in Science. We’re looking forward to a fun and educational day outside exploring ponds and streams on the property.

The Prodigy team will be heading to the Waterbury Reservoir on June 17th for our annual trip with the Titan team. More information will be sent home via email soon.

The Central Vermont Solid Waste Management District (CVSWMD) has awarded $1082.00 in grant funding to Crossett Brook Middle School to support purchase of a Jora tumbler composter and related supplies. The Jora will expand and enhance the school’s sustainability program by providing students the opportunity to engage in on-campus composting.

The Jora tumbler can create compost in 6-8 weeks, which will allow students to engage in the whole composting process. We will be diverting some food waste into the composter to use in the garden space at school and learn more about backyard composting options. Students will be running experiments by adding items that are “compostable” and “biodegradable” to see if they are able to break down to add to our curriculum.

CVSWMD’s School Zero Waste Grant (SZWG) program provides financial support to independent and public schools, located within CVSWMD member municipalities, to implement programs and initiatives, large and small, to reduce solid waste and achieve sustainability goals. More information on this and other CVSWMD grant programs is available at cvswmd.org/school-zero-waste-grants.

CVSWMD member towns include: Barre City, Barre Town, Berlin, Bradford, Calais, Chelsea, Duxbury, East Montpelier, Fairlee, Hardwick, Middlesex, Montpelier, Orange, Plainfield, Tunbridge, Walden, Washington, Williamstown, and Woodbury.

Our overnight Field Trip to Québec with WL 8th graders was a fun success. Here are some testimonies from the students:

“This is an amazing trip because it gives us time to explore a different culture and also gives us freedom to have fun and learn new things in a different country.”

“I was good trip because we got to be around a different culture and I got to practice my french and hear other people speak french.”

“It throws us into a place that kind of forces us to learn and use French, even if most people there speak decent English.”

“It was a good opportunity for us because you are immersed in a different culture.”

Thank you Wizard 5th graders for the new library display about sports!

Friday, May 15 Crossett Brook 5th graders will be representing CBMS at the Vermont Music Educators’ Association Elementary Choir festival at CVU HS in Hinesburg!

Please pick up student medication (prescription and over the counter) by the last day of school.

Here's a reminder that it is, in fact, tick season once again. We are beginning to see the little critters out and about. A good rule of thumb is to apply insect repellant to clothing and shoes in the morning. If you find a tick on yourself or your student, here's what to do.

1. Don't panic and pull it off.

2. Use fine-tipped tweezers to grasp the tick as close to the skin as possible, near the mouthparts or head. Pull the tick straight up with steady, even pressure, avoiding twisting or jerking. If the tick's head breaks off, it's generally not a concern, but if you have concerns, see a doctor. After removal, clean the bite area and your hands with soap and water or rubbing alcohol.

3. Don't throw the tick in the trash or toilet. They can, and often do, survive. They should be deposited in rubbing alcohol to kill them.

Did you know that both children and adults in Vermont are experiencing increased susceptibility to seasonal allergy symptoms compared to five years ago? This trend is largely attributed to climate change, which has led to longer growing seasons and higher pollen production.​

Key Factors Contributing to Increased Allergy Symptoms in Vermont

• Extended Growing Seasons: Since 1970, Vermont has added approximately 29 freeze-free days to its growing season. This extension allows plants more time to produce and release pollen, leading to earlier and longer allergy seasons.

• Increased Pollen Production: Pollen counts have risen by over 20% since 1990. Additionally, higher atmospheric CO₂ levels have made pollen more potent, exacerbating allergic reactions.

• Impact on Children: Children are particularly vulnerable due to their developing respiratory systems and increased time spent outdoors. Approximately 19% of U.S. children suffer from seasonal allergies, and 6.5% have asthma, conditions that are aggravated by higher pollen levels. ​

A Simple Solution

Once you go back inside from an outdoor excursion, wash your face (and hands) to reduce or eliminate allergy symptoms such as sneezing, wheezing, nasal congestion, coughing, itchy/watery eyes, runny nose and/or itchy throat.

• Removes Pollen: Pollen can stick to your skin, eyebrows, eyelashes, and facial hair. Washing your face helps remove this irritant, preventing it from continuing to trigger symptoms.

• Reduces Eye Irritation: Rinsing around your eyes can reduce itchiness, redness, and watering caused by pollen exposure.

Conclusion

The combination of longer growing seasons, increased pollen production, and more potent allergens has led to a rise in seasonal allergy symptoms among both children and adults in Vermont. This trend underscores the broader health impacts of climate change on the population.​

Would your child like to walk or bike to school on a regular basis? We asked community members to volunteer to be regular leaders to help more students to be able to do this, and the response was great. Check out this spreadsheet to find the leader that best fits your child's walking or biking needs. Please contact that leader by texting them by 8pm the night before so that they will know to look for your child at the meeting spot the next morning. This is a pilot program that we hope will become a regular offering in our community. Thank you to the volunteers for helping to make this new program possible. Carol Baitz

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1hbrDT23-25ttyTe3G4RqMZUClhjSgA-hZH9_Y2zWaGk/edit?usp=sharing

Now that the end of the school year date has been set, Capital Soccer would love to run a camp at CBMS on Thursday (June 19th) and Friday (June 20th). Camp would be for players ages 4 -15. Capital Soccer would need thirty players to enroll in the camp in order to run it. To help us assist with an estimate of numbers, would you kindly fill out and submit this form? It will help us get a pulse on the number of players who would potentially register.

Thank you and please follow this link to a 30 second survey:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScMqtHvPhWdpO-_1_solqbowBforB6VnWsPhebIguVNsMGS1Q/viewform?usp=preview

George A. Cook, Director

Capital Soccer Club

www.capitalsoccer.net

www.facebook.com/capitalsoccer

Twitter.com/capital_soccer

Please see the flyers for community opportunities.

Inklings Writing Camp

CBMS Calendar

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

Phone: 802-244-6100

Location: 5672 VT Rt. 100 Duxbury, VT 05676