Hello CVSD Families and Caregivers,

We are just a few days from our first winter break. Friday’s snow day added a little excitement to the run-up to the weekend and the holiday season. I am glad we were able to make the call early in the process to provide you with the time to make any necessary arrangements for your student(s) not being in school. Hopefully, the snow day provided you with an opportunity to spend time with family and loved ones and to make exciting memories.

Thank you for supporting our students, faculty, staff, and administrators during this first semester. Though we still face the challenge of coming out of the pandemic and readjusting to the new educational setting, our schools are still learning how to adjust and adapt to the new needs generated by our students. That being said, please ensure that the lines of communication are open for you and our schools. We are all learning from one another each and every day to better support and educate our students.

In January, we will be asking for your feedback on the first drafts of both our shared vision for equity and the strategic plan. We will communicate the request in various ways by posting it in multiple locations and through email. Please keep an eye out for that opportunity. To get caught up on all things related to the Strategic Plan or Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, please join us at our monthly CVSD Virutal Town Halls. Strategic Planning is the focus on odd-numbered months, and DEI is the focus on even-numbered months. The Town Halls occur virtually on the second Wednesday of each month, beginning at 6:30 pm. The Zoom information is posted on the website calendar and on the topic-specific websites prior to the dates of the town halls.

The budget process for the fiscal year 2024 is well underway as we develop what will be presented to voters before and on Town Meeting Day, March 7, 2023. We have one more month of budget presentations to our school board before the budget’s potential adoption. There will be additional information posted on the budget page of our website over the next month to further educate our community about the budget and other aspects of our district’s work. We will also be sharing information through our social media channels (Facebook/Twitter/Instagram) and on Front Porch Forums in the coming weeks.

At this time, I want to acknowledge and thank all our CVSD staff, teachers, and administrators for the great, and sometimes difficult, work to get our students, schools, and district through the first part of this school year.

We are a few days away from the beginning of winter break – a very much-deserved time to spend with family and friends. I hope that you are able to spend some quality time doing joyful things that you love with the people that you love. Please have a wonderful last week of school in 2022, enjoy your winter break, and have a wonderful start to 2023.

Rene Sanchez

Identity is developing a sense of one’s self with respect for the uniqueness of others.

Connection exists when all individuals see themselves in others and in their environment. It is the feeling that our individual and collective story is known. We learn and appreciate new perspectives. Connection is committing to the time and effort to build shared experiences and understandings.

All learners find direction by discovering purpose and exploring passions or interests. We honor where learners are and support their growth, helping them navigate pathways and empowering them to reach their fullest potential.

Proficiency: All students and staff members demonstrate progress and develop capacity toward CVSD student and educator learning targets.

We wanted to let families know that we are seeing an increase in influenza cases (primarily Influenza A) and influenza-like illnesses in all of our school health offices. Students are primarily presenting with headaches, sore throats, body aches and fevers. COVID does continue to circulate in our greater community but it does not appear to be the primary source of illness at this time (we continue to have both antigen and PCR tests available to families--just reach out if you have a need). While we are committed to keeping students in school as much as possible, we also know that sometimes staying home is best for everyone. We encourage families to follow this guidance when navigating when to keep students home.

Please feel free to reach out to your school's health office if you ever have any questions or contact your pediatrician if/when your child is ill.

CVSD invites all community members to learn about and join in on the budget development process by attending School Board meetings either in person or virtually. All members of the CVSD community are always welcome to attend Board meetings. See the topics and schedule in the image below and on the Budget page of the district's website. https://www.cvsdvt.org/budget

Links to join the virtual meetings will be available on that page and on the website calendar. We also post the presentations on the Budget page afterward for those that cannot attend.

• CVSD's Board Chair, Angela Arsenault, provided this introduction to kick off an updated series of videos pertaining to the budget ​development ​process.

• An overview of the budget development process, featuring​ Superintendent​ Rene Sanchez and CVSD's COO, Gary Marckres

• Special Education Budgeting, described by CVSD's Director of Student Support Services, Anna Couperthwait

• Education Quality Standards, outlined by CVSD's Director of Learning and Innovation, Sarah Crum

We hosted the December Virtual Town Hall, focused on DEI, on Wednesday, December 14. Here's a recording of the Town Hall, which was facilitated by our DEI Director, Dr. Asma Abunaib. Recordings of these Town Halls, as well as additional information, can be found on our DEI website.

• December 23 - January 2, No school, Early Winter Break
  
• January 3, 2023, Return to school
• January 10, CVSD School Board Meeting (Budget: Revenue and Tax Implications)
• January 11, CVSD Virtual Town Hall: Strategic Planning
• January 17, CVSD School Board Meeting (Budget: Final Approval of Proposed Budget and Warnings, and other regular Board meeting topics)

CVSD Families and Caregivers: Here's a great opportunity!

If your child participates in the free or reduced-price meals program at school, then your family is eligible for the new Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP)! It's another reason to fill out the Free and Reduced Price School Meals form. https://bit.ly/cvsdFRmeals

Learn more about qualifying for affordable internet service through the ACP at https://getmyinternet.org/

Please see this letter of reflection from Amy Sayre, CVSD’s ParentIN Coordinator, on everything ParentIN has offered our families and caregivers in 2022. We’re excited to continue growing this community in 2023 and supporting your parenting journeys, as individual as they are.

The Vermont Agency of Education and Department of Health recently shared updated considerations for schools for the start of the new school year. We have summarized those on this document. We will keep all staff, families, and caregivers informed if there are any changes.

Please enroll to receive text messages from the district and/or our campuses. If you haven't done this yet or if you are new to CVSD, follow the easy steps on this flyer. We don't overuse this method of communication, but it is helpful for reminders and quick announcements. Don't miss out!

Last March, the school district softly rolled out a new communication tool called Let's Talk. Let’s Talk makes it easy for parents, students, staff, and community members to ask questions, request information, and share feedback. See this blog post to learn more and view a short video that explains how easy it is to use Let's Talk.

Look for the Let's Talk tab or page on our district's website.

Resources to keep accessible:

• First Call - 488-7777: phone support, crisis intervention, assessment and referrals
• In Crisis: 1-800-SUICIDE (1-800-784-2433) (National Hopeline Network: USA)
• National Suicide Prevention Life line- 1-800-273-TALK (8255), call or chat online
• Crisis Text Line - text HOME to 741741 (24 hours a day, seven days a week)
• Outright Vermont - support for LGBTQ+ community
• UVM Breathe In Breath Out - How to deal with stress due to COVID-19
• Vermont 211 -Vermont database of resources and services
• Vermont Support Line (833) 888-2557) - peer support warmline open 247 - 365 for call or text
• COVID Counselors @ VT-211
• Teen Crisis Text Line - Crisis Text Line provides free emotional support and information to teens in any type of crisis, including feeling suicidal. You can text with a trained specialist 24 hours a day. Text “HOME” to 741741.
• Society for the Prevention of Teen Suicide - Website where you can find information to help yourself or a friend who may be having thoughts of suicide.
• Trevor Lifeline - 1-866- 488-7386 - provides suicide prevention and crisis intervention services to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning (LGBTQ) young people. It offers free, 24/7, confidential counseling. TrevorText—text START to 678-678; TrevorChat—instant messaging at TheTrevorProject.org/help. It also runs TrevorSpace, an affirming social networking site for LGBTQ youth at TrevorSpace.

Serving the communities of Charlotte, Hinesburg, Shelburne, St. George, and Williston.

Reach out using any of the methods below or visit our Let's Talk page. Please use Let's Talk rather than email.

Let's Talk
Website
Location: 5420 Shelburne Road, Shelburne, VT
Phone: (802) 383-1234
Facebook
Twitter: @cvsdvt

LinkedIn

Instagram @cvsdvt