Happy New Year!!! Welcome back!
Our January newsletter is here!
Be sure to check out the events for the whole year. There may be more to come (and some details might change), but we'll keep you updated!
THIS MONTH...
Bolton Ski and Ride meeting for the parents of first-time participants is Thursday Jan 4 at 7:00 p.m. in the CCS Library. There will be 5 trips on Wednesdays beginning mid February. This is a really fun program for all kids! Lesson, equipment, and financial aid are available. Too much information to share here but the meeting will explain everything. Questions? Michael Krasnow (802-425-3997).
CVSD Board Budget Mtg, January 9, CVU Rm 160 or online, 6:00pm (Topic: Summary & Tax Implications).
CVSD Board Budget Mtg, January 23, CVU Rm 160 or online, 6:00pm (Topic: Final Approval & Warnings).
The PTO Board of Director's meeting, January 25th. For regular PTO business meetings, the PTO Board of Directors will meet on the last Thursday of every other month by google meet. We encourage anyone to join us! We will discuss the PTO's financial status; we'll review events; we’ll discuss volunteer opportunities; and we’ll discuss new event and fundraising opportunities. The January agenda is available here (it is considered a draft until it's final on January 22). The November meeting notes are available here. The September meeting notes are available here. Join us by zoom.
Amazon Wishlists! The CCS community would love to give back directly to CCS teachers. Consider a donation directly to your child's teacher or another staff member! You may hear from your teacher directly with an amazon wishlist, but there are some teachers or staff you won't hear from because they are not the lead teacher for a specific class. We have collected the staff wishlists we have so far! The list will soon be available on a page on this website.
COMING IN HOT...
The 8th Grade Family Night at CVU is Thursday February 1st from 6:30-7:45 pm. This evening will provide you and your student an introduction to the academic and elective programs they will experience in the 9th grade. Parents, caregivers, and students will be welcomed by Principal Adam Bunting, Core Director Anthony Spagnolo and the Student Council co-Presidents, Nikhil Blasius and Oliver Cheer. Parents/caregivers will then join teacher panels while students will take part in small group tours followed by a presentation in the Theater.
Community Connection Series Part 3 will be on February 15: The third in a four-part series designed to foster connections between our students’ caregivers and school, this meeting will focus on mental health. Like the first two, it will be Q&A style. Please send your grade rep or Damaris Herlihy your questions by February 12. ... If you missed it, read notes from Part 1 here (with special guests Jen Roth and Amanda Riggleman). and Part 2 here (with special guests Rene Sanchez, Meghan Metzler, and Meghan Siket)
Volunteer Needs: If you'd like to be involved with some upcoming events, here are a few important ones coming up. Stay tuned for more detailed information on all sorts of volunteer opportunities. Contact Jen Roth for the Spring Musical production/parent coordination (it will only happen if we have volunteers!). For Lunch/Recess monitors, contact Amanda Riggleman. For one-on-one student mentoring, contact Kate Rooney. Contact Naomi Strada for substitute teaching. For all volunteering, please contact Genevieve Trono.
Omega (grade 7 and 8): Science teacher Andrew Lounsbury is looking for parents of 7th and 8th graders who are interested in coming into the classroom to talk about what they do. He's very open to working with family members to create a really cool learning experience for the students. Here is the 7/8th Grade Unit Overview. Even if the parents' science field is not quite the same as the unit, there are still ways I can integrate what they do into my lessons. If you are interested in helping out in those areas, please add your name along with your area of expertise to this spreadsheet. We're pumped to see ways in which you & the teacher will make a connection between the science lesson and your talents and skills. All volunteers would need to be at least CORI'd (see the Caregiver Volunteer Requirements).
Student Directory: Like us, you're probably all very excited for the printed student directory. We're putting the finishing touches on it. We'll update this page as soon as we have a date!
DECEMBER WRAP UP
This is repeat from the December newsletter since that newsletter was sent out so late. :-)
Holiday Market: The CCS PTO Holiday Market on December 9 raised an astonishing $7,264! This yearly event is one of the PTO's biggest fundraisers! The Silent Auction auction alone raised $3,030, while vendor fees raised $3,355 and the raffle and bake sale raised $879. These fundraisers will pay for things like teacher grants (sleds, musical instruments, art supplies, STEM learning kits, sports uniforms, theater sets, recess equipment, and more), the Emergency Fund, special events (Fun Run, Math Night, and more), and volunteer fingerprinting. The Holiday Market in its latest iteration was brought back in 2017. There was no 2020 market and there was only a virtual market in 2021. We are grateful to the rockstar team (lead by Elisa Miller with heavy lifting support from Sarah Ringler, Amy Janetti, Larson Berkey, Kate Karczewski, Genevieve Trono, Caitlyn Campbell, and too many others to name!) for their continued efforts to make this such a success for the school. We are grateful! The PTO is a nonprofit, so your donations are tax deductible. CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE AND DONATE.
Community Connection Series Part 2: We were so thrilled to see so many parents joining us on December 7 for this important conversation with leaders from our district. The second in a four-part series designed to foster connections between our students’ caregivers and school, our guests were superintendent Rene Sanchez, as well as Charlotte School Committee members Meghan Metzler and Meghan Siket. We collected questions from our community in advance and our guests provided detailed responses. Most of the questions were around budget and why it will be important to pay attention to the school budget over the next 5 years. Why is the budget so important? Here is what Bonnie Birdsall, CVSD Director of Digital Learning & Communication, had to say, "Folks need to learn more about various forces that are impacting budgeting for the next school year and beyond. The ESSER 3 funding that we received due to COVID is closing out at the end of this school year (technically next Sept.), and we must find ways to make room for the elements we want to continue to support in the budget. In addition, the state of Vermont has changed the model used for school funding and that is impacting each district, including CVSD, differently. We want people to be as well-informed as possible about the things we must consider when developing the budget." If you missed it, notes from this meeting can be found here. .... You can also read the summary of Part 1 here when special guests Jen Roth and Amanda Riggleman joined us!
THINGS TO ALWAYS REMEMBER...
Please consider making a donation to the CCS PTO. The PTO's mission is to support the school community by providing the means to enrich the learning experience of faculty, staff, and students at CCS. To that end, we gave out $5,000 in grants to teachers this fall; we have a second grant cycle in the Spring. We pay for equipment such as sleds, musical instruments, art supplies, STEM learning kits, sports uniforms, theater sets, recess equipment, and more. We have an EMERGENCY FUND that provides support when members of the community need a little help during lean times (please see the next bullet for more info!). We host and fund beloved community events like STEM Night, Math Night, and the Fun Run. We've been running fingerprinting drives to cover the costs of background checks so parents/caregivers can volunteer in the school; we are working toward connecting volunteers with opportunities. The PTO is a nonprofit, so your donations are tax deductible. CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE AND DONATE.
DON'T FORGET! $25 GIFT CARDS AVAILABLE TO CCS FAMILIES: The PTO Emergency Fund is there to provide support when members of the community need a little help during lean times—at any time of year. If you could use a $25 gift card to places like Healthy Living, Hannafords, Healthy Living, Target, or elsewhere, please reach out to School Counselor Betsy Lloyd or 802-425-6691. No questions asked and totally anonymous! ... In order to keep this fund going, we need contributions. Please consider contributing to the Emergency Fund! We are grateful to Healthy Living (owned by a CCS family!) for donating cards directly to the school. The PTO purchases all other cards so all donations are appreciated!
Instagram and Facebook: Follow us on Instagram and Facebook. But we could use some help keeping it updated! Feel free to let us know if you're social-media savvy and interested in helping out a bit!
CCS Caregiver Volunteer Requirements. CCS and the PTO will continue to make efforts this year to increase volunteer opportunities—in both K-4 and 5-8. We encourage parents, grandparents, and all caregivers to go through the necessary process to become a volunteer. The CCS PTO has made it easier than ever to become a volunteer. Here is what you need to do. There are some changes that were just made as of October 17, 2023, so if you've already read this document, please check those changes (all in blue font). Most notably, be sure to reach out to Jessica with CVSD to check on your status.
CCS Garden: The school grounds has a beautiful garden. It is not affiliated with the PTO. It has been managed for many years by Deirdre Holmes, even after her daughters had moved on from CCS. Rodney Centeno (dad to a 7th grader and CVU sophomore) has graciously volunteered to step in as her replacement and to coordinate future volunteers from the community. If you would like to participate in the garden at some point in the future, please let Rodney know!
HELPFUL LINKS
If you have a hard time finding links when you need them, here are a few...
If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, always feel free to reach out to us!
Best,
CCS PTO Co-Presidents Jen Banbury and Damaris Herlihy
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