CCS and CVSD update

Following is a letter from the Champlain Valley School District. In addition to the broad communication from the district office, Charlotte Central School Co-Principal Jen Roth said in an email, on behalf of the school, which was open March 16 and 17:

“Our CCS faculty and staff have done a remarkable job using the precepts of our school to model the calm necessary for our students to feel safe and to carry on with what they know.  At a time with many uncertainties, we need to hold onto what we believe.

We take care of ourselves: self-care, healthy routines of sleep and exercise, managing stress.

We take care of others: being kind and patient, washing our hands as often as feasible and lending a hand where it is needed. Taking care of our own families as they face uncharted challenges–medically, physically and emotionally.

We take care of this place: not only are we extremely grateful for the custodians who keep our school deep-cleaned daily, but we are also thinking about the broader community of Charlotte. We are collecting supplies for the food shelf to support families and community members finding themselves in need.

If we could reiterate anything to you, it is that we need to model calm.”

March 16, 2020

Dear CVSD Community,

We will be sharing regular communications with you as this week unfolds. Recognize that principals, teachers, and District administration have been working to do our very best with this intense situation. Right now, we need our teachers and principals focusing on our students and their well-being over the next few weeks. The CVSD community has been nothing but supportive. This support drives our team forward. Thank you.

We will share information as often as we can. Today, we hope to gather some information from you and provide answers to immediate questions.

Survey for families
We are sharing a confidential, online survey that we ask families to complete and submit as soon as possible. We appreciate the time it takes for you to fill it out. The information will help us with further planning.

Devices and materials going home

  • CVU students all have their devices already.
  • Students in the preK-8 schools: Chromebooks will be ready and available for grades 3-8 for pick up starting on Friday morning. We will have more details about that in the coming days.
  • Other materials may also be picked up at this time.

Maintenance of Learning

  • The leadership team will be meeting on Wednesday.
  • Teachers will continue to be working on this during staff meetings, during early-release Tuesday, and on Thursday and Friday. They will be in communication with families as soon as they possibly can. Please give them the time to do the necessary collaborative planning that a change like this warrants.
  • The ease-in to distance learning will begin next Monday. There will be continued communication about this from the district, schools, and teachers.
  • Students on IEPs and 504s: Please see this communication if your child is supported by an Individual Education Plan or 504.

Food
CVSD is committed to providing good nutritious breakfasts and lunches to our students who qualify for Free or Reduced Lunch during this school closure. Starting on Thursday, March 19th, we will be preparing bagged meals for distribution out of our local schools.

As we move forward, we will consider additional pick-up locations as well as possibly develop a meal drop-off system to increase convenience. We will communicate any updates as they become available.

As a reminder, should your family face economic hardship as a result of COVID-19 you may submit a new free and reduced meal application. Families may apply for school meals at any point in the school year based on their most current income. Applications can be found on the CVSD website.

We appreciate all of the offers to support others with food needs. At this time, the district feels that we can sufficiently meet those needs. Please consider supporting your local food shelves during this challenging time for families.

Information about the CCS closing today and tomorrow

  • The details we can share are the following:
  • The person is not a student or a staff member
  • The person has worked with students predominantly outside of our building
  • The Vermont Department of Health has done a full case investigation and reached out directly to parties they believe to be directly impacted

We know that this does not satisfy all of your questions, concerns, or worries, but it represents an honest effort to keep you as informed as possible without usurping the rights of the person who has tested positive.

Again, the CVSD community has been nothing but supportive. This support drives our team forward.

Thank you,

The Champlain Valley School District Administration