November 23, 2020 Everyone Succeeds Here!
November 23, 2020 Everyone Succeeds Here!
District Information
Please see the included letter from the District Office regarding the Camels Hump Principal position. CHMS Letter to Community
Welcome
We want to welcome Ms. Gina Zabilansky to the building. Ms. Zabilansky is replacing Mr. Hoffman here in the front office.
Winter Sports
We will hopefully be moving forward with an adapted basketball season upon our return after the November break. Please see the Parents Sports Letter - Basketball - Winter 20 for more information regarding basketball this winter. If your student(s) is interested in participating in basketball parents/guardians need to complete the CHMS Winter 2020 Sports Participation form which is linked in the Parent Letter. Without this information/permission students will not be able to participate.
FUTURE PLANNING
As the school or District works under the guidance of the Agency of Education and Department of Health, we may be required to move to remote learning in one or more of our schools with very little forewarning. Therefore, I want to share with you our current plan in regards to the event that necessitates our moving to remote learning. Hopefully, this plan will allow us to make this transition as smooth as possible for everyone.
Moving from our current hybrid model to remote learning:
Day 1
In-person is cancelled for that day and students do not have school or classes
Virtual group classes our conducted/held as scheduled
Day 2 through return to In-person instruction
Virtual instruction for all students, Groups A and B, commences.
Student daily schedules will remain the same
All core classes will be held
Teachers will provide students with new links for “new” remote learning classes
Classroom instruction will remain synchronous.
There will be some adjustments made to Unified Arts classes. These will be communicated at a later date.
Over the next couple of weeks, teachers will be preparing to move to remote learning if the need arises. Below is what to expect:
Teachers will be working with students here in the building to organize and model for students the potential changes that will impact students
Exploratory Arts teachers will be reviewing their Google classrooms and access with students.
Teachers may be communicating with families with any additional classroom links that may be used if we need to move to a fully remote learning environment.
School Administrators will communicate updated instructional timelines(virtual, hybrid, full in-person) with families
We recognize the challenges that transitioning to remote learning may cause a family. Please reach out to us with any questions or concerns. We are committed to supporting our families if we need to transition to remote learning.
Phased Approach to Full In-person Instruction for 5th and 6th Graders
A message from the Superintendent and BRMS and CHMS Administration
BRMS and CHMS have collected feedback from families and staff, closely examined the revised Vermont Department of Health (VDH) and Vermont Agency of Education (AOE) A STRONG AND HEALTHY START Safety and Health Guidance for Reopening Schools, Fall 2020, evaluated staffing and resources and studied COVID-19 infections in VT and our region in planning for 5th and 6th graders to return to full in-person instruction during this pandemic. Based on our assessment of the aforementioned information and factors, we plan to bring 5th and 6th graders back to full in-person instruction at BRMS and CHMS on January 4, 2021. This timeline allows us to hire the staff necessary to align with state health and safety directives,
carefully assess the notable increase in COVID-19 infection rates in Vermont and our region and meet the key benchmarks that we set at the beginning of this school year. Additionally, taking this step in January offers us an opportunity to analyze the results of voluntary employee COVID-19 surveillance testing that will take place next week in our District as well as
school districts across VT.
If the VDH and AOE continue to support and encourage full in-person instructions for 5th and 6th grade students and we can meet our benchmarks, 5th and 6th graders will follow the same schedule as students in grades K-4 beginning January 4, 2021. Students in grades 7-12 will remain in a hybrid learning model and continue with their current schedule.
Based on feedback we’ve received over the past several months, we understand that some in our school community may feel the District is moving too fast in implementing full in-person instruction for 5th and 6th graders and others who believe we are not proceeding fast enough. The methods and components used to make decisions in this pandemic are complex, evolving and dynamic. We greatly appreciate the patience, support and sacrifices students, families, staff and community members have made to keep our schools safe. Please know that we are doing our very best to proceed in a prudent, informed and careful manner.
It is important to note that the plan for 5th and 6th grade students to return to full in-person instruction on January 4th may need to be altered due to COVID-19 conditions and revisions to state level guidance and requirements. We will inform the school community of any changes to our plan prior to the December school break.
Check out the CHMS Music Musings blog
Subscribe for automatic updates at the top of the blog page!