10/14/21

 

Hello Cornwall families,

 

First, a reminder that there is no school tomorrow, October 15. So, Happy “Friday” today!

Health and Safety update from Kelly Landwehr

Please go here for this week’s health and safety update.

Class Highlight - First Grade

So much on the go in First Grade as we finish up our wonderful Sharing the Planet Unit, where we learned how to begin to create a peaceful classroom and begin our next intriguing unit, How We Organize Ourselves. As we begin this unit we found out that our Fourth Grade buddies are also learning about the difference between wants and needs for their own transdisciplinary learning!

 

 

Math in First Grade is pure play-to-learn fun with skip counting construction companies, domino and dice games, creating stores, and lots of math songs to sing and learn with.

 

 

First Grade has also teamed up with Sarah, our Art teacher, to make visits to the garden and outdoor classroom to inspire our creativity and thinking for several of the projects and class books we are creating for our transdisciplinary units.

 

 

First Grade is reading and writing up a storm as we work our way through mastering the Daily 5 and look forward each week to meeting with our reading buddies from Fourth Grade.

 

 

We also have enjoyed a few guest speakers such as Ms.Gina, Mr. Mark, and Ms. Kristi. All guests that have helped to expand our knowledge and answer our many, many fabulous questions. Mr. Mark even joined us for some of our morning warm up activities!

 

 

Buddy Classrooms

On Wednesday afternoons, classes have been meeting with their buddy classes. They have been playing games together, reading together, making crafts together, participating in activities connected to IB Units of Inquiry such as identifying Wants and Needs together, and carving pumpkins together!.

Please take a peek at the Photos of the Week!

 

Important Dates

10/15/21 No school

11/3/21 Picture Day

11/5/21 No school, Parent-Teacher conferences.

 

Warmly,

 

Heather

Hello Cornwall families,

 

It's been a busy (and fun!) day and week, so I am just going to jump in to this week's news.

 

Journal Feature of Toddle - a pilot program

This year, a few teachers in ACSD will be piloting the “Journal” feature of Toddle. Families of participating classes will receive notice of participation and sign-up instructions, along with posts from the journal. 

 

At Cornwall School Ms. Erin, Ms. Colby, and Mr. Hirsch are piloting this feature, so if you have a student in one of their classes, you should hear from them soon. Thanks for supporting a pilot of a new form of communication!

 

Class Highlight - Second Grade

 

Apologies for the sideways pictures ....

 

In Guidance, the students were practicing using self talk. They took action by asking Ms. Johnson if they could act out a scene that they created demonstrating self talk.

 

 

Practicing measuring with non-standard units in math.

 

 

The students measured giant beans and giant garden beds as an extension to reading the folktale Jack and the Beanstalk. We are also putting it on as a reader’s theater production!

 

 

 

 

 

 

As part of our first IB unit, Who We Are, the students observed images of fairy houses, collected materials with their partners, categorized the materials by their properties, and built fairy houses.

 

Harvest Fest

Teachers are planning to develop activities and prepare food with their classes for Harvest Fest on the afternoon of Oct. 27.

 

Unfortunately, we are not allowed to have volunteers or guests at Harvest Fest again this year, but since classes do not need to be kept separate, teachers felt it was important to return to this tradition and the excitement, joy, and community that participating in it brings. 

 

FOCS is helping by coordinating with teachers to get materials needed for activities. You may hear from FOCS as they ask for some people to volunteer to help with getting, organizing, and/or delivering materials.

 

We are excited to be able to plan for and hold this event in its somewhat modified form.

 

 

Important Dates

10/15/21 No school

11/5/21 No school, Parent-Teacher conferences. You will hear from teachers soon. 

 

Have a great weekend,

Heather

Hello Cornwall families,

 

Happy October!

What beautiful fall mornings we’ve been having! Riding the bus in the morning has been a treat as the season is changing - seeing the low clouds, the sun on the mountains, and the changing leaves is a great way to start the day! And, speaking of the bus….

 

Introducing Bud, our new bus driver!

Bud has finished his training here in Cornwall (he used to drive a bus route in Lincoln) and officially started today. He has been on the route with Cowboy the past couple of weeks, has learned the route, and is working to learn student names. Please welcome him!

 

And, construction...

Please also remember that with the construction on 125, morning pick up time may be affected by about 5 minutes for students who live past that part of the route. The afternoon route is delayed by about 10 minutes for some as well. 

The delay times may vary day by day based on the progress of the construction and traffic.  

 

Introducing a new ACSD Newsletter

We have a new ACSD newsletter! - Each month we will share the amazing things happening within our schools! This first issue is organized to ground us as a community with quick overviews of International Baccalaureate (IB) and Social emotional learning (SEL). It also includes photos from every school and a page of "Everyday Links to ACSD" for quick access to the things families need (from school lunch menus to COVID safety). Read the first issue HERE! Past and future issues will be available on the Superintendent's page. 

 

 

Class Highlight - Third Grade

Third graders have been thinking a lot about community and values in the first transdisciplinary unit of the year. They have been practicing the Learner Profile Attributes and considering what we need in a community.

In literacy, they have practiced identifying and sharing their perspective on topics such as choices book characters make and what is most important about school. They have been working on partner reading with historical fiction texts about people who embodied community values.

 

 

Working together to read and write about Sojourner Truth

Practicing being Balanced by making "ish" drawings

Designing a community based on our values

Also, please check out the Photos of the Week to see some PE and other photos!

 

Virtual Family Information/Curriculum Night

October 5, 2021

6:00-6:30pm       Information Session K-2nd classes

6:35-7:05pm.      Information Session K-2nd classes and 3rd-5th classes

7:10pm-7:40pm  Information Session 3rd-5th classes

 

Classroom teachers will provide Zoom links so that parents/guardians can log on to each session.

Grade level classroom teachers will present the same information twice, once at each session. Please note that although there are three sessions, each grade level classroom teacher presents only twice and grade levels are designated for each session.

 

Parents/guardians can choose which session(s) to attend and have the option of attending multiple sessions with different teachers if they have children in multiple grades. 

Drama Club for 3rd-5th graders

Please look for information coming home soon from Kendra Gratton regarding a drama club opportunity for 3rd-5th graders on Fridays after school.

Health and Safety update from Kelly Landwehr

Please go here for this week’s health and safety update.

 

Important Dates

10/5/21      Virtual Family Information/Curriculum Night - please see above

10/6/21      Early Release day. On early release days, school is dismissed at 1:05pm.  Teachers need to leave right away for professional development, so please be on time for pick up!Buses do not go into Middlebury on Early Release Days. 

10/15/21    No school

11/5/21      No school, Parent-Teacher conferences (you will hear from teachers soon)

 

Have a great weekend,

 

Heather

Hello Cornwall families,

Happy Fall! We have been able to spend a lot of time outside so far this school year, and have only been inside for one recess since school started! Even today, which started out DOWNPOURING (as described by a first grader on the bus this morning), the rain let up so that we could enjoy recess outdoors. 

Health and Safety update from Kelly Landwehr

Please go here for this week’s health and safety update.

 

Picture Day postponed

LifeTouch, like many other businesses, is experiencing staffing challenges and, as a result, they need to postpone picture day.

• We will NOT have picture day on Sept. 29.
• We WILL have picture day on Nov. 3.

 

A message from Superintendent Burrows

Please see A video message from Superintendent Burrows inviting parents and community members to be involved with schools and support our students.

 

Thank you!

A big thank you to Al Thalen, Mr. Hirsch, and the fifth grade class for working together to move the Gaga Pit so that it can be used at recess again. The fifth grade is also arranging to visit classrooms to share the rules and how the game is played. Thanks again for the hard work!

 

Class Highlight - Fourth grade

As a school, we all - teachers, staff, students - focus on community, caring and growth, and those values lay the foundation for learning.

The fourth grade has been focusing on what those values look like, not only when they are learning with Ms. Burns-Collins, but also when they are learning with other teachers and when they get the opportunity to play and learn with other classes.

 

Fourth grade & first grade buddies go over bus rules

 

 

First and fourth grade reading buddies

 

4th graders playing a game in Spanish

 

Virtual Family Information/Curriculum Night

October 5, 2021

6:00-6:30pm      Information Session K-2nd classes

6:35-7:05pm      Information Session K-2nd classes and 3rd-5th classes

7:10pm-7:40pm Information Session 3rd-5th classes

 

Classroom teachers will provide Zoom links so that parents/guardians can log on to each session.

Grade level classroom teachers will present the same information twice, once at each session. Please note that although there are three sessions, each grade level classroom teacher presents only twice and grade levels are designated for each session.

 

Parents/guardians can choose which session(s) to attend and have the option of attending multiple sessions with different teachers if they have children in multiple grades. 

Important Dates

9/29/21   Picture Day canceled for today. It will take place on Nov. 3.

10/5/21   Virtual Family Information/Curriculum Night - please see above

10/6/21    Early Release day. On early release days, school is dismissed at 1:05pm.  Buses do not go into Middlebury on Early Release Days. 

 

Warmly,

Heather

Hello Cornwall Families,

 

I feel fortunate to be able to introduce another addition to our Cornwall School community. 

Colette Penniello, part-time paraeducator

Colette Penniello was raised in south Florida. After college, she moved to Colorado where she saw snow and experienced seasons for the first time in her life! After seven years in the Rocky Mountains, she moved to Vermont with her partner, a Green Mountain native. She is very excited to start a new chapter here at Cornwall Elementary, assisting in giving our students the tools they need to succeed!

Virtual Family Information/Curriculum Night

October 5, 2021

 

6:00-6:30pm      Information Session K-2nd classes

6:35-7:05pm      Information Session K-2nd classes

                           and 3rd-5th classes

7:10pm-7:40pm Information Session 3rd-5th classes

 

• Classroom teachers will provide Zoom links so that parents/guardians can log on to each session
• Grade level classroom teachers will present the same information twice, once at each session
• Please note that although there are three sessions, each grade level classroom teacher presents only twice, and grade levels are designated for each session 
• Parents/guardians can choose which session(s) to attend and have the option of attending multiple sessions with different teachers if they have children in multiple grades. 

 

Health and Safety update from Kelly Landwehr

Kelly let us know that there is no update for this week, and that she will be preparing one for next week.

 

Class Highlight- Fifth Grade

We are planning to highlight one grade or class each week in the newsletter, and we are starting this week with Fifth grade. Thank you to Mr. Hirsch for providing some written information and photos. My apologies that some of the photos uploaded sideways - unfortunately, there does not seem to be a way to change that, but we figured a sideways photo is better than no photo!

 

The fifth grade has been getting to know the Kindergarteners. We have had a chance to play games with them and read together.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The fifth grade is on a streak and we have eaten lunch outside each day so far.

 

 

 

In math we are learning multiplication strategies.  We are also studying surface area and volume with the help of manipulatives.  The cubes are a real hit during choice time and read aloud.

 

 

 

 The class is also reading a book called Save Me A Seat.  We have explored the author's use of figurative language in the text and have found examples of hyperbole, idioms, similes, and metaphors.

 

Each student is writing their own autobiography.  The final project will culminate with the creation of a book highlighting each student's interests, experiences, talents and beliefs.

 

 

Some reminders re: snack and forms

All classes eat snack in the morning either just before or just after recess. Please make sure to send a healthy snack to school with your child each day. 

We are waiting for health forms and office forms from some families. Please drop them off at school or send them in with your child or scan and email them to myself or Nurse Gina. I will reach out directly next week regarding any that we are still missing.

 

Vision Screening

Please see this message from Nurse Gina-

 

Dear ACSD Families, 

 

As part of the health services program at school, screenings for vision and hearing are performed to detect problems that might interfere with your child's school performance or general health. These screenings are not a substitute for regular physical exams or comprehensive vision or hearing exams.  If you have existing concerns about your child’s vision or hearing, please do not wait for school screening to take place and schedule an appointment with their provider.  

 

This year’s vision screening will take place on THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 23. Vision screening will be conducted by volunteers from the Lion’s Club using a SPOT Vision Screener. All students will receive vision screening.  The SPOT screening is estimated to be 98% accurate in the detection of several common eye conditions and is reported to parents on a pass/fail basis. The school nurse will provide parents with a detailed print out and explanation to take to the doctor should the results show a need for follow-up. 

 

Hearing screening will be organized and conducted by the school nurse using an audiometer.  Students in grades K, 1, 3, 5 will receive hearing screening based on the Vermont Health Department recommendations. If you have concerns and your child is in a grade not being screened, please inform your school nurse.  If there are irregularities or causes for concern, parents will be notified and a follow-up screening will be conducted by the nurse after the holiday break.  The nurse will also recommend that you follow-up with your child’s health-care provider in the event of irregular results.  

 

If there are any questions or concerns regarding vision and/or hearing screenings, please call  the school nurse. 

 

Gina Ciancia Jackson BSN, RN

 

Photos

Please also see the Photos of the Week for more images from the week.

  

Important Dates

 

9/23/21 Vision Screenings at school

9/29/21 Picture Day

 

Warmly,

Heather

Hello Cornwall families,

It definitely feels like classes are settling in to learning routines, and the weather has been cooperating! Some classes have brought the learning outdoors, some have spent time in the garden, and some have played and eaten outside. 

 

Starting next week, we will be highlighting a grade each week in the newsletter, so please watch for that!

More introductions

 

Sue Rakowski, Heidi Schmidt, and Amy Tucker, SLPs and SLP-A

All three are part of the district Speech Language Pathologist team. Sue and Heidi are SLPs and Amy is an SLP-A (Assistant). They will be coming to Cornwall weekly to work with students who receive services through an IEP (Individualized Education Plan).

 

Joelle Rosen, Student Teacher 

Joelle is student teaching in second grade. She is from Maryland, she majored in Education and Psychology at Middlebury, and she graduated in May. During the summers, she is a swim coach!

 

We are thankful to have so many people supporting our students here at Cornwall and in the district!

Health and Safety update from Kelly Landwehr

From this point forward, the weekly Health and Safety update will be included in this newsletter rather than linked in a separate email from Superintendent Burrows.

Please look for it here each Friday.

Social Media

A question about social media came up during the Zoom Q&A sessions last week. I met with Emily Blistein, Communications Director for the district. One of her goals this year will be to research and create social media policies. We always want to be responsive to parent concerns, and she will be considering those as she researches best practices.

At Cornwall School, we will continue with our social media presence through Instagram as is and follow the lead of the district as policies are developed. 

Curriculum Night

Please stay tuned for information about what Curriculum Night will look like this year. By next week, I should be able to share a date and the format. Thank you!

 

Important Dates

9/14/21 Practice Fire Drill at school

9/23/21 Vision Screenings at school

9/29/21 Picture Day

 

Warmly,

 

Heather

9/3/21

 

Hello Cornwall families,

 

I’d like to take this opportunity to introduce some new teachers and staff members at Cornwall School. We are excited to welcome all of them to our school community!

 

Welcome and Introductions

 

Piper Harrell, Paraprofessional

Piper joins us with a strong background in education, including in special education. Many of you may know her as she is both a community member and a parent at Cornwall School.

 

Rachel Hoff, Librarian at Cornwall and Ripton

Rachel Hoff (she/her/hers) has worked in libraries for over 20 years. After working in university libraries, she began working in K-12 schools 6 years ago in North Carolina and then Alaska.  Last year she rebuilt and reorganized the 10,000 item K-12 library for the Centennial School at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, near where her mother lives. She is looking forward to planting some roots in Vermont, and she is excited to meet and work with all her new student library patrons at Cornwall.  

 

Erin McRaith, First Grade Teacher 

Ms. McRaith has held various roles from classroom teacher to pedagogic instructor to head of school.  Ms. McRaith has taught in primary classrooms in New Mexico, Hawaii, Montana, Kyrgyzstan, and the Republic of Georgia.  She has acted as a pedagogic trainer in Palestine and Rwanda. Additionally, she has worked as an English Language instructor in China, Japan, and India. She acted as the head of education and professional development at an international school in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan while also helping the school to obtain its International Baccalaureate accreditation.  She was the head of Primary School for an international British school in Tbilisi, Georgia helping the school to obtain the Patron’s Accreditation. She has also presented for and been a guest trainer with the Center for Inclusive Education in Sofia, Bulgaria.

 

Meeka-Kai Sands, Spanish Teacher at Cornwall, Bridport, and Shoreham

¡Hola a todos!  Hello everyone!  My name is Meeka Sands and I'm very excited to be teaching Spanish in Cornwall this year.  I recently completed my Master of Arts in Spanish at Middlebury College and am looking forward to returning to both the classroom and Addison County.  Some of the things I love are traveling, skiing (especially water skiing), and my puppy, Kiko!  

 

 

Friends of Cornwall School (FOCS)

 

Please see the message below from FOCS -

 

Hello Cornwall Families!  We wanted to invite you to join us at the first Friends of Cornwall School (FOCS) meeting next Tuesday, September 7th at 8 AM under the outdoor tent at school.  Going forward, FOCS plans to meet on the first Tuesday of each month at 8 AM, in person outdoors at school as far into the season as weather permits.

 

For those who may not be familiar, Friends of Cornwall School is a volunteer organization dedicated to supporting the Cornwall School students, staff, and community.  We sponsor various events and fundraisers throughout the year and are always looking for parents to help organize and assist before, during, and sometimes after these events.  Due to COVID, we have had to adjust some of our traditional activities, but parents have been a huge help in bringing their energy and creative ideas to help us figure out new options.  Community contributions have also helped us support the school in acquiring items that have assisted teachers and staff in meeting some unique challenges.

 

FOCS is also a great venue for connecting with other parents and families, who may be able to offer advice and support in navigating school life.  We encourage new families especially to join us to meet other families who may serve as a resource.

 

For those that cannot make the meeting times, we will distribute notes from each meeting, and there will be many other opportunities to stay engaged throughout the year, including activity planning, as well as volunteering when permitted under state and district guidance.

 

We hope to see many of you at the first meeting on Tuesday, and we looking forward to connecting with more of you throughout the year!

 

Best,

Chris Kramer

FOCS Co-Chair

 

 

Photos of the Week will be posted here, so please take a peek!

 

Important Dates

 

9/6/21 Labor Day, No School

9/7/21 8am FOCS meeting under tent

 

Enjoy the long weekend!

Heather

Hello Cornwall families!

 

This will be a short newsletter for a short first week. 

 

And what a fun week! Despite the challenges of two super hot days, there are so many successes to celebrate! Classes have been coming together to set up community expectations - meaning how they want to be treated and how to treat each other not only in the classroom but also at play. Students have been talking about listening, being flexible, taking care of ourselves, practicing caring and kindness, and more! 

 

It is also so refreshing to be able to take masks off when we are outside, and I’ve overheard more than one student say to another or to a teacher, “It’s nice to see your face.” That kind of thoughtful statement instantly brings smiles.

Back to School Q&A

 

Nurse Gina and I will hold two Back to School Q&A Sessions for families via Zoom.

When: August 31 at 1:00pm

          August 31 at 7:00pm

 

How:   Zoom link

          Meeting ID: 815 922 7535

          Passcode: 325253

Arrival and Dismissal

 

Thank you for following the arrival and dismissal procedures and working together to keep safe during those times. 

Photos of the Week will be posted here, so please take a peek!

 

Important Dates

 

8/31/21     Back to School Q&A Sessions (see above)

9/6/21       Labor Day, No School

 

Have a great weekend,

Heather

Hello Cornwall families,

 

A huge THANK YOU to everyone for helping make this a great year!

 

Have a fabulous summer!

 

And, please take a look at the Photos of the Week!

 

Signing off with a huge smile,

 

Heather

Hello Cornwall families,

 

It has been a week full of celebrations and community!!

 

Promotions

On Wednesday, for the first time ever, we celebrated TWO classes, the 5th and the 6th grades, as they were promoted from Cornwall School to MUMS! We celebrated outdoors, under the tents, and it truly was a group effort involving parents and community members. There are a lot of people to thank!

 

• Peet Farm Greenhouses for donating the beautiful flowers which decorated the tent and seating areas
• Al Thalen, Jeff Taylor, and Adam Pelkey for setting up the other white tents 
• Val Calzini, Laurie Ballantine, and the Sperrys for the use of their pop-up canopies
• Marci Lambert and Janice Rushton for decorating and gathering volunteers to help set up
• Keele Kozak for donating drinks
• Kindergarten, First, and Second grade classes and teachers for cleaning up so quickly and thoroughly from their fun day so spaces could be used for the promotions
• Mrs. Burns-Collins and Mr. Hirsch for guiding the students and working with them as they thought through, wrote, and practiced their speeches
• And, of course, the 5th grade students and the 6th grade students!!!

 

Well done, and Congratulations to all!!!!!

 

Little Free Library

In recognition of the hard work, caring, and contributions Linda Kautzman has made throughout the years to Cornwall School, FOCS presented her with a Little Free Library. FOCS members and parents built it and will be installing it soon near the garden. You can see the parts outside - it's beautiful, and it’s a beautiful tribute to Linda!   

 

Class Celebrations   

Classes have been celebrating this week in other ways as well!

Kindergarten through 2nd grade had an outdoor fun day on Wednesday including slip ‘n slides, sprinklers, wading pools, and face painting!

 

As I type, 3rd and 4th grade is outside for a fun day which includes indoor and outdoor games and potentially another slip ‘n slide!   

 

5th and 6th grade spent the day at Branbury State Park on Thursday. Thank you to Ms. Morrison for joining them as a lifeguard.

 

Next week, classes will also be hiking Snake Mountain and parts of the TAM.

 

It feels fitting that in a year where so much time was spent outside not only for play and activity but also for learning, that the school year closes with a series of outdoor celebrations.

 

MUMS 

Please see this last communication from MUMS-

https://mailchi.mp/05b4ecb7d1fa/mums-communication-june-11-2021

 

I have not had a chance to gather photos from all of the celebrations, but I will be adding them as I receive them, so please do check out the Photos of the Week!

 

We will see all the students on Monday and Tuesday for the last days of school.

 

Until then, have a great weekend!

 

Warmly,

Heather