2015-16 School Year Calendar Community Forum

May 27, 2015

6:30 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.

Camels Hump Middle School Library

Please join us at a forum to discuss and gather community feedback on the two hour delayed start times included in the Chittenden East Supervisory Union 2015-16 school year calendar. This forum is scheduled on Wednesday, May 27th, 6:30 p.m., in the Camels Hump Middle School Library.  A subcommittee of the Chittenden East Governing Board as well as school administration will attend the forum to listen to public comments and answer questions.  The goal of the community forum is to provide an opportunity for stakeholders to share input and to understand perspectives.   The subcommittee will present a report to the full Board after the community forum.    

The Camels Hump Middle School Jr. Iron Chef Team Prepared a Meal for the "Friday Food Affair" in Richmond. 

On Friday, April 3rd, the CHMS Jr. Iron Chef team cooked and served 68 guests at the "Friday Food Affair" in Richmond.  This was the team's first live plated cooking experience for the public. They cooked and served sixty-eight guests. 
Their menu included Caesar Salad, Local Maple Wind Roasted
Roots, Chile Rellenos with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce & Balsamic Honey
Reduction, Homemade Apple Crisp with Champlain Orchards Apples.
The team consisted of Layla Drinkwater, Jesse Freegard, Adyen Dube,
Tony Fuller and their instructor David Horner.

Jr. Iron Chef Competition

CHMS students competed in the Jr. Iron Chef Competition Saturday, March 21^st.  Although they did not take home the top prize, the students did a great job with perfect scores in creativity and presentation. This year’s team members include: Layla Drinkwater, Jesse Freegard, Tony Fuller, Bailey Piper, and Ayden Dube.

If you would like to try the Jr. Iron Chef Team’s Stuffed Chile Relleno’s with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce and Balsamic Vinegar Reduction, the Team will be putting on the meal at the Friday Night Food Affair at the Richmond Congregational Church April 3^rd from 5 to 7pm.  Please stop by and see our team in action.

                  

                                  

CESU #12 

2015-16 School Calendar Update

FAQs CONCERNING LATE START DAYS

March 24, 2015

Dear Chittenden East Families,

      On behalf of the Chittenden East Governing Board, we would like to apologize for our failure to effectively communicate about the two-hour delays included in the 2015-2016 school calendar.  We should have provided more public information before we approved the calendar and posted the calendar on our websites. 

      The new Vermont Education Quality Standards (State Board Rule 2000) state supervisory unions shall provide professional learning for staff involved in student instruction that is embedded into the school day.  Requiring professional development during the school day will force modifications to the school day and school year calendar.  We will try to make this change as trouble-free as possible.  

       Like Chittenden East, some Vermont supervisory unions have delayed start times, while others have early release days, or half days, or a combination of those options.  In some supervisory unions, there are different delay or start times by school building.  Given a number of factors, we decided a delayed start once a month would be the best way to balance the needs of students, parents, and staff.

       Each school building will have a safe space available for students on these mornings.  Breakfast will be served, and some limited bussing may be available.  Teachers and staff will be able to collaborate not only within a building, but in other configurations that will enable us to improve our educational delivery.  Technology and planning will allow teachers from multiple elementary schools to work together on lessons, or teachers from the middle and high schools to collaborate in order to ensure a smooth transition for students.  Other areas of focus for staff will include:

• Implementing Personal Learning Plans (PLPs) at Middle Schools and High School (state mandate)
• Implementing Proficiency-Based Graduation Requirements (state mandate)
• Implementation of Common Core (adopted by state)
• K-12 Data Teams (New Education Quality Standards)
• Effective training for Readers and Writers Workshop K-8 (local initiative)

       We are resolute in supporting students and families with this change to the school calendar, considering community feedback, and providing updates throughout the adjustment process.

Sincerely,

Jon Milazzo, Chair                 Andrew Pond, Vice Chair                  John Alberghini, Superintendent 

CESU #12

2015-16 School Calendar

               On Monday, March 16^th, the CESU Governing Board approved the 2015-16 school calendar.  There are a few changes we wanted to share with you.  First, Labor Day is very late, so it feels as though school is starting earlier than normal.  This is due to the way the days of the month fall. 

               Second, it is the mission of our school district to engage all learners.  In the next year, we will be working on developing personal learning plans for students and personalizing our instruction so each child is challenged and supported.  Some of our changes require new learning for our teachers.  To assure the very best educational delivery​, it is vital that we​ allow time for staff training. 

               You will see on the calendar a number of two-hour late start days on the second Wednesday of each month (Sept 9; Oct 14; Nov 11; Dec 9; Jan 13; Feb 10; March 9; April 13; May 11).  On these days, our staff will be engaged in professional development and training to better serve student needs.  On these mornings​,​ the school day and morning bus pick up will start exactly two hours later than the normal schedule. The in-school day will be adjusted slightly. 

​               We will be working over the next several months​ to brainstorm possible steps to mitigate challenges this calendar change may cause families.

               We wanted to make you aware of the changes in our 2015-16 school calendar and look forward to our continued work together.  Please let us know if you have any questions. 

(Click HERE to view the 2015-16 school calendar)