Gertrude Chamberlin School

.

.

The PTO is once again hosting the Fall Festival! This year's festival will take place on Sunday, September 27th from 12-3pm. There will be a number of local food vendors to purchase including Black Forest Bakery, Crazy Cotton Candy Lady, Cub Scout hotdogs and chips, Matt Folts food truck, Texas Roadhouse , This.Sourdough, and Yum! Snow Cones. We will also have a photo area, inflatables, face painting, and lawn games! Our Fundraising efforts will include a 50/50 raffle and a silent auction! See the wonderful list of auction items below!

We need your help! In order to have the bounce houses at our event, we need volunteers to assist us with supervision. Bounce house supervisors would be in charge of rotating the children in and out of the bounce houses as well as ensuring everyone is having fun and being safe. 30-minute slots are available. Please sign-up to help using the following link:

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70A0A4FA5AF28ABF85-65828719-fall

We look forward to seeing you at the GCS Fall Festival!

See the information below about a new event for kindergarten!

View this calendar for in-school dates, early dismissal dates, and school vacations.

It was wonderful to see many of you at Open House! How quickly children have settled into classrooms and routines, and they were very excited to show you that their learning is off to a great start for the new school year!

The Dot is a book by Peter H. Reynolds that reflects one little girl's realization that believing in yourself and helping others can happen every day. This message and theme of "believing in yourself, everyone matters and reaching out to others" is what we are all about at Chamberlin School. International Dot Day inspires us to be creative, courageous and collaborative! In the Integrated Arts hallway, there is an all school Dot-inspired portrait project created by grades K-5. Dot Week is the perfect springboard into showing off all of the artistic hopes and dreams of our students at Gertrude Chamberlin School. Below are some photos from Dot Day and also The Dot Song that we learned in Music class!

On Friday, October 2, we are inviting all kindergarten students from Orchard, Chamberlin, and Marcotte, along with their families, to join us for Kindergarten Night as the Seawolves football team takes on Rutland.

Kindergarteners and their families will be admitted for free. Please meet by the flagpole at 6:30 p.m. Before the 7:00 p.m. game, our kindergarten students and their families will be announced and invited to march across the field as we officially welcome the South Burlington Class of 2039.

Every kindergarten student will also receive a free Seawolves T-shirt!

We hope this becomes a special annual tradition that connects our youngest students with the larger South Burlington school community from the very beginning.

Friday, October 2
Meet at the flagpole: 6:30 p.m.
Seawolves vs. Rutland: 7:00 p.m.

Welcome to South Burlington, Class of 2039!

Short Website/Social Media Announcement

Class of 2039, this night is for you!

Join us Friday, October 2, for our first-ever Kindergarten Night as the Seawolves host Rutland! Kindergarteners from Orchard, Chamberlin, and Marcotte and their families receive free admission.

Meet by the flagpole at 6:30 p.m. Our kindergarten families will be announced and march across the field before the 7:00 p.m. kickoff. Every kindergartener will also receive a free Seawolves T-shirt.

Come help us start a new South Burlington tradition!

Welcome to South Burlington, Class of 2039!

The safety of our students and staff is our first priority as a school district. We had our first evacuation practice drill this week, without the alarm, and students did a fantastic job of leaving the building quietly with their teachers, and joining their outside gathering spots! We also did a bus evacuation drill and practiced getting off the bus safely in case of an emergency. Next week, we will also do an instructional options based drill. An options-based response approach is one that allows for real-time decision-making based on the best option available at the time of the incident, and is intended to replace traditional “lockdown” drills that have been shown to be less effective during these unsafe incidents. Classroom teachers will use a discussion format that is developmentally appropriate to have a conversation and model what to do during an options based drill on September 24th. Families can opt their child out of this conversation if they prefer - please contact your child's teacher if you do not want them to take part.

We have South Burlington School District and Gertrude Chamberlin School Safety Teams that meet at least quarterly to evaluate and update our safety procedures. Monthly safety drills are aligned to the VT Agency of Education/VT School Safety Center schedule. Our schools are also equipped with security cameras, a buzz in or key scan entry system, and double entrance security doors. Panic buttons and lockdown buttons are strategically located throughout the building. If you arrive at the school and notice the blue light flashing above the buzz in box, that means that we are in secure the school, and you should move away from the building until the lights are no longer flashing. For information on school safety, please review the School Information Emergency Guide for Families linked below.

Students are coming to school with gum and candy, which is causing a big distraction to learning at school. Bus drivers are also finding gum and candy wrappers on the bus floor. We need your help, especially if you are the parent of a 3rd, 4th or 5th grader. Can you please make sure your child is not bringing gum or candy to school? Thank you for your help!

September 15th - October 15th is Hispanic Heritage Month! In the library, students are listening to read alouds, and doing lessons that honor the cultures and contributions of both Hispanic and Latino Americans. In Music, students in our younger grade levels are hearing and learning Hispanic songs and dances. All of this learning helps us understand the wonderful diversity that makes our communities so special!

Dear Families,

In the coming weeks, students in grades 3-5 will complete two short surveys about their experience at school.

The first is anonymous - it asks about students' sense of safety, belonging, and engagement, and responses cannot be connected to any specific student.

The second is confidential - it asks about students' feelings and their supportive relationships at school. This survey does identify the student, so that if a student indicates they're having a hard time, their teacher can follow up and offer support.

Together, these surveys help us understand where students are thriving and where we need to focus our attention and resources.

Both surveys take about 10 minutes and will be given in September.

If you'd prefer your child not participate, please contact your child's teacher or school principal.

Thank you for partnering with us in supporting every student's wellbeing!

Kat Yun (she/her)

Director of Equity, Belonging and Family Engagement

South Burlington School District

(802) 652-7592

Dear South Burlington School District Families,

Thank you for being our partners in supporting student wellness and social-emotional skills. To better understand the school experiences and needs of your family, we are asking you to complete the following survey between now and October 9th, 2026. It will take 15-20 minutes to complete online.

The information collected from the survey will be used to better understand the needs and experiences of students, staff and families within our district. This data will help the district:

• Identify strengths and areas for improvement across the schools, and collectively as a District.

• Develop targeted strategies to support the social-emotional needs of students, staff and families.

• Inform planning at both the district and individual school levels.

• Support the professional development of staff in order to best support students, families and staff.

This is internal data that will be reviewed with staff and will guide our efforts to create a more supportive and inclusive school environment for all students, staff and families.

Take the Survey → Click Here

If you have students in more than one SBSD school: Please complete one survey per school to help us understand the unique experiences in each building

The survey is anonymous. Your individual responses are anonymous, and cannot be linked back to you.

Questions? Please reach out to Kat Yun, Director of Equity, Belonging and Family Engagement, (kyun@sbschools.net) or the building Principal at your student’s school.

School avoidance (sometimes called school refusal or school phobia) is a term used when a child regularly resists going to school. Kids may outright refuse to attend or create reasons why they should not go. They may miss a lot of school, complaining of not feeling well, with vague, unexplainable symptoms.

Many children who try to avoid going to school have anxiety-related symptoms over which they have no conscious control. They may experience headaches, stomachaches, hyperventilation, nausea or dizziness—symptoms that happen most often on school days, and are usually absent on weekends. When these children are examined by a doctor, no physical illnesses are detected or diagnosed.

If this is happening in your home, click the link below for some useful tips!

Stopfinder is an app available to SBSD families that provides information about their student’s school transportation.

If you want to get enrolled in Stopfinder, please email our Director of Transportation, Jonathon Mabbe at JMabee@sbschools.net. Please include your enrolled student's name in the email. You will then get an invite from Route Finder/Stop Finder. We can only send one invite to the main parent listed, and the invite will come from Route Finder / Stop Finder. The main parent can then use the functions in the app to include other family members if needed.

You can learn more at https://stopfinder.com/ or watch this short overview video below.

These resources are also available on the Transportation page of the district website, which is linked above in Arival and Dismissal.

We have an Artist in Residency this year, starting on September 28th! Every other year, students spend two weeks learning a skill with a local artist. This year, it will be a dance residency with Rose Bedard. Rose has coached the Mt. Mansfield dance team for 18 years, guiding them to numerous championships in jazz and hip hop. She owns her own dance company and has trained in Montreal, Boston and NYC. She has brought her positive energy to many area schools, universities and the Flynn Theater to teach movement skills and choreography. Rose is a dynamic figure in the dance community and we can’t wait to have her teach our students! Her residency will end with a dance performance by your children to showcase the skills they learn, at the South Burlington High School gymnasium on Thursday, October 8th at 6:00 PM. Save the date in your calendars and stay tuned for more information!

Benjamin Clark, a former GCS student, is working on his Eagle Scout Project. He will be building a shed for our recess and outdoor equipment. He is in the fundraising stages and will be hosting another bottle drive soon, so please save your cans and bottles. He also has an upcoming fundraiser on October 9th at Dave's Hot Chicken. Just scan the code below at the register or order online with the code "give" and he will receive a percentage of the sales!

We had a wonderful first meeting last week! "The PTO's mission to enrich educational experiences of all students, to provide support and assistance to Gertrude Chamberlin staff and families and to enhance the sense of community at the school through socialization events remains strong. The PTO families are working on fundraising events like the Fall Festival, movie nights, and the Fun Run. These fundraising efforts help us fund field trips, playground upgrades and many other enrichment opportunities for our children! Did you know that as a Chamberlin caregiver, you are automatically a member of our PTO? Come join us as we support our children at Chamberlin! You can see the meeting minutes on the Konstella app!

Did you know that you can support programs at Chamberlin School whenever you shop? Check your food items and office supply products to see if they have Box Tops on them! It is now an electronic program and you can download the Box Tops app on your phone and scan your receipt to get credit for Chamberlin. Our PTO uses funds from Box Tops and other fundraising events to support field trips, our gardens, our playground, school supplies and many other needs at our school. For more information, visit www.boxtops4education.com .

Looking to label your child's clothing, water bottle, lunch box containers and other belongings? You can purchase labels from Mabel's Labels and earn money for our school! Mabel’s Labels tag mates are the perfect solution for your child's clothing, including outdoor gear! They are laundry-safe, peel-and-stick clothing labels that will keep your kids’ stuff out of the lost and found. Head over to campaigns.mabelslabels.com and search for our organization - South Burlington School District - Chamberlin PTO - to support us when shopping for your labels.

The PTO has some wonderful events planned this year! See the above graphic for details.

We are looking forward to a great year together to support our children. If you have questions, or would like to help out at any of the events, you can contact the PTO presidents, Sarah Gray at paquette442@hotmail.com or Samantha Eayrs at samanthaearys@gmail.com.

MARK YOUR CALENDARS FOR OUR NEXT PTO MEETING ON OCTOBER 13TH AT 6:00 PM! You can join us in person in the GCS library, or on Google Meets!

The PTO has an awesome vendor for all of your SB gear needs! There are a variety of logos (see photo below) and items to choose from - you go online and pick your items and the logos you want on them, and then they will be shipped to your home for a flat fee of $4.95...and sometimes they run specials for free shipping! The PTO earns a portion of all sales which goes to support our school. This link will be open all year long, so you can order whenever you want! Click on the link below and get ready for our next spirit wear day!

As a Title I school, we have a School/Family Compact with agreements on how we will support all of our students at home and at school, to have positive learning outcomes. You can find the School/Family Compact in our Family Handbook, on the website and linked below.

We are hiring for a few support positions for this year! Training will be provided for all new hires. Please contact me at hrussell@sbschools.net, (802)652-7403.

Recess Monitor - 3 hours a day, supporting recess. Starting pay is $19.28/hr. We are looking for someone 5 days a week, and also substitutes.

Lunchroom Monitor - 3 hours a day, supporting lunch periods. Starting pay is $19.28/hr. We are looking for someone on Wednesdays, and also substitutes.

Interventionists - Working with one or two students who have Individualized Education Plans with support from our Special Educators. This position comes with a comprehensive benefit package. Starting pay is $21.86/hour. We are currently looking for a full time interventionist, and a long term substitute interventionist to cover a maternity leave at the end of September.

Please go to https://www.schoolspring.com/ and search South Burlington School District or call 802-652-7403 if you are interested!

On Sept. 19th South Burlington City will be hosting the Green Community Festival. Market street comes alive from 11am-3pm in this family-friendly event. Join us for fun, food, live music, and learning! Tons of kids activities, including a bounce house, face painting, smoothie bike and a Champ appearance. There will be volunteer experts to answer questions about electrification, solar, bikes, tree care and more.

Bettina Miguez (she/her)

Climate Action Manager

City of South Burlington

180 Market St

South Burlington, VT 05403

(802) 383-1790

bmiguez@southburlingtonvt.gov

www.southburlingtonvt.gov

Recreation on the Go: Join us for the final Recreation on the Go of the year! 🎉 Head to Chamberlin Elementary on Tuesday, September 22, from 6:00–7:30 PM for a FREE evening of fun for the whole family. Enjoy a BBQ, yard games, music, face painting, and more!

Link: https://secure.rec1.com/VT/south-burlington-vt-recreation-parks/catalog?filter=c2VhcmNoPTQxNTI3OTE=

Community Movie Night: Join us on Friday, September 25th at 7pm for a FREE Community Movie Night with the South Burlington Recreation and Parks department, sponsored by Associates in Orthodontics! We will be watching Zootopia 2, and complimentary hot dogs, snacks and refreshments will be provided.

Link: https://secure.rec1.com/VT/south-burlington-vt-recreation-parks/catalog?filter=c2VhcmNoPTQxNTMyNzY=

Email: hrussell@sbschools.net
Website: https://vt01819219.schoolwires.net/Domain/10
Location: Chamberlin School, White Street, South Burlington, VT, USA
Phone: 802 652 7403