SCS Community Newsletter

Dear SCS Families and Caregivers,

As we approach Thanksgiving break, it’s a great time to pause and reflect on a busy first third of the year. In doing so, we are feeling especially thankful for the voices of our students. As we work to engage each student through the lens of Identity, Connection, Direction, and Proficiency, we consult the data from our recent Engage Survey administration. This will be the first year that all CVSD students take the Engage survey in the fall and the spring. Thanks to the hard work of faculty, staff, and families, there are so many reasons to celebrate. The data below comes from our 3-8 grade students, as the K-2 questions are slightly different.

Grateful for Kindness - We are incredibly thankful for the way our students care for one another. It warms our hearts to know that 96% of students report having friends at school who treat them with kindness and respect. We are also proud that 94% feel the adults in our building care about them and treat them with kindness.

Thankful for Trust & Support - We deeply appreciate the strong relationships that make SCS a home away from home. 93% of students have at least one trusted adult they can turn to, and 92% feel supported by adults to learn and grow. These connections are the heartbeat of our school - and we are working hard to get closer to 100% on both measures.

Appreciating Resilience - We also want to give thanks for the hard work our students put in every day. Their determination is inspiring—92% continue to try even when schoolwork gets hard, and 90% are rising to the challenge of using their thinking skills to deeply understand new concepts rather than just memorizing facts.

While we celebrate these wonderful highlights, we also know that our work is never finished. We are deeply grateful to have such a supportive community partnering with us in our quest for continual improvement.

Wishing you and your family a safe, restful, and happy Thanksgiving break. We look forward to seeing everyone back at school on Monday, December 1st!

In partnership,

Jen, Brett, and Antonia

11/24-28 - NO SCHOOL

12/5 - Poinsettia Sale Pick-up Party (3:00 - 5:00 pm, Band Room)

12/9 - PTO Meeting (6:00pm, Green Common Space)

12/13 - First Lego League Northern Regionals (8:00am - 4:00pm, SCS)

12/16 - Field Trip - 7/8th Grade Chorus

12/16 - CVSD School Board Meeting, (6:00 - 8:00pm, CVU)

12/16 - 4th Grade Chorus Concert (6:30 pm, Cafeteria)

12/19 - Field Trip - 8th Grade to CVU

CVSD 2025-2026 Calendar

With school closed next week, please remeber to sign up by 9:00 am Monday, 12/1 if you would like your student(s) to ride the late bus the between December 1st - 4th.

THIS IS THE ONLY WAY TO SIGN UP FOR THE LATE BUS.

If your student is signed up for the late bus, we expect they will be on the bus. Please notify the front office if there is an unexpected change in plans.

The Shelburne Food Shelf invites you to participate in the Food is In When School is Out (FIIWSIO) program where you can shop for food for your students for each school vacation. Please sign up by completing this form.

YOU ARE ELIGIBLE TO SHOP at our regular food shelf shopping times which are listed on our website: https://www.shelburnefoodshelf.org/food/calendar

You are invited to shop TOMORROW - Saturday, November 22 from 11:00 - 1:00 for THANKSGIVING. Please complete the form to indicate your choice of meal.

All residents of Shelburne may participate. We are excited to see you!

We're looking for volunteers to help us grade the qualifying exams for the SCS spelling bee! You don't even have to be a great speller yourself :) Our Spelling Bee advisors will give you an answer key, and we would appreciate the help in turning around the hundreds of written submissions to determine which 3rd-8th grade students will advance to the in-person SCS spelling bee in February.

Grading will take place on Monday, December 15th. If you are able to join us that morning to help grade the qualifying exams that determine who advances to our school-wide bee in February, we would be grateful! Please complete this survey if you can help. We will be in touch with volunteers in early December.

SCS's RoboCats sent a delegation of four team members to Global Foundries recently to help shape the future of engineering and STEM careers in Vermont. These RoboCats were part of a larger delegation of high school students from across the state attending this forum and involved in First Robotics. These young future leaders, from grades 5th-8th, sat with and presented to Vermont's Lieutenant Governor, GlobalFoundries Senior Vice President, Chamber of Commerce Representatives, and other key decision makers in the state of Vermont to demonstrate the value of the First Robitics Program and the impact it has on Vermont students. These RoboCats roared loudly and represented SCS proudly!

Today is the last day to order poinsettias and cyclamens to support our band performance travel programs to Boston, Montreal and all around Vermont!

Purchase quality locally grown poinsettias and cyclamens at this link.

Please also sign up to join our volunteer team to collate orders and hand out plants.

We’re thrilled to announce the first annual Shelburne Shines: A Winter Talent Show, taking place on Tuesday, January 27, 2026, at the CVU Auditorium! This brand-new school-wide event invites students K-8 to perform any talent they love — singing, dancing, playing an instrument, telling jokes, performing magic, gymnastics, martial arts, poetry, skits, theater, or something entirely their own. All talents are welcome!

Registration is open until January 8, and a short performance video is required at sign-up.

Details + registration: shelburnepto.org/talentshow

Are you interested in having some fun learning alongside our students as a guest teacher (aka sub)? If so, please reach out to CVSDHR@cvsdvt.org or Louise Michaels.

Click here for more information on becoming a sub!

Shelburne Community School Administrative Team

Jen Roth, PreK-4 Principal

Brett Cluff, 5-8 Principal

Antonia Trono, Director of Special Services