Gertrude Chamberlin School

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Families can bring their camp chairs and blankets to watch a movie in the gymnasium!

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The start of the meeting on November 17th will be for families to learn how we use our federal Title funding at GCS. We will then move into our regular PTO meeting. Families are welcome to attend one or both of these meetings! There will be an online and in person option - Google Meets or in the GCS library.

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

Family Pizza & Movie Night (presented by the PTO) is Friday, November 6th at 6:00 PM.

Here are some Movie Night basics:

• Suggested Donation of $3 per person, maximum $10 per family -- PLUS a free bag of popcorn with a family ticket purchase (until sold out)

• Doors open 6pm - Movie starts at 6:30pm

• Seating is on the gym mats, but these are limited. Camping chairs from home are suggested. Feel free to wear pajamas, bring pillows/blankets and stuffed animals to make yourselves comfortable

• Bottled water, PIZZA and snacks will be on sale; no outside food or beverages please

• All children must be accompanied by an adult and supervised at all times, including in the hallways and bathrooms

Please click the link below to sign up to volunteer your time or donate to our snack table. Thank you for your help!

Below is the trailer for the movie, The Super Mario Galaxy Movie.

Dear Families,

Our bus drivers need your help to make sure we are transporting students safely. Please review the safety rules with your child if they ride the bus, and please review the driver rules if you are a driver. Thank you for your support!

Safety Rules for Students

Tie It, Tuck It, Check It: Tie shoelaces, tuck in backpack straps and loose jacket sleeves, and check that nothing hangs loose before getting on or off the bus.

Keep a Safe Distance: Arrive at the bus stop five minutes early and stand at least 5 giant steps (10 feet) away from the edge of the road.

Wait for the Signal: Wait until the bus comes to a complete stop, the door opens, and the driver signals that it is safe before stepping toward the bus.

Cross in Front: Always walk in front of the bus—never behind it—so the driver can see you. Stop and look left, right, and left again before crossing the street.

Stay Seated: Remain seated facing forward while the bus is in motion, and keep your hands, head, and objects inside the windows.

Keep yourself safe; Keeping your hands & body to yourself keeps you and your fellow bus mates safe.

Be apart of the bus safety team so that everyone gets to and from school safe. If the driver is distracted from things happening inside the bus they are unable to provide the needed attention to all of the things happening outside of the bus.

Safety Rules for Drivers

Respect the Lights: Yellow flashing lights mean the bus is preparing to stop; slow down and prepare to stop your vehicle. Red flashing lights and an extended stop-arm mean you must come to a complete stop.

Know When to Stop: On roads with three lanes or fewer, traffic in both directions must stop for a school bus with red lights flashing. On divided highways with a concrete median or large grass barrier, traffic traveling in the opposite direction does not have to stop, but traffic going the same way must stop. This includes at schools.

Watch the Danger Zone: The area immediately around the bus is the highest-risk zone for children. Never pass a stopped school bus on the right side where children enter and exit. Face Hefty Penalties: Illegally passing a school bus carries severe fines, points on your license, and potential criminal or felony charges if a child is injured.

How to Login to SORA for access to our Audio and Ebook Collection: Including our One School, One Book Read Aloud

1) Download the app or click the link on Chamberlin’s website.

2) Click Sign in using Chamberlin School

5) Login using google on a school device, if on a home device login using your school email and password

6) Enjoy online audio books, eBooks, and magazines! Students can checkout 3 books at a time for 2 weeks.

Great attendance today leads to improved student outcomes! Is it a struggle to get your child to school 5 days a week? Are you looking for support from the school? We are here to help.

Mrs. Russell or Mr. Belt would love to meet with you to discuss ways to help you and your family achieve better attendance. We will find ways to work together to achieve our goal of helping you get your child to school regularly.

Please check out the short video below to find out how schools and families can work together to achieve the goal of school success for all, simply by improving every child's attendance. Any parent can be an Attendance Advocate, even if your child attends regularly. Click on the button below to find out how!

This year, we dedicated a big chunk of our Title funding to support a more positive recess experience for our students. We are contracting with Colleen Christman of WonderRoots, who worked with kindergarten on Forest Fridays to help us redesign our recess time to promote a positive school climate that supports student engagement and academic success. Right now, our recess staff are engaged in training on a structured facilitation model that promotes positive peer interactions, conflict resolution, inclusion, student belonging and strengthens students' social-emotional skills. Training will equip staff with evidence-based strategies to facilitate inclusive play, teach and reinforce social skills, support positive behavior, and foster a safe and welcoming environment for all students.

What does this mean for your children?

GCS Play Lab will use “loose parts” to facilitate collaborative and imaginative play at recess:

Loose parts are open-ended materials that children can move, combine, redesign and adapt in endless ways during play. This might include items such as buckets, tires, milk crates, ropes, pots and pans, containers...and many other items that can support collaborative and imaginative play!

At GCS, our primary commitment is to create a safe, supportive, and joyful learning environment where every child can thrive academically, socially, and emotionally. The great news is that our recent data shows that more than 80% of our students have had 0-1 behavior referrals this year! That's SO many students who are following our expectations of being safe, kind and responsible...and maximizing their learning at school! We also recognize that not all behaviors are "positive" as students experience strong emotions and learn to regulate at varying levels. Through our PBIS systems, we have developed a range of responses to all levels of behavior from minor to major. Below is a visual that is also in our GCS Family Handbook which outlines the responses that occur depending on the situation.

Understanding Level 2 and 3 "Big Behaviors"

Children are still developing the neurological, emotional, and social tools they need to navigate stress, frustration, and big emotions. Sometimes, this shows up at school as "big behaviors"—which can include emotional outbursts, vocal disruptions, or physical unsafety.

When a student experiences an emotional crisis at school, our response is guided by two unwavering priorities: maintaining immediate safety for everyone and restoring a calm learning environment as quickly as possible.

Our Response and Protocols

We utilize a multi-tiered system to handle behavioral incidents with care, professionalism, and strict adherence to safety regulations:

• Immediate Safety First: If a student’s behavior poses an immediate risk to themselves or others, trained staff intervene immediately using approved, de-escalation techniques.

• Classroom Adjustments: In some rare instances, to preserve the dignity of a student experiencing a severe crisis and to ensure the safety of classmates, a teacher may temporarily move the rest of the class to an alternate learning space (such as the library or a neighboring classroom) while support staff assist the student in need.

• Individualized Support Plans/Safety Plans: Students exhibiting persistent, challenging behaviors do not just receive disciplinary consequences; they receive targeted interventions and engage in a restorative process whenever possible. We work alongside special educators, SEL coaches, school psychologists, counselors, and other specialists to create individualized plans that teach coping mechanisms and accountability.

• Communication: When a significant behavioral incident occurs, our staff communicates directly and promptly with the families of the students immediately involved or impacted.

Protecting Student Privacy

We completely understand that when a disruption occurs, families desire detailed information. However, federal privacy laws (FERPA) and our own ethical standards strictly prohibit us from sharing disciplinary actions, medical information, or personal details regarding any student with anyone outside of their immediate family. Please trust that while we cannot share how a specific student is being held accountable or supported, comprehensive action is always taken behind the scenes. Our response chart hopefully helps families and students understand what some of the responses could be, depending on the situation.

Working Together

Our school community is a microcosm of the world. It is a place where children learn not only math and reading, but also empathy, resilience, and how to coexist with others who may be fighting invisible battles. We are deeply proud of how compassionate and adaptable our students are and remain committed to working with families to support all of the feelings that students bring to the classroom each day. We continue to tweak our PBIS systems to provide a positive learning community for all students!

This week we built on our empathy skills in Wolf Pack, as we learned more about each other and the kinds of things that we like. Students decorated a new paper honey cell to add to their Wolf Pack centerpiece!

Benjamin Clark will be hosting a bake sale at GCS on Voting Day, November 3rd. Also, if you pick up a sub or sandwich on November 3rd, 10% of the proceeds will go to the shed fund!

The GCS PTO is uses Konstella as a way to connect with our school community. Our hope is that Konstella strengthens our school's sense of belonging and helps families connect with one another. This private, secure platform will help you get to know other parents and stay engaged. Whether you want to coordinate a playdate with a classmate's family or join a school committee, Konstella makes it easy to communicate and get involved.

With Konstella you’ll be able to:

• View PTO announcements and events.
• Access a school directory to connect with other parents.
• Easily sign up for volunteer opportunities.
• Message other families directly or in group chats.
• Choose your own notification and privacy settings.

Our hope is that families who want to join the Konstella platform and directory will do so by 10/30/26. The Konstella directory will be used in place of the GCS directory that used the google form. You must join Konstella and fill out your student’s information in order to be included in this directory. Please only input the information you are comfortable sharing with the GCS school community-it may be printed by the PTO if a printed copy is requested.

*If you require a printed copy, please reach out to samanthaeayrs@gmail.com or paquette442@hotmail.com to request one.

Please note, Konstella is available in multiple languages when using a desktop computer.

Click the link below or the QR on the photo above to join and under "Find Your School" type Gertrude Chamberlin School to get started!

Questions? Contact Samantha Earys samanthaeayrs@gmail.com.

https://www.konstella.com

As cooler months set in, we begin to see more coughs, sniffles, and sore throats. Illnesses like

RSV, pertussis (whooping cough), COVID-19, and influenza (flu) spread easily through the air

and can be contagious even before symptoms appear.

Common symptoms include fever, headache, chills, body aches, cough, runny nose, sore throat,

or shortness of breath. Some children may also have nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea.

If your student’s symptoms worsen or don’t improve, please contact your pediatrician, as some

conditions may need treatment.

💬 Did You Know?

When you call your child out sick, sharing their symptoms helps your school nurse track

what’s going around.

If your child is diagnosed with a respiratory illness (like flu, RSV, COVID-19, or pertussis),

please let us know. It helps us work with the Vermont Department of Health to keep our

school community healthy. 🩵

🏠 When to Stay Home

School is a big part of your child’s learning, social growth, and routine, but keeping students

home when they’re sick helps protect everyone and helps to decrease absences overall.

Please keep your student home if they:

● Have a fever of 100.4°F or higher

● Have vomited more than twice in 24 hours

● Have respiratory symptoms that are worsening or not improving

✅ When It’s Okay to Return

Your child may return to school when:

● They’ve been fever-free for 24 hours (without fever-reducing medication).

● Vomiting has stopped and they’re able to eat and drink normally.

● Respiratory symptoms have improved overall for at least 24 hours.

● They feel well enough to participate in school activities, even if some mild symptoms

remain.

✸ If your child is prescribed antibiotics for a contagious illness, please check with your school

nurse about when they can return. Some infections require a period of treatment before

returning to school.

💡 Healthy Habits for the Season

● Stay up to date on vaccines, including flu and COVID-19

● Encourage handwashing and covering coughs/sneezes

● Consider masking in crowded indoor spaces, especially if someone in your household is

at higher risk for serious illness

Respiratory Illnesses | Vermont Department of Health

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!

Fun Fest: Looking for FREE family fun? Join us for Family Fun Fest on November 7th from 1:00-3:00pm at Rick Marcotte Central School! Enjoy games, mini golf, face painting, arts & crafts, interactive activities, and more! Light refreshments and snacks will be provided.

Link: https://secure.rec1.com/VT/south-burlington-vt-recreation-parks/catalog?filter=c2VhcmNoPTQxNTM0ODI=

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