SCS Community Newsletter

Dear SCS Families and Caregivers,

A few highlights from this week demonstrate the warmth and joy created when our students, staff, and community work together:

• Shelburne Shines! Talent Show. This first ever production had 17 acts, from 1st grade to 8th grade performed by students and staff. It was a fun, witty and unifying experience thanks to the fantastic emcees and PTO planning. We are grateful to our PTO for putting it on and to CCS for hosting. Click the photos below to zoom in!

• 5th-8th grade Winter Field Day took place this afternoon. Most kids got outside for some fresh air and connection! Our students embraced the season with sledding, marshmallow roasting, cross country skiing, and other activities, celebrating the best of Vermont’s coldest months with teamwork and school spirit. Some indoor options provided warmer choices as well. Thanks to our Student Cabinet and Cultivating Pathways to Sustainability student leaders for advocating for and organizing this fun event!

• The culmination of our Essential Arts, PreK and First Grade Space Unit took place this week as well. The cafeteria and halls were filled with space-themed art, and the kids sang and danced in celebration of all of their collective learning. This event was OUT of THIS WORLD and so are the teachers who collaborated on the learning.

We feel honored to be in a school where students can shine through their talents and passions, where community members are dedicated to creating and sustaining enriching opportunities for students. We hope your February break continues the joy and warmth we felt this week. We look forward to welcoming your students back in the building on Monday, March 2!

In partnership,

Antonia, Jen and Brett

The SCS Administrative team

2/23-27 - NO SCHOOL - Winter Break

3/5 - Readathon Community Read - Ghost Boys (2:00 - 3:00, Green Team )

3/10 - PTO Meeting (6:00pm, Green Team)

3/24 - Celebrate the Arts Night, (5:00 - 8:00pm, CVU High School)

3/26 - Field Trip, Yellow 7/8, Main Street Landing

3/19-20 - NO SCHOOL - P/T Conferences & Eid Al Fitr

3/28 - SCS PTO 3v3 Basketball Tournament (details below)

4/20-24 - NO SCHOOL - Spring Break

CVSD 2025-2026 Calendar

NEW! CVSD 2026-2027 Calendar NEW!

On or before Tuesday, March 3, 2026 — Town Meeting Day — voters will consider one budget for all public schooling in Champlain Valley School District (CVSD). On January 20, the CVSD School Board approved a $107.9M FY27 budget to support and operate the district.

Learn more about the budget in this recent budget presentation and at www.cvsdvt.org/budget

Early and absentee voting is available now: Request a ballot at your town office or online at sos.vermont.gov/elections.

On Tuesday, March 3, voting at the Shelburne town gymnasium will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Day-of voter registration is available at all polling places.

Catered by Cucina Antica. We will have meat and veggie lasagnas, garden salads, cookies, coffee and tea. Cost is $12 per Adult (11 yrs. old and up) and $8 per Kid (10 yrs. old and under). We cap the cost at $40 per family/household. A great meal at a great price!

You may prepay with a card on our website: https://shelburnevt.org/543/On-Line-Payments

We will accept cash or check at the door. Hope to see you there!

Monday March 2nd at 7:00 p.m. - Hybrid Meeting. Voting is in-person only. One scheduled floor vote and lots of information and opportunities to ask questions. We will have a few Town Reports to hand out as well. Physical meeting will be in the Shelburne Community School Gym following the Town Dinner.

Zoom link: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/7564380144?pwd=UmlNUVZGNCtWUEFDMHlMSTFnL21yQT09&omn=86702227191

To sign up for the late bus for the week we return from break, March 2-5, please sign up by 9:00 am Monday, 3/2, if you would like your student(s) to ride the late bus.

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.

For those who celebrate Ramadan, school meals are available for take home. To request meals from February 17 through March 19, students or caregivers should email SCS Site Manager Becky Mashak (rmashak@cvsdvt.org) in the morning, and meals will be available for pickup in the afternoon.

After a successful 6 week trial with some homerooms, we are excited to announce that we will be implementing our new attendance and dismissal platform, for ALL students when we return from winter break. Please be on the lookout for an email the week of March 2 with information to register your students. Families will use PickUp Patrol to enter dismissal default plans, and notify the front office and teachers of absences and change in dismissal plans, instead of emailing and calling.

We’re past the halfway mark, and we have now read more than 124,000 minutes! EVERY grade level logged major minutes to add more than 55,000 minutes in one week–fantastic reading, SCS!

Remember to keep reading over break! It’s not too late to register and log your minutes. Together we will reach our goal of 200,000 minutes!

Have you found the Golden Tickets?

Find the 9 golden tickets that are hidden around SCS and Shelburne and submit your scavenger hunt form by Friday, March 6 to win a certificate and a small prize!

Community Read Thursday, March 5 at 2 PM

5-8 students, parents, caregivers, and community members are invited to a group discussion of Ghost Boys by Jewell Parker Rhodes. Click here for more info about the book and event. Books are available to borrow in the SCS main office, the SCS library, and the Pierson library. Borrow a copy to read over break!

This week marked the season-ending basketball tournament among CVSD schools.

Congratulations to all of our athletes and coaches on a great season. Special shout-out to the

SCS Girls' A Team, who brought home the championship for the first time in a generation!

1st grade students in Ms. Sally's class got their hands on an Olympic gold medal this week while learning about training, motivation, history and more from Algis Salna, an Olympic golf medalist and longtime U.S. biathon coach - and SCS grandfather! Thank you Algis for visiting SCS this week!

Green Team students took a movement break with Superintendent Bunting last week as

part of their unit on how a bill becomes a law. They learned that the specific language of a law

can be open to interpretation!

It’s back for its 3rd year! The SCS PTO 3v3 Spring Basketball Tournament returns on March 28, landing right in the middle of NCAA Sweet 16 weekend and bringing March Madness energy to SCS. Students, staff and caregivers can form their teams of 3-5 and compete in grade-based divisions (4th–8th), high school (NEW) and adult competitive OR recreational also NEW to allow for ALL abilities. Gather your team and sign up for an afternoon of fun, friendly competition, and school spirit. Whether you're playing on the court or cheering from the sidelines, it’s one of our most exciting PTO events of the spring. Learn more and register your team at: www.shelburnepto.org/basketball

Save the Date! July 6-10, 2026

CVSD is excited to host the Summer Academic Growth Experience (SAGE) for students rising into grades 2-6 who benefit from additional support in math and literacy. Held at Wiliston Central School from 8:00 am to 11:30 am, this program offers engaging, high-quality instruction focused on building joy and motivation in math or literacy. More information about who is eligible for the program and how to sign up is coming soon!

Children entering grades PreK-8 who live in the towns of Charlotte, Hinesburg, Shelburne, St. George and Williston may exercise school choice. Our goal is to both allow options for families and also make balanced class sizes to provide a positive learning environment for all of our children. Processes for intra-district choice of school will be guided by the needs of students, space availability, and existing resources. Given this, we will work to meet as many families’ needs as possible. Guidelines and Application

Join students from across the Champlain Valley School District for an evening of entertainment and celebration, showcasing performing and visual arts from the district’s six schools. This annual tradition returns to CVU on Tuesday, March 24, 2026, transforming the high school halls and theater into a vibrant gallery of learning, innovation and inspiration.

The 14th-annual Celebrate the Arts Night brings together art, music, theater, media, arts, foods, business, design and technology in a one-night-only exhibition of student creativity.

The Shelburne Food Shelf offers additional food for families and children during the upcoming February and April school vacation weeks as part of the Food Is In When School is Out (FIIWSIO) program.

WHAT'S NEW for February and April 2026 school vacations:
• There are more shopping dates and hours available to families
• There will not be a dedicated single shop prior to the vacation weeks for families.
• Specific hours for February school vacation FIIWSIO shopping are:

Tuesday, Feb 24 - 4pm to 7 pm

• Families who already signed up for DEC and NOV 2025 FIIWSIO are on our list of shoppers already.
• Families can sign up for regular shopping hours twice a month.

• Families already on our list of shoppers still need to sign up online for the specific date they select by going to the SFS website, shelburnefoodshelf@gmail.com then go to SIGN UP TO SHOP
• We WELCOME New families! New Families should Contact the Food Shelf and say they are interested in FIIWSIO (only requirement is to show proof of residency - such as a license, motel room key, utility bill, and the like - the first time you shop).

We look forward to seeing you and your children!

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