Gertrude Chamberlin School

See information below about our Meadows Farm Fundraiser!

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

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

We will be using the Pick-a-Time Conference scheduling tool for our October 2026 Family Teacher Conferences. You will need your student(s) id as your student’s FirstLastName. The security code is your child’s birthday in the following form MMDDYYYY.

Here is a link to the Pick-a-Time tool. Or use the QR code

Pick-a-Time will be open from 8 am on October 2nd, 2026, until October 19th, 2026 at 5 pm.

Here are directions for Parents on signing up for Pick-a-Time.

We will be offering both Virtual and In-Person conferences. Virtual links can be found in the Pick-a-Time scheduling tool or from your student’s teacher.

Please schedule your conference with your student’s HOMEROOM teacher.

You can also schedule time with our Integrated Arts team teachers: Mrs. Chandler(library), Mr. Riegler (PE), Mrs. Post (Music), and Mrs. Goodrich (Art).

On Monday, students from the high school came to GCS as part of their SLAM Community Service Day! Three of the students were GCS alumni! It was wonderful to have them helping out at recess, lunch, Art and Physical Education classes. Our students enjoyed having these wonderful role models come for a visit and we can't wait to welcome more students to GCS when they do their Community Service Day again in the spring!

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.

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 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.

GCS received a gold ribbon at the annual VT PBIS Forum in Killington last week for reaching the highest level of implementation for our PBIS efforts! Our SEL coaches, Megan Goyet and Lisa Rundle, are also our PBIS Coordinators who work hard to make sure we are developing and following a school action plan to provide positive supports for students and staff. Mrs. Goyet attended the forum last week and received our gold ribbon, which we will add to our PBIS banner in the lobby!

We filled our hive in the lobby...Mr. Diamond's class put us up to the top! Our celebration was a glow stick dance/movement party! Each student received a glow stick and teachers put on songs in the classroom while students enjoyed a movement/dance break. Thank you to our PTO for providing the glow sticks! Here are some photos of the glow stick fun!

Next week, we will have our first evacuation practice drill of the year with the alarm. This is part of our monthly drill schedule required by the VT Department of Education and the Vermont School Safety Center. We try and find a time that is least disruptive to education and also consider the weather to plan these outdoor drills. Below is the social story we use in classrooms to prepare students.

Students have begun to ask if they will be able to wear costumes as Halloween nears. Not all cultures celebrate Halloween, and it has been a long-standing practice at South Burlington School District elementary schools to focus on fall festival and harvest themes instead. Near Halloween, we want to provide a distraction-free environment so teachers and students can focus on learning. That's what schools are really about!

We are very fortunate that the City of South Burlington provides multiple opportunities to celebrate Halloween safely in the community. If you are looking for a fun way to celebrate, check out the Pumpkin Carving event, and Community Glow Walk. Links and details are provided in the SB Parks and Rec section of this newsletter, below.

You may hear about schools that still include costume parades and other Halloween traditions, but the vast majority have come to the same conclusion as us. On Halloween, students should keep their costumes at home. We also ask that you save candy for eating at home. We do not share snacks at school that would not be safe for students with life-threatening allergies.Thank you for understanding and for being considerate of the entire school community.

Packets will be coming home with your child(ren). Families who want to participate will need to register their child(ren) using the information in the packet. (If you have registered in past years, you will want to update your child's grade/teacher.) Online orders will be shipped as the orders are placed, to the address given by the buyer. An online customer who lives close to the student can choose to have their order shipped to the student for $1.95, but the student must be registered and acknowledge that they want to deliver orders. Otherwise, shipping is $4.95 per order.

There is also a prize program for students who sell at least one item. Feel free to share the information and your child's seller code with friends and family, even those who live out of state!

Already have enough wrapping paper? Not looking to add to your snack drawer at home? Please consider donating directly to our PTO which helps support field trips and school events. In the packet coming home with your child, you will see a purple flyer for our "Un-Fundraiser." You can send in a donation with your child, or use the QR code on the flyer to donate using Square.

Register here: https://portal.meadowfarms.com/?page=authSignup&groupid=1234001

If you have questions, please reach out to Heather Osborne: dauben20@gmail.com

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

This is the 21st year that our SB Rotary Club has given our 3rd graders dictionaries as gifts to promote literacy! Students in each class, at all three elementary schools, learned what the Rotary Club does as a service organization in our community. After handing out the dictionaries, the Rotarians helped us use these wonderful books to find the longest word, find out more about Vermont and look up the word pumpkin. These dictionaries have many great tools in the back including information about states, countries and planets, braille and a multiplication table. We are grateful to the South Burlington Rotary Club for their generosity and hope you enjoy using the dictionaries at home!

How Much Caffeine Is Too Much for Kids and Teens?

Coffee, soda, and “energy” or “pre-workout” drinks are everywhere — and many kids and teens use them to stay awake or boost energy. But too much caffeine can affect growing bodies and minds in ways parents might not expect.

What to know:

• Caffeine is a stimulant that can make the heart beat faster, raise blood pressure, and cause restlessness or trouble sleeping.
  
  

• It can stay in the body for up to 8 hours, so even an afternoon drink can make it harder to fall asleep.
  
  

• Emergency department visits linked to energy drinks have increased nationwide, often involving children and teens who experienced heart palpitations, anxiety, or dehydration after large caffeine doses.
  
  

• The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that:
  
  

• Children under 12 should avoid caffeine completely.
  
  

• Teens (ages 12–18) should limit caffeine to no more than 100 mg per day — about one regular cup of coffee or two cans of soda.
  
  

• Kids and teens with certain medical conditions or those taking stimulant medications may be especially sensitive.
  
  

☕ Caffeine by the Numbers (approximate amounts)

• 8 oz brewed coffee → 95–100 mg (teen daily limit)
• 12 oz cola → 30–40 mg (common starting source)
• 16 oz energy drink → 160–240 mg (well above safe limits)
• 2 oz energy “shot” → 200 mg+ (extremely concentrated)
• Pre-workout powders/drinks → 150–300 mg (often contain multiple stimulants)

⚠️ Caffeine Pouches — small packets placed in the mouth that dissolve quickly are a growing trend among teens. Each may contain up to 200 mg of caffeine, with effects felt within minutes. Unlike nicotine pouches, there are no age restrictions on their sale.

🔔 Be cautious of drinks labeled “Refresher,” “Boost,” or “Energy.” These can sound harmless but often contain as much caffeine as coffee — or more.

What parents can do:

• Encourage water!
  
  

• Read labels — caffeine amounts vary widely between brands.
  
  

• Avoid caffeine later in the day to support healthy sleep.
  
  

• Talk with your child about how caffeine makes them feel.
  
  

• Be a role model — kids notice what adults drink, too!
  
  

Learn more:

• HealthyChildren.org: The Effects of Caffeine on Kids – A Parent’s Guide
  
  

• CDC: The Buzz on Energy Drinks
  

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.

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