SCS Community Newsletter

Dear SCS Families, Caregivers, and Shelburne Community,

Welcome to the 2026--27 school year at SCS! There is a renewed energy in our building after welcoming our faculty back this week, and we can't wait for our entire staff to gather for the annual PTO breakfast on Tuesday, 8/25. The final, most exciting piece will be welcoming your children—both new and returning—back to our classrooms on Wednesday 8/26. Please read on for key details and important information to get the school year started off on the right foot.

In Partnership,

Brett, Jen, and Tania

Morning Arrival:

• Our school day begins at 7:55.

• Bus riders will enter the building at 7:45.

• Caregiver Drop-Off: Students should enter via the School St. doors. Do not drop off in the bus circle or staff parking lot on Harbor Rd.

• Morning Movement starts at 7:25. Dropoff for Morning Movement, which is optional, takes place at the School Street entrance. Morning Movement will start on the first day of school.

• Breakfast is available to all students from 7:45-7:55 - in the cafeteria for K-4 and from the hallway cart for 5-8 students.

Dismissal:

• Bus dismissal starts at 2:40 (1:40 on Wednesdays).
• Walkers, bikers, and pick-up students are dismissed when the last bus leaves.
• Students being picked up will exit out the School St door.
• Kindergarten caregivers, please meet your student at the door.

The first 15 minutes of the day are crucial for a positive start, so arriving on time makes a real difference. Students have the chance to ease into the morning, connect with peers, and feel settled for learning.

Students are considered late after 8:00 and must sign in at the front office if they arrive after 8:00.

We ask for your partnership in arriving before 8:00 AM each day.

• 8/25 - Classroom Visits * check specific times in teacher's Welcome Back emails, and on the SCS website
• 8/26 - First Day of School (7:45 arrival for K-8 students, 1:45 pm dismissal for ALL students) & PTO Welcome Back Parent & Caregiver Gathering (Davis Park after drop-ff)

• 9/1 - PreK Orientation
• 9/3 - PreK First Day of School
• 9/4 - NO SCHOOL
• 9/7 - NO SCHOOL - Labor Day
• 9/8 - Beginning Band Night (6:30, SCS Cafeteria)
• 9/15 - CVSD School Board Meeting (6-8pm, CVUHS)
• 9/16 - 5-8th Grade Cirriculum Night
• 9/21 - NO SCHOOL - Yom Kippur
• 9/22-24 - School Photos (details to follow in future newsletters)

SCS PickUp Patrol Caregiver Guide

Caregivers should use PickUp Patrol to report absences, late arrivals, early dismissals, and changes to dismissal plans. Using one system helps make sure this important information reaches the right staff safely and efficiently.

If you have not set up your PickUp Patrol account, you will receive an email directly from PUP today. The link to register will expire in 48 hours.

• Set your child’s default dismissal plan
• Report attendance & late arrivals by 8:30

• Schedule changes in advance
• Make same-day changes until 11:30 am

• If you need help navigating the portal or completing the forms, click here for detailed instructions.

• Please note that the health form and permission form must be submitted before a student is allowed to go on any field trips.

If you are new to CVSD, or haven't done this before, we encourage you to send a text of "Y" or "Yes" to 67587 to receive important text messages about changes in bus service, schools closings, and safety alerts.

• SCS is transitioning to Arbiter Registration, a new online athletics registration platform for families this year. This is the same platform that CVU has been using over the past 2 years, so many families may already be familiar with it. This is new, but once we get everything established, registration for Athletics will be a lot smoother!

• Families should create one (1) Arbiter account for their household and complete a separate registration (under the one family account) for each participating student.

• Each student’s most recent well visit/physical documentation needs to be uploaded directly to Arbiter.

• During registration, families can select the sports their student may be interested in playing throughout the 2026–2027 school year. Registration for SCS athletics only needs to be completed once per student each school year.

• Questions/need assistance? Please contact Leigh Petrucelli: lpetrucelli@cvsdvt.org

Our cafeteria crew is still looking to hire up to 2 positions to round out our food service team for the school year ahead. If you or someone you know is interested, please reach out to Rebecca Mashak (Ms. Becky) at rmashak@cvsdvt.org.

Nearby Nature is seeking new volunteers for the 2026-2027 school year! This wonderful program brings place-based natural science lessons into our K-2 classrooms. Students will engage in hands-on inquiry while learning about this year’s theme, Earth—Exploring Our Physical World. Each month volunteers attend a training, do a bit of lesson prep, and lead a lesson alongside other volunteers. It’s a great way to be part of your child’s classroom community, explore the world around us, and have fun together.

No experience in science or teaching is necessary, and scheduling is flexible. For more information or to sign up please email wendy.eberhart@gmail.com. You can also read about the program at https://nearbynature.fwni.org.

Help us welcome our amazing SCS staff back with a special breakfast on Tuesday, August 25th! We’re looking for volunteers to help set up, serve, and clean up, as well as families willing to donate baked goods, casseroles, fruit, and other breakfast favorites.

Dropping off food? Just pull up! Volunteers will be outside to collect your donation and bring it inside.

Volunteer Sign Up

Join us at Davis Circle right after drop-off on Wednesday, August 26th for a casual welcome-back gathering. Grab a coffee, connect with other SCS families, and learn more about the PTO and how you can get involved throughout the year. We’d love to see you!