Gertrude Chamberlin School

As we get closer to the first day of school, it’s time to start easing back into those school-year routines!

Our teachers started back this week and were welcomed with a delicious breakfast thanks to our PTO. Our families also provided each classroom/learning space with items from a Wish List they created in the spring...thank you to the families that donated, to our awesome PTO and especially to Erika Bickford and Samantha Earys for organizing our wonderful first morning back together!

To get ready for school, over the next few days try to shift bedtimes and wake-up times a little closer to your regular school schedule, and make sure everyone is getting plenty of good sleep. A calm morning routine, a nutritious breakfast, and a little time to reconnect as a family can go a long way toward making that first week feel smoother. We know the transition from summer fun to school routines can take a little getting used to, so don’t worry about having everything perfect—just take it one day at a time. Before we know it, backpacks will be packed, alarm clocks will be ringing, and we’ll be back to sharing, caring, and learning together! See you at Open House on Tuesday and for the official first day of school on Wednesday!

Warmly,

Holly Russell-Vroegop

If your child is coming to kindergarten, stop by our playground to meet some new friends and families!

If your child is a 2nd grader in Mrs. Custer's class, they can visit with Mrs. Custer from 1:00-2:00. She will be attending her own children's Open House at another school during our regular Open House Time (2:00-3:00). This is only a change for 2nd graders in Mrs. Custer's class...all others should stop by between 2:00 and 3:00.

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We will let you know which day your child's class is getting their pictures taken as the date gets closer.

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

• Bus schedules are posted! Press the button above for the link to the District Transportation Page. We hope most of our students will take the bus to reduce the amount of traffic in our school parking lot. Busses will drop students off at the Hanover Street entrance at 7:45 AM.

• One of the most important things parents can do is to get their student to school on time. The student drop-off window is between 7:50 - 8:00 am. SCHOOL BEGINS AT 8:00 AM.

• Preschool and kindergarten families will drive around the parking lot and drop off at the preschool/kindergarten entrance - once you turn right at the cones, take your first left to come down the first row to cross over into the smaller parking lot. Grades 1-5 will drop off at the first side door and the front entrance. Please follow the directions of the traffic monitors in the parking lot. Please display the grade level card you will receive at Open House on your dashboard to help us determine which lane you should be in.

• All students will be able to pick up a free breakfast in the cafeteria. Faculty and staff members will be available to help students get to their classrooms.

• Classes begin promptly at 8:00.

• Dismissal is at 2:30 for bus riders and 2:35 for student pick up. Please do not arrive before 2:35, as buses need to get loaded and leave the school lot before we can allow cars to operate in the school driveway loops. If you arrive before 2:35, you will be directed to loop back out to White Street until all three busses are in front of the school.
• When you exit the school driveway, please TURN RIGHT onto White Street so you do not back up the flow of traffic.
• Thank you for helping us with traffic safety during the busy times of arrival and dismissal!

We had a busy summer with 13 moves of learning spaces in our school...thanks to our amazing staff for working hard to create new, inviting learning environments for our children! This means that many of our "wings" have new configurations:

• The previous kindergarten and preschool wing is now entirely a preschool wing! Our School's Out preschool program, plus all three of our preschools make up the 4 classrooms. There are no longer preschools at Orchard and Rick Marcotte Central School...they are all at GCS!
• The previous 1st and 2nd grade wing is now a kindergarten and 1st grade wing, plus the Hive and space where our reading/math specialists and SLPa work with students.
• The previous 3rd grade and School's Out preschool wing is now a 2nd and 3rd grade wing, plus Mrs. Zimmer's 4th grade class.
• The previous 4th grade wing now has two 4th grade classes and Mrs. Hernandez's 5th grade classroom (formerly Ms. Ladieu).
• The previous 5th grade wing is still a 5th grade wing!

When you come for Open House, there will be signs up to help you find the classrooms.

We also have some name changes:

• Ms. Ladieu, 5th grade, is Mrs. Hernandez
• Mrs. Simpson, 4th grade math, is Mrs. McGrath
• Mrs. Testone, 4th grade ELA, is Mrs. de la Bruere

THANK YOU to the families who came out this week to continue to work on the GCS baseball field! The new benches have been put together, footings were set and dirt and grass were spread onto the field. It's really shaping up thanks to our wonderful helpers. Special thanks to Sarah Hays for taking the lead on this project!

Your child doesn't need to bring any school supplies, just a smile and a positive attitude! We will provide any learning tools they need such as notebooks, pencils, markers, etc. They will need a backpack, a lunch box, a water bottle and sneakers. Please be sure they are all labeled with your child's name! We have free backpacks for anyone who needs one - see information below if you would like one. Classroom teachers may reach out to families about donations they are looking for...things like good Kleenex for runny nose season (the ones we provide are a little thin!), wipes and extra snacks.

If your child needs a new backpack for the school year, please email Mrs. Baechle at lbaechle@sbschools.net or call the office at 8026527403 and we will schedule a time to have you drop by and pick one up!

Placements are now in PowerSchool. Families who have registered or re-registered for the upcoming school year can log in to their Parent Portal on PowerSchool to see who their child's teacher is for next year!

If you received an email from Mrs. Baechle (Administrative Assistant) or Mrs. Farrell (School Nurse) saying that you are missing registration documentation such as birth certificate, immunizations, proof of residency, then you will not see your child's placement until your registration is complete. Please send us that documentation ASAP so we can place your child.

We are again doing a mixed start to the GCS kindergarten this year! The ultimate goal is to create a structure where the development of relationships, curiosity and achievement are not overwhelmed by other classroom demands. We want to build cohorts of students that will forge relationships well together for any of our two kindergarten teachers. We know we have the least amount of information about this group of children, so a “soft start” will allow us to get to know our K students better and make informed decisions to create balanced classes. What will this look like for your child? Children will have the opportunity to meet both teachers and mix with a variety of children the first few days of school. When kindergarten families log into Power School, they will learn the room number that their child will be in for the first day of school. Mrs. Bahrenburg and Mrs. Preska will rotate into both rooms throughout the day. At the end of the day, we will plan for what the groupings will look like for the next day. We will have lots of staff and use color coded nametags to help children make a morning transition. Families will find out their child's homeroom assignment at the end of the day on August 28th and begin with their teacher on Monday, August 31st. We hope this will allow us to get to know children and create balanced classrooms where they can build a wonderful community for the next 10 months of school!

Our preschool team is also doing a mixed start to the preschool year! If your child is coming to preschool, you should have received the team welcome letter through email with more information. Please call us at 8026527403 if you didn't get the preschool letter and we can send it to your email.

What is the GCS PTO? The PTO's mission to enrich educational experiences of all students, to provide support and assistance to Gertrude Chamberlin staff and families, and to enhance the sense of community at the school through socialization events remains strong. The PTO families are working on fundraising events like the Fall Festival, movie nights, the gift catalog, and the Fun Run. These fundraising efforts help us fund field trips, playground upgrades, and many other enrichment opportunities for our children! Did you know that as a GCS parent, you are automatically a member of our PTO? Come join us as we support our children at GCS!

How can you find out more? Attend one of our meetings! Our meetings occur from 6-7pm in-person in the GCS library or online via Google Meet on the second Tuesday of each month (except December) from September-May. Our first meeting is September 9th. We hope to see you there!

Is there an easy way to help now? School pictures and on Thursday 9/17/2026 and Friday 9/18/2026 and we need your help! Volunteers assist the AMV staff with following the outline schedule and organizing the students for their pictures, and volunteers get 50% off of their photo purchase! Click on this link to sign up! https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0C45A8AD2CA5FFC43-65284533-picture

What's the next PTO event? We are once again hosting the Fall Festival! This year's festival will take place on Sunday, September 27th from 12-3pm. There will be a number of local food vendors to purchase including Black Forest Bakery, Crazy Cotton Candy Lady, Cub Scout hotdogs and chips, Matt Folts food truck, Texas Roadhouse , This.Sourdough, and Yum! Snow Cones. We will also have a photo area, inflatables, face painting, and lawn games! Our Fundraising efforts will include a 50/50 raffle and a silent auction! We will be asking for volunteers to help supervise the bounce houses! Be on the lookout for a sign up genius.

South Burlington School District students have access to one complete reimbursable breakfast and one complete reimbursable lunch at school each day, FREE of charge.

Students who bring lunch from home can supplement their home lunch free of charge with a trip through the fruit and veggie bar as long as they take ½ cup of fruit, ½ cup of vegetables and a milk.

• Individual extra meal items and a la carte items, including "just" milk, fruit, juice do not count as a reimbursable meal and are not part of the Free Universal School meal program. If your student brings lunch from home and wishes to purchase "just" milk, juice or fruit, the cost is $.50 each. We are no longer using the online payment system, MySchoolBucks.

• Individual extra meal items and a la carte items may not be charged; a student must have funds in their account or pay cash at the register.

• All students will be assigned a pin # to be used for making a purchase from their lunch account. Don't worry! if your child can't quite remember their pin # yet, we can credit the account by name.

In Vermont, Law H. 480 prohibits students from using cell phones and other personal electronic devices during the school day, from arrival to dismissal, in all public and private schools. Cell phones and electronics, including watches or any other device that has the capability to text/call/record/take photos are not allowed at school. This includes on the bus and at school sponsored events. If your child needs to have a cell phone or watch for after school contact, it needs to be powered off and stay in your child’s backpack while they are here at school.

Stay Informed and Connected with the Konstella App

The GCS PTO uses Konstella to strengthen our school's sense of belonging and help families connect. This private, secure platform helps 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

Joining is easy! It only takes a few minutes.

1. Download the Konstella app on your device.
2. Click on Register
3. Enter the invitation code: IY6J3Y
4. Check your email and tap Join

Existing Konstealla users-How to update your student’s teacher:

1. Open the App: Open the Konstella app on your mobile device.
2. Go to Settings: Tap the Gear icon (or your profile picture) in the upper-left corner of your screen.
3. Select Your Children: Tap on Your Children.
4. Choose Your Child: Tap on the name of the child whose teacher you need to change.
5. Update Classroom: Tap on the current classroom which will bring up all classroom teachers then select the new teacher/classroom from the provided list.
6. Save: Tap Back and then make sure to hit Done or Save to apply the changes.

Looking to label your child's clothing, water bottle, lunch box containers and other belongings? You can purchase labels from Mabel's Labels and earn money for our school! Mabel’s Labels tag mates are the perfect solution for your child's clothing, including outdoor gear! They are laundry-safe, peel-and-stick clothing labels that will keep your kids’ stuff out of the lost and found. Head over to campaigns.mabelslabels.com and search for our organization - South Burlington School District - Chamberlin PTO - to support us when shopping for your back to school labels.

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!

Our handbook has been updated and you can find answers to many questions you might have about our school! It's a wonderful resource for families, so please take some time to check it out!

We have some wonderful additions to Team Chamberlin for the upcoming school year!

Hi, I’m Julie Marshall, and I’m so excited to be joining GCS this year as the Howard Center School Services Clinician! I have a Bachelor’s degree in Writing, Literature, & Publishing from Emerson College; received my MAT in Secondary English Education from Boston University; and graduated with my MS in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Vermont State University in May. I started my career in therapeutic education at Centerpoint School, supported neurodivergent college students for almost a decade, and most recently worked as a graduate intern clinician in Howard Center’s Early Childhood & Family Mental Health and Perinatal Support Services programs. I love working with children and families, creating a warm and safe space for children to learn and grow, and developing strong relationships with students and all the members of their team to support them both in and out of the classroom. Outside of school, I love to read, make music, take walks in the woods, and spend time with my family and friends in our beautiful state!

I'm Ms. Prescott and I am excited to join the GCS community! I am a Multilingual Teacher (ELL) and I have a Master's Degree in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages. I enjoy getting to know my students (they're always honest about how my French is!) and creating an encouraging space where they feel like they can do their best work. Outside of school, I enjoy skiing, kayaking, and visiting historic houses and castles.

Hi, I’m Melissa O’Brien, and I’m excited to be joining GCS this year as a Speech Language Pathologist in Pre-K! I am a Vermonter that received my Bachelor's degree from UVM and Master’s degree in Speech Language Pathology from Northeastern University. I have been fortunate to support communication with ages 3 through 90+ over the course of my career. Along with supporting communication, helping every child feel heard and feel a sense of belonging are core values of mine. I love language and books and have a passion for supporting literacy across all ages. Outside of school, I enjoy biking, reading, and spending time with my husband, daughter, son and new dog, Penelope. I’m looking forward to a great year and am excited to get to know the students, families and staff in the GSC community!

My name is Melissa Conchieri (I also go by Mrs. C) and I’m very excited to be joining the wonderful community at Chamberlin School as a Special Educator! I worked as a long-term sub Special Educator for 4th grade for the Colchester School District last school year while finishing my licensing program. Previously, I worked as a Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant for several years in that district and got to enjoy preschoolers through 5th graders! I have 2 teens at home and have had lots of experience as a parent of kids receiving special education (13 years' worth!). I work hard to build trusting relationships with my students and enjoy using student’s special interests to engage them! I enjoy skiing, biking, and live music! I can’t wait for the school year to begin!

Hello, I'm Annabelle Cressy, and I can't wait to be a part of the GCS community as a Special Educator this school year! I have my Bachelor's degree in Elementary Education and recently got my Master's in Special Education. I have worked with students in both preschool and elementary settings. I love creating a safe, inclusive and kind learning community where all students have the opportunity to thrive! Outside of school, I love to read, spend time outside, and do crafts. I am so excited to get to know the GCS community!

Hi, I’m Susmitha Cinthala, and I’m very excited to be joining GCS this year as a Paraeducator! I hold a Bachelor’s degree in Economics with a minor in History. I have worked as a business analyst and a private music teacher, teaching students of all ages. I enjoy teaching and have made a career shift to pursue this passion. I love creating a supportive, positive learning environment where children feel seen, heard, and encouraged! I enjoy hiking, baking, playing the violin, and connecting with others! I look forward to getting to know the students, families, and staff, and becoming a part of the wonderful GCS community!

Hi, I’m Lindsay McQueen, and I’m delighted to join GCS as a Paraprofessional! I have a Bachelor’s degree in Biology and a Master’s degree in the Science of Instruction. My experience working in schools spans math, science, and health education, all connected by my lifelong curiosity into the process of learning. Outside of school, I like to read, run, cook, and travel, especially if the travel includes seeing my 8- and 10-year-old nieces. I’m grateful to become part of the community and look forward to building connections with the students, families, and staff who make GCS such a welcoming place.

Hi, I am Kaitlyn McGrath and I am looking forward to working as a paraprofessional at GCS this school year. I have a Associates degree in Liberal studies at CCV Winooski. I have gained more and more experience working with kids over the past few years, and I am excited to see where this profession in education takes me. I am a former Chamberlin student, and last year, I was a recess monitor and substitute at GCS.

Outside of work I love being active, being outside, enjoying time with friends and family, traveling, and enjoying good food. I am very excited to meet the team, staff, students, and families who are all apart of the GCS community.

Hi, I’m Sara Colantuoni. I am excited to be joining the GCS community this year as an

Interventionist. I have a Bachelor’s degree in Liberal Arts and am currently getting my

Master’s degree in elementary education! Last school year, I worked for an after-school

program, and I am excited to take what I’ve learned into the classroom. I strive to create a

welcoming environment where all students feel safe to express themselves and

collaborate with their peers. Outside of school, I enjoy spending time in the mountains,

reading a good book, and spending time with friends and family. I’m looking forward to

working with and getting to know fellow staff members, as well as students and their

families

We are excited to announce the continuation of the School's Out morning program, School's In!

School's In, is a before school program for families who need care for their child(ren) in grades Kindergarten to 5th grade before school. School's In helps get your student off on the right foot for a focused productive day. Enrollment priority will be given to students not currently enrolled in School's Out!

Students will have choices of quiet or physical activities, i.e. card/board games, art, and individual or team sports. During this time, students can take part in the school breakfast program if desired.

School's In does NOT operate when school is closed or there is an emergency delayed opening.

Hours: 7-8 am

Cost: $6/day ($1 sibling discount)

Matt Bombardier a School's Out employee and GCS parent will be leading this program.

Click on the link if you are interested in registering for the program.

Allison Thomson

School's Out! Program Administrator

www.sbschoolsout.com

We are hiring for a few support positions for this year! Training will be provided for all new hires. Please contact me at hrussell@sbschools.net, (802)652-7403.

Recess Monitor - 3 hours a day, supporting recess. Starting pay is $19.28/hr. We are looking for someone 5 days a week, and also substitutes.

Lunchroom Monitor - 3 hours a day, supporting lunch periods. Starting pay is $19.28/hr. We are looking for someone on Wednesdays, and also substitutes.

Preschool Paraprofessionals - Working with small groups of students and classroom support. This position comes with a comprehensive benefit package. Starting pay is $21.25/hr.

Interventionists - Working with one or two students who have Individualized Education Plans with support from our Special Educators. This position comes with a comprehensive benefit package. Starting pay is $21.86/hour. We are currently looking for a full time interventionist, and a long term substitute interventionist to cover a maternity leave at the end of September.

Please go to https://www.schoolspring.com/ and search South Burlington School District or call 802-652-7403 if you are interested!

Rhythm & Reels – Lilo & Stitch: Join us for Rhythm & Reels on Friday, August 28 at Orchard School for a free evening of live music, family fun, food, and a movie under the stars! Enjoy live music from Ursa and the Major Key (6:30-8:00pm), dinner from Skinny Pancake, yard games, inflatables, and a free caricature artist before settling in for an outdoor showing of Lilo & Stitch at dusk (8:00pm). Bring your lawn chairs or blankets and enjoy a fun summer night with friends, family, and neighbors!
Link: Rhythm and Reels Sponsored by DR Power | South Burlington, VT

Color Fun Run - Get ready to get colorful at the SBRP Color Fun Run on Saturday, September 12 at 1 PM at Veterans Memorial Park, sponsored by Associates in Orthodontics! This family-friendly event features a fun one-mile loop with colorful stations along the way, plus a half-mile option for younger participants. After the run, stick around for a dance party, ice cream, inflatables, sand art, lawn games, and more.

Link: https://secure.rec1.com/VT/south-burlington-vt-recreation-parks/catalog?filter=c2VhcmNoPTQxNTMwMzM=

South Burlington's Cub Scout Pack 678 is a place where all students in kindergarten through 5th grade can flourish and have fun. The program offers fun and challenging activities that promote character development, love of the outdoors, and physical fitness. Cub Scouting helps parents make the most of the time they have to impact the lives of their children.

We are having an Open House on Thursday, September 3rd where families can explore all our Pack has to offer. It will take place at Veterans Memorial Park from 6-7:30pm and will include bottle rockets, Gaga ball, and lots of other fun activities as well as a chance to learn more about Cub Scouting!

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