September 28, 2015
Dear Champlain Families,
Harvest Fest was a great success. So many thanks are in order. Thank you to the PTO, particularly Kerrie Mathis,
for organizing. Thank you to faculty, staff, families, and community members who contributed their time, talent,
and treasure, which made everything run smoothly. Thank you to Carl, Sam, Blake, and Kerrie, who stayed extra
late on Friday to get the school ready for Monday. And, thanks to everyone who attended and invited others to this
special event. It was lovely to see everyone.
Stop by and see our beautiful Kindergarten Garden! Thanks to Connie Coleman, Nini Crane, Adam Rumsey, and
students Noah Masi, Ben Rumsey, and Ben's sister Annabelle! We appreciate the colorful new addition.
We finished updating the database information. This is the first time I am using the email list to send out the weekly
newsletters to families who requested electronic copies. Paper copies will continue to go to the youngest child for
those families who do not wish to receive the newsletter via email. The newsletter will continue to be posted on the
Champlain website.
If you have not submitted your paperwork, particularly the health forms, please do so as soon as possible. It is
important for us to have that information in case of an emergency. Ms. Pruitt, our school nurse, said we are still
missing quite a few forms. If you need another, please request one from Ms. Pruitt or at the main office.
Family/Teacher conference days are Thursday, October 8 in the afternoon and Friday, October 9. Some teachers
have additional availability during that week. We are using PTC Fast, a website that allows you to select the
teacher(s) with whom you would like to have a conference. You can begin the process starting tomorrow,
Wednesday, October 1. The URL is http://ptcfast.com/schools/Champlain_Elementary_School. If you do not
have access to a computer or you are having difficulty with the online process, please call the main office and we
can help.
Come to the Book Fair!!
The Scholastic Book Fair will be returning to Champlain on October 7, 8 and 9 during Parent Teacher
conferences. This year we will have a new and expanded selection of exciting titles including more State Award
winners and more of those big beautiful reference books on Science, Geography and Astronomy. We will also
have all of your old favorites and a chance to order the newest in The Diary of a Wimpy Kid series. Come check it
out after school on the Wednesday and Thursday and on Friday morning.
Book Fair Volunteers Needed!!
Families, please consider volunteering for a shift. You are encouraged to bring your kiddo; every year, our students
are our best salespeople. Even little kids can run the cash register (with adult supervision), and it is really fun. The
Book Fair is the primary way that we bring new books and audiovisual equipment into the school, and we are
currently looking at ways to maximize the benefit to our community. Contact me at katekennedypt13@gmail.com
if you can help.
Each year, the PTO publishes a directory of family contact information. This directory is strictly voluntary and
used to help students and families connect outside of school. We ask families to provide their contact details for the
directory at the start of the year. Submit your information at http://tinyurl.com/champlain2015. There is an option in
the online form to re-use your information from last year, without re-entering your data. The deadline for
submission is October 4.
If you do not have access to the Internet, please fill out the below and send back to the office.
Student Name(s) ____________________________ Teacher __________________________
Parent/Guardian name(s)__________________________________
Please enter contact information you would like to be included in the PTO Directory. You decide how much
information you want to share. Examples are home phone number, mobile phone number(s), email address(es),
physical address, and mailing address.
There is a PTO meeting this Thursday, October 1, at 7:30 AM in the Teachers Room.
Morning Champion Program (Partnership between Champlain Elementary & King Street Center)
Champlain Elementary School is looking for some "Champions" to come in once or more a week from 7:30am 8:10am. The Morning Champions program provides Champlain Elementary students with an opportunity to meet
with a caring adult before the start of the school day. 30 minutes in the morning can make all the difference in a
child's outlook for the entire day. The impact is powerful! Simply by sharing an interest in a child’s life, homework,
ideas and concerns, you can have a positive effect. In addition, we are looking for people to share their talents. It
can be coming in one time, multiple times, or weekly to share a skill (yoga, art, computers, reading, teaching a
language, etc.) If interested please contact Gabriella Tufo Strouse at gabriella@kingstreetcenter.org or Deena
Murphy at dmurphy@bsdvt.org.
News from the Champlain Elementary Learning Center
I am pleased to announce that Champlain Elementary School is one of 135 Vermont elementary schools
participating in the 2015-2016 Reading is an Investment program. The statewide program promotes the
importance of reading and teaching children about personal finances. This is the sixth year of the program,
developed by the Vermont State Treasurer’s Office and distributed to participating schools free-of-charge. Through
grade-level lesson plans, school library activities, and personal reading, students are introduced to basic financial
concepts. The focus for the 2015-2016 personal finance theme is "Money Business." Featured titles are: Lots and
Lots of Coins by Margarette Reid, It All Started with a Turtle by Lisa Holthouse and Twenty-two Cents by Paula
Yoo. Families can read with their student(s) and help them complete a reading log to be entered into a drawing for a
$250 college savings plan account. Twenty prizes will be awarded this year. Susan Ames, the School Library
Media Specialist at Champlain, will introduce the program to students this week. A reading log and family letter
will be sent home with each student. If you have any questions, please contact Susan Ames by
email:sames@bsdvt.org or phone: 864-2226. Happy Reading!
Thank you for your support. We appreciate the efforts of our students, faculty, families, and friends who work so
hard to make our school community such a special place.
Coming Events:
Parent/Teacher Conferences – October 8 and 9 with 11:30 Dismissal on October 8 and no school for students on
October 9
Book Fair – Wednesday, October 7 after school, Thursday and Friday during conferences
No School – October 12
Sincerely,
Maria Horton
Interim Principal