• June Family Newsletter

    Family Newsletter June 7, 2026   Principal's Message Welcome to the last week of school! We have had an incredible year of learning, growth, community building, and fun together. On Tuesday of this week, teams have team celebrations planned with their own traditions and farewells. Tomorrow, we welcome our rising 6th grade students and send our current 6th grade students upstairs to meet their new 7/8th grade teams. All 5th and 6th grade families should have received a ParentSquare notification on Friday with their student's 2026-27 team placement. If you missed it, homeroom and TA teachers will make sure they have the information for Step Up Day tomorrow. Finally, we are looking forward to celebrating our 8th grade students next Monday, June 15th at 5:30 pm at our 8th Grade Recognition Ceremony! On Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday of this week we have our CMS Days! Rain or shine, students will be creating, hiking, biking, boating, playing, and learning new skills while continuing to build connections with others in our CMS community. This is a great opportunity for students to meet others who may be on their team next year, and to have some fun while learning something new. It's also yet another experience for students to practice our school-wide norms of being respectful, responsible, caring, kind & safe. Thank you to everyone who donated items for CMS days - it wouldn't happen without all of the support! Thank you all for your support, partnership, and most importantly your fabulous students. Together, we help our students and community thrive.     Team Placement & Step Up Day We know team placement can feel both exciting and stressful for students and families. We believe that every student can be successful on any one of our academic teams. Every year we hear about the new friendships students make on their teams. If you have questions about our process, please reach out to CMS Administration. On Step Up Day students can expect to meet the Core Teachers on their team. We have not yet identified Teacher Advisories (TA or "homeroom" teachers), this information will be sent out at the beginning of August around the time of our Summer Family Newsletter.   8th Grade Recognition Ceremony We are looking forward to celebrating our 8th grade students Monday evening, June 15th, at our 8th Grade Recognition Ceremony. It will take place from 5:30-6:30 pm at CHS in the gymnasium. During the ceremony, there will be speeches and awards given to students who have been nominated by their team. Every student will also receive a certificate for completing 8th grade and will be called by name to walk across the stage. The dress code is casual - a nice shirt and pants/shorts, and/or dress, please avoid sweatpants. We hope to see all 8th graders and their families there! 8th Grade Dance After the 8th Grade Recognition Ceremony, the students will make their way over to CMS for the 8th Grade Dance. The dance will be held from 6:30-8:30 pm in the CMS cafe. There are many fun events planned for the "Red Carpet". There will be refreshments, ice cream, a raffle, dancing, and more! Thank you to all of those who have donated time, money, or items for the dance. A special thank you to the volunteers on the 8th Grade Dance Committee for your efforts to make this a special evening for our 8th graders to remember!     CMS Days is Here! We are looking forward to CMS Days this Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday! Our CMS Days take place rain or shine, so please make sure your students is prepared for their activity and the weather each day! Please keep an eye out for updates from your student's CMS Days group via ParentSquare. If the group leaders have information they need families to have during the 3 days they will send that information out via ParentSquare. In order to support our CMS Days programming both this year and into the future you can still contribute by purchasing tickets to the VT Lake Monster's game for Thursday, June 25th - Purchase tickets here! 50% of ticket sales will go directly to fund CMS Days!   CMS Days - Late Arrival & Early Dismissal A reminder that during CMS Days many students will be off campus for all or parts of each day. Please be mindful of your student's CMS Days schedule when dropping students off late or picking them up early. If possible, have students here all day to enjoy their last week! 2026-27 Schedules Over the summer, we will work on students' Unified Arts schedules. All students have completed their course requests and we have been able to adjust the number of sections we will offer for some of our UA classes in order to best meet students' requests. Keep an eye out for more information to come this summer.     Free Summer Meals ☀️🍎 FREE SUMMER LUNCHES ARE COMING BACK! 🍎☀️ We’re excited to once again offer FREE meals all summer long at Colchester High School! 🎉 📅 June 22 – August 14 📚 Monday–Friday ⏰ 8:30 AM – 12:30 PM 📍 Colchester High School Over the next few weeks, we’ll share more information about our summer meal program, along with other free food and meal resources available in our community. Check the CSD Meals website for updates.❤️   Helpful Reminders Cell phones and electronic devices that come to school must be off and away in backpacks for the entire school day. This also applies to CMS Days! Please do not text your student during the day. If they are not feeling well they need to be dismissed via the nurse. Is your student absent? Leaving early? Here are the three ways you can always report absences, late arrivals, and early dismissals: Use the CMS Attendance and Dismissal Change form (via Parent Portal) Email cmsattendance@colchestersd.org Call the front office at 264-5800   Unified Arts Highlight Algebra & Math Explorations Algebra, Math Explorations 7/8, and Math Explorations 6 are the additional math courses we offer beyond our core math classes. These classes all involve finding strategies to help build confidence in math. In each class we work on building a math mindset and building connections between previous math and future math. Students in each class have worked hard and made progress this year. Throughout the journey, we celebrated more than just academic performance; we honored the development of critical thinking, the formation of meaningful connections between mathematical principles, and the cultivation of disciplined study habits. All of these courses focus on very similar concepts and building connections and confidence is an important part of learning. Students received information last month about their placement into Algebra, Math Explorations 7/8, or Math Explorations 6 for next year. Reach out to Jackie Dixon, our math instructional coach if you have any questions about these placements.   CMS Athletics Spring Sports Our baseball, softball, and track teams had great spring seasons. There was growth, best times, wins, and losses - regardless, all of our student athletes built community and improved their skills! A shout out to the Girls A Softball team for their undefeated season! Also, both our Boys' and Girls' track teams took 2nd place in the Chittenden County Championship! Congratulations to all! Finally, we want to give a big thank you to Jim Olson for serving as the CMS Athletic Director. After years of scheduling games and officials, organizing teams and equipment, and supporting our coaches and student athletes, he stepping down from this role for the upcoming school year. He will still work at CMS and is excited to help transition our new Athletic Director, Ty Pratt, who will start this summer!   Get your CMS Gear   CMS Clubs News Thank you to everyone who participated in our clubs this year! We look forward to continuing to offer these extra-curricular opportunities to students again next year. Every year we have repeat clubs as well as new clubs - new ideas are generated by both our students and staff! Here were all our 2025-26 offerings: Crafting Club, Math Club, Social Justice Alliance, Gaming, Dude Be Nice, Pen & Pages Society, Yearbook, Swiftie, Art, Rowing, Improv & Drama, French cooking & baking, Korean culture, Yo-yo, Math Counts   PACT Updates Thank you to all of our volunteers! Everyone who chaperoned, brought in a snack, donated, or purchased something from our Amazon Wish List helped support our students this year! This year, we supported students and staff in many ways, including: Sports equipment and uniforms Math Counts fees French Baking & Cooking supplies CMS Days Staff appreciation week Staff breakfasts Student Night Out events - inflatables, concessions, art supplies, and more! Our final upcoming event: 8th Grade Dance, June 15th: Our final send-off celebration for our 8th graders as they prepare to move on to high school!   Important Dates Step Up Day: June 8th Team Celebrations: June 9th CMS Days: June 10th, 11th & 12th Safety Drill: Week of June 8th Last Day of School: June 12th 8th Grade Recognition Ceremony & Dance: June 15th: 5:30 - 8:30 pm First Day of School 2026-27: August 26th  

    Sunday, Jun 07 2026

  • The Compass: CSD Districtwide Newsletter for May

    District Newsletter at a Glance End and Start of School. The last day for students is Friday, June 12, and they'll return on Wednesday, August 26. Heart of the School. Still feeling the love from our students and families. Building Our Future. Construction update with photos. CHS Student Publishes Second Book. Hear about it in the Book Talk podcast. Summer Meals. Our lunch heroes are getting ready for summer. Welcome New Kindergarteners. Getting excited for the meet-and-greet on June 3. Booked at Burnham. Their summer calendar is full of opportunities for youth! Calendar Reminders. The final dates to remember. Sailing Around the District. A check-in at our schools.   End and Start of School There are only four weeks of school left! We are headed into a busy season with celebrations, events, and field trips. Assuming there are no more unplanned closures, the last day of school for all grades will be Friday, June 12. We’ll wish everyone a safe and healthy summer and will look forward to welcoming K-12 students back for the first day of school on Wednesday, August 26, with PreK starting the following week on Monday, August 31.   Heart of the School A heartfelt thank you to all our families and students for acknowledging the faculty and staff who work in our school district during Employee Appreciation Week. From flowers to handwritten notes, passing “thank-yous” in the hall, and the incredible spreads from our PTAs. It was especially wonderful to hear firsthand stories from students about how our employees make an impact on their lives. If you didn’t see our Heart of the School video - check it out!   Building Our Future Construction progress continues over at Porters Point School! Different trade contractors are working on electrical and mechanical systems; sheetrock is going up in the basement and on the first floor; and the interior framing is wrapping up on the second floor. On the outside, we’re starting to see what the final look will be; windows are being installed, and the siding is going up. Check out csdbond.org for more photos and construction updates over the summer.   CHS Student Publishes Second Book We’re excited to celebrate CHS 11th Grader, Edonusem Pomeyie, on the release of his second book of poetry: Live Love Life: A Poetic Symphony From One’s Heart.  Phoenix Books in Burlington is hosting a launch party on Monday, May 25, and describes the book as a collection of deep, heartfelt poems written in times of hardship and joy. In the event description, they describe the book as a poetic work that dives deep into hard topics in the author's personal experiences, such as belonging, love, friendship, racism, identity, and growing up as a teenager. Edonousem was also interviewed about his new book on Book Talk, the CHS Library Podcast. Choose “Episode 5” to hear him discuss his book, his writing process, and more. Congratulations, Edonusem!   Summer Meals Free lunches are coming back this summer! Our incredible kitchen staff is still working out the details, but expect to be able to grab free meals all summer long from Colchester High School. In the next few weeks, we’ll send out a separate post with information about our free meal program, and we’ll also include resources for other free food/meal opportunities in our area. Shoutout to our kitchen staff who were recently celebrated on School Lunch Hero Day!   Welcome New Kindergarteners! Both Porters Point School and Union Memorial School will hold their Kindergarten Meet & Greet on Wednesday, June 3, 2026, from 3:45 - 4:45 p.m., with a rain date of Thursday, June 4. Incoming kindergarteners and their families will tour the building, explore the kindergarten classrooms, and meet with the principal, teachers, school counselor, and other important adults at the school. If your child is planning to attend kindergarten in Colchester next year, please make sure they're registered! Visit csdvt.org/kindergarten to start the process. Register for Kindergarten   Booked at Burnham Library Hello from Burnham Library! Although it's still May, we are deep into summer scheduling: booking performers, coming up with weekly activities, planning crafts, and more. It's going to be a busy one! Be sure to check the library's calendar in the coming weeks to see options for all ages, as well as information on how both kids AND adults can track summer reading in fun ways.   One special program we have going on this summer is our Creative Expression Camp, which is open to students entering grades 6-9 in the fall. It runs July 13 - July 16, from 9 am - 2 pm each day. The aim is for participants to explore different genres of creative expression through words and visuals, as well as hear from creative people working in those fields — so we have a bunch of guest presenters coming that we're super excited about! This FREE camp is thanks to a generous grant from Vermont Humanities, however space is limited. If your child is interested, please be sure to sign up or reach out to us with any additional questions as soon as possible.   Upcoming Calendar Reminders Monday, May 25: No School Friday, June 12: Last Day of School for Students Saturday, June 13: Class of 2026 Graduation Wednesday, August 26: First Day of School for Students (K-12)   Sailing Around the District Highlights From Our Schools Colchester High School Earlier this spring, “Recycle Rhonda” Mace from Chittenden Solid Waste District came to CHS to teach students about the importance of keeping batteries out of the landfill and how to properly recycle them. Students wasted no time participating in the Battery Bonanza challenge. A huge thank you to the Colchester community for supporting the CHS Green Teens and AP Environmental Science students in their efforts to recycle used batteries. You came out in force to drop off your dead batteries to the tune of over 350 lbs of them! The batteries were properly sorted, safely packaged, and shipped to the Battery Network for recycling. Colchester Middle School Last week CMS held a Community Connections Day. We kicked off the day with a performance by the Jeh Kulu Dance & Drum Theatre group. CMS students and staff enjoyed listening to and participating in their performance! In addition, students had an opportunity to reflect on their experience in TA considering questions such as How did audience participation change the experience? and In what ways is drumming a form of storytelling? Teams then participated in other forms of community building such as sharing favorite foods, playing a flag Kahoot, or watching videos about other cultures. Malletts Bay School In fourth grade our students learn all about the state of Vermont, and two favorite experiences in May and June are our field trips to the Vermont State House and the Shelburne Museum. These trips bring classroom learning to life as students explore Vermont’s history, government, culture, and traditions. At the State House, students have the opportunity to see where Vermont’s government works and learn more about how laws and decisions shape our communities. During their visit to Shelburne Museum, students experience Vermont history through hands-on exhibits, historic buildings, and collections that help them connect with the stories of our state. Union Memorial School Students have learned about bullying and harassment all year through our Second Step curriculum and with Mrs. McCleary in Care class. Mr. Antonicci visited each class recently and talked about the second school rule: Be Kind. He also reminded students bullying is not allowed and what they can do if they see bullying happening (be a good upstander) or feel like they have been a victim of bullying. Porters Point School Porters Point and Union Memorial PTA groups are working together again this year to host the 3rd annual Color Run at Malletts Bay School.  This fun event is open to all students in kindergarten through second grade. Participants wear plain white t-shirts, and families get to toss safe, non-toxic colored powder on the runners as they run by.  It's a wonderful chance for students from both schools to get to know each other, especially since our second graders will be moving on to MBS together this fall. We look forward to seeing everyone at the finish line — colorful, happy, and having a great time! Preschool at MBS Brenda Windhausen, SPARQS assessor for the Vermont Association for the Education of Young Children, spent time in the preschool classrooms in April. She conducted the Classroom Assessment Scoring System. This tool looks at how teachers and children work together. It focuses on things like emotional support, how the classroom is run, and how teachers help children learn. It is required every three years by the Vermont Department of Children and Families Child Development Division. The Colchester Early Education Program’s scores were higher in every area compared to three years ago! Brenda stated, “These are the ranges the Child Development Division (CDD) in Vermont chose for 5 STAR programs. Your classrooms scored above the national average!” Congratulations Preschool!   Follow Along! If you're on Instagram or Facebook, we are, too! Follow along with our students on their educational journeys and see what makes ou Colchester community such a great place to learn and work. Facebook: Colchester School District Instagram: @colchester_schools

    Friday, May 15 2026

  • May Family Newsletter

    Family Newsletter May 10, 2026   Principal's Message I want to take a moment to express my gratitude to our community for your continued partnership and trust in our dedicated staff here at CMS. We work daily to help create a safe environment in which students are cared for and offered a variety of ways to learn and grow. We do not take this important job lightly. To that end, we again recognized these past few weeks the importance of our two way communication. When you have a question or concern, please reach out. We rely on your support and information to best support each and every student here at CMS. We welcome you into our building, to schedule a phone call, or get in touch via email. In addition, thank you, for the amazing ways you showered our staff with appreciation this past week. From lunch, to treats, to raffle prizes, to shout outs, we felt the love! The end of the year is here! Please review the many upcoming spring events outlined in this newsletter. We are excited for students to complete cumulative projects and show off what they have learned. We look forward to enjoying the art work, music, and other demonstrations of learning students will share in the coming weeks. Behind the scenes, we are actively working on our end of year celebrations and preparing for next school year. Please reach out with any questions about the busy May and June schedules!   Community Connections Day We had a performance by the Jeh Kulu Dance & Drum Theatre group to kick off our Community Connections Day on our last early release day. Check out some images from the performance:   Spring Events There are many exciting events coming up in May and June. Be on the lookout for more details as each gets closer. It's also a great time to make sure you have filled out the CSD Volunteer Form. Chorus Concert, May 14th, 6:30 pm @ CHS Spring Fling, Final Student Night Out, May 15th Band Concert, May 21st, 6:30 @ CHS Step Up Day, June 8th Final Team Celebrations, June 9th CMS Days, June 10th, 11th & 12th 8th Grade Recognition Ceremony & Dance, June 15th The last day of school has been changed to Friday, June 12th. It is a full day of school.   Romeo & Juliet This year all seventh and eighth grade students participated in an interactive introduction to theater in order to prepare for their study of Romeo and Juliet. At the end of the day, every student that attended participated in the activity in some way. We were so proud of our students and the cultures that their teachers have created which makes it safe for them to take creative risks with their peers.   CMS Days Information, Wishlist & Fundraiser We are looking forward to CMS Days June 10th, 11th, & 12th! Students found out which CMS Days group they are in prior to April break. You can expect a message with information and a permission slip via ParentSquare from your student's CMS Days advisor next week. We have put together a CMS Days Amazon Wish List of items needed for the program. Any support your family can provide is greatly appreciated. In addition, don't forget to purchase tickets to the VT Lake Monster's game for Thursday, June 25th - Purchase tickets here! 50% of ticket sales will go directly to fund CMS Days!   ACDA Children's Honor Chorus Festival This past weekend, 19 students represented CMS at the ACDA (American Choral Directors Association) Children's Honor Chorus Festival. The students, led by Regean Paras, Associate Professor of Music at Berklee College of Music rehearsed over two days to perform for our Burlington Community. The students made our community proud!   5th Grade Family Night Thank you to the many families who came out to our 5th Grade Family Night last week! In case you missed it, here are the slides we presented. We apologize for the technical difficulties, we encourage you and your student to check out the videos we were not able to show Thursday night. In addition, we are always looking for ways to grow and improve. If you were able to attend the event, we would love your feedback. Please take a moment to complete this short feedback form.   Helpful Reminders Cell phones and electronic devices that come to school must be off and away in backpacks for the entire school day.  Please do not text your student during the day. If they are not feeling well they need to be dismissed via the nurse. Have you downloaded the PowerSchool App for your phone or tablet? The app provides quick and easy access to view student attendance, class assignments, and complete online forms. All 7/8th grade teams and Unified Arts classes have their weekly homework slides posted under their team on the CMS website. Is your student absent? Leaving early? Here are the three ways you can always report absences, late arrivals, and early dismissals: Use the CMS Attendance and Dismissal Change form (via Parent Portal) Email cmsattendance@colchestersd.org Call the front office at 264-5800   Volunteer, Sub, or Join us! Spring is such a busy time here at CMS! We are always looking for more substitute teachers and we are also still hiring for a variety of other positions!   Unified Arts Highlight CSD Art Show - Congrats! This past week, over 150 of our talented CMS artists had their work on display in the district art show at MBS. From drawings and paintings, to multi-media sculptures and ceramic creations, the skill, effort, and perseverance of our students was a truly impressive sight to see. Congrats to all our CMS artists!   CMS Athletics Spring Sports Spring sports are in full swing! Come check out some home games. Here are the dates of some upcoming home games at Airport Park: Baseball A: May 18th & 29th, June 3rd Baseball B: May 13th & 15th, June 1st Softball A: May 18th & June 3rd Softball B: May 13th Our Track & Field Team only has away meets this year, but you can find them on Monday afternoons: May 11th @ Essex May 18th @ CVU Questions? Check out the the Athletics page on the CMS website or email our Athletic Director, Jim Olson, james.olson@colchestersd.org   Get your CMS Gear   CMS Clubs News Despite being in the final stretch of the year, we still have new clubs forming and building community around new or shared interests! On Wednesdays, we have a group of students who joined rowing club. Starting this Thursday, we have a new Improv and Drama club! The last week of clubs will be the week of June 1st. Monday: Crafting Club, Math Club Tuesday: Social Justice Alliance, Gaming, Dude Be Nice, Pen & Pages Society Wednesday: Yearbook, Swiftie, Art, Rowing Thursday: Improv & Drama Friday: French cooking & baking, Korean culture   PACT Updates Thank you to everyone who donated to Staff Appreciation Week! Here is some of what we have coming up! Spring Fling, May 15th: Our final Student Night Out with additional activities and treats. Please sign up via ParentSquare to donate or volunteer! 8th Grade Dance, June 15th: Our final send-off celebration for our 8th graders as they prepare to move on to high school!   Important Dates STAR Math & Reading Assessments: Week of May 11th Chorus Concert: May 14th, 6:30 @ CHS Kekla Magoon Author Visit: May 15th Spring Fling, May 15th, 6:00 - 7:30 pm Safety Drill: Week of May 18th Band Concert: May 21st, 6:30 @ CHS Gracie vs. The People Performance by VT Stage: May 22nd, School-wide field trip to CHS Student Recognition Breakfast: May 27th, 8:45 am Meet CMS Days Groups: May 29th PACT Meeting: June 2nd, 6:00 - 7:00 pm, CMS Library 6th & 7th Grade Team Notification: June 5th via ParentSquare Step Up Day: June 8th Team Celebrations: June 9th CMS Days: June 10th, 11th & 12th 8th Grade Recognition Ceremony & Dance: June 15th: 5:30 - 8:30 pm  

    Sunday, May 10 2026

  • Information About CMS Incident Before Break

    CSD Community, Throughout today, there have been several community posts online containing information that we would like to clarify regarding an incident that occurred at Colchester Middle School the week before April break.  Early that week, prior to vacation, a report was made to the Colchester Police Department after the school day was over. The report stated that a student had shown another student a weapon on the way home. The incident was immediately investigated by school administrators in collaboration with the Colchester Police Department.  The investigation determined that the student brought a non-functioning airsoft pellet gun to school in their backpack. There were no pellets in the pellet gun or any pellets in the backpack. The pellet gun was not taken out of the backpack at school, nor was a report made to anyone at the school that day about a weapon. It was, however, shown to another student on the way home who then reported it to the Colchester Police Department. Following the investigation, the proper steps were taken in accordance with state law and district policy to ensure the safety of our school community. Due to privacy laws, we cannot share any further details regarding the incident or about the students involved. This means we cannot share any disciplinary consequences, as it is protected information. Please be mindful that rumors can spread quickly. The District investigates all reports that we receive with the utmost diligence. Our “See Something, Say Something” culture is vital to these types of investigations. We thank those who report information and concerns directly to school administrators and the Colchester Police Department. Thank you for your continued partnership in keeping our schools safe. Colchester School District

    Tuesday, Apr 28 2026