THE SCHOOL BELL
Williston School District / January 14, 2015
NO SCHOOL MONDAY, JANUARY 19
A Message from the Administration
by Jacqueline Parks
The WCS team that facilitates our Positive Behavior Interventions and Support (PBiS) work is sponsoring a school-wide read aloud experience. The purpose is to provide a common experience for students with a focus on the themes of diversity, acceptance and friendship. Teachers have received copies of the book, Rules by Cynthia Lord and are in the process of reading it to their students. Some classes and teams are blogging with each other using a set of study guide questions. A brief summary of the book is outlined below.
“Twelve-year-old Catherine has high hopes for her summer with a new girl moving in next door and a long vacation stretching out in front of her. But, somehow, she can’t seem to escape her responsibilities for David, her younger, autistic brother. She loves David, but he is wearing her patience thin despite her attempts to provide him with the rules that everyone else seems to know but that David has to be taught. They are simple rules like: “You can yell on a playground, but not during dinner,” and “It’s fine to hug Mom, but not the clerk at the video store.”
Life becomes even more complicated when Catherine meets Kristi, the new girl next door, who seems to have the perfectly normal life Catherine has always wanted. While bringing David to occupational therapy with her mother, Catherine meets Jason, a boy her age who is confined to a wheelchair and can not speak. Catherine grows closer to Jason, illustrating words to put in his communication book, while becoming wary of Kristi’s determination to be popular and cool.
As the summer goes on, Catherine finds herself confused by the conflicting demands of her friendships with Kristi and Jason. She begins to wonder if she needs some new rules to live by herself—and finally makes decisions that are all her own.”
One of the activities that students will be doing is to write about the “rules” that Catherine has for herself throughout the book. A few of these include:
- Sometimes you’ve gotta work with what you’ve got.
- Looking closer can make something beautiful.
- Not everything worth keeping has to be useful.
- When someone is upset, it’s not a good time to bring up your own problems.
- Solving one problem can create another.
When you have a moment with your student, please ask them about this read aloud keeping in mind our themes of friendship, acceptance and diversity. This is part of our ongoing work to develop “Good People, Good Citizens and Good Learners” at WCS!
Learn to Ski or Ride Starts Friday, Jan. 16
Friday, January 16 is the first ski/ride day!
Registration Closes- Tuesday, Jan. 20 at 12:00pm
Registration will close on Tuesday, January 20, 2015 for the season. No new registrations will be accepted after this date, since Friday, Jan. 23rd is the second ski day, groups will have been established, and participants have had their second lesson. Any new registrants at this point will be far enough behind to effect the group lessons, and it can be a negative experience for newcomers. All ski rentals will have to be on your own at this time. Fittings are complete and there is not enough time to get them safety checked.
Program Notes for students riding the bus to Cochrans: Skis and boards should be dropped off at WCS in the trailer beyond the tennis courts Friday morning. Students bring their helmets, boots, and other clothing to their lockers. Packs and all non-ski/ride gear must be left in the assigned area (the buses are too crowded to transport extra gear). School bus rules apply to the learn to ski or ride program. Students who are having behavior issues will not be allowed to ride the bus and may be removed from the program.. No food or drinks are allowed to be consumed on the on the bus, to or from the mountain.
Cancellations- to check on cancellations call 871-6009.
Thursday Spark Academy at WCS
We are excited to offer your child an opportunity to participate in the Thursday Spark Academy, an after-school applied learning program for students in grades 5-8. Sessions will run for 5 weeks from 3:00 p.m - 4:30 p.m. with our fourth session starting January 22nd and ending February 19th. These small group classes will be facilitated by school faculty and staff. The after-school bus will provide transportation home for our students.
Students will have the opportunity to participate in a variety of activities that can be found on the link below. In order to take full advantage of this learning opportunity, students will need to make a commitment to attend all five Thursdays. The dates of the session are: January 22nd, 29th, February 5th, 12th, and 19th. Students will be placed on a first come first serve basis. If a student has an unexcused absence from a class, we may ask that he/she no longer attend the session, as there are other students who want to participate.
Please access the link to the sign-up form below by January 20.
Joan Beato and Kathy Rossier
BIG BASKET RAFFLE FUNDRAISER COMING SOON
The Big Basket Raffle and Silent Auction is the Williston school district’s largest community fundraising event of the year, bringing in between $7,500 and $9,000 each year. Between 50 and 60 themed baskets are prepared for this event and 25+ other items are bid on at the Silent Auction table. Several hundred people attend each year. This year’s event is scheduled for Saturday, March 28, 2015.
Area Businesses: We start by asking our Basket Raffle Planning Committee members to solicit area businesses for donations (merchandise or gift certificates). The donations are for the various themed baskets or for the Silent Auction table. Over 90 area businesses helped last year. This is not anything that anyone else needs to do, just those on our Planning Committee. If you have some suggestions for this, please send an e-mail to karenmaklad@gmail.com.
Family Contributions: Families purchase items for the themed baskets that are in classrooms. Each classroom teacher receives a basket with a theme. Baskets are placed in each classroom for 3 or 4 weeks. Everything is then collected, and volunteers assemble beautiful baskets for the raffle. We are going to try to place the baskets in classrooms the week of February 16th, so look for more information within the month.
Volunteer Hours: This event requires the assistance of lots of volunteers beyond just those on the planning committee. We will create a sign-up link and circulate that next month. Support is needed for creating and wrapping the baskets, setting up the gym and cafeteria, bringing in desserts and beverages, selling raffle tickets at the event, and cleaning up after the event. Please consider volunteering!!!
The 2015 Variety Show
This much loved and successful event is in need of new committee members and volunteers in order to happen this year! If you have organizing and/or show experience and would be willing to volunteer for this event please contact willistonfap@cssu.org.
Essential Early Education Community Peer Selection 2015– 2016 School Year
The Williston School District is now accepting applications for a lottery for community peers for the 2015–2016 school year pre-school program. To have your child’s name included in the lottery, please pick up a questionnaire at Allen Brook School, Williston Central School or print one off the school website and return it to the school by Wednesday, February 18, 2015. Community peers must be 3 years old but not 5 years by Sept. 1st. They need to be toilet trained, separate easily from their parents, and be easily understood when talking. Our preschool classes are Monday through Thursday mornings or afternoons.
Names will be drawn for a limited number of available peer slots on Friday, February 20, 2015 Families of students who are drawn through the placement selection will be notified by phone within two weeks of the drawing.
$$$ January 2015 is "Reading Is An Investment” Month at WCS - $$$
WCS is among 137 Vermont schools participating in the “Reading Is An Investment” program, sponsored by the Vermont State Treasurer’s Office. It offers students in grades 3-6 the opportunity to learn about basic financial concepts and to think about how they use money. Each student is asked to read (or listen to) three money-related books and to record silent reading time in a personal reading log. At the end of January, we will mail all of the completed logs to Montpelier, where a random drawing in March will award a $250 savings account to twenty lucky winners. We are hoping for at least one winner from WCS! In the past four years of the program, WCS has been fortunate to have two winners chosen.
Afterschool Enrichment for ABS Students
Harbor House 2015 Bottle Drive
Super Bowl Fans and Williston Families! ... Please save your bottles for a great cause. 8th Graders from Harbor House at Williston Central School will be collecting bottles Saturday morning, February 7 2015, between 9am-11am. 100% of the bottle revenue will help fund our trip to Washington DC this coming June. If you wish to contribute, place your bottles in a bag labeled "Harbor House" at the end of your driveway.
We will drive through the following neighborhoods to pick up bags: Sunrise, Southridge, Brennan Woods, Turtle Pond Rd, Pleasant Acres, Wildflower Circle, Southfield Drive, Chamberlin Drive, Ledgewood, and Lamplite Lane. If you have any questions and would like to request that we pick up at a location not listed here, please contact Jess Haskins at jhaskins@cssu.org
Health Office
The Health Offices at both ABS and WCS are seeing a number of students with a stomach virus or gastroenteritis. For more information about the viruses that cause vomiting and diarrhea please click on the link below:
http://healthvermont.gov/prevent/norovirus.aspx
If your child is sick with a respiratory illness, vomiting, diarrhea, fever, or flu-like symptoms they should stay home from school. Fever should be gone for at least 24 hours without the use of a fever-reducing medicine.
Take these simple precautions to help keep illness from spreading:
- Cover your mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing.
- Cough or sneeze into a tissue and then throw it away.
- Wash your hands often, especially after you cough or sneeze.
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth.
- Try to avoid close contact with sick people.
- Use alcohol-based hand wipes and gel sanitizers if soap and water are not available.
Dental Cleanings
During the months of January and February, your child can receive a dental cleaning, exam, and fluoride rinse for $20. Click here for more information and sign up form.
HANDWASHING CAN SAVE LIVES!! Students at both schools are currently doing the GlitterBug Challenge. Glitterbug lotion that is jazzed up with a UV fluorescent powder is applied to hands. Students wash their hands and then place hands in a disclosure center with an ultraviolet light to reveal how well they cleaned their hands. The results have been surprising. Most students are not washing their hands properly, especially between the fingers, under nails and around nail beds.
Handwashing is like a "do-it-yourself" vaccine—it involves five simple and effective steps (think Wet, Lather, Scrub, Rinse, Dry) you can take to reduce the spread of diarrheal and respiratory illness so you can stay healthy. Regular handwashing, particularly before and after certain activities, is one of the best ways to remove germs, avoid getting sick, and prevent the spread of germs to others.
Learn more about when and how to wash your hands, the importance of using soap and water, and what you can do if soap and clean running water are not available.
http://www.cdc.gov/handwashing/Severe Flu Season: click here for more information or visit the following: http://www.flu.gov/
http://healthvermont.gov/prevent/flu/index.aspx
ABS: 871-6248 / Sylvia Love, RN
Engineering Challenge
The second annual Engineering Challenge is scheduled for March 12th (5/6 grade) and March 13th (7/8 grade). As we think ahead to our days of design and construction, we are going to need a lot of materials that you might be discarding.
plastic grocery bags, plastic trash bags, coffee filters, newspaper, string, plastic spoons, toilet paper and paper towel tubes, ping pong balls, wooden skewers, rubber bands, styrofoam pieces, corrugated cardboard, straws, floral wire, pipe cleaners, plastic wrap, balloons, pompoms, recycled plastic containers (juice, yogurt, etc.), foam core (old trifolds), CDs, dixie cups, egg cartons, marshmallows (regular size), masking tape, duct tape, hot glue sticks (mini size), popsicle sticks, toothpicks, washers, brass fasteners, aluminum foil sheets, pennies
Thank you for your support.
Beginner Band News
Beginner Band lessons are in full swing! Students are moving beyond the preliminary steps of instrument assembly and tone production and are now reading music notation. They will need to continue to develop physical skills, apply what they read, and have elements to memorize. The coordination of these skills takes practice. Practicing often for short periods of time is the key to success. Please continue to encourage your students to practice regularly to build skills and perseverance. Keeping up with a practice routine also helps keep playing an instrument fun.
They should be writing their homework down before they leave class. Homework will also be posted on the WCS Band blog (http://willistonband.blogspot.com/p/beginner-band.html) This is a great place to check if you miss a lesson.
Happy practicing!
Chorus Remind 3/4
Mrs. T-H would like you to join chorus remind 3/4!
To receive messages via text, text @chorus34 to 81010. You can opt out of messages at anytime by replying 'unsubscribe@chorus34'.
Or to receive messages via email, send an email to chorus34@mail.remind.com. To unsubscribe, reply with 'unsubscribe' in the subject line.
3rd/4th gr. Chorus Concerts
Wednesday, February 4th at 1:30pm and 6:30pm in the WCS auditorium.
Musicians are required to wear concert attire for both concerts. Musicians need to arrive at WCS at 6:10pm for the evening concert.
Click here for more information.
Please contact me with any questions or concerns. Danielle Trasciatti-Holmberg (Mrs. T-H) dtrasciatti@cssu.org
Free Tutoring for Eligible Students
Supplemental Educational Services (SES) are additional academic instruction (tutoring) outside the school day or during the summer designed to increase the academic achievement of students. These services are free of charge to eligible* students to improve academic performance in schools such as Williston School District that did not achieve Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) in mathematics or literacy.
If you are eligible* and choose to participate, you must submit an application to Allen Brook or Williston Central School by February 21, 2015.
Here is the link to view the Approved Providers.
Please look for more information under Support Services - Supplemental Educational Services.
*all students receiving free or reduced meals are eligible for Supplemental Educational Services.
Join the WCS Penguin Plunge Team!
We need YOU to join our Williston Wildcats Penguin Plunge Team! This is our 5th year having a school team participating in the Penguin Plunge. The Penguin Plunge is a fundraiser for the Special Olympics and all the participants jump in Lake Champlain! It is very cold but lots of fun. The date is Saturday, February 7th and it takes place at the Burlington Waterfront. If you have questions please talk to the student captains: Eric Couture, Maggie Warren, and Noah Townley. We need students, teachers, staff, parents, and siblings on the team! Please email Jennifer Townley at j.e.townley1@gmail.com or Alice Fothergill at Alice.Fothergill@uvm.edu if you have questions.
Just click the black "Join Team" to register.
Also, please sign your name on the sign up sheet in the WCS front office.
Be a part of your school's team and support a great cause!
Employment Opportunities at WSD
Re-opened: Working second shift Custodian Supervisor
Williston School District has an opening for a working second shift custodian supervisor (first shift during the summer).
Qualifications:
• Demonstrated ability to supervise 2nd shift custodial staff
• Demonstrated leadership skills
• Ability to work with the public
• Must be enthusiastic and proactive in maintaining a high standard of safety and cleanliness at two locations.
Long-Term Substitute Custodian, second shift
Substitute custodian needed for second shift.
Contact Lyall Smith for more information: 871-6013 lysmith@cssu.org
Upcoming Events
Ski / Ride at Cochrans / Fri. Jan. 16 / 2 pm / Cochrans, Richmond
NO SCHOOL / Mon. Jan. 19
School Board Budget Mtg. / Thurs. Jan. 22 / 4:30-6:30 pm /
4th Gr. NAEP Testing / Mon. Feb. 2
Chorus (gr. 3-4) Concert / Wed. Feb. 4 /6:30 pm / WCS Auditorium
8th Gr. NAEP Testing / Mon. Feb. 9
Marko the Magician / Fri. Feb. 13 / 7-9:30 pm / WCS Auditorium
WCS Theme Week / Feb. 16-20
Winter Break - Feb. 23-March 2
Click here for athletics
Dorothy Alling Memorial Library Programs for Kids
Click here for the Bell listing of DAML events scheduled for children.
Click here for the DAML newsletters.
Previous Newsletters
Williston School District
Email: cpavlik@cssu.org
Website: www.wsdvt.org
Location: 195 Central School Drive, Williston
Phone: (802) 878-2762
Twitter: @wsdvt