The School Bell

A Message from the Principal - Note from our school nurses - ABS & WCS School Gear Order Info - Swift Fundraisers - CVSD Budget Development Meeting Information - Food Service employment opportunities - Williston Community Theatre - and more...

Keep scrolling for:

- Arrival and Dismissal Information

- Information about busing

- Library and Williston Rec - Upcoming Events/Programs

- Links to calendar, handbook, volunteer info

- CVSD District & School Board Links

- Important Family Resources

by Angela Filion, Allen Brook School Principal

What is WIN?

I wanted to take this segment to share with you a little bit about our new WIN block that we have implemented this year for all of ABS. You may be wondering...what is WIN? WIN is an acronym that stands for “What I Need”. It is designed to provide flexible options to support students’ individual interests and needs. From extra help to social time to extracurricular activities and more - WIN block is intended to give students “what they need." This is not a totally new concept to Allen Brook as Horizon House has been providing this for a number of years. We have dedicated a lot of time and energy to create a Master Schedule that allows for us to create this time for students 3 times a week for 30 minutes. We will have periodic rotations of WIN through out the year and all classroom teachers, Essential Arts teachers, specialists, interventionists, and social emotional staff are all contributing to making this a successful time for our young learners.

What happens during WIN block? WIN block provides a variety of options for students including the following: Targeted academic support from teachers to help reinforce or reteach learned content in a small group setting, activities planned with a focus on physical and social-emotional well-being. Students will benefit from differentiated instruction that occurs during a 30-minute daily WIN time that includes reteaching, remediation, or extension activities for Math, Literacy, technology, the arts, and Social-Emotional Learning. When students are not participating in the WIN block(as this is on a rotational schedule in grades 1-2), then they will be focusing that block of time on science/social studies lessons. We are hoping that this will be a great way for us to help support our learners in a variety of ways, especially given the staffing situation we are currently in(refer to Jackie Parks note last week on our current state of conditions with our staffing situation).

Click here for previous blog entries

11/21 - 11/25 - NO SCHOOL - THANKSGIVING BREAK

12/03 - Swift House Bottle Drive

12/08 - Families as Partners December Meeting, WCS Community Room 8:30 - 10:30

12/15 - Mosaic to the State House

12/23 - 1/02 - NO SCHOOL - EARLY WINTER BREAK

November 18th, 2022

Dear Families,

We are starting to see Influenza-like-Illness (IFI) activity in our schools. We check the temperatures of all students who come to the health office and this time of year, we are a bit stricter on our return-to-school recommendations. While the number of confirmed influenza cases in our buildings is still relatively low, we wanted to share this important information to help keep your child and our community healthy. In an effort to reduce the spread of illness, we ask that you keep your sick child home until they are healthy (fever-free x 24 hours without medicine and their respiratory symptoms significantly improved), reinforce the importance of covering coughs and sneezes with an elbow or tissue, and encourage your child to wash hands often and well.

Please let the Health Office know if your child is sick with flu-like illness or if they have been diagnosed with Flu. If you have any questions, we encourage you to call your child's pediatrician or refer to the resources we've shared below.

Be well,

Maria, Carol and Sylvia

How do I know...Is it a cold or the flu?

Treating the Flu | Vermont Department of Health

Influenza: What You Need to Know This Year

CDC Influenza Updates

WCS Health Office:

Maria Kapetanovic, RN, BSN, MSN/Ed

Carol Albertelli, RN, BSN

WCSnurse@cvsdvt.org / ph: 871-6170

ABS Health Office:

Sylvia Love, BSN, RN

slove@cvsdvt.org / ph: 871-6248

We are looking for a few people to help out in the kitchen preparing and serving meals for our CVSD students and adults. No experience needed, we will train. Flexible hours. Fast paced and fun. Please contact Scott Wagner (swagner@cvsdvt.org) if interested. We would really appreciate your help making sure our customers get the best food and service we can possibly provide.

CVSD invites all community members to learn about and join in on the budget development process by attending upcoming School Board meetings. All members of the CVSD community are always welcome to attend Board meetings. See the topics and schedule in the image above and on the Budget page of the district's website. https://www.cvsdvt.org/budget

Links to join the virtual meetings will be available on that page and on the website calendar. We will also post the presentations on the Budget page afterward for those that cannot attend.

• Connect to your child's school and enrich the experiences it offers all 1000+ PreK-8th grade students by joining the volunteers of the Williston Schools Families As Partners Organization!
• Be a part of this collaborative partnership whose focus is to enhance and support students, teachers and the community by providing materials, programs, field trips, guest artists, guest educators and innovative learning opportunities.
• Help elevate the potential for motivating, happy, healthy, and productive lifelong learners.
• For more information contact: willistonfap@cvsdvt.org

Allen Brook School day begins at 7:50 am

Williston Central School day begins at 8:00 am

- To ensure all students are accounted for, everyone arriving after these times will be marked tardy and must stop at the office for a late pass.

Be sure to read the arrival and dismissal procedures for your student(s) school [linked below] if you plan to drop off or pick up your child. We appreciate all you can do to follow these guidelines to ensure a safe and smooth transition in and out of school!

Thank you for your continued cooperation during arrival and dismissal.

<<Attention ABS Families: Help us keep everyone safe by going to the designated areas for pickup and keep the sidewalks near the main entrance clear. This helps ensure adults can account for each and every pick-up that happens.>>

Wednesday: Early Dismissal!

ABS @1:35 - WCS @1:45

ABS Arrival & Dismissal - WCS Arrival & Dismissal

Just a reminder that we are not allowing students to ride on buses other than their regular route(s). This ensures all students are safe and accounted for. Seating charts will be used on all buses.

Click Here for monthly meeting highlights and information

Resources to keep accessible:

• First Call - 488-7777: phone support, crisis intervention, assessment and referrals
• In Crisis: 1-800-SUICIDE (1-800-784-2433) (National Hopeline Network: USA)
• National Suicide Prevention Life line- 1-800-273-TALK (8255), call or chat online
• Crisis Text Line - text HOME to 741741 (24 hours a day, seven days a week)
• Outright Vermont - support for LGBTQ+ community
• UVM Breathe In Breath Out - How to deal with stress due to COVID-19
• Vermont 211 -Vermont database of resources and services
• Vermont Support Line (833) 888-2557) - peer support warmline open 247 - 365 for call or text
• COVID Counselors @ VT-211
• Teen Crisis Text Line - Crisis Text Line provides free emotional support and information to teens in any type of crisis, including feeling suicidal. You can text with a trained specialist 24 hours a day. Text “HOME” to 741741.
• Society for the Prevention of Teen Suicide - Website where you can find information to help yourself or a friend who may be having thoughts of suicide.
• Trevor Lifeline - 1-866- 488-7386 - provides suicide prevention and crisis intervention services to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning (LGBTQ) young people. It offers free, 24/7, confidential counseling. TrevorText—text START to 678-678; TrevorChat—instant messaging at TheTrevorProject.org/help. It also runs TrevorSpace, an affirming social networking site for LGBTQ youth at TrevorSpace.