THE SCHOOL BELL
Williston Schools /September 2, 2020
Welcome to a New School year!
We look forward to seeing students soon!
Hybrid Group 2 students will attend school in person Thursday, September 10, and Friday, September 11.
A Message From The Administration
WGTW
by Lead Principal Greg Marino
We have been using these letters as shorthand for the phrase, “We got this, Williston!” I’m pleased to write this short note on the cover of this very first issue of our School Bell on the start of this peculiar school year to affirm this message. We got this, Williston! It’s hard to describe the energy among faculty and staff right now. It’s a mixture of so many different feelings and emotions. There is one thing we can all agree upon though. We can’t wait to have the students back in our two amazing schools.
I can’t say enough about this dedicated faculty and staff, and could not possibly find the words to describe the care and efforts being taken these days to prepare for the arrival of your children and our students. The custodial staff, health office professionals, office staff and administrative assistants, our food service pros, our paraeducators and team assistants, our principals and director of student services, and of course, our teachers, have been doing nothing less than heroic work to prepare for what we do best - care for and teach children. We are ready. Though many in the field of education are perfectionists by nature, we know and acknowledge that nothing will be perfect as we reopen our doors on Tuesday. But we also know that we have creative spirits and innovative and iterative mindsets that will help us to make the changes on the fly that we know will be necessary. We are ready to celebrate our successes, and learn from our failures. But most of all, we are ready to once again experience the joy of teaching and learning that can only happen with your children in our corridors, classrooms, and on our campuses.
We know that many of you have been curious about arrival and dismissal procedures for next week and need these details to plan your morning routines. You will find those details below with some additional information coming your way tomorrow, including a screencast video that will likely answer some questions you may have. Please take a few minutes to review this information carefully and watch the screencast when it arrives in your inbox.
On behalf of the Williston Leadership Team, I am honored to welcome you back to this new school year and thank you for your continued partnership in the education of your children. WGTW.
Arrival and Dismissal Procedures for Student Drop off and Pick up
Drop off and pick up is looking a bit different this year. Both Allen Brook School and Williston Central School are staggering their morning drop off times to minimize traffic congestion and wait times.
Please see the links below for all the details, including maps of new drop off and pick up locations.
Bus Information
Bus route information has been separated out by Group 1 days and Group 2 days, as arrival times will be different depending on which group your child is in school. Click here for more detailed busing information, including estimated times and routes.
This process has a lot of moving parts! Until we see how the routes work on the first week of school, we will not be able to make further additions to bus ridership.
If you would like to request bus transportation after the first week of school, please complete this form.
HEALTH SCREENING
Parents will be asked to certify that each day they will take their child’s temperature, monitor their health, and NOT send them to school if any of these are true.
All students will have their temperature taken prior to boarding the bus or entering the building.
FACIAL COVERINGS
As students return to school wearing masks, there may be a few occasions in which they see a peer who is not wearing a mask. This is because the AOE's Safe and Healthy Schools guidance acknowledges that students who cannot wear a mask for medical reasons will not be required to do so. Any children who are not wearing masks have received approval through a very individualized district and school process. We will help all children understand that there are very few exceptions about mask-wearing, but that they may occasionally see someone who is not wearing a mask. That person has permission and will be treated with kindness and understanding.
The CDC recommends facial coverings in settings where other physical distancing measures are difficult to maintain, especially in areas of significant community-based transmission. Adults doing drop-off and pick-up should wear facial coverings.
School Meals
School meals will resume on Tuesday September 8th., and we are excited to be able to serve your children hot food at school once again as well as continue to offer grab and go and delivery of meals for those students who are learning remotely. CVSD will be able to continue to offer free meals for all children 18 years of age and younger as we start school.
In our Prek-8 Schools we will start the year by offering 2 lunch choices per day and one breakfast meal per day. We hope to expand our offerings in the future and we will keep you informed as we make changes. Students in school and those learning remotely will have the same menu options but use different methods to order meals.
Menu for Week One 9/8 - 9/11
Choose One Entree. Each meal comes with fruit, vegetable and ice cold milk.
Tuesday: Baked Chicken Nuggets or Ham and Cheese Sandwich
Wednesday: Pasta with Meatballs and Marinara Sauce or Buffalo Chicken Salad
Thursday: Fresh Baked Pizza or Nacho Box
Friday: Baked Corn Dog or Chicken Caesar Salad Wrap
Menu for Week Two 9/14 - 9/18
Choose One Entree. Each meal comes with fruit, vegetable and ice cold milk.
Monday: Beef Soft Taco or Turkey Sandwich
Tuesday: Fresh Baked Pizza or Chef Salad
Wednesday: Baked Chicken Patty on a Bun or Flatbread Pizza Box
Thursday: Chicken Alfredo with Broccoli or Ham and Cheese Sandwich
Friday: Hamburger Deluxe or SunButter Sandwich
In School Meals: Teachers will be taking students’ lunch orders in school on in-person days. Students will have the option of choosing between our hot or cold lunch meal. Breakfast will be available to students on their way to their classroom.
If you feel you may be eligible for meal benefits, please fill out this online form and submit it to the school.You will be notified if you qualify for free or reduced priced meals. Even though meals are currently free for all, this is likely to change later in the fall. Also, this information is used to determine the amount of federal assistance the school receives each year to support learning. If your situation changes you can apply at any time.
If your student has special dietary requirements please let us know. We will be happy to make reasonable accommodations (prepare a vegetarian version, substitute gluten free grain, bread or crust, soy milk or offer an alternate meal) to make sure they can have something nutritious and delicious to eat.
Please contact your food service director if you have questions.
Thank you. We look forward to serving students again at school and to continuing to provide meals for the families in our communities.
Remote Learning Days Meals
Our distribution days for meals for remote learning days will be Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. Please note that the first week of school our distribution days will be Tuesday 9/8 and Thursday 9/10.
The order forms for Meals for Remote Learning Days are below:
Williston Remote Meals: http://bit.ly/WillistonRemoteMeals
Shelburne Remote Meals: http://bit.ly/ShelburneRemoteMeals
Charlotte Remote Meals: http://bit.ly/CharlotteRemoteMeals
Hinesburg Remote Meals: http://bit.ly/HinesburgRemoteMeals
Please only sign up on these forms for the days your students will need meals at home. You can come to your school to pick up meals between 10-10:30 on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. You can also request delivery of meals on the form and we will deliver meals to your home. By requesting this option, you are giving us permission to deliver meals to your home. Please place a cooler near your front door for us to place the meals in to keep them safe and cold. Some items will need to be reheated at home. The instructions will be on the labels.
Athletics
We are so happy to be starting Fall Sports Monday 9/14. Boys and Girls Soccer, Field Hockey and Cross Country. Please visit the WCS Athletics site for more information! Registration is open and all athletes must be registered prior to the first day of practice. A current (within two years) Well Exam-Sports Participation Clearance Form (signed by your physician) must be on file to participate.
Masks must be worn for all sports. All athletes must bring their own water bottle. Athletes will participate only on the days they are in school. Each sport will be designated an outdoor meeting space next week.
Any questions please email Nadine (nlugassy@cvsdvt.org)
WCS Band News
To start the year, the WCS band program will welcome all returning band students and students new to our school that have experience playing in band. Students will be offered 3 choices which are described in this newsletter.
We are gathering information in order to inform our scheduling.
If you have not already, please indicate your preference by filling out this form .
Libraries at ABS and WCS
The slides below can be enlarged by clicking on them.
ABS Library Reopening
Where to drop off
WCS Library Reopening
Well Child Visits- Important for Maintaining Current Immunizations
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention note that as communities open up, it’s
important children go to their well-child visit. Well-child visits are important for:
• Tracking growth and development, including milestones, social behaviors, and
learning.
• Discussing any concerns about your child’s health.
• Getting scheduled vaccinations to prevent illnesses like measles and whooping cough
(pertussis) and 12 other serious diseases.
See the full article on the CDC website for more information on how to keep up with well-
child visits during COVID-19: https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/parents/why-vaccinate/well-child-visits.html
SCHOOL YEAR 2020-21 IMMUNIZATION REQUIREMENTS
An official immunization record must be presented to the school upon admission. If a student doesn’t meet the vaccine requirements, or have a current school year exemption on file, they may be temporarily admitted only after the approval of a school nurse or administrator. Failure to meet requirements may result in exclusion from child care or school.
Students entering kindergarten must provide documentation of the following:
• 5 doses of DTaP (diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis) vaccine
• 4 doses of polio vaccine
• 2 doses of MMR (measles, mumps, and rubella) vaccine
• 3 doses of hepatitis B vaccine
• 2 doses of chickenpox (varicella) vaccine.
If the student has previously had chickenpox disease no vaccine or exemption is needed. Parents must submit documentation of disease or sign the Health Department form
Students entering the seventh grade must provide documentation of the following:
• All the immunizations listed above and
• One dose of Tdap (tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis) vaccine.
• For residential students, one or two (age appropriate) doses of meningococcal (MenACWY) vaccine
These requirements also apply to students in any grade entering a new school from outside of their previous supervisory union or district. Students not meeting the vaccine requirements must be vaccinated as outlined in the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s catch up schedule.
Medical or religious exemption to one or more vaccines is allowed under the rule. An unaltered form must be submitted to the school. Religious exemptions require annual renewal. Students with an exemption may be excluded from school during a disease outbreak.
Additional information about immunizations and required forms may be found at: http://www.healthvermont.gov/disease-control/immunization/child-care-k-12-and-collegeimmunization-information-parents
Access to School Buildings
Our very first consideration is that of the health and safety of students and adults.
This site provides health guidance to school staff and families as we plan and implement the reopening of the Champlain Valley School District's schools for the 2020-2021 School Year in the context of COVID-19. Because we continue to learn more about COVID-19 and the conditions surrounding the situation are continually evolving, this site will be regularly updated as new information becomes available.
CVSD School Board
#CVSDStrong
We invite everyone to share their #CVSDStrong anecdotes and photos at this link: https://bit.ly/
View the videos in the #CVSDStrong series here.
Four Winds
Four Winds website
Monthly Fitness Fun
September Fitness Calendar
School Nutrition Program
Please make payment checks out to 'CVSD - ABS' or 'CVSD-WCS'
DAML Programs
Click here to access the DAML web site listing of events.
Recreation & Parks Offerings
Community Events
More Links, More information
- WSD Mobile App Flyer
- Williston Facebook Page
- CVSD Facebook Page
- Did you know CVSD has a blog? http://cvsdstory.blogspot.com
- CVSD Handbook
- Bus Information
Williston Schools
Email: cpavlik@cvsdvt.org
Website: https://www.cvsdvt.org
Location: 195 Central School Drive, Williston
Phone: (802) 878-2762
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Williston-School-District-1483758238612170/timeline/
Twitter: @wsdvt