THE SCHOOL BELL
Williston Schools / April 29, 2022
* No School Tuesday, May 3*
A Message from the Williston Schools Leadership Team
By Jacqueline Parks, WCS Building Principal
Next week is Staff Appreciation Week! We hope you will join us in celebrating our faculty and staff at ABS and WCS! We have lots of special treats in the works, but the list below are some ways that you and your child(ren) can get involved.
Monday: Honor an educator with a flower. An outline of a flower is included HERE for you to print out for your child to color. Brainstorm a few staff members that your child feels an extra connection with and write their names on the flower. Students can drop their flower(s) off at the front office of ABS or WCS and we will create a display for our staff to enjoy.
Tuesday: No School
Wednesday: We’re bringing back the beloved dessert day! If you are able, please sign-up to bring a special dessert to the ABS office or the WCS Community Room on Wednesday morning. Each staff member will select one dessert to enjoy. Dessert Day Sign-Up
Thursday: Wear your school colors to show your appreciation for the staff. For ABS the colors are black and yellow and for WCS they are blue and gold.
Friday: Write a note of appreciation to one or more faculty members that you and your family have a special connection with. These can be dropped off in the front office of ABS or WCS and we will put them in their mailboxes.
Share a Kudos for Teacher Appreciation Week!(or anytime)
Is there a teacher, staff member, or administrator that has made a difference in your or your child's life? Do you know someone who deserves a round of applause? Everyone in our schools works incredibly hard all school year long!
Please join us in celebrating Teacher Appreciation Week by submitting your praise. Your message will be delivered to the appropriate staff member throughout the week (May 2nd- May 6th).
Go to the Let's Talk page or tab on the district's website and look for CVSD Kudos to share your thoughts.
Walk & Roll to School Day - Wednesday, May 4th
Walking and using a bike to get to school is not only healthy for the environment, but also healthy for yourself. It’s proven that when you walk somewhere daily, your dopamine and serotonin increases, which can make you feel happy and motivated. It’s also great for the environment since we can reduce the amount of air pollution in a day. In fact, 30% of the carbon dioxide emissions in Vermont are caused by transportation. Carbon dioxide is a major greenhouse gas. By having fewer cars on roads, we can reduce that number. You can help lower the amount of emissions by walking and biking to school.
To help encourage participation, there will be a pizza party for the class with the most walkers and bikers! Teachers should look for a survey next week to record the number of students who participate.
Seeking Summer Early Education and School Age Program Intensive Paraprofessionals
Allen Brook School and Williston Central are seeking energetic, intensive paraprofessionals to join our summer school teams. We are looking for skilled, caring individuals to provide support for individual and small groups of students in academic areas, personal development/behavior, and social cognition. Ideal candidate will be an advocate of inclusive education, problem-solver and strong collaborator, and a positive team member. Ability to promote child growth and foster independence are essential. Please note that lifting is a requirement of this job.
Early Education Program is July 5- July 28, 2022, Mornings Monday through Thursday
School Age Program is July 11- August 4, 2022, Mornings, Monday through Thursday
If interested in early education, please contact Shelley Henson at shenson@cvsdvt.org for more information. If interested in the school age program at Williston Central, please contact Cindy Morin at cmorin@cvsdvt.org for more information.
CVSD is an equal opportunity employer. Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC), women, and LGBTQ+ candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.
If interested please apply online at www.schoolspring.com.
** Poppy Playtime featuring Huggy Wuggy **
All families have different expectations around video games, movies, shows and even holidays that they expose their children to. Often these trickle into school, and for the most part, they help students start conversations and connect with others.
There are times when children are talking about characters that may scare or make others feel uncomfortable. We are asking that if your children play the game Poppy Playtime, or know of
this game/character, that you talk with them and ask them NOT to talk about it at school.
If you are unsure what this is, here is a link.
Thank you for your help and cooperation
Spare Clothing for Mud Season
WCS Garden For Life - Family Clean-Up Days
As our garden expands we are in need of a few additional hands. We have a significant tree trimming project that we need help with cutting and stacking downed limbs and trunks and some new areas to dig out that includes removing large roots and items that have been buried. There are also some large boulders in the woods that we would like to drag out and position as seating.
Dates are Apr 30, 2022 and May 14, 2022 and timing is flexible based on participant availability. Please direct all questions and/or RSVP to Lynn Brown at lbrown@cvsdvt.org
ABS & Mosaic Art News
Our Art Studio at Allen Brook continues to be a very lively space as you can see from our Artists’ vibrant drawings, paintings and weavings. Kindergarteners have recently watched a wonderful reading of Maurice Sendak’s, Where The Wild Things Are and practiced painting large creatures while walking around their tables in order to stretch their lines and shapes towards all edges of their papers.
Meanwhile Emily McCracken, our fabulous intern, designed a Moody Monster lesson for first and second graders, teaching the children about the effect of complementary colors when placed side by side in an image.
Miss Emily is now doing her solo teaching. Her kindergarteners through second graders are creating art inspired by Pop Art, a 1960s art movement that used images from everyday popular culture. Kindergarteners are printing and painting while grades 1 and 2 are sculpting 3-dimensional foods using Model Magic.
Grades 3 and 4 attend art in rotations this year. Some have completed their classes while others have their second rotation in the coming weeks. All artists are exploring a variety of mediums including clay, weaving, painting, drawing and in some cases sculpture as seen in these photographs of a large papier mache insect, a coil pot, a complementary color value study and a weaving using tapestry, soumak and rya knot weaves.
Wishing everyone a healthy and happy spring!
Sara Beeken, Art
Upcoming Events & Reminders
WCS Chorus Concerts - Save the Date!
5th & 6th Grade Chorus
7th & 8th Grade Chorus
Bus Reminders:
* Bus I will be consolidated to buses A, H & K through the end of this year.
Bus J will be a shortened route in the afternoon with some stops being moved to other buses - and will have 2 new drivers - Julie in the morning and Jon afterschool.
Bus A - (PM Only) Butternut, Sunset and Oak Hill 10-15 minutes later. So. Brownell from Walker Hill to 116 added from Bus I
Bus B - (PM Only) Pinecrest Village and Route 2 from Pinecrest to Tower Lane
Bus H - (PM Only) Little Things Daycare added
Bus J - Route remains the same in the morning with updated times. Afternoon changes for Pinecrest Village, Route 2 from Pinecrest to Tower Lane, and North Williston Road from Gov. Chittenden to Fay Lane.
Bus K - (PM Only) Industrial Ave/Green Mountain Gymnastics added from Bus I. Remainder of route about 5 minutes later.
Bus L - (PM Only) No. Williston from Governor Chittenden to Fay Lane added. Mountain View to Katie Lane will be 10-15 minutes later.
CLICK HERE to see times and details for the afternoon (PM) changes
CLICK HERE for BUS J morning times and details
If you have questions email wsdtransportation@cvsdvt.org
Students may not ride another bus
May 4, 2022 from 6:00-7:30 pm with The Upstanders an iNDIEFLIX FILM about cyberbullying. Film followed by panel discussion and Q & A with Michelle Fane, MS, LCMHC, Howard Center, Logan Cross, the Big Picture Program, SBHS and more. Register here. Hosted in partnership with Champlain Community Services.
May 18, 2022 from 6:00-7:30 pm with How can we make Vermont more welcoming and inclusive for our diverse community? With panelists Jacob Bogre, Association for Africans Living in Vermont, Dr. Marissa N. Coleman, University of Vermont Medical Center, Yasamin Gordon, City of Winooski, Tino Rutanhira, The Vermont Professionals of Color Network, and moderator, Dr. Jude Smith Rachele, Howard Center and Abundant Sun. Register here.
For more information www.howardcenter.org; 802-488-6912.
Announcing 1st Annual CVSD Summer Band Camp
Summer enrichment program for current band instrumentalists entering 7th or 8th grade in the CVSD schools
Play in the camp band, collaborate in small ensembles, and receive individual coaching from high school mentors
Daily non-musical electives & activities
Informal concert at the end of camp
Limited capacity of 60
10:1 camper:counselor ratio
CVU Summer Camp
A Reminder from Dorothy Alling Memorial Library
DAML Programs
Click here to access the DAML web site listing of events.
Recreation & Parks Offerings
Community Events
Four Winds
Nature's News Newsletters
December - No Newsletter
Slides Presentations
Lesson 1: Leaf-Eaters
Lesson 2: Life in the Dirt
Lesson 3: Snags and Rotting Logs
Lesson 4: Squirrel Tales
Lesson 5: Staying Warm
Lesson 6: White-tailed Deer
Lesson 7: Forest Birds
Williston Four Winds Program
Contact Us: wsdfourwinds@cvsdvt.org
FAP Information
We are looking for volunteers in all areas, our council, house representatives, and event volunteers! Please fill out this form if interested in helping!
https://forms.gle/AvVx1EHUGWWAikWn9
ABS Safe Drop Off & Pick Up
It is very important to stay in your vehicles during arrival and dismissal. We appreciate all you can do to ensure a safe and smooth transition in and out of school!
Please do not stop in the handicap parking spot or the crosswalk in front of the school - this creates safety and accessibility challenges when these areas are blocked.
Students being driven to ABS in the mornings can arrive between 7:30-7:55 for all 1st and 2nd grade students. 7:50-8:00 for all Kindergarten and PreK students. Walkers are welcome as early as 7:30. School begins at 8:00.
Please refer to this map for the correct location to drop off/pick up your student:
ABS Dismissal Update
*Please note: we did not shorten learning time for our students, we are just making the time students are waiting to leave and waiting outside less.
Family Resources
Resources to keep accessible:
Help Desk Portal for Technical Issues
INTRA-DISTRICT K-8 SCHOOL CHOICE
Children entering grades K-8 who live in the towns of Charlotte, Hinesburg, Shelburne, St. George and Williston may exercise school choice. Our goal is to both allow options for families and also make balanced class sizes to provide a positive learning environment for all of our children. Processes for intra-district choice of school will be guided by the needs of students, space availability, and existing resources. Given this, we will work to meet as many families’ needs as possible. Guidelines and Application
Internet Connectivity for Families
CVSD has been awarded a federal grant that provides assistance for Internet connectivity for families that qualify for the free and reduced-price meals program.
The Emergency Connectivity Fund (ECF) is designed to help students who currently lack Internet access that they may need to connect to classrooms. It is funded through June 2022.
If you have any questions about the program, please send a note to CVSDECFProgram@cvsdvt.org . If you have questions about your student’s eligibility for the Free and Reduced Meal program, email Stephanie Hurlburt at shurlburt@cvsdvt.org
Upcoming Events
May 3 - Eid al-Fitr - NO SCHOOL
May 4 - Walk or Roll to School Day
May 11 - Four Winds Training, 8:30 - 10:30, Location TBD
May 13 - Graduation Ticket Request Form deadline
May 19 - WCS Concert, Band & Chorus
May 26 - WCS Concert, Beginner Band
June 6 - Step-Up Day for grades K, 2, & 4
June 8 - 8th Grade Graduation Cruise, Spirit of Ethan Allen, 6 - 9pm
June 9 - 8th Grade Graduation @ 6:30pm
June 10 - Last day of school, Grades K-7/ Half-Day
CVSD School Board
CVSD's COVID Recovery Plan
Learn more about CVSD's Strategic Response Plan and provide feedback at this link.
More Links, More information
Williston Schools
Email: wsschoolbell@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