THE SCHOOL BELL

by Jacqueline Parks, WCS Principal

As many of you know, we are poised to pivot to new Covid-19 testing and communication procedures beginning on Monday, January 24. Later today you will receive a detailed communication from CVSD about these changes. We also wanted to use this space to provide a quick overview of the new procedures.

When ABS or WCS learn of a Covid-19 case, we will send out an email and voicemail to students of families that are presumptive positives (formerly known as close contacts). The communication will include a link to request testing kits to test at home for the appropriate number of days, which depends on each students’ vaccination status.

Note: If we learn of a case over a weekend, we will offer the Test to Stay program on Monday and distribute the requested test kits for the required number of days.

Based On Availability

Vaccinated students will receive two tests and be asked to test at home before school on days 4 and 5 following the last exposure.

Unvaccinated students will receive 5 tests and will test at home before school on days 1-5 following the last exposure.

Note: The tests we received are packaged in different amounts of tests and there will be times when you receive more tests than you need. You may save these for future use if your student is identified as a presumptive contact.

The cut-off for requesting test kits each day will be at 1:30 pm. This will give us time to distribute them to students throughout the building. If you complete the form after 1:30 pm, your request for tests will be filled the following day.

Students who are positive for Covid should reach out to the school health office and make a plan for test pick-up and requirements for reentering school. All students returning to school from Covid will be tested on their first day back in the health office.

Additionally, CVSD is taking proactive steps to ensure that our schools can stay open. One of those is scheduling additional vaccine clinics. Please consider getting your child vaccinated or a booster, if eligible.

• January 26 and February 16 - WCS, Williston

This clinic will include Pfizer for ages 5+, first and second doses, and boosters for ages 12 and up. The WCS clinics are now available for registration on the Dept of Health’s website.

If parents/caregivers are having trouble signing up online, they can make an appointment by calling the Health Department at 855-722-7878, Mon. - Fri. 8:00 am - 4:30 pm, Sat. and Sun. 10:00 am - 3:00 pm.

Families/Caregivers WCS students may be interested in having your child vaccinated without a family member or caregiver present. The Department of Health reports that if parents/caregivers sign up via the website, there is a box to check where you provide consent. The site asks the necessary medical screening questions. So while you are welcome to attend the clinic with your child, you do not need to and you don’t need to fill out any forms as long as you’ve used the website to sign up. If registering by phone, please ask them about this possibility.

Please be sure to notify the school if ski and ride plans change for your child(ren). It's important that we know who is expected to be on the bus to Cochran's and who is going home or being transported some other way. We don't want anyone to miss out!

Winter Walk to School Day is 2/2/22 (alternate date: ANY OTHER day in February!) Families around Vermont are joining the groundhogs to get outside for some fresh winter air on the way to school. We’d love to have you join the adventure!

Walking to school with your child is fun, and it is a great way to explore your neighborhood together. Plus, physical activity doesn’t just help your child concentrate better in school, it’ll set you up for a boost of energy and focus for the rest of your day as well. Live too far to walk the entire way? Try parking nearby and enjoy a shorter stroll to school. Invite some friends for a Covid-safe outdoor outing together.

Families who participate will be eligible to win some fun “low light” visibility items, like a light up dog leash, Darn Tough Socks, or reflective vests! To participate in this challenge and be eligible for prize drawings post your Winter Walk trip and tag it #VermontTough. Local Motion will draw five winners from the #VermontTough tags on 3/15/2022!

Contact Bonnie Hooper at bonnie@localmotion.org with questions.

Starting on Monday, January 31, we will be trying a new procedure for our student pick-ups. The goal of this shift is to shorten the pick-up process and get staff back into the building a little earlier, reclaiming precious end-of-the-day planning time. The revised pick up time will be from 2:40 - 2:50. At 2:50, remaining students will be brought into the school until their pick-up person arrives. We understand that the lines of vehicles in the parking lot have been long and have caused some waiting delays. We plan on making some adjustments to our dismissal procedure to help get these lines moving a bit earlier. Please look for more details to follow next week. Again - we hope to start this on Monday, January 31

We are taking proactive steps to ensure that our schools can stay open. One of those is scheduling additional vaccine clinics at our schools. Please consider getting your child vaccinated or a booster, if eligible.

• January 26 and February 16 - WCS, Williston
• February 2 - CVU
• February 9 - SCS, Shelburne

Visit the Department of Health website for registration: Dept of Health’s website.

Vermont Family Network has worked with VT Dept of Health, AAP, CDCI, DDC and UVM Children’s Hospital to create a training for pediatric offices to create sensory friendly vaccine visits, the program is called Confident Care for Kids. Information for parents can be found at this website - https://www.vermontfamilynetwork.org/ccfk/.

Our nurses have been extremely busy working through a steady stream of covid cases, processing test results, responding to countless questions, administering rapid tests, and so much more, including all the regular duties a school nurse must perform each and every day to help meet the needs of our students. And of course, our nurses have also been critical in helping to run our school-based Test-to-Stay clinics each morning. In addition to all of this, they have been responding to numerous questions in the evening hours - many that relate to school the next day.

In order to help protect our nurses from getting completely exhausted, we have asked them to not respond to emails that are received after 4:00pm on a school day. If you email one of our nurses after 4:00pm, you can expect a reply sometime after 10:00am on the following morning. If it is after 4:00pm and you are unsure about school attendance for your child the next day, please do not send them to school the next morning. One of our nurses will get back to you the next day as soon as possible, but it will be after 10:00am.

The CVSD Board of Directors approved the proposed budget at this week's School Board meeting. We will be sharing updates and information with our communities about the proposed budget and bond in upcoming newsletters, on our social media sites (Facebook and Twitter), and on Front Porch Forum in the coming weeks. You are always welcome and invited to view the information on the budget page of our website. https://www.cvsdvt.org/budget We have also reformatted our Annual Report. It can be found in a number of places on the website, including on the budget page. We will continue to add more elements to the Annual Report and hope that you will review the variety of information provided there about CVSD.

Town Meeting Day is on March 1, 2022. Residents may request a ballot earlier by calling your Town Clerk or by going to https://mvp.vermont.gov.

The CVSD School-based Early Education Programs are now accepting applications for a random preschool lottery drawing for the 2022-23 school year. Our part-time, partial days, preschool classrooms are 5 STARs, licensed early education programs that provide play-based, developmentally appropriate environments for all children in an inclusive setting. Our curriculum is based on the Vermont Early Learning Standards (VELS) and Teaching Strategies Gold. We believe that a diverse classroom offers opportunities for adults and children to practice acceptance and compassion and also provides a broad range of learning experiences.

Our programs closely follow the CVSD school calendar. Students who will be age 3 or older by September 1, 2022, but not yet 5 years old, are eligible to enter the lottery for our programs.

All applications must be received by February 5, 2021. You can download an application here: Early Education Lottery Application. More information is available on our CVSD Early Education Website also. Students will be selected via a lottery and families notified in early March.

Happy New Year Everyone!

We hope you are all staying warm and enjoying the beautiful snow!

Have you noticed squirrels playing in your yard or stealing seeds from your bird feeders? Did you know there are actually 3 types of squirrels that live nearby? Each one has a unique appearance, shelter type, food preference and strategy for storing food for the winter.

Check out this interactive Four Winds Presentation on Squirrel Tales to learn more! You will find pictures, videos, games, songs, poems, read alouds, fun facts, activities, a puppet show and suggestions for outdoor explorations! It is a really fun scientific learning opportunity for all ages.

Stay healthy, warm and be curious!

Your Four Winds Co-coordinators

Amanda & Deb

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 Hulburt at shurlburt@cvsdvt.org

Williston Schools offers learning opportunities for students who are quarantining without their class and teacher. Learning menus are provided for each grade level. These menus will not directly connect to the lessons happening at school, but they will allow students to access productive and engaging grade appropriate learning opportunities. This slide deck contains more information: Learning Opportunities for Quarantining Kids

WCS is holding a raffle! Students who participated in the Knitting for a Cause Spark Workshop created a beautiful, colorful blanket -- on display in the front hallway glass case. Any WCS student, faculty or staff member can join the raffle and not only win the blanket, but also choose the cause to which any money raised will be donated.

Tickets are $1 and are available in the Front Office, with Ms. Benoit. The raffle ends Friday, Feb. 11, so don’t delay!!

If your child is working remotely and having a technical issue with their device, please use this ticket process for support. As tickets come in, one of our technicians will be assigned to work that ticket and will reach out to you within 24 hours either by telephone or email.

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 refer to this map for the correct location to drop off/pick up your student:

Arrival /Dismissal Map / Diagram

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)
• 1-800-273-TALK (8255) (National Suicide Prevention Lifelife: USA)
• 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

Jan 26 - Ski & Ride grades K-8

Feb 2 - Ski & Ride grades K-8

Feb 4 - 100th Day of School

Feb 9 - Ski & Ride grades K-8

Feb 16 - Ski & Ride grades K-8

Feb 21-25 - No School Winter Break

Feb28 - Back to School

Mar 2 - Ski & Ride grades K-8

• Williston Facebook Page
  
• CVSD Facebook Page

• CVSD on Twitter
  

• CVSD on LinkedIn
• Did you know CVSD has a blog? http://cvsdstory.blogspot.com
  
• CVSD Handbook
• Bus Information
• Technology Help Desk

Allen Brook School and Williston Central School

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