THE SCHOOL BELL

By Jacqueline Parks, WCS Principal

In the midst of the pandemic and all that it brings with it, educators are working hard to effectively use our Wednesday professional development time to support the needs of the school, and ultimately students. We have a handful of areas that we are focusing on during our Wednesday professional development time. They include:

• Social-Emotional Learning and Supports

• Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Work

• Collective Efficacy Work

• Academic Recovery Plan Using Data

We have seen the social-emotional needs of our students increase dramatically throughout the pandemic. While this is not surprising, the impact it is having in the school setting is dramatic. Each developmental age group is demonstrating different challenges, but overall we are seeing an increase in the following types of behaviors: acting out with peers, withdrawal, extensive worrying that occupies their minds, sadness, thoughts of self-harm, eating disorder related behaviors and more. We are also finding that students need a lot of reteaching related to what it means to be a productive and engaged student at each age level. As a result, teachers are focusing on reteaching expectations and responding to student needs in the classroom and through our mental health supports.

CVSD continues to be in the midst of important Equity, Diversity and Inclusion work. In Williston, we are weaving this learning into our professional development sessions, as well as dedicating some focused PD time to this work. For example, our PK-4 teachers spent their Wednesday PD time this week focusing on DEI learning and work. In the middle school, our Gay Straight Alliance (GSA) and Side-By-Side student leadership groups continue to thrive and grow as students engage in this work. As a system, we remain firmly committed to this work and look forward to sharing more of it with you.

Educational researcher, John Hattie, has spent years synthesizing the research in education as it relates to the impact on student achievement. Collective efficacy has the second highest impact on student achievement. Collective efficacy refers to a “shared belief that the school’s staff can have a positive impact on student achievement—despite other influences in the students’ life that challenge their success. Collective efficacy is evident when teachers see themselves as part of a team working for their students.”

Williston’s multi-year team based approach aligns strongly with the idea of educators working together on behalf of students. During our PD time we look at academic data together and make plans for interventions that are needed to support students in moving forward. As an example, this past Wednesday our middle school teachers spent time analyzing IReady student data and making a plan of action for their classroom instruction, as well as small group interventions.

Our fourth focus area is our academic recovery plan for students. This is implemented by delivering strong classroom instruction grounded in research and through the use of common assessments to monitor student progress. The assessment tool that we are using to measure progress in literacy and mathematics is called IReady. IReady is both an assessment tool and an instructional program. We will be giving the assessment component again in January and are excited to see the progress that our students are making.

These four areas of focus certainly have connections among each other and we do everything possible to interweave them as we conduct our work. We know that when things are connected, we can make a larger collective impact. The Wednesday PD time gives us the opportunity to proactively plan for our students and it helps set us up for success in the future as we lay the groundwork for a strong community.

This year’s 6-8 Winter Band Concert will be held virtually.

Wind Ensemble and Concert Band students will spend the morning of Wednesday, December 15 in concert dress recording their concert pieces in the auditorium. The music will be edited together and presented via a private link the next day, December 16, at 6:30 pm. Please follow the link posted on the front page of the school webpage (cvsdvt.org/williston) to support the 6-8 Band Students.

On the day of the recording (Wednesday, 12/15) students should come to school in their blue music shirt, black bottoms, and black shoes.

In the event of a snow day, students will record in school on December 17 and stream December 20 at 6:30 PM.

Please join the CVSD School Board for the next in the series of budget presentations. The next meeting takes place on December 14, where the presentation will provide an overview of the Operations and Maintenance portion of the budget. All of these meetings will be hybrid meetings; you can join in person, via Zoom, or watch on the Media Factory's website. The Zoom information will be posted on our district's website a few days before the meetings. https://www.cvsdvt.org/

CVSD's Board Chair, Angela Arsenault, has provided this introduction to kick off a series of videos pertaining to the budget development process. These videos are also available on the Budget Page of the CVSD website.

The series now includes videos about Special Education, ESSER, Education Quality Standards, the Operations budget, and more. See all of the videos here.

Monday, December 13th from 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM

Supportive home, school, and community environments help LGBTQIA+ youth feel safe and affirmed, and improve outcomes. Whether or not your child identifies as LGBTQIA+, they likely have friends and certainly peers that do. Join us for our next ParentIN event to learn and grow together as we build safer environments and support the adolescents you care about.

This virtual workshop will cover the following:

1. Let's quickly run through the acronyms - LGBTQIA+

2. Why do we talk about pronouns in schools and at Gender and Sexuality Alliance (GSA) meetings?

3. How can I support my child with their gender and sexuality expression?

4. What supports are available to me and to my child as we navigate this together?

5. Questions posed ahead of time.

We invite you to submit questions in advance using this anonymous form for added comfort.

REGISTER by 12/12/21 to receive the secure zoom link for the event: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/lgbtqia-101-an-ed-night-for-parents-caregivers-tickets-210097175307

Help us spread the word by sharing the Facebook event here!

Presenters:

V Pearson, Director of Youth Organizing, Outright Vermont
Pronouns: they/them

V has a passion for building community, skill, and power with all folks who are seeking to make the world a better place. V has worked closely with youth through Outright Vermont, as well as with high schools and colleges. “I love spending time with people learning about what their heart needs to feel safe and powerful.”

Amy Sayre, Student Assistance Professional & ParentIN Coordinator, Champlain Valley School District
Pronouns: she/her
Amy is on the school student support team and teaches wellness classes at both Hinesburg Community School and Charlotte Central school. She is the Gender and Sexuality Alliance advisor for both schools and the ParentIN Coordinator for Champlain Valley School District.

More About Why ParentIN Cares About this Issue:

Youth who identify as LGBTQIA+, an umbrella acronym that encompasses different sexual orientations and gender identities, face a heightened risk for substance use because of the stigma and discrimination they often experience.

Supportive home and school environments help LGBTQIA+ youth feel safe and affirmed, and improve outcomes. Data from the Vermont Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) can help us understand how youth are struggling and build environments that support them to thrive.

Recent data from the 2019 Vermont YRBS tells us we have work to do:

• 2x more likely to have been bullied electronically by a peer

• 4x more likely to have engaged in self-harm

• Roughly 1 out of every 3 surveyed LGBTQ+ high schoolers reported making a suicide plan and 1 out of every 5 reported making an attempt. Half of all surveyed LGBTQ+ middle schoolers reported seriously considering suicide, with 40% making a plan.

• 2x more likely to have tried cigarettes or marijuana before the age of 13 and were more likely than their cisgender/heterosexual peers to try every type of substance surveyed in the 2019 Youth Risk Behavior Survey administered to Vermont students.

Williston Central School’s Mosaic House has participated in the Hike for Hunger every year since 2009 (before that the team was called Lighthouse and Cara Medved started the hike for hunger in the early 2000’s). Hike for Hunger raises money for Hunger Free Vermont, an organization that addresses food insecurity in Vermont. On October 21, 2021, the 83 students on Mosaic House along with teachers, staff and parents completed the two mile hike at Catamount Outdoor Center. This week, after all of the donations had been collected and tallied, they sent a record $2700.00 to Hunger Free Vermont.

CVU cafeteria is in desperate need of help during lunch service between now and the winter break. Can you spare two hours (11:00 - 1:00) two or more days a week for the next three weeks? No experience is necessary. $15 per hour. Call or email Leo Laforce for information. llaforce@cvsdvt.org or 802-482-7176

Registration is OPEN for a continuation of our fall Hands Up! reading celebration. Join us online Monday, Dec 13th from 5-6 p.m. All ages are welcome, and it is not necessary to have attended the previous event. This event focuses on The Talk and we’re still giving away the Brave Book Bags with this book included. Here’s the link from Dorothy Alling Memorial Library if you’re interested in joining! https://damlvt.org/index.php/events/all-programs/1109-the-talk-book-talk-online?date=2021-12-13-17-00

Dear Williston parents and guardians: Thank you for your continued efforts to keep your children, families and schools safe during the COVID-19 pandemic. If you are like many Vermont families with school-age children, you may have experienced disruption or quarantine due to cases in your child’s school. We fully understand how challenging this has been for everyone. That is why the federal government’s decision to approve the pediatric Pfizer vaccine is so important. The best way to keep your family safe and healthy, and to keep students in school, is to make sure your child is vaccinated if they are age 5 or older.

We want to share with you the guidelines that will apply to your children once they are fully vaccinated (2 weeks after the second dose).

Scenario 1: Your fully vaccinated child is identified as a close contact to a positive case (at school or outside of school, including living with someone who tested positive in the household)

If they are fully vaccinated and do NOT have symptoms of COVID-19:

• They do not need to quarantine if they do not have symptoms

• Get your child tested 5 to 7 days after they were exposed to someone with COVID-19 but they don't need to stay home while waiting for their test results. They can continue to attend school.

If your child is fully vaccinated and they have symptoms of COVID-19:

• If they develop any symptoms within 14 days of being exposed to someone with COVID-19, they should stay home and get tested right away. COVID-19 vaccines are highly effective, but occasionally people who are fully vaccinated can get COVID-19.

• Your child needs to quarantine at home and away from other people while they wait for their test results. They cannot come to school until their negative results are received.

Scenario 2: Your fully vaccinated child developed any symptoms of COVID and they are NOT close contact to a positive case

• If your child has symptoms, even if mild, you should keep them home and get them tested. Even if they are vaccinated or had COVID-19 in the past, you should get them tested. Your child’s pediatrician can send a referral for testing or you can go to a testing site. Keep them home and away from other people while you wait for their results.

• Not everyone with COVID-19 has a fever. Even mild symptoms (like a headache or runny nose) could be signs of COVID-19. COVID-19 vaccines are highly effective, but occasionally people who are fully vaccinated can get COVID-19. Most often symptoms will be mild, therefore, it is important to get tested even for mild symptoms.

• Your child needs to quarantine at home and away from other people while they wait for their test results. They cannot come to school until their negative results are received.

  
  

  Please refer to our Return to school following illness protocol

Williston Families As Partners (FAP) NEEDS COUNCIL MEMBERS! In order to continue to provide support to our schools a council is required to assemble. Please contact willistonfap@cvsdvt.orgif interested!

Williston's FAP, "PTA" organization, provides a forum for parents, administrators, faculty, staff, and community members to actively discuss activities, events, and programs in the WIlliston schools. The participation of faculty, staff, and administration differentiates our FAP from a typical PTA/PTO and helps further promote our children's health, well-being, and educational success. FAP also serves as the fundraising arm of the Williston schools.

Volunteers are needed in all areas! Please fill out this form if interested in helping!

https://forms.gle/AvVx1EHUGWWAikWn9

• Program is for grades K-8th. (Kindergarten children must be transported and have an adult on the mountain with them)
  
• The 1st-8th program meets for 7-Wednesdays- Jan. 5-Feb. 16. Six weeks of lessons and the last day is the “Donut Hole Races”
  
• The Kindergarten Program meets for 6 Wednesdays- Jan. 12- Feb. 16
  
• The program is from 2:30-4:30pm, with lessons from 2:30-3:30pm and free ski/ride from 3:30-4:30pm.
  
• All children are required to wear a helmet to participate in the program.
  
• See more on the Community Events Page

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

We love curling up with some fiction to escape. What about you? There’s no right or wrong!

Borrow your choice on the #SoraReadingApp. Download today!

Not sure how to use SORA? Check in with Ms. Arapakos or Mrs. Clopton for quick tips!

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

From the Vermont Department of Health:

Parents & caregivers can now make an appointment for kids 5 to 11 to get the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine! Visit healthvermont.gov/KidsVaccine or call 855-722-7878. Appointments are available for clinics in communities and schools. Thank you for protecting your child against COVID-19.

Vaccine Q&A

Please see this flyer for information about upcoming conversations about the vaccine. Here's a link to the Vermont chapter of the American Pediatric Association's website with more information.

Our final day of school in December is Wednesday, December 22nd.

School resumes Monday, January 3, 2022.

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

Amy Sayre is a SAP counselor and ParentIN coordinator for CVSD. She is available online on Tuesday evenings from 7-8 pm to help support parents.

If you have a child who is experiencing anxiety, depression or other social and emotional challenges, Amy will be on hand to offer her support and guidance and be armed with useful resources in the community if you need/want them. For more information, click here.

You can pop in for a quick question or to chat through a situation. Amy would love to try to help! Here is the link to join: http://meet.google.com/nfm-tovh-bjz

Mon. Dec. 13 - ParentIn Virtual Workshop, 7-8 pm

Tues. Dec. 14- School Board Meeting, 6 pm

Wed. Dec. 15 - Band Students record Winter Concert

Thurs. Dec. 16 - Virtual Winter Concert, 6:30 pm

No School Dec. 23 - 31

• 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