THE SCHOOL BELL

Just the children we hoped would show up (September 2021)

There is a lot of talk these days in the national media about the lost learning for students over the course of the pandemic: a lingering narrative that students are behind where they should be. It seems there is a perception that students are behind peers who haven’t experienced a pandemic. But there aren’t any of those students; we have all been through this together. Merriam Webster has nine definitions for the word lost including: not made use of, no longer possessed or known, ruined or destroyed, not knowing the way, not appreciated or understood, and hopelessly unattainable. These are not words I would use to describe the preschool through 8th graders we see entering our schools and picking up their breakfasts, greeting each other in the halls, performing science experiments, writing about themselves, and sharing in morning meetings or advisory. It is true that many of our students are having difficulty finding their way, especially in their social emotional skills. But the skills students need to be successful in this world can still be recovered and developed and that is exactly why we are here and why we keep showing up each day.

Benchmarks and ranges are really important in our world. We have them at well child visits to track children’s growth, financial institutions use them to determine loan amounts, and prices are set for items we want to purchase. Even these benchmarks and ranges shift to reflect current circumstances and not every individual fits the expected ranges. The benchmarks we once used to assess student progress did not account for a global pandemic that included school closures and quarantines. While still useful in helping us develop scope and sequence and understanding growth rate, we need to recalibrate our instruction to make sure we are meeting the actual students who present in our classrooms rather than a preconceived notion of who they should be. The good news is that our assessments give us that information: information about what our students can do and what the next steps are to grow as learners so that we are sure we know them really well. And our teachers are highly skilled at both differentiating instruction and understanding learning progressions in skill development to meet the needs of our learners.

Pernille Ripp (a 7th Grade English teacher in Wisconsin, author, and educational speaker) puts a poster she developed at the classroom door each year: You are just the child we hoped would show up; so, welcome, we are glad you are here. This message is so important. It tells our students that we believe in them and that we value the unique gifts they bring each day. If we want our students to be found, to take the first steps in building and to set or ground on something solid (Merriam-Webster), we need to make sure we know and understand who are students are so we can support them in becoming the next version of themselves. Because they are exactly who they are meant to be.

"Found." Merriam-Webster Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/discipline. Accessed 22 September 2021.

"Lost." Merriam-Webster Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/discipline. Accessed 22 September 2021.

“On Posters and Welcome Displays.” 9 August 2019. Pernille Ripp. https://pernillesripp.com/2019/08/09/on-posters-and-welcome-displays. Accessed 22 September 2021.

Last week marked the beginning of Hispanic Heritage Month. Click here to learn more.

We are making some changes to the format for curriculum nights and parent / teacher conferences this year. Please note these changes below.

Curriculum Nights:

• The school will not be hosting live curriculum nights this year.

• In place of this, teams will prepare a slide presentation (or packet) for parents. These will contain the information that is typically presented at in-person curriculum nights and will be sent home to families anytime between now and the end of October.

• Teams will provide opportunities for parents / caregivers to ask any questions they may have, either in a virtual office hours format, or at parent-teacher conferences.

Parent Conferences:

• Virtual Parent-Teacher conferences will be offered by all teachers / teams between Oct 8 and the Thanksgiving break and will be in touch with information about how to sign up.

• Families may request an in-person conference if there are circumstances that will make a virtual conference difficult.

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

We have found in reviewing and approving submitted data that when a parent/caregiver checks themselves as the emergency contact for their student(s) they are removed from the primary communications list. Please DO NOT indicate yourself as the emergency contact for your student(s). Emergency contacts are those we might reach out to if a parent/caregiver is not available.

Do you think kids are fun? Does spending time with children bring you joy? Are you interested in giving back to your community? Then you'd probably be a good mentor? Click on the link for more information.

CVSD is requesting that families voluntarily share the COVID vaccination status of their child, if they are age 12 and up and therefore eligible for the vaccine. At this time, we will use this information in the event of contact tracing to determine whether or not your child must quarantine if they are identified as a close contact. Individuals who are fully vaccinated are not required to quarantine in the event they are exposed to a positive case. In the future, it may be used to calculate the vaccination rate for our school. If you have more than one child in our school who is eligible, please fill the form out separately for each child.

If your child is eligible for the COVID vaccine (age 12 and up) please fill out this form as soon as possible.

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.

Reminder- This year's early release day is Wednesday. Thank-you for making a note of it on your family calendar. This early release time continues to be critical in helping to support the professional growth and planning of faculty necessary to provide the best possible programming for learners.

In physical education we are doing the best we can to help keep our students safe and stop the spread of Covid 19. We are taking our PE classes outside as much as possible and this means that our feet are getting wet, and yes, on occasion muddy. We are asking that you help your child have an additional pair of socks and dry footwear to change into after PE.

We will be going outside as much as possible and as the weather changes additional layers may also become necessary. Winter months may mean extra gloves or mittens so that if they get wet in PE they have dry ones for recess. If the weather is such that we cannot go outside, we will be inside doing reduced level activities to prevent rapid breathing and masks getting wet due to respirations. We recognize that this is not ideal, however we are doing all we can to keep everyone safe.

Thank you for your support as we all move forward with safety in a new school year. If you have any questions feel free to reach out to any of the physical educators.

Thank you,

Lyn Porter - ABS

Kate Grozier - ABS/WCS

Dustin King - WCS

Cathy Kohlasch- WCS

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

The 1st session of Spark Enrichment, an after-school applied learning program for students in grades 5-8, takes place from October 7-November 4. These small group classes will be facilitated by school faculty and staff. Please access the link to sign-up form below by Monday, October 4. You will be able to rank your choices for better placement!! For more information, click on this link.

Elementary and Middle School Levels:

We are still seeking several energetic folks to join our team! We are looking for skilled, caring individuals to provide support for individual and small groups of students in personal development, behavior support, and social-emotional skills.

We have positions available in the following categories:

Non-Intensive ($14.28-$15.91 - last year's rates, will likely increase)

Intensive ($17.28-$18.91- last year's rates, will likely increase)

Specialist ($21.78-$23.41 - last year's rates, will likely increase)

Paraprofessionals are contracted 6.5 hrs a day for 194 school days and begin as soon as possible.

There is a different pay scale for each of these, as well as a different level of expertise needed. However, we CAN train folks and we have money available for PD along with GREAT benefits and student schedule.

Any interested folks can reach out directly to Sarah Crum, Director of Special Ed (scrum@cvsdvt.org or 802-871-6140).

CVSD is an equal opportunity employer. Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC), women, and LGBTQ+ candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.

Popular classes fill quickly! Sign up today, tell your family and friends, and please help spread the word about our AWESOME classes!

· 202 awesome classes

· Back to in-person learning at CVU!

· 42 Online classes via Zoom

· 27 New instructors!

· 100% FUN- Bring a friend & sign up today!

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

• Please stay in your vehicle and avoid extended chats with the adults as we are trying to efficiently move people through the pick up line. Please do not leave your car unattended in the lane at any time. We also prefer you NOT park your vehicle to come and retrieve your child. Our way of ensuring your child gets to you safely is that exchange at your vehicle for the adult to see.
• Please pull all the way up to the curb for pick up as others are waiting to move up behind you.
• Avoid "double-parking"/parking diagonally
• Please drop off and pick up your child at their team’s designated location ensuring that you leave space for the other team locations.
• For safety, all students must exit the passenger side of the vehicle
  
• Your child must have their mask on when entering the school
  
• Please drive attentively, slowly, and safely, following directions of school staff
  

We appreciate all you can do to follow these guidelines 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

For more information, click on the following link.

Mask Reminder: Please remember to send a few masks to school daily with students. We thank you for your support.

Families as Partners (FAP) teams up with the Dorothy Alling Memorial Library to sponsor a fun inter-generational book group that brings together WCS middle school students, seniors from our community and parent volunteers. Each book group will read and discuss 5 books over the course of the school year. Meetings take place during school hours.

The program will kick-off in October with a “Get Acquainted” meeting. The book groups will then meet during school hours once a month to discuss books in a relaxed and fun setting. 5th & 6th graders meet from 1:10pm-1:50pm. 7th & 8th graders meet from 1:50pm-2:30pm. The program runs from October to March.

If your 5-8th grade student is interested in being considered for this program, please register by Thursday, September 30th. We are also seeking parent volunteers! Use this online link to register your child or to sign up as a volunteer. (More information is in the sign-up link)

Friday, October 8, 2021- No School

Monday, October 11, 2021- No School

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• Did you know CVSD has a blog? http://cvsdstory.blogspot.com
  
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Allen Brook School and Williston Central School

Email: alongley@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