THE SCHOOL BELL

Gratitude

by Sarah Crum, Director of Student Support Services

Life doesn’t often unfold the way we hoped or the way we planned. Certainly, the pandemic has highlighted this truth; however, this is not something new. No matter how hard we work, how planful we are, how many twists and turns we anticipate, it just doesn’t always work out the way we intended.

And when life doesn’t go the way we thought it would, especially when we feel like we did everything within our control to make sure that it did, we have a lot of emotions that rise to the surface. For myself, emotions like disappointed, frustrated, discouraged, deflated, angry, and sad all cycle through and I have learned to make space for those: they are real and they need to be acknowledged.

I have also recently tapped into a new strategy for helping my heart move through those emotions: Finding Gratitude. There is a growing body of research that is looking at how both receiving and expressing gratitude actually impacts our brains and our ability to face challenges in our life. Studies suggest that both receiving sentiments of gratitude and sending gratitude to others can positively impact both mental health and physical health. This can include anything from a simple thank you to keeping a gratitude journal and has been shown to positively impact sleep patterns as well as challenges with anxiety and depression.

Even when life seems like it just keeps handing over new challenges, there is incredible power in identifying those things we have to be grateful for, a glimpse of sunshine on a rainy day, a day off, making at least a few of the traffic lights while they were green, a person who helped solve a problem, a day of school instead of quarantine, running into a friend, sharing a funny story. This school year didn’t start off the way we had hoped and the pandemic seems to be lingering despite our best mitigation efforts. However, I am so grateful for the community of our school and how each individual has gone above and beyond to provide supports, care, instruction and even humor throughout the day. We have so much to be grateful for.

I want to take a moment this week to express particular gratitude for our educational support personnel. These folks include our paraeducators, bus drivers, cafeteria personnel, custodians and maintenance staff, technology support personnel, and administrative assistants. Our schools could not function without these essential positions and we are so fortunate to have such dedicated and passionate staff who care deeply for our students and make our schools the warm and welcoming places that they are with efficiently running systems to meet the multitude of needs each day. This week we celebrated Educational Support Staff Appreciation Day on Wednesday, November 17th. And while it is great to have a day that reminds us to thank these individuals, it just isn’t enough to honor the difference they make each day in the lives of students. They are often the first faces students and families see when they begin their school day, they are the first people who respond to what is sometimes a messy day of learning, they make sure each student is accounted for, they keep us fed and nourished throughout the day, they shuttle students safely from home to school and back again as well as between all the transitions within a day, they help support a student who is having a hard day and make sure that student’s needs are met, they make sure our buildings provide a safe and optimal learning environment. They are caring, compassionate, responsive, creative, flexible, and busy - very, very busy! And we cannot thank them enough.

I wish you all a restorative holiday next week that is filled with gratitude!

The President & Fellows of Harvard College. Giving Thanks Can Make You Happier. 14 Aug 2021. Harvard Heatlh Publishing. 18 Nov 2021. https://www.health.harvard.edu/healthbeat/giving-thanks-can-make-you-happier.

Children between the ages of 5-11 can now receive a COVID vaccine. These will be available at local pharmacies, in school-based clinics, and at pediatric offices. You can go to any school-based clinic, if that is your preference, even if it is not your own school.

The Vermont Department of Health selects the sites for school-based clinics. Though we have signed up to be a site, we were not selected for the first round. We will keep CVSD families informed if and when that changes.

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.

Thank you to the many people who worked at least one shift to help us put on a successful Craft Show, enabling Families as Partners to raise over $7,000 to benefit our school community!

Many thanks to our local Scouts, Troop 692 for their muscle and enthusiasm in the all important task of helping the crafters set-up at the beginning of the show and pack-up at the end of the show it -- was done in record time!

Thank you also to Aiden and Alec Blevins, Amy Beaumier, Amy Shea, Angie Conforti, Arulveni Periyasamy, Caitlin Plant, Chelsea Frehulfer, Erin Barbot, Grace Steinman, Jamie Abaied, Jean Sanchez, Kate Pellegrini-Welch, Kaylee Moody, Kristin DeDiana, Lindsay Colf, Linni Goldsmith, Sue Scheer, Susan Hayes, and Zach Pratt.

Also a shout out to Scott Wagner and his food service crew; Chris Shirley and Jo Lavigne, our custodial support; as well as Angela Longley, Mike Kanfer, Swift House, Clover House, Williston Parks & Rec., Williston Public Works, and the Dorothy Alling Memorial Library –each for lending us expertise or equipment to help make this event run smoothly. Also to Greg Marino, Lyall Smith, Emily Downing Ponce, and especially Amy Benoit, for their support and "in-school" presence on our behalf.

Finally, we would like to thank our families for their continued support & dependability and for filling gaps wherever we need them: Chris, Dylan and Delainey LeBlanc; and Matt Spitznagle.

We have started to plan for next year and we invite anyone interested to join the committee of this successful Families as Partners fundraiser by emailing Karen and Paula at wsdcraftshow@cvsdvt.org. Next year's show is on Saturday, November 5th!

- Karen Olson & Paula LeBlanc

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

We are excited to announce that 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.

If your child is eligible for free or reduced-price meals, you are eligible for the Emergency Connectivity Fund (ECF Program). The Emergency Connectivity Fund (ECF) is a program that will help schools and libraries provide the tools and services their communities need for remote learning during the COVID-19 emergency period. It is designed to help students who currently lack the necessary Internet access that they may need to connect to classrooms. It is funded through June 2022.

The first step is to identify needs and determine which providers can best serve students based on where they live. If your child qualifies for the free and reduced meal program, please complete the survey at this link. We will work with eligible local providers to determine the best match for each situation.

Once we receive information back from the providers, we will contact families to let them know what options are available and will assist them in getting the service set up.

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!

Kinsa & Lysol are providing FREE smart thermometers for all families at our schools. This program is completely confidential and optional. If you would like to have a free thermometer all you have to do is follow the instructions below to sign up. There is a brief video that explains how the program works. https://vimeo.com/586835312/8688f730bf

You must text JOIN to the number: 24020 or go to the App store on your phone and download the Kinsa app to claim it. (Texting JOIN to 24020 will text you a link to download the app.)

The Williston Schools would like to thank Kinsa and Lysol for this donation.

On Thursday, Nov 11th at 5:00 pm, CVSD performed a test of its emergency school closing system. If you did NOT receive the phone message and/or email, please contact your child's school. These emergency closing calls will always come from 802-383-1234. You may want to add this number to your contacts. Thank you.

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

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.

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.

Pre K-2

It has been reported to administration from some parents that they are concerned about our arrival and dismissal procedures. As a reminder it is very important to stay in your vehicles during arrival and dismissal. It appears that many parents stop, get out of their car, talk to teachers or other parents, and stand around to visit. Some vehicles are being left unattended so parents can walk their child into school. This creates a line of cars backing up as other parents wait for a spot to pull up to. We have also seen some families not using the designated lane for your child's house as a means to get through the line faster. Please adhere to the procedures we have created and do your best to pick up and drop your child off in a timely and efficient manner. Thank you!

For K teachers only:

When dropping your child off in the K lane please be sure to pull up to the curbside to drop your child off as opposed to parking your vehicle as if you are in a parking spot. This helps with the overall flow and avoids having vehicles having to back up which causes congestion and traffic jams. Thank you!

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

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

Nov. 22-26 - No School (Thanksgiving break)

Tues. Dec. 7 - School Board Meeting, 6 pm

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• 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