THE SCHOOL BELL

Dear families

Holidays are packed with lots of things: travel, family, gifts, food to name a few. Most of all the holidays are filled with anticipation. Anticipation of the joy that comes from tradition, connection, and celebration. New Year’s Eve in particular really embodies that anticipation: a fresh start, a new beginning, an honoring of what has just been and hope for what is to come.

You could feel the anticipation in the air the week before break as kids and adults looked forward to a break from the school routine as well as some downtime filled with rest, rejuvenation, joy, and celebration. And it was so wonderful to see kids literally skipping down the hallway on Monday in anticipation of seeing their teacher and their friends and filling them in on their adventures.

While we sincerely hope that this break was as you had anticipated (whatever that might have been), we also realize that it is hard when the experience doesn’t live up to what one had hoped it would be. Things are changing quickly in our world and not always in a predictable direction, especially in regards to Covid-19. We want to acknowledge that your break may have been very different than you had planned, your loved ones may be significantly impacted, you may have felt no escape from the media coverage and updates that appear to be alarming, you may be struggling to make sense of the newest guidelines, and you may feel conflicted about the competing opinions on the best way to proceed. This can make it difficult to feel hopeful and to partake in what should be a celebratory time of year. We want you to know we understand and we are with you.

One approach that helps transform our anticipation into a feeling of fulfillment is to find gratitude in what we have experienced. Today, we want to highlight some of the things we are particularly grateful for.

• We are grateful to have our students in school and we know how important this is for their social and emotional needs as well as their learning progression. We also know how crucial this is for families.

• We are grateful for all the adults in our building who come to work each day to support our system, our students and our families. We have not yet been fully staffed this year and we have many vacant positions. This means that every person in the system is taking on more to make sure we meet the needs of the students. We appreciate this collective effort and the all hands on deck mentality.

• We are grateful for the guidance around health and safety that we do have. While it changes frequently and sometimes abruptly, we know folks are working really hard to put out information that helps us create as safe and healthy an environment as possible.

• We are grateful to our families for pivoting and being flexible as we need to adjust, for reinforcing the importance of mask wearing and sending your kids with masks, for working with us when we reach out to problem solve. We are in this together and we couldn’t do it without your partnership.

• We are grateful to our community for supporting us and keeping us inspired to do the work.

• Most importantly, we are grateful for our students who are at the heart of what we do and who bring us such joy when they skip right back into school excited to see us and tell us all their stories. That never fails to exceed the anticipated expectations.

Your Williston Schools Leadership Team,

Angela Filion, ABS Principal

Jackie Parks, WCS Principal, 5-8 Instructional leader

Greg Marino, Lead Principal, 3-4 Instructional Leader

Sarah Crum, Director of Student Services

As you know, Superintendent Sanchez has been sending out a letter to Williston families with each positive case. If you do not receive a daily case update on a given day, it means there were no cases on that day.

At the time of writing this letter, we have had 8 positive cases in the Williston Schools this week, with two cases at Allen Brook and 6 cases at WCS. The cases include 3 on Monday, 2 on Tuesday, no cases on Wednesday, and 3 on Thursday. These numbers do not reflect any cases that are reported or investigated on Friday.

We are excited to offer your child an opportunity to participate in Spark Enrichment, an after-school applied learning program for students in grades 5-8. Sessions will run for 5 weeks from 3:00 p.m - 4:30 p.m. with our 3rd session starting January 13 and ending February 10th. These small group classes will be facilitated by school faculty and staff. Students will have the opportunity to participate in a variety of activities that can be found on the link below. Students and caregivers will receive an email (using the email given on the form) informing them of the assigned workshop on Monday or Tuesday of the week that workshops begin. In order to take full advantage of this learning opportunity, students will need to make a commitment to attend all five Thursdays. If your child decides to not take part in this session after having registered please contact Julie Rogers so that others may fill the spot. The after-school activity bus will provide transportation home for students in need of a ride home.

The dates of session 3 are: January 13, 20, 27, February 3, and 10. When registering, students will be able to rank their choices for better placement! Students will be placed on a first come first serve basis. Registration form and a listing of workshop descriptions. Contact Julie Rogers (jrogers@cvsdvt.org or 802-871-6022) with any questions.

Please join the CVSD School Board for the final budget presentation.

• January 18, 2022: Final Approval and Warnings
  

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.

• 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. 12 - Mar. 2). Six weeks of lessons and the last day is the “Donut Hole Races”
  
• The Kindergarten Program meets for 6 Wednesdays (Jan. 19 - Mar. 2)
  
• 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 and mask to participate in the program.
  
• See more on the Community Events Page

These CVSD site-based clinics, run by the Vermont DOH, will make vaccination and booster shots available to any staff and students who are eligible and need them.

• January 12 and February 2 - CVU

• January 19 and February 9 - SCS

• January 26 and February 16 - WCS

Pfizer ages 5+, first and second doses, as well as boosters for 12 and up. The SCS and WCS clinics are not yet available for registration on the Dept of Health website. We will let you know when they go live.

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 the App 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

People with COVID-19 can spread the virus to others even if they have no symptoms. If you test positive for COVID-19, even if you are vaccinated or never have symptoms, isolate at home, away from other people, as soon as you receive your test result and then notify your close contacts. Isolation means staying home and away from other people – including the people who live with you – for at least 5 days. The state of Vermont has adopted the CDC guidance on isolation and quarantine with additional guidance around recommended testing.

• If you test positive with a PCR, antigen, or LAMP test, regardless of your vaccination status, you should…

  1. Notify your close contacts that you have tested positive, including your school nurse. Visit this page to find your school nurse’s contact information.

  2. If you took an at-home test, use this link to report your positive test results: https://bit.ly/ewsdcovid

  3. Stay home and isolate for 5 days. Call your physician to notify them of the test results.

  4. You can leave your home on (or after) day 5 if:

  1. You never had symptoms, or your symptoms have improved and you feel better

  2. AND you have had no fever for at least 24 hours without the use of medicine that reduces fevers

  3. AND you wear a mask around others through day 10

  4. AND it is required that you have two negative antigen tests performed at least 24 hours apart, beginning no earlier than day 4. The 2nd antigen test will be performed at school on the person’s first day back to school, prior to attending classes.

  5. If you are not feeling better, fever-free or are unable to provide negative results with antigen tests, you should remain in isolation at home through Day 10. You can return to school on Day 11.

  
  

When someone tests positive for COVID-19, it is important to notify their close contacts to help keep COVID-19 from spreading. Being identified as a close contact means that you have been around someone who has tested positive for COVID-19 during their infectious period, which is when the person with COVID-19 is contagious. It starts two days before their symptoms began and continues until they are recovered. If they didn’t have symptoms, the infectious period starts two days before their positive test.

• Please note the following important changes: Fully vaccinated means that you have either completed a full vaccine course and received a booster, completed a full course of the Moderna or Pfizer vaccines within the last 6 months, or received a J&J vaccine within the last 2 months. Anything else is considered not fully vaccinated.

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.

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.org if 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

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

No School Monday, January 17

Williston FAP Meeting, January 11

Ski & Ride Starts (Grades 1 - 8), January 12

Ski & Ride Starts (Kindergarten), January 19

Winter Break, February 21 - 25

• 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