THE SCHOOL BELL

I would like to take some time to talk about empathy and compassion. Now more than ever I am reminded of how valuable a lesson it is to have an empathic mindset. This pandemic has had quite an impact on us in so many ways, and exercising empathy and compassion is something we can all benefit from! Empathy is one of the most important skills you can practice in life. It is crucial for our personal development, relationships, and society as a whole.

Websters dictionary defines empathy as, "the action of understanding, being aware of, being sensitive to, and vicariously experiencing the feelings, thoughts, and experience of another of either the past or present without having the feelings, thoughts, and experience fully communicated in an objectively explicit manner."

At ABS in our social emotional learning (SEL) work with our youngest students we define empathy as, "putting yourself in someone else's shoes." Some of our ABS students have been working on this skill and have brainstormed ways they can be compassionate and show empathy. See below some photos of the ideas and the things they are doing with an empathic mindset.

As we have been combating a shortage of staff, I have had to do a fair amount of covering the needs across the school building. Many people, including myself have had to jump into other people's roles given the amount of staff being out at any given time with their own sick kiddos, under quarantine, or for the common cold. While this has been tricky to do at times, I have seen the value of "being in someone else's shoes." This allows for us to experience and recognize the work that others do around us that make ABS the wonderful place that it is!

Another recent example of expressing empathy is a group of Williston parents who have been working together to provide acts of appreciation for our faculty and staff. They see all that our educators are doing to provide a safe and healthy learning environment during these challenging times and are taking the time to acknowledge their hard work and tireless efforts. Let us all be reminded that even during the hardest of days, we have a choice to approach those challenges in a way that unites us and brings us together!

I will leave you with a quote that speaks to me by one of my favorite scholars, Brene Brown; “Empathy is simply listening, holding space, withholding judgment, emotionally connecting, and communicating that incredibly healing message of you’re not alone.” – Brene Brown

from Lead Principal Greg Marino

Hopefully you have been seeing the daily updates from Superintendent Sanchez about case activity in Williston. I am happy to report, that as of 11:00am today (Friday) there have been no new cases in the last 48 hours. If you do not receive a daily update from Superintendent Sanchez on a given day, it means there were no cases on that day.

TEST to STAY in Williston:

We are very pleased with how Test to Stay has been going in Williston over these first two weeks. Over the last two weeks, we have administered 444 rapid antigen tests to Williston students who would have otherwise been home quarantining because they were close contacts. Of these 444 tests, three individuals tested positive over the two week period, which is a .7% positivity rate. For some more math, even when subtracting out 60 mins / day for the testing logistics each morning, collectively students had access to 2,646 hours of in-person learning at school that would not have otherwise been available to them. That is a big number for sure that we are celebrating. (60 minutes of time in our testing space is a high average number. Some students are in the space for as little as 20 minutes. This depends on arrival time of the student and the number of students being tested on a particular day). We have been using the WCS Al Myers Theater and the WCS Community Room as our testing spaces. The number of students tested on a given morning has ranged in size from approximately 30, up to approximately 75. When we have larger groups of students testing we use the two spaces together and need to spread the testing window and drop-off times over a longer period of the morning. We have used a District school bus to shuttle ABS students back over to Allen Brook when their testing is complete.

I would like to sincerely thank our school nurses, CVSD Health coordinator, Jocelyn Bouyea, the Williston and CVSD Leadership Teams, and so many faculty and staff who have chipped in to staff Test to Stay each morning. It really has been an impressive team effort.

As you have seen in other communications, the optional Test to Stay program is for students who are NOT vaccinated, are asymptomatic, and who may have had a school exposure. Unfortunately, we are not able to extend Test to Stay to students who have been identified as a close contact as a result of exposure outside of school.

Tracking In-school Spread:

Some of you have asked how determinations are made about in-school transmission occurring or not. This is not something the school can determine. The VT Department of Health is currently monitoring situations in some of our schools, which means they track potential additional cases in certain school groups / cohorts for a 28-day period. During this time, they monitor close contacts and any additional cases in a group or pod and investigate to determine if there is an epidemiological link between the cases. There are many times when there are multiple cases in a cohort or pod but the exposure and subsequent positive case is not determined to be from school because a more likely source is found.

After just about two full weeks of implementing the Test to Stay program in some CVSD schools, we can say with confidence that it’s working on a number of levels. As of Wednesday of this week, more than 550 students had participated in the Test to Stay program. Of those students, four tested positive with the antigen tests. Those four students went on to take the PCR test, which confirmed that they were in fact, positive for COVID. All four were asymptomatic.

All of the students who participated but tested negative would previously have missed school in order to quarantine. It is likely that their parents/caregivers and their work schedules would have been impacted as well.

If you have not yet registered your child for Test to Stay and provided consent, consider doing that now, even if you’re not directly impacted by a positive case at this time. It’s always good to be prepared.

Important information about vaccines and Test to Stay:

Some students are beginning the COVID-19 vaccination process. They are not considered FULLY vaccinated until 2 weeks after their second dose. They can still participate in Test to Stay until then.

Parents/Guardians - please send your school’s health office a copy of your child’s vaccine record AFTER they get their SECOND dose. There’s no need to let the health office know if you’ve scheduled a vaccine. We certainly share in your excitement about the ability to do so!

The optional Test to Stay program is for students who are NOT vaccinated, are asymptomatic, and who may have had a school exposure.

Parents/Guardians must complete both parts below if opting your child(ren) in the Test to stay program.

1. A student can only participate in Test to Stay if their parent/guardian has given consent. If you would like your child to participate in the response testing, including the antigen Test to Stay program, please complete the Consent webform as soon as possible.

2. Vermont will be using SimpleReport to report the results of antigen tests. This reporting system allows for parents/guardians to receive their student’s results instantly. Please register your student, using this link. (This link is unique for your school and is different from the one provided by other CVSD schools.)

A reminder: students participating in Test to Stay should quarantine when not in the school building.

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.

What COVID-19 vaccines have been approved for kids in the U.S.?

In the U.S., COVID-19 vaccines are available to children by age group:

• Ages 5 through 11. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has given emergency use authorization to a Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for this age group. This vaccine involves two injections, given three weeks apart. It contains a lower dose than the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine used for people age 12 and older. Research shows that this vaccine is about 91% effective in preventing COVID-19 in children ages 5 through 11.

What are the side effects of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccines for kids?

Children given the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccines had side effects similar to those experienced by people age 16 and older. The most commonly reported side effects include:

• Pain where the shot was given

• Fatigue

• Headache

• Chills

• Muscle pain

• Fever

• Joint pain

• Swollen lymph nodes

• Nausea

• Decreased appetite

Similar to adults, children have side effects within 2 days after vaccination that typically last 1 to 3 days. More children reported these side effects, except for injection site pain, after the second dose of the vaccine. However, some people have no side effects.

After your child is given a COVID-19 vaccine, he or she will be monitored for 15 to 30 minutes to see if he or she has an allergic reaction that requires treatment.

It isn't recommended that you give your child an over-the-counter pain reliever before vaccination to prevent side effects. It's OK to give this kind of medication after your child gets a COVID-19 vaccine.

Here is the link to the CDC website on COVID vaccination:

CDC COVID Vaccinations

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.

November 17 is National ESP Day. ESPs are education support professionals, including para-professionals, bus drivers, food service, to custodians and maintenance staff, and so much more. This year, especially, is an important time to recognize and thank them.

It would be an opportune time to give gratitude for the essential work that all the ESPs do in our district. Join us to celebrate and advocate for the amazing school support staff who continue to go above and beyond for our school communities.

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

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

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.

Coordinated by the Marine Corps League’s Donald Cook Detachment, Toys for Kids (100% volunteer, non-profit program) is the largest toy collection program in Vermont for kids. With the help of NBC Ch. 5 TV and many business sponsors, volunteers will work diligently to monitor and empty hundreds of our signature red Toys for Kids barrels. All new, unwrapped toys that are collected will be given to agencies like the Salvation Army for distribution to families in Vermont. All toys collected stay local.

Our Toys for Kids red barrels will be in schools until 12/21/21.

Please consider buying toys early from local merchants. If you decide to buy toys on-line, you can ship your toy purchases directly to: Toys for Kids of Vermont, c/o Jerihill Ace Hardware, 249 Vt-15, Jericho, Vermont 05465. The Toys for Kids team will deliver them directly to our local agencies.

In addition to toys for children up to age 14, we depend upon your generous financial donations which enables us to buy $35 Visa gift cards for 15 to 17 year old kids. If you would like to help us financially, please mail a check to: Toys for Kids, PO Box 4092, Burlington, Vt. 05406

Or you can also donate via PayPal thru our website “toysforkidsvt.com" and select Donate.

Seeking Donations: Click here to learn about a service learning project some students have been working on at Allen Brook School!

Whole School Celebration: We Filled The Hive by being Safe, Kind and Responsible. We will celebrate on Monday with Stop, Drop and Play!

Special Visitor: Allen Brook School students and staff will get to meet “Salty” a State Plow Truck named by our students. We will have a special visit on November 17th!

Kindness Day: World Kindness Day is November 13th. Allen Brook will be celebrating with Kindness Week! See here for more information. Feel free to encourage some of these activities at home!

Have questions about PBiS at ABS or any of the above mentioned happenings? Contact Nicole at npfende@cvsdvt.org

PebbleGo is a database specifically geared toward the needs of K-3 learners. It helps your child learn foundational research skills plus provides critical early-reader support like audio voice overs and text highlighting. The easy navigation makes it inviting for students to discover new information. And you can feel comfortable knowing that they are exploring an ad-free website bursting with resources to help your child learn fun facts they will be so proud to share.

PebbleGo can be accessed from school, home, or on the go— anywhere on any device with an internet connection.

To access our ABS school subscription, go to www.PebbleGo.com and login with...

username: allenbrook

password: school

Williston Schools offers optional daily learning opportunities for students who are quarantining without their class and teacher. On each school day there will be two types of learning opportunities that can be accessed by students: “Meets” with teachers and learning menus. The activities completed during the “Meets” and through the learning 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 about these opportunities including the “Meet” schedule and links to math, science, and literacy activities:

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.

From Oct 4-November 12, classroom teachers, Essential Arts teachers, and our two school librarians are joining together to explore the GLOBAL READ ALOUD program. Sharing great books makes our world feel a bit smaller and opens our eyes to shared experiences. How phenomenal for a student to know that the same books they are reading are being read in classrooms all across the globe. Ask your child about GRA#21!

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

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.

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)

• 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