Wildcat Buzz

1. Ice Cream Social, NEW TIME- 5:30-6:30pm @WCS

2. Picture Day! WCS: 09/16 - ABS: 09/17

3. Intergen Book Group and Library Volunteers at WCS

Important Upcoming Dates to Note

09/09 - Ice Cream Social at WCS, 5:30 - 6:30pm *New Time

09/16 - WCS Picture Day

09/17 - ABS Picture Day

09/19 - Middle School Open House, 6:30-7:30pm @WCS

09/26 - 3rd & 4th Grade Open House, 6:30-7:30pm @WCS

10/01 - K - 2 Open House, 6-7pm @ABS

10/10 - NO SCHOOL for Students /Conferences & Inservice

10/11 - NO SCHOOL

by Jacqueline Parks, Williston Central School Principal

What a wonderful beginning to our school year! WCS has been buzzing with activity, laughter and joyful connections. Teachers and teams have created an array of activities to build community, while setting the expectations and routines up for the year! Many of these fall field trips and activities are funded by our WFAP through the Annual Fund. We are so thankful to our WFAP and families for this support! And speaking of our WFAP, please remember that the Ice Cream Social is happening on Monday from 5:30-6:30 pm on the WCS playground!

Each team has had their fall kick-off assembly where we provide an overview of our school mantra. We set all of our school expectations around these three phrases.

Take Care of Yourself! Take Care of Others! Take Care of This Place!

Middle School athletics are underway and many of our clubs are getting up and running. To see what clubs are offered, please visit our website and navigate to the section titled “Families” and then “Extracurricular Activities.” You can also be on the lookout for information about the 5th-8th SPARK program which offers a variety of afterschool programs on Thursdays. SPARK is a great way for students to try new activities and meet other students as it runs on a 4-6 week cycle.

We also look forward to seeing you at our upcoming open house events. Each grade band has a designated date.

• Thursday, September 19th 5th-8th Open House from 6:30-7:30 pm at WCS

• Thursday, September 26th 3rd-4th Open House from 6:30-7:30 at WCS

• Tuesday, October 1st K-2nd Open House from 6:00-7:00 pm at ABS

We invite you to put these date(s) on your calendar and come with your children! These will be free flowing events with a special scavenger hunt designed to introduce our staff and spaces to you. Of course, your child’s classroom and team will be on the list of places to visit and so will our Essential Arts, English Language Learning, World Language, Direction Center and more. Additionally, our Williston Families As Partners (WFAP) group has restarted and representatives from the FAP will be at each open house with opportunities for families to get involved. Look for more information about each open house as the date draws closer.

I hope that your child(ren) has had a fantastic start to their year! Please do not hesitate to reach out to your child’s teacher or school counselor if you have a need.

In order to keep all students safe and accounted for, we need every student's annual forms reviewed, updated, and submitted in the PowerSchool Parent Portal. Please take the time to log into your PowerSchool Parent Portal account and navigate to the “Forms” icon on the left-hand toolbar to review, update and submit all four of the forms for each of your students as soon as possible. Click here for detailed instructions if needed.

If you have a smartphone, the easiest way to review and submit forms is through the PowerSchool Mobile App. Use these directions to use the PowerSchool Mobile App. Our district code is ZRXW.

- All four forms must be reviewed, updated if necessary, and submitted

- These forms must be submitted before the start of EVERY new school year for ALL students. Students will not be able to participate in any field trips without completed forms. Even if you recently submitted enrollment forms when registering your student(s) for the first time for the 24-25 school year, these ANNUAL forms must be submitted.

- Parents CANNOT be marked as Emergency Contacts. Parents/Guardians will always be contacted first in case of emergency. Emergency Contacts do not receive regular school-wide communications so if a parent/guardian is marked as an emergency contact they will not receive school-wide communications like the weekly Wildcat Buzz newsletter and bus alerts.

Thank you! Once your forms have been submitted, any changes to transportations, permissions, or contacts should be communicated directly to the classroom teacher and front office.

Allen Brook School and Williston Central School are seeking a flexible and reliable person to serve as a permanent building substitute. Prior experience as a classroom teacher or substitute teacher is preferred. A Permanent Building Substitute is utilized to fill daily teacher or paraeducator absences in grades K-8. Building Substitutes are guaranteed work each student day and are the first substitutes to be assigned when teacher or paraeducator absences arise. Excellent benefits are included. This position is 7 hours a day for 194 days. Please apply through schoolspring.com.

Compensation for the position is $20.11 - $21.93 an hour based on education and experience.

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

We want to thank Josilyn Adams from Thirty-One Gifts for supporting ABS students. Thirty-One Gifts is helping to break stigmas, understand mental health and teach skills to boost mental health and wellness in children. We received 25, child friendly totes and included a No Worries-An Activity Book for Young People Who Sometimes Feel Anxious or Stressed, colored pencils, and markers. We greatly appreciate this generous donation! For more information and resources about mental please visit The on Our Sleeves Movement for Children's Mental Health

Pictured: Laura Gigliotti, receiving the donation from Josilyn Adams

Bus Doors Open - 7:35 am

Start of School Day - 7:50 am

* Early Arrivals: Any students arriving between 7:25 - 7:35 must remain in the cafeteria where they will be supervised until the first bus arrives.

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Kindergarten Dismissal begins at 2:25pm (1:25 on Wednesdays)

First & Second Grade Dismissal begins at 2:30

Buses depart at 2:35 pm

Any time a student is going to be absent, or has a change to their dismissal/end of day plan,

please notify the following:

1. The classroom teacher

2. Front Office: absfrontoffice@cvsdvt.org or this form

3. ABS Team Assistant Celeste Plouffe: cplouffe@cvsdvt.org

4. School Nurse (if due to illness): slove@cvsdvt.org

Reminder: If there is any change to your student's typical end of day plan, please be sure to contact the school BEFORE 1:00PM (or 12:00 pm on Wednesdays). Changes in your student(s) schedule will not be accepted after this time unless it is an emergency.

Like to read? Join us! WCS 5th-8th grade students, seniors from our community and parent participants are part of an "inter-generational" book club that meets once per month during school hours from October - March.

The program kicks off on October 8th and meets the second Tuesday of each month from October - March. Please register by September 20th.

If your 5th-8th grade student is interested in being considered for this program, please register now. We are also seeking parent volunteers and participants! Use this online link to learn the details and to register your child or to sign up as a parent participant.

If you have any questions, please contact Karen at ws_intergen@cvsdvt.org.

(Here is the online link: https://forms.gle/1DkVoTE3C7MevRyUA)

• Do you have an eye for detail?

• Are you an alphabetizing whiz?

• Want an inside view of what’s going on in our school?

The WCS Library is looking for parent and/or community volunteers! We are seeking community members who could commit to a regular schedule to help shelve books.

If you are interested, please contact school librarian Ellen Arapakos at earapakos@cvsdvt.org or (802) 871-6191.

In order to maintain our learning environment, electronic games, cell phones, Airpods, smartwatches etc. are expected to be put away for each school day. They are allowed on the bus to and from school. Students may keep them in their backpack at their own risk or put them in a locked location provided by their team. We highly recommend students use the locked boxes as we are not responsible for stolen items.

I wanted to share some information about the Connecting Youth Student Assistance Professional (SAP) Program at WCS. I'm Lynn Camara, the SAP Counselor, my office is located in the Direction Center. The SAP Program, like the Employee Assistance Program (EAP) for adult employees in many workplaces, is a national program designed to help students make healthy choices and get the information and support they need.

I work with 5th-8th graders individually and in small groups, offering resources, skill-building, and connections to local agencies for additional support when needed. I also co-advise some leadership groups including CY LEAD, GSA, and Rainbow Club.

Students are welcome to reach out to me directly, but referrals from peers, teachers, parents, and caregivers are common too. Feel free to email at lcamara@cvsdvt.org for more information. Please also visit the Connecting Youth website to learn more about the Connecting Youth SAP and Mentoring programs in CVSD!

When:

• Tuesdays after school, 2:50-4:00.

• Rehearsals for Session 1 begin on Tuesday, September 24th.

• The first two rehearsals are “open enrollment.” (9/24 and 10/1) Students may come to sit in and check it out with no obligation.

• Starting Tuesday, October 8th, students must make a final decision to be a chorus member or not. Chorus members must attend all rehearsals. Absences due to medical, religious, or family reasons are excused.

• Non-members are not permitted to attend rehearsals.

Where:

• WCS Music/Chorus room

• Students should bring a snack to eat between school dismissal and the start of chorus rehearsal. No food is permitted inside the rehearsal room. Only water is allowed.

• There is a 4:20 activity bus available to take students home. Supervision is provided between 4:00 and 4:20.

Other Information:

• The chorus performances for session 1 will be on Tuesday, February 4th, 2025 at 1:00pm and 6:30pm.

• The chorus sings a variety of music from different time periods, cultures, and styles. The students will be singing in different languages, meters, and tonalities. The songs range in level of difficulty.

• No audition- just a love for singing!

• No cost.

• Sign-up forms will be coming home in your child’s take-home folder. (Or use this online form instead!)

Please contact Danielle Trasciatti-Holmberg (Mrs. T-H) with any questions or concerns. dtrasciatti@cvsdvt.org

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!

CY Mentors at WCS are caring adults who spend a regularly scheduled hour with their middle school student mentees each week that school is in session. They participate in many activities together on school grounds, including games, arts and crafts, sports cooking, and conversation.

Mentors bring with them a sense of shared fun, new experiences and great listening skills. Mentors bring encouragement and options for expanding a young person’s regard for themselves and their world. By sharing yourself with your mentee you can inspire them to create a richer future for themselves.

If you would like to give back to the community in this incredibly meaningful way, please be in touch! We would love to hear from you. Please contact Rebecca Martell, WCS Mentoring Coordinator at rmartell@cvsdvt.org or (802) 871-6046.

Here’s what WCS MENTORS have said about their Mentoring Experience:

It was an incredible year. I was amazed at how well the program worked. I greatly appreciate all the work that went into making it happen and also making it happen so seamlessly. Wow!

~WCS Mentor

In general, how do you rate this program? Excellent – 100%

Having a mentee has made a positive impact in my life. 94% agree

I have noticed positive changes in my mentee since we started. 94% agree

I have had enough support to deal with the challenges of mentoring. 100% agree

I would recommend mentoring to a friend or colleague. 100% agree

Bus Doors Open - 7:45 am

Start of School Day - 8:00 am

*Early Arrivals: If an early arrival is necessary (starting at 7:30 am) 3rd & 4th graders must wait in the lobby near the west entrance and 5th-8th graders will be in the lobby near the main entrance.

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Students will be dismissed at the following times

2:35 - 2:45 - Grades 3 & 4 Dismissed (1:35-1:45 on Wednesday)

2:40 - 5th thru 8th Dismissal for buses only

2:40 - 2:45 - Buses load and depart

2:45 - 2:50 - Grades 5-8 Dismissal for all students not riding the bus

Any time a student is going to be absent, or has a change to their dismissal/end of day plan,

please notify the following:

1. The classroom teacher

2. Front Office: wcsatttendance@cvsdvt.org or this form

3. Your student's Team Assistant(TA)

4. School Nurse (if due to illness): WCShealthoffice@cvsdvt.org
   

Reminder: If there is any change to your student's typical end of day plan, please be sure to contact the school BEFORE 1:00PM (or 12:00 pm on Wednesdays). Changes in your student(s) schedule will not be accepted after this time unless it is an emergency.

Communication with parents and caregivers is a key component in maintaining family engagement and support. Currently, every teacher/team and school communicates regularly in some way to families. Emails, blogs, newsletters, websites, and Facebook are a few of these methods. If you reach out to a person who works in the district, you can expect a response to your communication within two (2) school days (keeping in mind that weekends and the days school is not in session are not included). In the event that a response will take more time, district employees may acknowledge receipt of your email, call, or otherwise contact you with information about when they will be able to provide resolution to your request. Please remember that if you have a concern, please go to the person most directly involved first. You are also encouraged to use the CVSD Connect With Us page.

• First Call - 488-7777: phone support, crisis intervention, assessment and referrals
• In Crisis: 1-800-SUICIDE (1-800-784-2433) (National Hopeline Network: USA)
• National Suicide Prevention Life line- 1-800-273-TALK (8255), call or chat online
• 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
• Vermont Support Line (833) 888-2557) - peer support warmline open 247 - 365 for call or text
• COVID Counselors @ VT-211
• Teen Crisis Text Line - Crisis Text Line provides free emotional support and information to teens in any type of crisis, including feeling suicidal. You can text with a trained specialist 24 hours a day. Text “HOME” to 741741.
• Society for the Prevention of Teen Suicide - Website where you can find information to help yourself or a friend who may be having thoughts of suicide.
• Trevor Lifeline - 1-866- 488-7386 - provides suicide prevention and crisis intervention services to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning (LGBTQ) young people. It offers free, 24/7, confidential counseling. TrevorText—text START to 678-678; TrevorChat—instant messaging at TheTrevorProject.org/help. It also runs TrevorSpace, an affirming social networking site for LGBTQ youth at TrevorSpace.