1. Monday 1/6 - Lion King Jr - Family Info Night, 6:30pm, Middle School

2. 01/09 - Celebrate the Arts + Community Night 5-8pm @CVU

3. Allen Brook School Shirts & Sweatshirts - order due 1/10

Important Upcoming Dates to Note

01/06 - WCS Drama Program, Family Information Night, 6:30pm @WCS Auditorium

01/09 - Williston Families as Partners Monthly Meeting, 8:30am @WCS Community Room

01/09 - Celebrate the Arts + Community Night, 5-8pm @CVU

01/14 - Intergen Book Groups

01/16 - Walk or Roll to School Day

01/20 - No School / Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

02/04 - WCS Grade 4 Chorus Concert, 6:30pm @WCS Auditorium

by Greg Marino, Williston Lead Principal

Plunging Into A New Year

It was great to welcome students back yesterday as we also ushered in the new calendar year. I so appreciate the job that Williston Faculty and staff do planning these days to allow for space and time for students to reacclimate and reconnect. We have learned that trying to hit the ground running after a long break usually doesn’t work out great for kids or adults. It’s a good reminder that sometimes we need to go slow to go fast. Personally speaking, I know it will take me a few days to get back into the swing of things.

This cold and blustery weather sets the stage nicely for an important event that happens each year at the beginning of February, the VT Special Olympics Penguin Plunge event. For 30 years now the Vermont Special Olympics has coordinated this amazing fundraising event in which individuals and teams pledge to jump into the frigid waters of Lake Champlain to raise money for this amazing organization. If you are not familiar with the work of the Vermont Special Olympics and this event I encourage you to check out this link. I am proud to say that the Williston Schools and CVSD has a long tradition of enthusiastic participation in this event and has raised tens of thousands of dollars for the Special Olympics of Vermont.

Our Williston Wildcat Plunge team took a break in 2024, but we aim to make a triumphant return in 2025. If you haven’t yet participated in the plunge and have always wondered what it might feel like to jump into a hole carved out of a frozen lake, then I strongly suggest you consider joining us this year. Who knows, maybe we can beat our record and earn $17,000 this year as a team! It’s important to mention here that these efforts come back to benefit our school in the form of funds to support our Unified Sports teams. The team is looking for intrepid students, parents / caregivers, faculty and staff to join in the fun and excitement for this great cause. You can use this link to join the “Williston Wet Wildcats” team and create a fundraising page or make a donation. You can also contact me or Lynn Camara at lcamara@cvsdvt.org with any questions.

On behalf of the leadership team, I wish you a very happy and healthy new year. As always, please don’t hesitate to reach out with a question or concern on any topic.

All end of day or attendance changes must be communicated to the Front Office of your student's school. It is important that all drop-offs and pick-ups check in with the front office so students are accounted for at all times. Thank you for your cooperation.

*Allen Brook School: absattendance@cvsdvt.org

* updated email address - automatically includes the front office, nurse and team assistant all in one email!

Williston Central School: wcsattendance@cvsdvt.org

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Williston Rec, DAML, Community Events, Buzz at ABS, WCS Wildcat What's Up, Bus Information, WFAP & Four Winds, and more! Don't see it all? click VIEW ENTIRE MESSAGE at the end of your email

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 2:50 p.m - 4:20 p.m. with our 3rd session starting January 16th and ending February 13th. 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. Accommodations for any food allergies will be made. 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 the session are: January 16, 23, 30, February 6, and 13. When registering, students will be able to rank their choices for better placement! Students will be placed on a first come first serve basis as well as ensuring that students do not repeat workshops unless there are open spots. Please use this registration form and a list of workshop descriptions. Contact Julie Rogers (jrogers@cvsdvt.org) with any questions.

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 24/7 - 365 for call or text
• 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.