1. Walk or Roll to School Day on 1/16, map & details below

2. ABS: Absence and End of Day Changes - absattendance@cvsdvt.org

3. WCS: Absence and End of Day Changes - wcsattendance@cvsdvt.org

Important Upcoming Dates to Note

01/14 - Intergen Book Groups

01/16 - Walk or Roll to School Day

01/18 - Swift House Bottle Drive

01/19 - Martin Luther King, Jr Day Observance, 3:00 - 4:30pm @WCS Auditorium

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

01/22 - WCS Middle School Celebration of Learning, Drop in between 6:30-7:30pm

01/24 - Deadline for 8th Grade Baby Pictures and Yearbook Quotes

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

02/07 - Deadline to register for the Grades 1 & 2 Heart Challenge

02/24 - Winter Break Begins

02/28 - Last chance to order a yearbook

03/05 - Welcome Back from Winter Break

by Jacqueline Parks, Williston Central School Principal

Happy New Year! The school year is approaching the mid-year mark. We are beginning to enter the second window of assessments for students in order to monitor their learning in relation to our local, state and national standards.

This is also the time of year that we look even more closely at attendance, tardy and early release data for students. ABS and WCS will be sending out letters in regards to attendance, tardy and early release data late next week. If your student has missed more than 10-days for any reason and we don’t have clear documentation of an extended trip or extended illness, you may receive a communication requesting a meeting to set-up an attendance plan or tardy plan.

The Chittenden County attendance procedures have a specific set of actions that may occur after a student misses 10-days, 15-days or 20-days. Anything beyond 20-days may become a formal truancy concern. Again, if we have clear documentation about a situation (doctor’s notes etc.), we may not require anything further.

We communicate and hold these meetings in order to better understand what is getting in the way of a student’s attendance and/or getting to school on time. Being in school and arriving on time helps set our students up for their learning. We care deeply about the well-being and success of each student and the first way we can do this is to ensure our students are in school and on time. Of course, we do understand that illness happens and we appreciate students staying home when they are too unwell to be here and are potentially spreading germs.

As a reminder:

ABS opens at 7:35 am and students are marked late that arrive after 7:50 am.

WCS opens at 7:30 am, buses arrive around 7:45 am and students are marked late that arrive at their team space after 8:00 am.

If your student is struggling with absences and or is tardy frequently, we can also help brainstorm strategies to try. We know it can be complicated and that many factors come into play with these issues.

If you have any questions about our attendance and tardy procedures, please don’t hesitate to reach out.

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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

All students must have appropriate footwear to safely and fully participate in PE classes each week. Please check with your classroom teacher if you are unsure on what days PE occurs. Boots will not be allowed in PE, so it’s especially important during the Winter months to have footwear to change into. Feel free to contact your classroom teacher of PE teachers with any questions or concerns.

Thank you,

ABS & WCS Physical Educators

January 9, 2025

Dear Williston Families,

We wanted to reach out to let you know that we have many confirmed cases of Influenza A in both ABS and WCS and many students are out sick with fever, fatigue and bad cough, vomiting and diarrhea. If your child’s fever is lasting more than 3 days and/or their cough doesn't improve, consider checking in with a pediatrician.

Symptoms

• fever* or feeling feverish/chills.

• cough

• sore throat

• runny or stuffy nose

• muscle or body aches

• headaches

• fatigue (tiredness)

• some people may have vomiting and diarrhea, though this is more common in children than adults

In an effort to reduce the spread of illness, we ask that you keep your sick child home until they are healthy (fever-free x 24 hours without medicine and symptoms improved), reinforce the importance of covering coughs and sneezes with an elbow or tissue, and encourage your child to wash hands often and well. At school, we are reinforcing good hand and cough hygiene and cleaning in work spaces.

Please, let the Health Office know (email WCSnurse@cvsdvt.org for WCS and slove@cvsdvt.org for ABS) if your child is sick with flu-like illness or if they have been diagnosed with Flu, pneumonia, or strep throat. If you have any questions, we encourage you to call your child's pediatrician or refer to the resources we've shared below.

Be well,

Nurse Maria, Nurse Samantha and Nurse Love

The Kids Heart Challenge is an event to support the American Heart Association. We will be doing our Kids Heart Challenge event this year at the Allen Brook School with the first and second graders in early February. The purpose of this event is to teach children about their own heart health while helping raise money to help others who have heart or stroke issues. The money raised goes to research, education, and support for people dealing with cardiovascular issues.

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WHEN: Saturday, January 18

WHY: Raising funds for our end of the year trip

WHAT: Bottle Drive! Swift house students will be going through neighborhoods collecting redeemable cans and bottles.

We encourage Williston residents to please put any cans and bottles they’d like to be picked up in a bag out by their curb by 9:00am Saturday

Please contact khunt@cvsdvt.org with 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.