Wildcat Buzz

Updated Date/Times for Williston Central School Open Houses:

1. Grades 3 & 4 - September 26th, 6:30 - 7:30pm

2. Middle School, Grades 5 - 8 - TBD, Stay tuned for details soon

We encourage you to carpool if possible to minimize congestion in the parking lots

Important Upcoming Dates to Note

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

09/30 - Fall Book Fair by Phoenix Books, WCS Community Room

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

10/09 - Four Winds Training, WCS Community Room @8:30-10:30

10/10 - NO SCHOOL for Students /Conferences & Faculty/Staff In-service

10/11 - NO SCHOOL

10/17 - Williston Families as Partners Monthly Meeting - WCS Community Room @ 8:30am

10/25 - 7th & 8th Grade Dance

10/28 - Multilingual Celebration

11/01 - Diwali / NO SCHOOL

WCS Incident Follow-up and Next Steps

Dear Williston Parents and Caregivers,

I wanted to use this space to briefly follow-up on yesterday's incident at WCS involving the complete discharge of a dry chemical fire extinguisher. As you know by now, the discharge of the extinguisher resulted in an evacuation of WCS and a modified dismissal procedure that impacted both schools, and ultimately, the closure of WCS today. I would like to again thank Williston families for your patience and understanding. Though we know the day was not without its challenges, we are grateful that everyone remained safe. I also want to thank the Williston Fire and Police Departments, as well as WCS students, faculty and staff, for their response to yesterday’s events.

There were many examples yesterday of how our safety training and practice helped us maintain the safety of students and staff. However, any incident that causes us to put our emergency procedures to the test, especially unexpectedly, always provides opportunities for learning and improvement. Yesterday was certainly no exception. In case you missed the email communication yesterday, please refer to your inbox for a summary of the incident.

One of the foundational elements of our school safety work has been to maintain an ongoing feedback cycle. Our School Safety Committee - which includes staff from both schools, local emergency responders, Town representatives, facilities experts, our school nurse, mental health clinicians, and parents - has used regular feedback from staff and parents to inform its ongoing work. Examples of this is the soliciting of feedback from staff after every emergency practice or event that occurs in either school. The committee has also gathered parent feedback in the form of surveys sent out after options-based lockdown drills in recent years. The Safety Team will again put this habit of practice into action for this event.

Some steps that will occur to collect, process, and analyze information about yesterday’s events are as follows:

• An After Action Review (AAR) process is being implemented, with the initial review to be scheduled next week. This will involve the Williston School Safety Committee, The Williston Leadership Team, and Central Office Leadership personnel.

• The CVSD Safety Committee will also complete a review of the incident and the take-aways from the local Williston AAR process.

• All Williston Central and Allen Brook faculty and staff have been asked to respond to a feedback survey about the incident. This feedback will be reviewed as part of the AAR.

• Parents / Caregivers are encouraged to complete this survey to provide us with your feedback related to your experience as well as what your student shared as their experience. If you have not already talked with your student(s) about their experience, I encourage you to do so.

• Parents and caregivers who did not receive the emergency communications yesterday should email svarricchione@cvsdvt.org

• Informed by survey responses and the AAR process, provide additional follow-up communication to parents / caregivers as needed.

I am immensely proud of how our faculty and staff responded to yesterday’s events. We can hold that feeling of pride while still acknowledging that there were challenging moments and situations that we can and will learn from. We know that one of the most effective safety measures that any school can take is to maintain a well-trained, highly alert, and caring staff. This has been and will continue to be a focus of our school safety efforts.

I appreciate you taking a few moments to complete the survey above. Your feedback will play a key role in helping us learn from the event and support our continued efforts to enhance school safety in Williston and CVSD.

Sincerely,

Greg Marino

We are transforming the WCS Community Room into a Phoenix Bookstore! Come join the fun! Help students find and purchase books at our Fall Book Fair! https://signup.com/go/RcFfarG

School Messenger is the system our district uses for notifications throughout the school year - phone, text and email. If you did not receive the notifications yesterday from the school(s) your student(s) are in, please email Shani Varricchione at svarricchione@cvsdvt.org. If you have unsubscribed or blocked these messages at any time this will impact all communications from Williston Schools, and we want to make sure everyone is getting all important updates.

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.

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

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.

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: wcsattendance@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.

4-H VTeen Science Pathways Cafés

Engage in hands-on learning with professional scientists, engineers, and technology experts as you explore varied STEM career pathways. Monthly science café topics include: Wired Wonders: Dive into Robotics with DIY Circuits Disease Detectives: Genetically Engineering Bacteria in the Microbiome for Therapy Finding Patient Zero: Tracking Disease Outbreaks Food Science: Investigating Ice Cream, and more!

Held Saturdays from 5:00-7:00 pm on UVM campus on: 9/21, 10/19, 11/9, 12/7, 1/11 2/15, 3/22, 4/12 and 5/10.

Free program, but registration is required. Please register here: https://go.uvm.edu/afe. Pizza and soft drinks provided. Program Run by the 4-H VTeen Science Ambassadors for youth in grades 7-12.

To request language interpretation/translation assistance and/or a disability-related accommodation to participate in this program, please call or email Margaret Coan at 802-656-7634 or margaret.coan@uvm.edu at least 3 weeks before the event you want to attend so we may assist you.

Health Heroes Community Workshops for Youth

Join faculty, staff and medical students from the UVM Larner College of Medicine and UVM Extension 4-H for a series of interactive workshops promoting practical health and wellness knowledge for your own life and to share with your community. For youth in grades 8-12. Free program, but registration is required.

Please register for the program here: https://go.uvm.edu/heroes2.

Dates and topics include:
Thursday, 9/19, 5:00- 7:00 pm Healthcare and Healthy Living: Careers in Healthcare and promoting healthy lifestyles
Saturday, 10/5, 12:00-2:00 pm Prevention Strategies: What you can do to enhance personal and community health
Thursday, 10/17, 5:00-7:00 pm What is Mental Health and why is it important for overall health?

To request language interpretation/translation assistance and/or a disability-related accommodation to participate in this program, please call or email Margaret Coan at 802-656-7634 or margaret.coan@uvm.edu at least 3 weeks before the event you want to attend so we may assist you.

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.