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1. Important Safety Reminder: Please drive slowly and carefully during arrival and dismissal

2. DEI Event Tonight 1/19/24, 6pm-8pm @SCS Library / Nepali Culture

3. Final CVSD Budget Development Meeting 1/23/24, 6pm @CVU Room 160

01/19 - CVSD DEI event: Nepali Culture in VT, 6:00-8:00pm @SCS Library

01/24 - Ski & Ride (Williston Rec Program)

01/26 - CVU Presentation to 8th Graders (during school)

01/31 - Ski & Ride (Williston Rec Program) / Swift House Open House, 6pm - 8pm

02/01 - 8th Grade Parent Night, 6:30-7:45pm @CVU Gym

02/02 - 7/8 District 3 Music Festival (select band & chorus students)

02/06 - 4th Grade Chorus Concert, 6:30pm @ WCS Auditorium

02/08 - Williston Family as Partners Monthly Meeting, 8:30 - 10:30am @WCS Community Room

02/09 - 5th/6th Grade Activity Night, 6:30 - 8:30pm

02/13 - Walk or Roll to School / Kaleidoscope to Flynn Theatre

02/13 - Conversation with the Principals, 6:30-7:30pm @WCS Community Room

03/11 - Lucky U starts (Save the Date)

03/14 - Williston Family as Partners Monthly Meeting, 8:30 - 10:30am @WCS Community Room

by Angela Filion, Allen Brook School Principal

Happy New Year everyone! It is hard to believe we are approaching the second half of the school year already! As I reflect on patterns in education, January has always been the month where getting back into the groove of school routines can be really challenging for both students and adults. It is also a time of the year where we don’t get as much sunlight in our world here in Vermont. January can also be a time to reflect on our year before and set goals for ourselves for the year ahead of us. In an effort to keep our articles in our newsletter concise(thanks for this feedback from my last month’s segment), I will give you the top three things to help us move through the second half of the year together.

1. Strive to keep routines and help (re)organize your kiddos. January is the perfect time to make sure everything else is in order for the year to come. Labeling items in case they get lost, checking the lost/found, cleaning out the backpack etc. Keep bedtime and morning routines maintained as we know this helps children to be well rested and ready for their school day. It’s also a great moment to take inventory of any appointments they need scheduled in the upcoming year.

2. Check in on their emotional health. Report cards will be coming home soon which lets you know how our kids are doing mostly in academics, but it can be harder to know how your child is doing socially and emotionally. A quiet car ride is a good time for a casual conversation about who they have been spending time with and how things are going for them at school. If anything concerning comes up, try to help them work through it, and don’t be afraid to reach out to the teacher or a counselor if need be.

3. Stay in touch with school communications. We have been working on ways to improve our communication so that it is more accessible and efficient for families. We do provide a lot of updates and information in the school’s weekly newsletter and our teachers also try to keep you well informed. The CVSD Newsletter also comes out periodically with things happening across the district. While we know life is busy, it is very helpful to keep our school to home communication strong as we see our work as a partnership.

We wish you all a great start to 2024 and we look forward to maintaining routines and communication to help us through the second half of our school year!

Be well,

Angela Filion

- Drive slowly and cautiously at all times on school grounds

- Follow all Arrival and Dismissal directions at both ABS and WCS

- Allow extra space for the buses to pass and turn - do not block driveway/bus circle

- Never walk between the buses when going to/from car

-Wait for all buses to exit the parking lot & Do NOT pull between

Science teachers across the district have been looking for ways to integrate science into reading and writing classes while also creating a shared experience for our PreK-8 students. In early February, our school will be welcoming Jason Chin to share his experiences and insights into writing and illustrating children’s books. Jason Chin, a local author and illustrator, is a diverse author and a Caldecott Medal winner who has written and illustrated a series of children’s books, including many on non-fiction science topics.

Throughout January and early February, individual classrooms will be preparing for his visit by exploring Chin’s books in a variety of ways. We are so excited for this opportunity to welcome him into our school!

Please be sure your students have all the Winter gear needed. We will be outside for recess unless the temperature is below zero. Without snowpants and boots students, will have to remain on paved and plowed areas.

As part of state law, all schools that were constructed or renovated before 1980 are required to test for polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in indoor air and address any issues when PCBs are found at or above the school action level. The intent of the law is to protect students and staff from the possible health effects of exposure to PCBs in the indoor air of schools. The indoor air at Williston Central School will be tested for PCBs during the week of January 29, 2024. Learn more in this letter from CVSD's Chief Operations Officer, Gary Marckres.

CVU Gym, Thursday, February 1st, 6:30-7:45 p.m.

see the Wildcat What's Up for full details

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• 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.