The School Bell

by Greg Marino, Williston Schools Lead Principal

Hip-Hip Hooray! Hip Hip Hooray! Hip Hip Hooray!

Yes, an old fashioned cheer for sure, but that’s what we just heard echoing down the main ABS corridor just a few moments ago after our first Friday morning sing-a-long led by Horizon teacher, David Bolger. It was a most joyful way to start the day. It was also a great way to sum up the feeling of these first few school days!

Welcome to the premier installment of the 2023-2024 School Bell e-newsletter! You can expect an edition of the School Bell each and every Friday afternoon. I encourage you to please take a few minutes to review “The Bell”, as we affectionately call it, each week as it contains helpful information about all aspects of our PreK - 8 learning community!

I should start with a heartfelt thank you! Thank you, parents and caregivers! Thank you students! Thank you faculty and staff! Thank you operations teams! Your presence and efforts have made possible the amazing start of this new school year. These first few days have been fantastic! The welcoming parties were out in full force at both schools as a stream of eager and smiling faces entered for their first few days of school. Students and adults alike have jumped right into the important and fun job of connecting and reconnecting - reestablishing existing relationships and starting new and exciting ones. The feeling of positivity and potential in the air in our schools right now is truly palpable. It’s really exciting!

CVSD and Williston Priorities: “Growth and Belonging for All”

Over the summer the CVSD Leadership Team spent time together with the goal of again identifying priorities for the upcoming school year and crafting communication and imaging that portrays what we believe to be most important in our community right now. The image below is one result of that work. As you can see the tagline is, “Growth and Belong For All”. We believe that real personal, physical, and academic growth happens in the context of a community where all individuals feel as if they belong and are connected with one another. We also know that a catchy tagline means nothing on its own. A community is the sum of all the things we do each and every day to take care of ourselves, each other, and this place. This image and these priorities will be the north star for all of our efforts throughout the school year.

Arrival, Dismissal, and Transportation, Oh My!:

We want to thank you for your patience as we work out some of the typical start-up glitches with our arrival, dismissal and transportation routines. We are pleased to see that these are going smoother at both schools with the passing of each day. Please make sure that you are familiar with the arrival and dismissal procedures linked below if you plan to drop off or pick up your child at either school. We appreciate all you can do to follow these guidelines to ensure a safe and smooth transition in and out of school!

As mentioned above - our partnership is critical to the success of our common goals to help our students be safe, happy, and healthy people. As always, I am grateful for that partnership and for the chance to work in this wonderful community. Please do not hesitate to reach out any time with any questions or concerns.

Our day officially begins at 7:50 am

Buses Arrive and Unload at 7:35am

Students may be dropped off as early as 7:25 and will be directed to wait in the cafeteria until 7:35.

Students will be dismissed beginning at 2:30. Buses will depart at 2:35 (1:35 on Wednesdays)

Please carefully read the arrival and dismissal details linked above

The school day officially begins at 8:00am

Students biking, walking and/or dropped off will be asked to wait at drop-off locations until 7:45am

Buses Arrive and Unload at 7:45 am

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 either the cafeteria or the lobby near the main entrance.

Students will be dismissed at the following times

2:35 - 2:45 - Grades 3 & 4 Dismissed

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

WCS Student Pick-Up Locations

Please carefully read the arrival and dismissal details liked above.

*Please keep the main sidewalk area clear and wait for your student in the designated area.

It is important that we are able to see students connect with their adult, and have found that this works best when everyone remains at the assigned spot until students arrive to be dismissed.

*Please do not park anywhere in the path of travel in the parking lot

If spots are full, please be patient. Dismissal happens quickly and spaces will become available soon.

*Please DO NOT exit the parking lot while the buses are leaving

Please remember: If there is any change to your student's typical end of day plan, please be sure to contact the front office and teacher 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.

Send all emails regarding attendance and end of day changes to:

1. The classroom teacher

2. Front Office: absfrontoffice@cvsdvt.org

3. The Team Assistant for your grade:

• Kindergarten - cplouffe@cvsdvt.org

• First/Second Grade - lsaladino@cvsdvt.org

Please be sure to notify the front office at 871-6100 as well as the Team Assistant and core teacher of any end of day changes.

Thank you for your patience as bus routes take longer the first couple of weeks of school as drivers and students are getting familiar with the stops the routine.

In School Year 2023-2024, all students will receive free breakfast and lunch at school. Even though there is no charge for breakfast and lunch, we are asking you to fill out this application for free and reduced-price school meals.

1. We know that you all received notifications and emails about completing the PowerSchool Annual Forms Update. This is required each year and is important for many reasons including safety and security as well as for the various permissions that are needed annually. Contact your school if you need assistance.

2. We also want to remind families and caregivers about filling out the Free and Reduced Meal application each year as well. Students need healthy meals to learn. The Champlain Valley School District offers healthy meals every school day. In School Year 2023-2024, all students will receive free breakfast and lunch at school. Even though there is no charge for breakfast and lunch, we are asking you to fill out this application for free and reduced-price school meals.

This document provides many of the reasons why it is important to fill out the forms even though meals are free to students this year. Please go to the Free and Reduced Meals page on our website to learn more and to access the online and printable forms.

3. And finally, mark your calendar for the 2nd annual Playing Fields event! Join us on September 7 from 6-8 pm at CVU. This is open to all CVSD families and community members.

Annual Update Forms MUST be completed in order for your student to participate in Field Trips and other school events. Forms may be completed on-line or using the PowerSchool Mobile App.

Use these directions to use the PowerSchool Mobile App

All students grades 3-9 took the new VTCAP assessment this spring in math and literacy (and grades 5, 8 & 11 in Science). Results from the assessment were recently shared with districts. We are just beginning to compile those in an effort to send individual student reports to families. We are not anticipating that those will be ready to send until closer to the end of September. When the individual student reports are sent, there will be a guide for families that accompanies the report.