Wildcat Buzz
We are Ready to Welcome You Back!
On behalf of the Williston Schools faculty and staff it is our pleasure and privilege to welcome Williston students and families back for a new school year. We are so excited to have students return to our two beautiful schools next Wednesday and Thursday. We feel ready to have their personalities and energy fill these halls and classrooms making our community come alive once again!
In typical fashion, these summer months our year-round staff have been working daily to prepare ABS and WCS for a fresh new school year. School spaces have literally been cleaned from top to bottom. We want to thank our administrative office staff, food service team, facilities, transportation, and technology teams, for going above and beyond to make sure everything would be ready to welcome you and your students back this week. From new carpet at ABS to a new gymnasium floor at WCS (in progress), to plenty of fresh paint in locations around both schools, the buildings are looking and feeling great. You may have also noticed all the digging going on near the west parking lots at WCS. This is a stormwater project that is scheduled to finish up this week just in time for the start of the school year.
In addition to welcoming back our returning students, we are especially excited about welcoming all of our new students - Kindergartners, 3rd graders at WCS, and anybody new to Williston! On the first few mornings of school, we flood the halls of both schools with caring adults. These adults are there to greet students with a smile and make sure everybody gets where they need to go, even if it involves a special 1:1 escort. We want every student to feel welcome and confident that there will be lots of help when they walk in those doors in the morning. If you are new to WCS - or just need a refresher - you can find a map showing all our team locations on our website by clicking here.
Speaking of new faces, we are thrilled to welcome a wonderful group of new educators and support staff to the Williston Schools family across ABS and WCS! While we will surely miss our outgoing staff, we are very excited for the energy and perspectives our new team members bring to our community. Thanks to targeted recruitment efforts and the strong reputation of our school community, we are starting this school year nearly fully staffed—a true testament to what a special place Williston is to work, learn, and grow.
Please take a few minutes to review this newsletter full of important information about the start of the school year. We ask that you take a close look at the drop off and pick up locations and procedures at both schools if you plan to transport your student by personal vehicle. When it comes to saying goodbye to your student on those first few mornings, we have found that it's helpful for parents to have those goodbyes happen outside the school building. This helps establish a sense of confidence and independence for your student and sets the foundation for a predictable routine in the morning. It also supports our school safety protocols during this busy time of day. Of course, we always encourage students to give our bus transportation a try.
In the newsletter you will also find information about important upcoming school events you will want to put on your calendar, like the ABS and WCS Welcome Back Breakfast and Meet & Greet Event on Tuesday, 8/25. This is a great opportunity for students to meet their teachers and classmates as well as practice navigating to their classroom!
Another way we are welcoming students back is through our “Hopes and Dreams” (K-4) and “Getting to know You” (3-8) Surveys. If you have not already done so, we hope you will take a few minutes to complete this important survey with your student(s). The better we know our students, the better we welcome them and foster a true sense of belonging. As always, don’t hesitate to reach out for help if you need any support in completing these forms or have any questions at all.
We cannot wait to welcome your children back through our doors next week! Thank you for your ongoing partnership, trust, and shared commitment to our school community.
Warmly,
The Williston Schools Leadership Team
Angela Filion, ABS Principal
Sarah Gordon, Williston Director of Special Services
Greg Marino, WCS Principal Ayrin Thibault, WCS Assistant Principal
In order to keep all students safe and accounted for, we need every student's annual forms reviewed, updated, and submitted in the PowerSchool Parent Portal. If you have not yet completed the forms for the 26-27 school year please log on your PowerSchool Parent Portal and click on the “Forms” tab in the left-hand menu.
Review, update, and submit the following required forms for each of your students:
Annual Student Contact Update (do NOT mark parent/s as "Emergency Contact")
Annual Student Health Update (Required for your student to attend field trips)
Annual Student Permissions Update (Required for your student to attend field trips)
Annual Household Income Form (HIF) from the Vermont Agency of Education
If you need help navigating the portal or completing the forms, click here for detailed instructions.
Need assistance with the PowerSchool portal? Contact Shani Varricchione, 802-871-6203 (ABS) or Lisa Barland, 802-871-6104 (WCS)
If you have a smartphone, you can review and submit forms is through the PowerSchool Mobile App. Use these directions to use the PowerSchool Mobile App
Personal Electronics in school
In order to maintain our learning environment, electronic games, cell phones, Airpods, smartwatches etc. are not to be carried or used during the school day. They are allowed on the bus to and from school with earbuds and not sharing content. Per the new CVSD policy students must turn their personal electronics in to their teacher at the beginning of each day.
Allen Brook School
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
Please carefully read the arrival and dismissal information linked below for more details
Williston Central School
Bus Doors Open - 7:45 am
Start of School Day - 7:55 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 either the cafeteria or 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
Please carefully read the arrival and dismissal information linked below for more details
Williston Central School Athletics are open to all students grades 6th-8th. All practices start at 2:50 and end around 4:20. Students can be picked up at the rear entrance to the school, or take the activity bus.
Visit the athletics website for everything you need to know about playing on a sports team at WCS.
Bus Information
Williston Schools Food Service
Allen Brook School
Start Time @ 7:50am;
Dismissal for PreK & K at 2:25pm - grades 1 & 2 @2:30pm
Wednesday Early Dismissal @ 1:25 & 1:30
Williston Central School
Start Time @7:55am;
Dismissal grades 3 & 4 @2:35pm - grades 5-8 @2:45pm
Wednesday Early Dismissal @ 1:35 & 1:45