THE SCHOOL BELL

As we reflect about the current times we live in it is hard not to feel discontent, sorrow, and helplessness. We have faced so much together as a nation and for that we must pause and reflect on our role as citizens, neighbors, colleagues, friends, and parents. We can not sit silent and be paralized by the racism that people face, and by the fact that we do not always know what the right thing to do or say is. We must take action, educate, repair, and try to move toward healing! Our Williston community is a diverse population of wonderful human beings that have come together during these unprecedented times. We are strong, united, and supportive of each other! We have proven time and time again that we are resilient and that we come together in a time of need. As we move forward and close out our year let us be reminded of the power and voice we have when we work together as one community to strive for a safe, healthy, and equitable world! Below you will find a statement of response to racial injustices from our school district, CVSD. Though we know these are merely words, they express a commitment to the ongoing, difficult, and essential work of making our community and our world a better, safer, and more just place for all people.

Our Amazing 8th Grade Class.

We cannot let this opportunity pass without saying a few words about our amazing 8th graders. We are so proud of this class! They have persevered through a unique final year, to say the least. It’s hard to miss out on your “last” time doing something and there is certainly a sense of loss. For some students, they missed out on their last WCS play, for others it was track and field and some could not completely finish their 8th grade challenge due to the quarantine restrictions. And yet, they are demonstrating flexibility, resiliency and engaging in remote learning! We look forward to celebrating them on June 11th with a very unique graduation experience! Congratulations WCS 8th graders! We are keeping you and our families in our thoughts as June 11th draws nearer. We know great things lie ahead for all of you.

CVSD Response to Racial Injustices:

This is obviously an overwhelmingly emotional time for our country, for all of us, and for our students. Just as we were beginning to anticipate increased normalcy and stability in our lives, we witnessed, as did our students, the unspeakable and unfathomable brutality of George Floyd’s murder. We cannot stand silent. We have a role.

This is a moment for schools. This is when we should be sense-making and contextualizing with our students as a community. If the current crises of public health and public trust are unnerving to us as adults, what must it feel like for our children who are taking this all in? We look forward to sharing an equitable curriculum with your children that will help them contextualize the world around them and that learning will help them feel safe.

There is something about a school, something about the layers upon layers of caring relationships, that provides comfort, reassurance, and a safe space for children in times like these. We miss our students and miss being able to be there for them in that way.

We invite each of you to think about what you can personally do to help end racism. We've found that a good place to begin is to stop and listen to people of color -- your classmates, your neighbors, your friends, and your coworkers. Only then can we begin to understand their lived experiences, and the many ways, day in and day out, they have been impacted by racism.

We’re pleased to see that the dialog in our community has already begun. Moving forward, we must be persistent in thinking about, reading about, and talking about race and racism. Each of us has a role to play in our community, our workplace, and our family to bring equity and safety to people of color.

As a safe and supportive school community, we value everyone and believe that our differences make us stronger and more resilient. Let us stand in solidarity against any and all acts of racism, disrespect, and inequitable treatment of persons of color.

To our students and families of color, we say, "We see you, we hear you, and we stand beside you." We are committed to dismantling racism in our schools and to help its survivors heal from their trauma. Let our love for one another and our solidarity define us. Let’s seize this moment. Together, let’s continue to work for a more humane, safer, and civil society.

Please take care of each other.

Some Resources for Parents / Caregivers

CNN / Sesame Street Town Hall This Saturday

Resources from Common Sense Media

How to talk to kids about race, privilege amid George Floyd protests

USA Article-Talking to Kids About Racism

Discussing Traumatic Events With Adolescents

If your family borrowed a school Chromebook for remote learning, you should have received an email with information about the option to either keep the school-issued Chromebook at home or return it to school for the summer.

Families that choose to keep it at home would need to "opt-in" to this agreement, but there is absolutely no pressure to do so. Families that do not wish to take on this responsibility over the summer will learn more about the timing and process for returning it in the email you should receive this week.

If you questions about this, or did not receive the form via email, please contact Liz Neeld at WCS (lneeld@cvsdvt.org 871-6104) or Cindy Pavlik at ABS (cpavlik@cvsdvt.org 871-6203)

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WCS will be having a final collection of materials and distribution of remaining items and materials on Monday and Tuesday, June 15th and 16th from 8:00-3:15 pm. This will be set-up at the front entrance. Students can return any library books, instruments that belong to the school, materials and textbooks.

Monday, June 15 from 8:00 am to 2:00

Allen Brook School will be having a final collection of materials and distribution of remaining items and materials on Monday, June 15 from 8 am to 2:00 pm.

The ABS Library return bin will be available June 15-17.

It’s just fine to hang onto school library books until the fall if you would like to.

Dear Artists,

I have truly missed spending time with you in Art and am looking forward to seeing you again. If you’ve not yet tried an art project, there are many ideas on the Essential Arts Menu that are linked to your weekly classroom schedule. I’m very interested to see what you’re doing. There are many ways to share your art with me - through an email attachment, my daily office hour, and for Kaleidoscope, through the 3-4 photo drop folder.

If you’ve not yet received your artwork, you will as distributions take place. The 1st and 2nd graders’ clay was fired and wrapped in its many different stages, unglazed, partially or fully glazed. There are just a few mystery pieces, for example, an animal pot lid that isn’t matched with its bowl. Please contact me by email or during my daily office hour if you have concerns or questions. Kaleidoscope students whose clay is far enough along to fire in the WCS kiln will be fired. Due to coordination logistics I don’t know precisely when and how it will be distributed. This will be determined and communicated in the future. Unfortunately, some Kaleidoscope potters had just begun the clay process when we left school. To those of you who experienced that, know that you will have future opportunities to create coil sculptures with clay.

To each artist - I encourage you to keep an art journal through the summer. It is a great time to strengthen your drawing skills. Drawing is so important because it empowers you to expressively convey your observations and ideas. It can also be a quiet and relaxing activity.

Thanks for all the fun and your hard work and for sharing your creativity with me. I learn from you every day. Wishing you a joyful summer! Ms. Beeken

We will have summer library book checkouts ABS in July and August grab-bag style!

9:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. July 1, 8, 15, 22, 29, August 5, 12, and 19

Join us also for online summer storytimes with Mrs. Clopton! Weekly storytimes will continue to be posted to our ABS Library webpage all summer long: https://sites.google.com/cvsdvt.org/abs-library/storytime

The Dorothy Alling Memorial Library's Summer Reading program begins on July 12th. Watch for their video kickoff on June 8th!

We will continue to collect any library books you are ready to return on June 15, 16, and 17 in a bin at the ABS front doors. Please do not worry about any missing books. It's okay! We do not charge ABS library fees or fines. If you'd prefer to wait until the fall, that's great, too!

Keep reading and I'll see you soon.

Love, Mrs. Clopton

Hello Band Families,

If you missed the opportunity to return items there will be another day to do so the week of June 15.

What exactly needs to be returned?

Grade 4:

• school owned instruments

Grade 5:

• school owned instruments.

• folders with band music, (binders for percussionists) If you purchased your red lesson book, you can keep it.

Grade 6:

• school owned instruments.

• woodwind and brass players: folders with band music AND Blue Standard of Excellence lesson book

• Percussionists- binder with all music

• Stage Band members- Stage Band music

Grades 7 and 8:

• School owned instruments

• Band folders with all music

• Stage Band members- Stage Band music

If you rent from Ellis Music, you do not need to return your instrument for the summer. In fact, I recommend that you keep it. If you NEED to return it, or need supplies from them, please contact them directly to make arrangements.

Tuesday, June 9, 2020 at 7 pm

WCS Band students in grades 4-7 are busy creating musical stories and poems. Their performances will be celebrated at our virtual gallery opening on Tuesday, 6/9/20 at 7 pm.

We hope you will join us in celebrating their creative work. Links to the grade level galleries will be available on the WCS Band website.

The galleries will remain open after this date so please feel free to visit at another time if needed!

Eight grade graduation will be held on June 11th. A committee of middle school teachers have come together to plan a special ceremony that will recognize students on their 8th grade graduation.

On the afternoon of Thursday, June 11th, we are planning a window of time for 8th graders from each team to be driven to the front of the school to receive their diploma, a graduation program and their yearbook (if it has arrived). The faculty from each team will be present to cheer our graduates on while maintaining the appropriate social distancing and adhering to the governor's size limitation for gatherings. We encourage our graduates to dress in their graduate attire for this special occasion! We plan to make this a festive event with music, decorations and more! We will have a photographer present to take a picture of each graduate in front of the WCS sign and pictures will be digitally available to each graduate. Note: We will be sending out a more detailed communication about the flow for the afternoon event, so that graduates and families in vehicles will know what to expect.

The following guidelines set forth by the Vermont Agency of Education will be followed. These include: · Only one graduate at a time to maintain social distancing · The graduate must wear a mask · All faculty present must wear a mask · Everyone will adhere to the social distancing guidelines · Only the graduate can exit the car · The diploma, program and yearbook must be in a bag or envelope.

At 7 pm we will have our virtual ceremony available for families to watch together. This will include most of the traditional elements including a Welcome, Pledge of Allegiance, 8th Grade Speeches, Yearbook Dedication, Presentation of 8th Grade Awards and reading graduate’s names accompanied by a slide. As usual, the 8th grade awards will be a surprise to students receiving them. We will mail the actual award the following day.

Diploma Presentation Times:

3:00-3:45 pm Voyager House

3:45-4:30 pm Swift House

4:30-5:15 pm Full House

5:15-6:15 pm Harbor House

7:00 pm Virtual ceremony

Even though the last day of school is officially Friday, June 12, our schools will continue preparing meals for pickup on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays through Friday, June 26.

If there is an extension to this date, we will let you know.

https://bit.ly/FoodserviceCVSD

Williston Schools' literacy and math coordinators developed a resource to share with families.

The goal of this 2020 Summer Math and Literacy Resources/Activities doc is to provide some optional activities and resources that students can use to strengthen and maintain their math and literacy skills over the summer. This has been a challenging Spring, so we do want to emphasize that these activities should be considered optional.

CNN and 'Sesame Street' are doing a special town hall focusing on racism looking at the complex subject from a kids and families’ perceptive. It’s airing on Saturday June 6th at 10 am. You can live stream and do not need to have cable to watch it.

https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/02/us/cnn-sesame-street-standing-up-to-racism/index.html

Attached please find the school board agenda for Tuesday night's meeting (June 9th). The meeting will take place via Zoom beginning at 6:00pm.

Zoom link Meeting ID: 976 3089 7343 Password: 239985

Dial by Phone: 1-646-876-9923

This is the link to the agenda

This is the link to the full agenda packet

Wed. June 3 / ABS Library Book Return / 8 am - 11 am

Wed. June 3 / WCS Library Book Return / 8 am - 11 am

Thurs. June 4 / Last Day Preschool: Russell/Wakefield class butterfly planting

Fri. June 5 / Casey/Hastings end of year parade

Tues. June 9 / WCS Band Virtual Music Gallery

Tues. June 9 / CVSD Board Mtg. / 6 pm

Thurs. June 11 / 8th Grade Graduation

Fri. June 12 / Last Day for Students

Mon. June 15 / WCS Collection /Distribution at WCS: 8 am to 3:15 pm

Mon. June 15/ Chromebook drop off at ABS: 8 am to 2 pm

Tues. June 16 / WCS Collection / Distribution at WCS: 8 am to 3:15 pm

My name is Poppy and for my 8th-grade challenge, I am researching and fundraising for the clean water and sanitation issue. This is an extremely important problem that is going on in the world. There are many people in other parts of the world without access to safe water for drinking and sanitizing. There is awful sickness these people can get while they miss out on their education just by trying to get clean water. I am working with a team member, Tracy Adams, at an organization called Pure Water to learn more about this and raise money to donate to their project. At Pure Water, their goal is to help install water filters and educate children about hygiene in Haiti and Honduras. I have link to a website where you can donate money. If you aren't able to donate money, I encourage you to read more about this issue on Pure Water's website. Thank you for taking the time to read this message, anything helps!

If you currently have Epi Pens, inahlers, or emergency medication in the Health Office, please reach out to your child’s school nurse to arrange for pick up. We will offer pick up dates and times that align with school lunch pick up on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 9am to 10.45 am at WCS. Both ABS and WCS medications can be picked up at WCS. You still do have to contact the school nurse prior to pick up so the medications can be gathered and sent to the location.

We also want to let you know that we continue to be there for the students and families even when the schools are closed. Please, reach out to us with any questions and concerns. We are here to help. Below is the link to our web page where we share some information that might be helpful to you. The best way to reach us is our email.

Stay healthy, be well, and take care of yourself!

Williston Central School Nurses:

Maria Kapetanovic mharlow@cvsdvt.org

Carol Albertelli calbertelli@cvsdvt.org

Allen Brook School Nurse:

Sylvia Love slove@cvsdvt.org

Health Office web page

• WSD Mobile App Flyer
  
• Williston Facebook Page
• CVSD Facebook Page
• Did you know CVSD has a blog? http://cvsdstory.blogspot.com
  
• CVSD Handbook
• WCS Library Audiobooks
• Bus Information

Allen Brook School and Williston Central School

Email: cpavlik@cvsdvt.org
Website: https://www.cvsdvt.org
Location: 195 Central School Drive, Williston
Phone: (802) 878-2762
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Williston-School-District-1483758238612170/timeline/
Twitter: @wsdvt