Parent teacher conferences will be held from 4pm-8pm on Wednesday, October 25th and Thursday, October 26th. Based on your level of comfort and availability, you will have the option of having your conference in person or virtual. Please use the link below to sign up for a conference with your students’ teacher(s). We highly encourage all parents/guardians to take advantage of this opportunity to partner with us in your child's education.

The younger students thoroughly enjoyed a fun warm-up game of Octopus Tag in PE last week! Through this fun adaption of a traditional game, students work on physical skills including movement, agility, balance, coordination and spatial awareness. What is better than laughing and smiling while pretending to be a giant octopus getting in some exercise? In the next few weeks, we will be exploring soccer skills!

PreK friends working those fine motor muscles and tracing their name!

8th graders are studying cells as part of our human body unit. We made naked eggs and are experimenting with osmosis by making claims based on evidence about circumference increases and decreases.

Please see the link below for the latest Health Office Newsletter from Nurse Molly Brock.

Walden is hosting a FLU clinic on October 19th at 1 PM. Staff, Students and immediate family members of students are welcome to receive a vaccine at this clinic. Consent forms must be completed (front and back) and returned to the school by Monday October 16th in order to receive a vaccine. Reach out to Molly Brock: molly.brock@ccsuvt.net or 563-3000 ext 220 with any questions.

Form attached below

After so much success last year, the PTA is bringing back their Auction Night for a second year! Please mark your calendars now for November 10th. Dinner will be served again and there will be a combination of silent and live auction items.

We are accepting donations now! If you, or someone close to you, owns a business that would like to donate, please let us know! (Call the front office at 802-563-3000)

If you're wondering, "what's it for?" We are happy to announce that we are fundraising for a new playground structure! Our goal is to raise money to support the purchase of new playground equipment so that our kids can get the best possible playground upgrade!

If users register they are under-18 when they sign up, TikTok automatically suggests they restrict who sees their videos.

But many youngsters decide not to do this because they want to have a wider audience than just pre-approved friends.

Even so, their parents or guardians can still protect them.

One way to do this is to:

• Go to Settings
• Choose Family Pairing
• Scan a QR barcode to identify which is the adult's device and which the child's

The adults can subsequently limit the types of content the child sees, and restrict who sends DMs or block private chats altogether.

The teens can subsequently unpair the accounts, but doing so will send the adult an alert and give them 48 hours to restore the link before the child can turn off the restrictions.

If parents do not want to install the app themselves, they can alter the settings of the child's app instead.

One option is to:

• Select Digital Wellbeing
• Select Restricted Mode
• Set a password

After doing this, the youngsters should only be able to see suitable videos, although TikTok acknowledges that its filters are not guaranteed to screen out all "inappropriate" content.

A further option is to:

• Choose Privacy
• Switch on Private Account and/or switch off Suggest Your Account To Others

The first option only lets approved users see the child's activity, the second stops their profile being shown to people interested in similar accounts.

1. Embracing Anxiety as a Part of Growing Up
• Instead of trying to make anxiety vanish, our focus is on guiding kids to handle it effectively. Witnessing a child in distress is never easy, and the key isn't removing every stressor but helping them build resilience. It's about nurturing their ability to navigate anxiety and thrive, even when it's present. Gradually, this approach naturally eases anxiety over time.
2. Facing Fears for Long-Term Resilience
• Shielding kids from situations that trigger anxiety provides immediate relief but can strengthen anxiety in the long run. For example, if a child is upset in an uncomfortable scenario, instantly removing them offers comfort but teaches a coping mechanism that might sustain the anxiety cycle.
3. Realistic Encouragement
• We can't promise kids a worry-free existence, but we can instill realistic confidence. Expressing assurance that they can tackle challenges and that anxiety lessens over time sets achievable expectations and boosts confidence.
4. Listening and Empowering
• Validating a child's fears doesn't mean agreeing with them. By listening empathetically, helping them comprehend their anxiety, and encouraging constructive ways to face fears, we respect their feelings without amplifying their fears.
5. Open Conversations about Feelings
• Instead of directly asking if a child is anxious about a specific test, initiate open-ended discussions about their general feelings regarding the upcoming event.
6. Avoiding Unintentional Reinforcement
• Mindful communication is crucial to avoid unintentionally reinforcing a child's fears through tone and body language that might inadvertently convey fearfulness.
7. Acknowledging Efforts in Tolerating Anxiety
• Supporting children in tolerating anxiety involves acknowledging their efforts, encouraging them to engage in life despite anxiety, and letting the natural habituation curve take its course.
8. Reducing Anticipation
• Minimizing anticipatory discussions about anxiety-inducing events helps prevent heightened stress before anticipated events.
9. Creating Plans for Potential Fears
• Discussing potential fears with children and creating plans for handling them reduces uncertainty and empowers children facing anxieties.
10. Modeling Healthy Coping Strategies
• Children learn by observing adults. Demonstrating calm and positive stress management has a lasting impact on how kids handle anxiety.

Oct 6: No school, teacher in-service

Oct 9: No school, Indigenous Peoples Day

Oct 12: CCSD School Board Meeting 6pm @ Walden School

Oct 16: School picture day

Oct 16: Nature's Classroom on Wheels program with the 5th/6th

Oct 17: Nature's Classroom on Wheels program with the 7th/8th

Oct 25, 26: Parent-teacher conferences, sign up coming soon

Oct 27: No school

Oct 31: Halloween Costume Parade @ 2:15!!!

The Walden Community Library is open to the public during the school year! Open hours are Monday to Wednesday from 10 AM to 5:30 PM, and Saturday from 10 AM to 1 PM. We have a wide selection of children’s, young adult, and adult books to choose from, as well as free WiFi, free passes to parks and museums, and more. Story hour for young children and their caregivers is on Mondays from 10:30 to 11:30 AM, and includes songs, stories, snacks, and crafts. Information about a new adult crafting club is included below. See you at the library, located in the building behind the school.

Email: anthony.fontana@ccsuvt.net
Website: https://walden.ccsuvt.net/
Location: 135 Cahoon Farm Road, West Danville, VT, USA
Phone: (802)563-3000