Wildcat Buzz

1. CVU Community Spirit Day, September 20th - details below

2. Monday the 22nd - Speech and Debate Clubs begin for grades 6-8

3. ABS Open House on Thursday, 9/25! PreK @5:30pm, K-2 @6:00pm

09/25 - ABS Open House, PreK @5:30-6:30pm / Grades K-2 @6:00-7:00pm

10/02 -- Yom Kippur, NO SCHOOL

10/09 - WFAP Monthly Meeting, @WCS 8:30-10:30am

10/20 - CVU Community Spirit Day, 10am-4pm

10/23 - Diwali, NO SCHOOL

10/24 - Student Conferences, NO SCHOOL

11/01 - Williston Craft Show, @WCS 9am-4pm

11/06 - Flora & Ulysses, WCS Fall Play - Opening Night

11/07 - Flora & Ulysses, WCS Fall Play

11/08 - Flora & Ulysses, WCS Fall Play Matinee

11/10 - 11/14 - Fall Book Fair with Phoenix Books @WCS

11/13 - WFAP Monthly Meeting, @WCS 8:30-10:30am

11/24 - 11/28 - Thanksgiving Break, NO SCHOOL

by Greg Marino, Williston Schools Lead Principal

I wanted to take this space in this week’s Wildcat Buzz to center our attention on school safety. As part of our ongoing efforts to keep our schools and community safe, and in following with guidance from the VT Agency of Education (AOE) and Vermont statute, the Williston Schools will be practicing a variety of emergency preparedness exercises throughout the school year. This includes required building evacuation drills as well as options based response drills.

In an evacuation or fire drill, our aim is to empty the building of occupants as quickly as possible, and then account for every student’s whereabouts. Our first evacuation drills were conducted last week and went extremely smoothly. These evac or fire drills generally take approximately 10 minutes.

Our school's protocol for responding to an active threat is Run, Hide, Fight (RHF). This method is recommended by the VT Agency of Education, the F.B.I., and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. RHF provides staff flexible options based on the situation, empowering them to make the best choice for their safety. Depending on the nature of the threat, staff may decide to stay with students in a secure location inside or evacuate to a safe location outside the building. Williston staff have been trained in this protocol and we will have our first discussion-based practices with students in the coming weeks.

We believe that beginning with a very simple and short classroom discussion led by the teacher is the most appropriate way to approach this information to students. Staff will be informed of the day and time of the practice session in advance. The practice is outlined as follows and is designed to be as low-stress as possible for both adults and students:

• The principal makes an announcement to the school over the intercom, “In a few moments we will be practicing what to do when we hear the word “lockdown” over the intercom. Your teacher will stop instruction now and take a few minutes to talk about what to do. In a few minutes I will announce “Lockdown” and you will practice doing what you talked about. I would like to thank everybody for mindfully participating in this important practice.”

• Teachers have been provided with talking points to lead a brief discussion in the classroom. A few moments later, the principal then gets on the intercom and says. “This is (principal name), This is a practice Lockdown. “This is (principal name), This is a practice Lockdown.” The practice typically lasts 3-5minutes.

For these practices, we will also be testing elements of our communication systems, sending caregivers a text letting you know we are practicing what to do in an emergency, and to check your email inbox for additional information. If you have not signed up to receive texts from our communication system, you may do so by following the easy steps on this flyer. In addition, we encourage you to read this document about Parent/Caregiver expectations during a school emergency.

There will be follow up practices for this procedure this Winter and Spring. All options-based practices will be announced to staff and parents / caregivers in advance. No active threat “simulations” will occur. We encourage you to discuss these drills with your child in the coming days. You may find these two resources helpful. Tinyneans - How to talk to your kids about school lockdown drills or Parents together - an age by age guide

The Williston Safety Committee is currently looking for an additional parent representative. The committee meets regularly on the 2nd Wednesday of the month at WCS, 8:30 - 9:55. If you are interested in serving on this team, please complete this form by Monday, Sept 29.

Situations impacting school safety are not something anyone wants to think about, and we must do the best we can to be prepared for as many different emergency scenarios as possible. Thank you for your support in this effort. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or concerns.

visit the CVSD food service page on our website for more additional information and resources

Regular Meeting: Monday Lunch/Recess, 12:10-12:50 pm (bring your lunch)

Small Group Meetings: Wednesday Lunch/Recess, 11:35-12:15 pm (bring your lunch)

Location: Club Room within Oak House

Begins September 22nd

This club will introduce 6th grade students to competitive speech and debate, beginning with fun public speaking activities and moving into more in-depth research and argumentation over the course of the year. All students will meet weekly during Monday lunch/recess and some students will attend in smaller groups during Wednesday lunch/recess. This program is ideal for students who like to argue, like to talk through big ideas, or are looking for a challenge.

Kick-Off Meeting on Monday, September 22!

Regular Meeting: Monday Core Time: 11:30-12:10

Small Group Meetings: Core Time: 11:00-11:35

Location: Club Room within Oak House

This club will introduce 7th and 8th grade students to competitive speech and debate, beginning with fun public speaking activities and moving into more in-depth research and argumentation over the course of the year. All students will meet weekly during Monday core time, and some students will attend in smaller groups during Wednesday core time. This program is ideal for students who like to argue, like to talk through big ideas, or are looking for a challenge.

Starting on Tuesday, September 30th, after dismissal till 4:20 ( when the late bus picks up)

What is MathCounts?

It is a national middle school mathematics competition that builds problem-solving skills and fosters achievement through four levels of fun, in-person "bee" style contests.

Who should join MathCounts?

• Anyone who likes math in 7th-8th grade

• Anyone who might not like math yet but wants to like it more

• Anyone who wants to be part of a community

• Anyone who wants to check it out!

How does MathCounts at WCS work?

• A chance to do collaborative problem solving with problems that are a little bit different to what you usually see in math class

• We will have weekly practice at WCS, Starting on Tuesday,September 30th, after dismissal till 4:20 ( the late bus time), in the Math Zone (in the brick hallway across from the bathrooms)

• We will bring a group to the district and regional competition (and could qualify for the state and national competition!)

I hope to see you there!

We are fortunate to have Dan Adbo vising Allen Brook School this Fall. All K-2 students will have the opportunity to see him in the library.

If you are interested in purchasing books in advance (totally optional) please use the link below, and he will bring them to school and sign them.

https://bearpondbooks.com/dan-abdo-allen-brook-school

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. WCS Athletics

• First Call - 488-7777: phone support, crisis intervention, assessment and referrals
• In Crisis: 1-800-SUICIDE (1-800-784-2433) (National Hopeline Network: USA)
• National Suicide Prevention Life line- 1-800-273-TALK (8255), call or chat online
• Crisis Text Line - text HOME to 741741 (24 hours a day, seven days a week)
• Outright Vermont - support for LGBTQ+ community
• Vermont 211 -Vermont database of resources and services
• 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.