December 22, 2019

IMPORTANT DATES

• Homework Club~ Every Tuesday from 2:00-3:30
• Homework Club~ Every Wednesday from 3:00-4:30
• No School - Early Winter Break - December 23rd- January 1st
• Dining for a Cause at Grazers to Benefit NYC Trip~ Thursday, March 19th
• Bottle Drive #2~ Benefits NYC Trip~ Saturday, March 21st
• Big Basket Raffle Fun Night~ Saturday, March 28th

SWIFT POETRY SLAM

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Grand finale of the Swift Poetry Slam! #cvsdvt

A post shared by Swift House (@swift_flyforever) on Dec 21, 2019 at 5:25am PST

BREAK OUT BOXES

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5/6 science classes wrapped up 2019 with the Breakout Box team building task "Let it Snow!" Great perseverance and problem solving all around! #webrokeout #breakoutedu

A post shared by Swift House (@swift_flyforever) on Dec 21, 2019 at 8:09am PST

FAP NOTES

Dear Swift Parents,

Here are the minutes and information from the FAP Meeting.  I will be handing over the reins at the end of the year and would love someone to step up and take on the FAP Parent role (it can be two people who want to co-chair!  You don’t have to take it on yourself.)  Please reach out if you are interested and we can chat further.  Thanks!

Shelly
shellymasson@comcast.net

DECEMBER 12TH NOTES

The monthly FAP meeting was held on December 12th. FAP is Williston's equivalent of a parent-teacher organization. We meet each month and the meetings are open to all.  Below are highlights from the meeting and the full minutes can be found by clicking here.

FAP Annual Fund

If you have not already, please consider donating to the Annual Fund here.

2020 Williston Variety Show -  January 31, 6:30  

Show us your stuff! Calling performers of all ages -- students and community members. Showcase your singing, dancing, comedy, mime, magic, or whatever other talent you're proud of.

·  Auditions are Monday, Jan 6th, 6-7:30 pm and Tuesday, January 7th, 5-6:30 pm
·  More information about auditions
·  Sign up for auditions online or grab a form in the front office of either school

Thank you and Happy Holidays!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS FROM SWIFT FACILITATORS!

December 17, 2019

IMPORTANT DATES

• Homework Club~ Every Tuesday from 2:00-3:30
• Homework Club~ Every Wednesday from 3:00-4:30
• No School - Early Winter Break - December 23rd- January 2nd
• Dining for a Cause at Grazers to Benefit NYC Trip~ Thursday, March 19th
• Bottle Drive #2~ Benefits NYC Trip~ Saturday, March 21st
• Big Basket Raffle Fun Night~ Saturday, March 28th

INDEPENDENT PROJECTS

We will begin Independent Projects after vacation. Each student will select a topic to research related to their fall science and social studies classes. They will create focus questions, find resources, create an outline, take notes, write a report and present a visual over the month of January. Brainstorm potential topics with your son or daughter over vacation so they have some ideas about what they might want to study when they return! Eighth graders will continue on with their 8th grade challenge projects.

BOTTLE DRIVE

We made $1075 from last Saturday's Bottle Drive.  That's 21,000 bottles!  Thank you again to everyone who participated.  If you see any "Bottle Drive" signs out still, please pick them up and send them to the Swift House project room if you're able.

Learn To Ski/Ride Program- K-8th 

Registration Deadline- Sunday, December 29 

The program is a collaboration between Williston Recreation and Williston Schools. The emphasis is on learning to downhill ski or snowboard, through weekly lessons. The program is primarily for the participant that wishes to learn or improve on their skills. All participants will take a one hour weekly lesson. (Lower level participants will have weekly lessons that are longer until they progress up the levels). The Learn to Ski/ Ride Program is for children in grades K-8th.  Click here for registration.

SPARK SESSION 3

The 3rd session of Spark Enrichment, an after-school applied learning program for students in grades 5-8, takes place from January 9th - February 6th. These small group classes will be facilitated by school faculty and staff. Please access the link to the sign-up form below by January 7th. You will be able to rank your choices for better placement!!

Session Choices

• Chess with our younger students at ABS
• Watercolor painting
• Olympic Games
• Cooking with Sally
• Card Games
• Lego Building Challenges
• Gardening & Sustainability - building a PVC greenhouse!
• Design Your Own Anime Character

Further Details

• Session Descriptions
• Sign-Up Form

POLAR EXPRESS

So it's true-- your kids truly are the perfect elves.  We had a blast at the Polar Express, greeting young people as they came off the train at the "North Pole," headed into the train station for storytime, and then sang their way upstairs to meet Santa.  We are proud to have supported this important fundraiser for the Children's Trust Foundation and look forward to returning again next year.

Our fabulous retired Swift-facilitator, 
Mr. Howard, returns as Santa.

All of the Swift elves!

Alumni elves- Tristan and Elliott- performed in 
the Madrigals and Mr. Clow paid us a visit! 

SCIENCE EXPERIMENTS

Swift 5th and 6th graders planned, organized, carried out and reported on experiments related to the human body, with a specific focus on the nervous system.  They invited 3rd and 4th graders from Equinox to be their "test subjects," looking for relationships between two variables.  Tests included "dizziness vs balancing time," "left and right hands vs reaction time," and much more.  See their tests in action and summaries of their work below.

December 8, 2019

EVENTS

• Homework Club~ Every Tuesday from 2:00-3:30
• Homework Club~ Every Wednesday from 3:00-4:30
• Polar Express Volunteer Opportunity~ 11:30-4:00 on Sunday, December 15th
• No School - Early Winter Break - December 23rd- January 2nd
• Dining for a Cause at Grazers to Benefit NYC Trip~ Thursday, March 19th
• Bottle Drive #2~ Benefits NYC Trip~ Saturday, March 21st
• Big Basket Raffle Fun Night~ Saturday, March 28th

TRIMESTER ONE CONFERENCES

We wrapped up Trimester One before Thanksgiving and your daughter or son has work to share with you! We have begun hosting student-led conferences. Please sign up here on your child's core teacher schedule for a time that works for you.

SUSTAINABILITY ACTION PROJECTS- PARENT SURVEY

In addition, please take a few moments to complete this parent survey about our Sustainability Action Projects (SSAP). Kevin and Amanda are participating in a course called Learning Lab, and exploring a research question about how we can make learning as engaging and personalized as possible for our students. We would truly appreciate your feedback sometime before the December break.

FROZEN- PARENT/STUDENT KICK-OFF MEETING

Come join the Drama Team for a brief meeting to hear more details-- Monday, December 9th at 6pm in the WCS Auditorium

SCHOOL DANCE & BOTTLE DRIVE

Thank you so much to all of you who supported the dance and bottle drive through donations, chaperoning, driving, advertising, etc.   We have a break until March on fundraising efforts!

POLAR EXPRESS

We are so looking forward to being our best elves next weekend at the Polar Express-- Sunday from 11:30-4:00.  We emailed home a list of students who registered earlier this week.  Click here for specific details on times, parking, what to wear and more.  E-mail Amy Skapof with any further questions.  Ho, ho, ho!

4-H TRY TRAINING

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Had such a productive day with these leaders. We had an 8 hour training to get certified in teaching the 4-H TRY Forest and Trees Program to younger students. These kids worked so hard today and will be implementing 12 lessons this Spring! #swifthouse #cvsdvt #sustainability

A post shared by Swift House (@swift_flyforever) on Dec 5, 2019 at 11:58am PST

POETRY SLAM

Our current literature unit has all Swifties reading novels written in poetry verse,  It only makes sense to try our hand at writing poetry during this unit, and then of course, to celebrate at the end of the month with a "Poetry Slam."  The Poetry Slam will allow students to perform their poem for peers and a panel of judges.  The event is all about expression, not so much winning, as demonstrated by the two slam poetry performances embedded here.  Each year we're amazed by the number of students who find the courage to express themselves on stage.  We'll be sure to share pictures!  

PS These four women are from Burlington and South Burlington. They went from the local to the national stage with this performance.

November 27, 2019

EVENTS

• Homework Club~ Every Tuesday from 2:00-3:30
• Homework Club~ Every Wednesday from 3:00-4:30
• Swift Hosts WCS Dance~ Friday, December 6th
• Bottle Drive~ Benefits NYC Trip~ Saturday, December 7th
• Polar Express Volunteer Opportunity~ 11:30-4:00 on Sunday, December 15th
• No School - Early Winter Break - December 23rd- January 2nd
• Dining for a Cause at Grazers to Benefit NYC Trip~ Thursday, March 19th
• Bottle Drive #2~ Benefits NYC Trip~ Saturday, March 21st
• Big Basket Raffle Fun Night~ Saturday, March 28th

LINKS

• Bottle Drive- Students & Drivers Needed
• Swift-Sponsored Dance- Chaperones Needed!
• School Bell~ November 20th

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Ake's Ball Game, named after a former Swift student, and a fan favorite morning meeting game. #buildingcommunity #multiage

A post shared by Swift House (@swift_flyforever) on Nov 20, 2019 at 8:44am PST

TRIMESTER ONE COMPLETE

The first trimester of the year wrapped up on November 22nd.  While we organize our classroom learning around units of study, such as one literature book, or one math unit, WCS "pushes" out reports once per trimester to maintain a regular communication schedule.  So what does that mean for your son or daughter?  

• Jumprope Trimester One Reports send home on December 6th.  Swift House includes scores and comments for math, science, social studies, and literature units for Trimester One.  You will also see scores for world language, essential arts, and band and chorus.
• Trimester One PLP Goal Reflections by November 22nd.  Swifties have been working hard to reflect on their PLP goals within their websites with pieces of evidence and reflections.  They also have self-evaluations and a theater reflection in the "summatives" section of their PLP.
• Trimester One PLP Conferences with core teachers starting in December.  Swifties will present their PLP sites in these conferences, focusing on their personal learning goals and related work.  We will also touch base on core courses and any questions you may have.  Look for a calendar from your child's core teacher soon.

LEARN TO SKI/RIDE PROGRAM

A partnership program with Williston Rec. & Schools held at Cochran's.  Bus transportation is available at schools at dismissal and then back to WCS by 5:15pm. Informational Meeting on Tues, Dec. 3 at 6:00pm at WCS. Fitting Night for borrowed equipment is Wed, Dec. 11 at 6:00pm. Kindergarten children need to have a parent/guardian transport them to and from Cochran’s and help on the mountain.  Click here for registration details.

Grades K-8th, Tuesdays- Jan. 7- Feb. 18, 2:30-4:30pm

CURRICULUM

Maeve shares her solution to a fruit-filled algebra problem on math

An illustration from Jackie's 12th Night Scene Book

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Celebrating our hard work during the theater unit! #castparty #swiftlovescake #wsdlearns

A post shared by Swift House (@swift_flyforever) on Nov 15, 2019 at 5:05pm PST

5/6 Social Studies

5th and 6th graders have been focusing on 'place' in the United States and familiarizing themselves with the different states. They just wrapped up with a road trip assignment in which they chose a place in our country to travel to for vacation. They had to stop in six different states and figure out lodging, restaurants, fun activities, and landmarks to see while they were there. Here are a couple of examples of their maps!  See student examples here and here.

7/8 Social Studies

7/8 grade social studies students have been working on comparing and contrasting two countries in our world. Using an almanac, atlas and other resources students researched the following aspects of each country (Urbanization, Literacy Rates, Human Development Index, Gross Domestic Product, Government, Language, and Landmass) and then compared and contrasted the two countries.   7th/8th graders analyzed and explained the significance of these aspects and gained valuable knowledge about the impact of each. Next, the 7/8 graders will be planning a trip around the world with a lens on geography!

5/6 Science

Fifth and sixth graders have been working on planning and carrying an investigation on human body systems.  They have developed testable questions, such as how reaction time differs between dominant and nondominant hands, or how age affects the ability to hear high frequencies.  They have just started collecting data on their "test subjects" (other students and classmates) and will work to interpret their results after Thanksgiving break.

7/8 Science

Seventh and eighth graders are focused on using evidence to support a claim, specifically how the similarities between mammal skeletal structure point to a common ancestor.  They compared bats, humans, cats, whales, and horses, noticing that each mammal has analogous bone structure, all the way down to the fingers of the whale.

Literature

Our December literature unit focuses on novels written in poetic verse.  Students chose from a variety of titles and are no actively studying how authors evoke a response from their readers using figurative language and poetic structure.

Sustainability

Our Sustainability Action Project committees have been communicating their weekly progress on their group websites, all linked here.  

November 15, 2019

EVENTS

• Homework Club~ Every Tuesday from 2:00-3:30
• Homework Club~ Every Wednesday from 3:00-4:30
• No School - Thanksgiving Break ~ November 25th-29th
• Swift Hosts WCS Dance~ Friday, December 6th
• Bottle Drive~ Benefits NYC Trip~ Saturday, December 7th
• Polar Express Volunteer Opportunity~ 11:30-4:00 on Sunday, December 15th
• No School - Early Winter Break - December 23rd- January 2nd
• Dining for a Cause at Grazers to Benefit NYC Trip~ Thursday, March 19th
• Bottle Drive #2~ Benefits NYC Trip~ Saturday, March 21st
• Big Basket Raffle Fun Night~ Saturday, March 28th

LINKS

• School Bell~ November 13th~ Info on Ski & Ride Program, School Musical and More
• NYC Forms- Due November 22
• Permission Slip
• Behavior Contract

BOTTLE DRIVE

Our next NYC fundraiser activity is three weeks away.  The Bottle Drive is happening on Saturday, December 7th.   We need students to help make signs, drivers and students to post signs in various neighborhoods and then drivers and students to canvas the key neighborhoods to collect bottles. Thank you! Click here to sign up.

WCS DANCE

Chaperones & Donations Needed

Swift House hosts the WCS Dance on Friday, December 6th from 6:30-8:00.  Hosting entails providing chaperone coverage for the evening (at least 12 adults), as well as drinks, snacks and salespeople for the Community Room.

Come join the fun as a chaperone or donate food or drinks if you're not available. It's great way to see what a school dance looks like here at WCS!!!  Sign up here if you are available and THANK YOU!

BOOK FAIR

Swift Attends on Wednesday, November 20th

The Family as Partners is having our Fall Scholastic Book Fair at WCS next week  Monday through Thursday. This event is one of FAP's larger fundraisers of the year, and usually generates over $4,000, which goes to support field trips, special projects, etc for all students from prek-8th grade in both Williston Schools.

 We still have quite a few open volunteer positions both during the day and in the evening. It takes a village, and if you have time available to work the fair it would be greatly appreciated by all of FAP and our kiddos. 

To sign up please click here. Once you sign up you will receive an email from me with all the information you need to know to work the fair. You will be completely equipped to work and have fun.

Please note that the parent letter that came home with your child or included in your child's team's newsletter had a misprint for our hours on Thursday. We will be open from 8 am to 2 pm on Thursday 11/21 NOT 8 am to 8 pm. The weeks hours can be found below:

• Monday: 1 pm to 8 pm
• Tuesday: 8 am to 8 pm
• Wednesday: 8 am to 8 pm
• Thursday: 8 am to 2 pm

Also, all families are invited to our special ABS Family Night on Wednesday 11/20 from 5-8 pm. We will have special arctic themed games, snacks and prizes for all those who attend!

If it's through volunteering and/or shopping the fair (the holidays are coming!) thank you so much for supporting FAP and our kids!

~Shelly Masson, Swift FAP Rep

THEATER FESTIVAL 

We are so proud of your children for the hard work and energy they put into this year's Theater Festival.  Watching the shows on Thursday night with an auditorium full of parents, we were keenly aware of the many roles these kids took on.  Of course, we had the fantastic actors with their many lines and costumes changes.  Often overlooked, however, are the many hands behind stage.  Swifties brought in the flats between scenes, programed and cued the lights, took charge of the soundboard and all of its trouble-shooting, built props, organized props, and found the props we lost mid-rehearsal.  They gathered, repaired and created costumes, and then reglued and pinned them throughout the shows.  They drew program covers and helped each other endlessly in the kiva, reading nook, hallway and project room in learning those lines.   To hear students repeatedly recite Shakespeare through a 50 minute core period is the greatest background noise a classroom could wish for.  Thank you for your support and for being our best audience.  Please enjoy a sampling of backstage and onstage photos and find the link in your email to many more.