February 17th, 2019

Swift Sponsored Dance~ March 8th

We are looking for parent chaperones when we host the school dance on March 8th.  Chaperones will supervise concessions, hallway spaces, and of course, the dance floor.   Click here to add your name and join the fun!

Chaperones should arrive by 6:15 pm (dance starts @ 6:30) to review the rules for the dance. If you child “doesn’t want” you to chaperone, just tell them that you will be in concessions in the Community Room.

We also need as many families as possible to bring in items to sell for concessions. We are asking for the following:

• Hunt/Donnelly two 2-liter bottles of juice, soda, etc. 
• Skapof/Laberge- Individually wrapped snack items 

If you are coming to chaperone you can bring the concessions with you. Otherwise, please send them into Swift House on Friday, March 8th so we can get the concessions set up ahead of time.

Runner Up in Martin Luther King, Jr Contest

Delainey received a runner-up certificate in the Vermont Martin Luther King Jr writing contest.

PLP Presentation @ CVU

Swift students answered the call to action at CVU, presenting our PLP process at a faculty meeting this month.  Students described their process for developing, documenting and reflecting on the Personalized Learning Plan goals throughout the year.  They answered faculty questions with ease and confidence, as well!

Camp Rock Stage Crew starts Feb. 11~ from School Bell

Stage Crew for CAMP ROCK will start this coming Monday, Feb. 11th after school in the Community Room near the Auditorium. Stage crew is open to 5-8th grade. Information and permission forms can be found outside the auditorium. A schedule will be posted soon! For more information, contact Cathy Rylant Simons at crylant@cvsdvt.org or call 310-5900.

Curriculum Updates

Open House

Thank you so much for attending our Open House!  The parent audience has an incredible effect on student engagement; they worked hard to learn their material and present their work with confidence.  We will do this again during the last week of school when you'll hear about either their year-long work on 8th Grade Challenges, their spring work on Washington DC projects, or their new spring Independent Projects.  Thank you again for taking the time to listen, encourage and ask questions. 

Beckham Desert Research

Gianna and Marine Life

Wyatt and the Science & Benefits of Exercise

Zoe's Mountain Biking Project

Science

Students in 5/6 science have been modeling the transfer of thermal energy between objects in order to explain phenomena such as ice melting faster on a metal block than a wooden block.  In the coming weeks they will design an "igloo" to protect an ice penguin from heat lamps, after testing the insulating properties of a variety of materials.

**Please send in bubble wrap and any other scraps of material which may have interesting properties anytime before February vacation.**

Students in 7/8 science have been exploring potential and kinetic energy with one of our fantastic interns, Ms. Okrant. Students first flung rubber bands at paper cups, learning about the relationship between how far the rubber band is stretched and how far the cup travels. Next, students rolled balls of different masses down ramps of different heights to determine the effects of both mass and ramp height on the distance traveled. For each investigation, students summarized their learning by connecting their observations back to the vocabulary terms and their understanding of energy.

Sustainability Action Projects

Members from the sustainability group, "The Compostables," took some time last week to present to Ms. Ward's 3rd and 4th grade class about composting and the global goals. They shared what they've learned, their action steps moving forward, and fielded some great questions from their audience!

Social Studies

In Social Studies students have enrolled in the Stock Market Game! This exciting experience is organized through the SIFMA Foundation. Students are working in teams and are learning all about investing, companies and stocks/equities. Each team is allotted $100,000 to invest and they work collaboratively until mid-April with their portfolio to "beat the market"! Ask your student about their "investments"!! What a great way to learn about economics!

Home of the Brave Literature Group

Students reading Home of the Brave, by Katherine Applegate, spend a class period illustrating the events of various chapters in the novel. Next, they presented their analysis to their classmates!!

Caleb's Summary

Olivia, Poppy and Ella's Summary

The Drawing Lesson Literature Group

Students in The Drawing Lesson literature group submitted entries for the "Doodle for Google" contest.  The responded to the prompt, "When I grow up I hope..." as they created their doodles.  Student around the country are encouraged to enter their doodles before March 18th.

Clay's "Doodle"

Caleb's Doodle

Owen's Doodle

Finn's Doodle

WCS Door Security Update (from the School Bell)

Dear Williston School Families,

The Williston Safety Committee has made the recommendation to reduce the number of exterior entry doors that are unlocked during our arrival time each morning at WCS. Starting on Monday, February 11, the only two doors that will be unlocked during morning arrival time and before school will be the main front entry and the doors at the former Bell Tower entrance. Students who arrive by car in the morning should exit cars in the same locations as before, but will walk on the sidewalk to either of these two main entrances. If dropping off your child on the Bell Tower side, please stop near the “Parent drop-off” sign nearest the bottle-drop-off bin. (See image attached) We appreciate your cooperation and patience with some minor inconvenience as we make this subtle change. We feel it help to make our school more secure during this important and busy part of the school day. 

Sincerely,

Greg Marino
Williston Lead Principal