Tuesday, October 29, 2019

October 29, 2019

Important Dates

  • Theater Festival~ Thursday, November 14th @ 6:00 pm
  • Swift Hosts WCS Dance~ Friday, December 6th
  • Bottle Drive~ Benefits NYC Trip~ Saturday, December 7th ~ Save your bottles.  Spread the word!  
  • Polar Express Volunteer Opportunity~ 11:30-4:00 on Sunday, December 15th
  • No School - Thanksgiving Break ~ November 25th-29th
  • 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


Critical Need for Craft Fair Volunteers 

House Families,

We still have a critical need for volunteers for the FAP Craft Show that takes place this Saturday, November 2nd.  This fundraiser helps to pay for events, activities and grants that benefit all students in the Williston schools.  Please share some of your time and volunteer for a shift during the show on Saturday, Nov 2. (Most shifts are only 1 to 2 hours in length). The sign-up link is: https://signup.com/go/kYomFsu  You will need to enter your email address to sign up for a shift but you do not need to create an account with Sign-up.com.

If you have any questions, please email Karen Olson and Paula LeBlanc at wsdcraftshow@cvsdvt.org.

Thank you!


Swift Fundraising Efforts

Thank you to the many who gave their time and donations for Fun Night on Friday night.  We set a new all-time record for Fun Night:

$3111.71!

Between Fun Night and Agave "Dining for a Cause" we have an excellent start to our NYC fundraising.  Thank you all again for your hard work.  It was a fantastic team effort.

School Days 


7th & 8th graders isolating strawberry DNA

Strands of DNA

Moving DNA to microscopes slide

Trotting of the Turkeys

The 6th Annual Trotting of the Turkeys, a benefit for Feeding Chittenden and Burlington Sunrise Rotary.  Grab a frozen turkey and trot it down Church Street. Each turkey will be donated to Feeding Chittenden upon completion of your trot.

It’s a fundraiser both for Rotary (we use the money for our early childhood literacy program, Imagination Library) and Feeding Chittenden (formerly the Chittenden Emergency Food Shelf).

The event is at 11 am on Sat., Nov. 2, starting on the top block of Church Street in Burlington. It’s a quick parade down Church Street with frozen turkeys and led by the UVM pep band. It’s a fun and short community service event. People are encouraged to dress in costume, so it’s another opportunity to wear costumes another day. Click here for more information.

Modeling Heredity



Nate C's animated slideshow, created with Scratch program


FAP Notes

The second monthly FAP meeting for school year 19-20 was held on October 10th. FAP is Williston's equivalent of a parent-teacher organization. We ‘s meet each month, our meetings are open to all, and you will receive an email like this every month with highlights of the meeting and a link to the FAP website for the full minutes. Check the full minutes in a PDF format by clicking here.

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

Volunteers Needed! Please help us with the Fall Craft Show on November 2nd. Volunteers are needed for set-up on Friday evening November 1st and during the event on Saturday November 2nd.   Find more information and available shifts on the sign-up link: https://signup.com/go/kYomFsu  or contact Karen and Paula at wsdcraftshow@cvsdvt.org.  Thank you for helping with this important school fundraiser!

Please note..when signing up for a shift you will need to provide your email address, however you do not have to setup a signup.com account.

There are several jobs/shifts that need to be filled but among those, parking attendants may be the most important!

Parking attendants are the first friendly face of the Craft Show that customers encounter; parking attendants get to work outside, wear reflective vests, use a walkie talkie and are integral in keeping the traffic flow organized (because during the show Central School Drive is one way traffic only).


FAP Notes

Welcome – Emily
·        Meeting called to order at 8:24
·        Total grants available - $10,000
·        Request brought forward for $7880.65
·        Karen Olson motioned to approve package, seconded by Karen Boutin
·        Motion was approved as presented

New & Upcoming Events

Craft Show: Saturday Nov 2 from 9am – 4pm

  • Committee Members need help with promotion and setup.  Please contact Karen Olson wsdcraftshow@cvsdvt.org
  • Volunteers needed during Craft Show – sign up here.

Book Fair: November 18 – 21
o   Only Monday-Thursday this year - sign up here.
o   ABS will not be bussed this year; Spring ABS Book Fair date TBD.
o  There will be an ABS specific night for the fall and WCS specific night in Spring.

Speaker Series

o   Michelle Spaulding is interested in doing a whole series (a day) in January around how current technology affects our kids
o   Looking into a speaker regarding self-care

Administration Report – Greg Marino

·        The Leadership Team would like to express their appreciation for the FAP’s support of grants to support enriching and innovative experiences for our students
·        Jackie Parks will be presenting at next Month’s meeting about the learning and work we are doing in Restorative Practices at WCS.
·        The Williston Safety Committee is seeking a parent member. Please see the note and brief survey in this week’s Bell.
·        There was a parent Forum at CVSD on Monday evening for the shift to an “Options Based Response to an Active Threat”.  Greg and Jeanne Jensen presented to approximately 10 parents, the school board and a group of administrators. Greg will use the December meeting to provide an overview of this shift in safety preparedness and a general overview of Safety initiatives happening in Williston.
·        The Leadership team encourages parents to take an active role in the Budget process and reminds them that all budget meetings are open meetings and that their involvement is welcomed. 
Posted by at No comments:

Saturday, October 19, 2019

October 18, 2019

Upcoming Events

  • Swift-Sponsored Fun Night~ Friday, October 25th
  • Theater Festival~ Thursday, November 14th @ 6:00 pm
  • Swift Hosts WCS Dance~ Friday, December 6th
  • Bottle Drive~ Benefits NYC Trip~ Saturday, December 7th 
  • Swift Volunteers @ Polar Express~ 11:30-4:00 on Sunday, December 15th
  • No School - Thanksgiving Break ~ November 25th-29th
  • 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


Chicks in the Classroom

We we're beyond excited and surprised when two eggs hatched this past week.  The egg was farther along in its development than we realized!  These are eggs from rare chickens breed at Second Chance Farm in Ferrisburgh.  The chicks will return to the farm once they are one week old.  In the meantime, we have been marveling at their spunk and appetite at just one and two days old.  Click here for a live view of the incubator.  Let us know if you see anyone hatching!

"Candling" a week-old duck egg, we can see its eyes inside!



Conference Schedules

The district-wide conference days do not align with our conference needs so we use that day as a workday.  We schedule conferences as follows:
  • Goal Setting: August/September
  • First Trimester PLP Conference: Nov/Dec
  • Second Trimester PLP Conference: Mar/Apr
  • Any other time as needed
A post shared by Swift House (@swift_flyforever) on


FAP Craft Show

Williston Families,

Save the date! The FAP Craft Show takes place on Saturday, November 2nd,  from 9:00 am – 4:00 pm at Williston Central School.  There are over 100 crafters, artists and specialty food vendors participating.  You'll find lots of amazing handicrafts, toys, artwork, jewelry, decorative items and yummy foods all made by talented crafters and artists.  Whether you plan to shop or not, we need YOU!  This is one of the biggest Families as Partners fundraisers, and the proceeds from the vendor "booth rentals" fund events, activities and grants that benefit all students in the Williston schools.  Please share some of your time and volunteer for a shift to set up (Friday afternoon, Nov 1st) or during the show on Saturday, Nov 2. The sign-up link is here: https://signup.com/go/kYomFsu (You will need to enter your email address to sign up for a shift but will not need to create an account with Sign-up.com).

If you have any questions, please email us at wsdcraftshow@cvsdvt.org.

Thank you!

Karen Olson & Paula LeBlanc
wsdcraftshow@cvsdvt.org
Posted by at No comments:

Monday, October 14, 2019

October 14th, 2019


Upcoming Events

  • School Picture Retake Day~ Wednesday, October 16th
  • Dining for a Cause at Agave to Benefit NYC Trip~ Thursday, October 17th
  • No School~ Friday, October 18th 
  • Swift-Sponsored Fun Night~ Friday, October 25th
  • Theater Festival~ Thursday, November 14th @ 6:00 pm
  • Swift Hosts WCS Dance~ Friday, December 6th
  • Bottle Drive~ Benefits NYC Trip~ Saturday, December 7th 
  • Swift Volunteers @ Polar Express~ 11:30-4:00 on Sunday, December 15th
  • No School - Thanksgiving Break ~ November 25th-29th
  • No School - Early Winter Break - December 23rd- January 3rd
  • 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

Spread the Word!

Sign Up Here


Homework Club

Beginning this week in Swift House:

  • Tuesdays, 2:00-3:30; Late Bus at 3:30
  • Wednesdays, 3:00-4:30; Late Bus at 4:30

Any Swift student with homework to complete is welcome to stay anytime!

Set Painting

We'd love help with painting sets and putting together props after school next week, both Monday, October 21st or Thursday, October 24th, from 3:00-4:30.  We welcome any students ready to work hard and available parents, too.  If you can join us, please sign up here.  It's really quite fun.  Thank you in advance for sending your kid our way or for joining us, too! 

Sustainability & Fun Night

Hello my name is Owen Withum. I am in 8th grade. My 8th-grade challenge is about single-use plastics. I am trying to bring awareness of and change the use of single-use plastics around WCS. Did you know that it could take up to 1000 years for single-use plastics to decompose? Fun Night is a perfect event to bring awareness to single-use plastics.  Instead of bringing all those single-use plastic bottles and snacks that are individually wrapped, we could use compostable paper goods instead. Please consider bringing large bags of chips or snacks that can then be portioned out in paper cups. Baked goods could be delivered in portion sizes and students can purchase them using a napkin, instead of them all being individually wrapped in plastic.  We will have compostable items to portion drinks and snacks at Fun Night. Thank you for your awareness and willingness to reduce the use of single-use plastics.

Sincerely,

Owen W

Teen Science Cafe

This Saturday night, join UVM medical professionals for our next Teen Science Cafe! Cafes are FREE events planned by teens for teens (grades 7-12). We serve pizza and learn about a new science topic with fun hands-on activities. This month's cafe is all about biomedical science and medical laboratory testings. Although the program is FREE, we do require registration by Wednesday night.




School Days

Congratulations to our WCS Spelling Teams, with Swift representatives Storey, George and Valerie.  We're so impressed with your hard work and cool nerves at the CVSD meet on Thursday.  The 7/8 team won first place and will move onto the next level of competition!

Storey Preparing for the Spelling Bee

Noah from Second Chance Farm teaching us about the chicken eggs we have on loan in the incubator.

Swift parent Ben Norris demonstrating how the microscopes he builds provide enhanced views of cell parts.

Myrah holding a shell-less egg, two days in vinegar and a week in colored water.  


Close-up of the shell-less egg, an experiment in modeling the function of a cell membrane.

Showing how to summarize a novel using comic strips and board games!





In Social Studies class, 5th-8th grade students studied a variety of activists and created posters to show who the activist is, the problem or issue that they addressed, and how they promoted change in a peaceful way. Students hung up their posters in the hallway and had an opportunity to do a 'gallery walk,' providing feedback on other 5th-8th grade students' posters.









Posted by at No comments:
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)