ELA Update

Our first unit in ELA is on Digital Citizenship.  Through various activities and assignments, students are learning about the following elements of DC:

• Digital Footprint
• Cyberbullying and Digital Drama
• Creative Credit and Copyright
• Internet Safety

Students are documenting their learning using Google Slides, and their learning will culminate with sharing their slide presentation with others.  View this link to see the Digital Citizenship Learning Target and Checklist.

In addition, students have begun their weekly Young Writer's Project (YWP) writing assignments.  Ask your student to show you the weekly prompts and their work at peterson18.ywpvt.org

Please let me know if you have any questions.  It is so great to welcome the returning 6th graders, and getting to know all of the new students!

Social Studies Election Unit

The first unit of the year for Social Studies this year is our focus on the election. We are looking at the Learning Targets associated with Claim and Evidence. We have done some lessons specifically around how to make good claims and how best to get credible evidence. We had a guest teacher (Emily Rinkema) come in and work with us on the evidence by exploring whether or not catamounts still exist.

We began the year exploring the question "What do I stand for?" and used that to guide us into our unit. We have looked at what information and dates candidates need to know in order to get on the ballot. We've explored how best to contact our local and beyond politicians and now we're preparing for the candidate forum. Williston Central School has hosted a candidate forum for over 20 years. This year we will have 10 candidates coming on Friday, October 5th. 5th and 6th grade students across the school are researching a specific candidate and creating a campaign poster for them. Ask your student who they were assigned!

If You Haven't Signed Up Yet, Intergen Book Group - Deadline extended to: Friday Sept 28.

Last call for student participants for the intergen book group! 

What is intergen?:  A book group that brings together WCS middle school students, seniors from our community and parent volunteers.  Each book group will read and discuss 5 books over the course of the school year. Meetings take place during school hours, once a month from October through March.

How does it work?: The program will kick-off on October 3rd with a “Get Acquainted” potluck luncheon.  The book groups will then meet during school hours on the first Wednesday of the month (October - March) to discuss the assigned books in a relaxed and fun setting. 7th & 8th graders will meet from 11:35am-12:15pm. 5th & 6th graders meet from 12:30pm-1:10pm

If your 5-8th grade child is interested in being considered for this program, please register by Friday, September 28th. We are also seeking parent volunteers!  Use this online link to register your child or to sign up as a volunteer.

This year's book selections are:

Brown Girl Dreaming 

The Secret Sheriff of Sixth Grade  

The Girl who Drank the Moon 

It Ain't so Awful Falafel 

Phineas Gage

If you have any questions, please contact Karen Olson (karen@willistonruns.org) or your child's Language Arts teacher.

WCS Arrival Time/Procedures

Buses begin arriving at approximately 7:55 am and students can go to their team space at that time. 

The earliest students may be dropped off is 7:30 am. 

This year, all 3-8 students will wait in the front lobby from 7:30-7:55 am. 

Students are expected to sit quietly if they arrive early.  Bringing a book, headphones with music or homework are all appropriate activities to engage with while waiting.  

Spark Session 1 Starts next Thursday

The 1st session of Spark Enrichment, an after-school applied learning program for students in grades 5-8, takes place from September 27 - October 25. These small group classes will be facilitated by school faculty and staff.  The link to the sign-up form is in the School Bell. You will be able to rank your choices for better placement!! 

Click here to view workshop descriptions.

Williston Schools Annual Fund Flyer

WCS School Counseling Classes

Dear Parents and Guardians, We hope you and your family had a restful and fun summer. We want to let you know that this school year, all students will be participating in a series of classes that focus on promoting healthy relationships in kids and adolescents. These classes are part of our health curriculum and ongoing prevention efforts to help prevent any form of child abuse. The classes will take place during one of your child’s related arts rotations or exploratory rotations: 5th/6th graders​: During their Tech Ed rotation - 1x/week for 6 weeks
The classes are in response to a VT law (i.e. Act 1). Act 1 is a child protection law which requires all school-age students to receive education that builds skills and provides information to help prevent child sexual abuse. At WCS, we are working with Prevent Child Abuse VT and using a curriculums titled: We Care​ and SAFE-T​ to guide our lesson plans. These curriculums are designed for elementary and middle school students, and promote healthy relationships and healthy behaviors, while equipping students with the skills to prevent abuse.
 Topic areas covered include: 5th/6th grades​: health relationships, empathy, coping, communication skills, support systems, establishing and recognizing boundaries, and role of bystanders.
 As always, your support and help is needed to help students learn these important skills and information. We hope that you are able to talk with your children about how to stay safe in their relationships. Please let us know if you have any questions or ideas to help us with these classes.