Slate Valley Unified School District

Tonight - June 13, 2022 You’re invited to the Slate Valley Unified Union School District Board Meeting at 6:30 p.m. at Fair Haven Union High School. This meeting will be in person or virtually connect by going to https://meet.google.com/dod-jyju-crr or by calling (US) +1 406-640-3090 PIN: 541 301 047# Tonight’s Agenda: https://5il.co/1bvm0 Previous Meeting Minutes: https://5il.co/1b7tp Next Board Meeting: Monday June 27, 2022 - Benson Village School at 6:30 p.m.

Retirement Spotlight: Colleen Hutchins Colleen Hutchins has touched so many students and adults throughout her many years working for Slate Valley. She has such a calming and reassuring way about her that helps put one at ease. She knew that relationships were important with her students. She knew they needed to feel respected and cared for. The relationships she built allowed her to be able to carry out academic or behavioral requests with her students. I know this from personal experience when Colleen worked with my son, Colton, who has down syndrome. Colton knew when she asked him to work on something, he needed to get it done, (not that he wouldn't still resist her requests from time to time). He also knew that if he was sad or struggling, he could get that important nurturing hug that helped him be able to move forward. With another student, I also know that during the stretch of remote time in the early pandemic days, she would drop by one of her student's houses and leave him messages and items to help him not feel so alone and left out while we were absent from the classroom. She always knows what students instinctively need to feel supported, emotionally as well as academically. As a colleague, I have also had the immense pleasure of working with Colleen on our 5th grade team. As an instructional assistant working in our classrooms, she worked well implementing behavioral strategies for all students and offering help with those that asked, beyond her assigned student(s). She has been an integral part of classroom management, one would say part of the classroom backbone structure. She was truly part of our team and we learned to lean on her as much as she leaned on us. While I was saddened to hear she was retiring this year, I am also very happy for her. Now she'll be able to enjoy some time with her family, relax some and possibly get to all those "things" she's always wanted to do. We will all miss her and hope that she will consider returning from time to time as a substitute instructional assistant. All of your colleagues at FHGS thank you Colleen for your years of service to our students, families and colleagues. You will be greatly missed. We wish you the very best in your retirement!

Beginning today, we will be recognizing our staff members who will be retiring at the end of this school year. We will recognize two today and then one each day through June 17 in our retirement spotlights. Retirement Spotlight: Lisa Brough “What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us” Ralph Waldo Emerson Lisa Brough, or just “Brough” as she is known by many, possesses a wealth of knowledge, kindness and generosity, which she has freely given to students and staff alike for several decades. According to Central Office records, she has worked here in the district for 25 years. However, unknown to most, she started even before that working in a student’s home, teaching the student directly. She bravely started her career walking into another person’s house and teaching them with only her own knowledge and support! She then came to Fair Haven Grade School and has worked as an instructional assistant in every grade level from Preschool to Middle School. During this time, Lisa has been an integral part of the lives of countless students and staff. Lisa is an extremely skilled educator. Her ability to observe and identify what her students and staff members need in order to thrive is nothing short of amazing! She has supported everyone in this school in numerous ways. If you ever needed anything, we all knew we could go to Lisa for support and direction (except for microwaving water, which was a disaster!! LOL!). She supported us not only with her extensive knowledge but also with her humor and positive attitude! Lisa will be greatly missed by all and she will leave a big void to fill. We are thrilled that she will finally have time to relax and enjoy her family more often. We will truly miss you, Lisa! You are a talented, amazing and strong person that has given a lot to our school. THANK YOU!

Dear Slate Valley Families, I know we are all heartbroken and angry over yet another tragic school shooting. Our hearts and minds are certainly with the grieving families and the community of Uvalde, TX. There have been 27 school shootings in our country so far in 2022. This is unfathomable, and needs to end. Our district, through the good work of our community, staff and law enforcement, averted a significant threat in 2018. No one is immune to this type of violence. If your child is struggling with the news please reach out. We are happy to support your child in any way that we can. The following are resources that discuss ways in which you can talk to your child about school violence: -Tips for Talking with and Helping Children and Youth Cope After a Disaster or Traumatic Event: https://5il.co/1b2dd -Tips for Talking to Children about Violence: https://5il.co/1b2de As you know we are deeply committed to the school safety in Slate Valley. In light of yesterday I want to remind you of everything we have in place in our district. Summary of School Safety Planning Schools are required to have an Emergency Operations Plan. We have developed comprehensive Emergency Operations Plans for the School District as well as for each individual school. These plans take into account the unique infrastructure needs and location of the individual schools. Plans are reviewed and updated annually. We have established good working relationships with our emergency response agencies across the District to ensure they are familiar with our emergency responses plans and have included these agencies in our training and exercise plans. Environmental Design We have committed funding to redesign the entrances to our buildings to allow for catchment areas for visitors upon entering our buildings. In addition, the outside lighting has been enhanced in some areas around the district. We have revised parking procedures, signage and general traffic flow for pick-up and drop off at all of our schools over the last few years. Behavioral Threat Assessment Team The state recommends that every school and school district have a Behavioral Threat Assessment Team. We have one in place that consists of school administration, mental health professionals, school counselors, a school nurse and local law enforcement as appropriate. This team is charged with evaluating concerning behaviors, social media posts, verbal or written threats or other actions displayed by students, staff or others that may negatively impact our schools. These Assessments are then reviewed further by the School District Public Safety Team. School Safety Tip Line We know that 74% of all attacks that have been averted have been due to someone coming forward with information. Vermont has a tip line where you can submit tips anonymously. www.safe4vt.org Public Address/Emergency Notification Systems We are continuing to review and enhance our intercom systems. In addition, we have purchased a radio system with enhanced capabilities that allows us to talk across all of the schools within the District. We are continually adding to this system as funding allows. Infrastructure -Locking mechanisms- All classroom doors have been updated to lock from the inside. -Security Cameras- Cameras have been installed throughout the school district with plans to continue to replace older cameras along with additional installations. In addition, the school board has adopted a policy to define how these cameras can be used. -Window Shading- Classroom door windows along with many exterior windows have been covered with window shadings. -Radio Communication- Schools are connected through a new radio system that allows for communication between buildings throughout the school district. Access Control/Visitor Management We continue to work to refine our access control/visitor management policy/procedures throughout the district. We want and encourage the community to visit our schools post COVID of course while at the same time we need to ensure that we know who is in our schools at all times. The school board has also adopted an Access Control Policy for the District. School Crisis Planning Team/School District Public Safety Team The School District has a Public Safety Team that meets monthly. The team includes representatives from the following groups: local first responders, administration, school counseling/nursing, bussing company and building/grounds. School Safety Drills and Exercises We take an all hazards approach to emergency preparedness. As a district we recognize that some of these drills may induce anxiety in some people. As such we always approach it from a trauma informed perspective. Some of the drills we do are: -Bus Evacuation Drills -Lockdown (Options-Based) Drills -Evacuation Drills We can’t do this work alone. Please reach out if you have any questions or concerns at any time. In partnership, Brooke Olsen-Farrell

Tonight - May 23, 2022 You’re invited to the Slate Valley Unified Union School District Board Meeting at 6:30 p.m. at Orwell Village School. This meeting will be in person or virtually connect by going to https://meet.google.com/fdu-ksmw-yju or by calling (US) +1 510-431-7130 PIN: 397 631 240# Tonight’s Agenda: https://5il.co/1awxy Previous Meeting Minutes: https://5il.co/1ajny Next Board Meeting: Monday June 13, 2022 - 6:30 p.m. at Fair Haven Union High School

Today is National School Nurse Day! We would like to take this opportunity to thank all of our nurses for their tireless efforts throughout the year! In honor of the day, Governor Scott has issued a proclamation declaring today School Nurse Day in Vermont.

Tonight - May 9, 2022 You’re invited to the Slate Valley Unified Union School District Board Meeting at 6:30 p.m. in the Fair Haven Union High School Library. This meeting will be in person or virtually connect by going to https://meet.google.com/wdf-rbzv-grn or by calling: (US) +1 715-544-8886 PIN: 163 155 016# Tonight’s Agenda: https://5il.co/19xjx Previous Meeting Minutes: https://5il.co/19ip5 Next Board Meeting: May 23, 2022 - 6:30 p.m. at Orwell Village School

"Slate Valley students are sending a sweet message to children in Ukraine. Recently, students across the district have been making care packages containing maple candy to send children living in the war-torn eastern European country." https://www.rutlandherald.com/news/local/slate-valley-students-send-sweet-notes-to-ukraine/article_f84bb2c2-2845-57f3-b310-7c0325940e94.html

Slate Valley hosted a partner table at the First United Way Fun Day at Castleton University on May 1st. The United Way is a huge financial supporter of our Snack Sack Program and are wonderful community partners!

Dear Slate Valley Staff and Families, Unfortunately Covid-19 is making a resurgence in our area. If anyone is experiencing symptoms, even if you think it is just allergies or other illness, it is still recommended that you test to be sure. You can request tests from the school if you need them. If you are unable to test, you should stay home if you have symptoms until you feel better. You can also choose to wear a mask, wash your hands frequently, keep your hands away from your nose and mouth, clean surfaces frequently and distance yourself where you feel it is necessary. Please see the Department of Health website for more in depth information. Hopefully by following these strategies, we can keep this resurgence to a minimum. https://www.healthvermont.gov/covid-19 Please reach out to your school nurse if you have any questions. Best, Brooke Olsen-Farrell Superintendent

We're hiring! Slate Valley Unified Union School District has a year round full time position opening for an ACCOUNTS PAYABLE SPECIALIST. Responsibilities including processing accounts payable for the district. Bookkeeping experience is required, as well as strong technology and organizational skills. For more information, please contact Cheryl Scarzello, Director of Finance at (802) 265-2561 or email at cscarzello@svuvt.org Please visit https://www.slatevalleyunified.org/page/employment-opportunities for a complete listing of employment opportunities with SVUUSD.

Tonight - April 25, 2022 You’re invited to the Slate Valley Unified Union School District Board Meeting at 6:30 p.m. in the Fair Haven Grade School Library. This meeting will be in person or virtually connect by going to https://meet.google.com/wck-ifsf-xve or dial: (US) +1 865-401-0275 PIN: 911 262 892# Tonight’s Agenda: https://5il.co/19bi7 Previous Meeting Minutes: https://5il.co/18rlk Next Board Meeting: May 9, 2022 - 6:30 p.m. at Fair Haven Union High School

Happy Instructional Assistant's Day! We appreciate all of your hard work and dedication to our students.

Good evening, The budget passed with the following results: Yes: 882 No: 541 We want to thank the community for voting!

Please remember to vote today! Town of Benson: 10:00 AM - 7:00 PM, Benson Community Hall Town of Castleton: 8:00 AM - 7:00 PM, Castleton Fire Station Town of Fair Haven: 10:00 AM - 7:00 PM, Fair Haven Grade School Town of Hubbardton: 10:00 AM - 7:00 PM, Hubbardton Town Hall Town of Orwell: 10:00 AM - 7:00 PM, Orwell Town Clerk's Office Town of West Haven: 10:00 AM - 7:00 PM, West Haven Town Hall For more information, we invite you to visit the budget page on our website: https://www.slatevalleyunified.org/page/budget

Save the Date! Our next Middle School Family Forum is IN-PERSON on April 28th at 5:30 p.m. at FHU! Join us to hear about athletics and extracurricular activities, as well as other topics. We look forward to seeing you there! *Please note the date change from our previous post.

Join us tonight at 6:30 p.m. in the FHUHS Band Room for an informational hearing to discuss the proposed FY23 budget (Article 2), which will be voted on tomorrow by Australian ballot. Virtually connect by going to https://meet.google.com/kwb-acpu-kjm or by calling +1 352-503-8958 PIN: 358 031 844# For more information, we invite you to visit our budget web page: https://www.slatevalleyunified.org/page/budget.

As we approach our April 12th Informational Meeting and April 13th Budget Revote, we are highlighting Frequently Asked Questions (https://5il.co/1898z) related to the FY23 Budget. Question: How does Slate Valley’s FY23 Education Spending per Equalized Pupil compare to surrounding districts? Answer: Rutland City: $18,624 Mill River: $18, 376 Estimated State Average: $18,023 Otter Valley: $17,048 Slate Valley: $16,947 Quarry Valley: $16,870 For more information, we invite you to visit our budget web page: https://www.slatevalleyunified.org/page/budget.

Tonight - April 11, 2022 You’re invited to the Slate Valley Unified School District Board Meeting at 6:30 p.m. in the Fair Haven Union High School Library. This meeting will be in person or virtually connect by going to https://meet.google.com/pon-cdyc-ivw or dial: (US) +1 567-250-1061 PIN: 344 705 713# Tonight’s Agenda: https://5il.co/18j0p Previous Meeting Minutes: https://5il.co/185lr Special Meeting: April 12, 2022 - 6:30 p.m. at FHUHS Band Room

As a reminder, there is a special meeting on Tuesday, April 12th at 6:30 p.m. in the Fair Haven Union High School Band Room to discuss the proposed FY23 budget (Article 2), which will be voted on by Australian ballot on Wednesday, April 13th. We invite you to visit the budget page on our website for more information: https://www.slatevalleyunified.org/page/budget