August 21, 2026
🎉 WELCOME BACK, SLATE VALLEY! 🎉
Today marked the official first day back for all Slate Valley faculty and staff, and we packed a lot into our Opening Day Inservice!
We kicked off the morning with breakfast, catching up with colleagues, and a stop at the Slate Valley swag table to pick up this year’s T-shirt, new lanyards, and photo calendar. Of course, no Opening Day would be complete without a little fun at our traditional photo booth! 📸 Meanwhile, DJ Principal Jared kept the music going with songs submitted by faculty and staff—our own Slate Valley team soundtrack! 🎶
Once everyone gathered, we welcomed and recognized our newest staff members and celebrated some outstanding members of our team with our Teacher of the Year, Instructional Assistant of the Year, and UVM Teacher of the Year honors. Stay tuned—we’ll be sharing more about these deserving recipients soon! 🌟
Superintendent Brooke Olsen-Farrell then addressed the group, celebrating what we have accomplished together, looking ahead to the opportunities of a new school year, and reminding us of an important message:
“We all play on the same team.”
And we put that message into action! Staff worked together to decorate individual pennants with names, messages, and designs representing their teams. Those pieces were then brought together to create one large Slate Valley team pennant—a visual reminder that while we each bring something unique, we are all part of something bigger.
The day continued with two important workshops. Mr. Nick Strance of the American Heart Association led staff through hands-only CPR training, while Castleton Police Chief Peter Mantello provided a review of Run, Hide, Fight safety procedures.
It was a jam-packed Opening Day filled with learning, laughter, teamwork, celebration, and plenty of opportunities to reconnect.
It was great to have the entire Slate Valley team back together. Welcome to the 2026–2027 school year! Here we go!
Today marked the official first day back for all Slate Valley faculty and staff, and we packed a lot into our Opening Day Inservice!
We kicked off the morning with breakfast, catching up with colleagues, and a stop at the Slate Valley swag table to pick up this year’s T-shirt, new lanyards, and photo calendar. Of course, no Opening Day would be complete without a little fun at our traditional photo booth! 📸 Meanwhile, DJ Principal Jared kept the music going with songs submitted by faculty and staff—our own Slate Valley team soundtrack! 🎶
Once everyone gathered, we welcomed and recognized our newest staff members and celebrated some outstanding members of our team with our Teacher of the Year, Instructional Assistant of the Year, and UVM Teacher of the Year honors. Stay tuned—we’ll be sharing more about these deserving recipients soon! 🌟
Superintendent Brooke Olsen-Farrell then addressed the group, celebrating what we have accomplished together, looking ahead to the opportunities of a new school year, and reminding us of an important message:
“We all play on the same team.”
And we put that message into action! Staff worked together to decorate individual pennants with names, messages, and designs representing their teams. Those pieces were then brought together to create one large Slate Valley team pennant—a visual reminder that while we each bring something unique, we are all part of something bigger.
The day continued with two important workshops. Mr. Nick Strance of the American Heart Association led staff through hands-only CPR training, while Castleton Police Chief Peter Mantello provided a review of Run, Hide, Fight safety procedures.
It was a jam-packed Opening Day filled with learning, laughter, teamwork, celebration, and plenty of opportunities to reconnect.
It was great to have the entire Slate Valley team back together. Welcome to the 2026–2027 school year! Here we go!