Action based learning with Kinders & 6th graders
about 2 months ago, Kelley Schultz
Two older students and two younger children sit in a circle on a gymnasium floor. They are working together on "Fast Word Writing" worksheets placed in plastic sleeves, using dry-erase markers and clipboards to practice writing names and words.
A teenage girl in a light blue sweatshirt leans over a cafeteria table, pointing to lettered blocks to help a young girl in a green dress. They are using yellow baseplates and blue/red blocks to build words. An adult man watches the activity from the side. IMG_2944.jpg A side view of the same literacy activity at the cafeteria table. A young girl with a long blonde braid reaches into a clear bin of letter blocks while a teenage mentor stands by to assist. Yellow building plates and word slips are spread across the table.
In a gym, an older student walks past a line of numbered papers taped to the floor. Each paper shows a number and a corresponding ten-frame diagram. A younger child in a red dress kneels to interact with one of the papers while another child stands nearby.
n a gym, an older student walks past a line of numbered papers taped to the floor. Each paper shows a number and a corresponding ten-frame diagram. A younger child in a red dress kneels to interact with one of the papers while another child stands nearby. IMG_2943.jpg A teenage girl in a light blue sweatshirt leans over a cafeteria table, pointing to lettered blocks to help a young girl in a green dress. They are using yellow baseplates and blue/red blocks to build words. An adult man watches the activity from the side.
A teenage girl in a light blue sweatshirt leans over a cafeteria table, pointing to lettered blocks to help a young girl in a green dress. They are using yellow baseplates and blue/red blocks to build words. An adult man watches the activity from the side.
A young girl in a pink hoodie kneels on a green gym floor mat. She is using a dry-erase marker to practice writing the number 6 on a worksheet that includes a ten-frame and a "number rhyme" poem.
A young girl with a long blonde braid, wearing a red polka-dot dress, kneels on the floor to practice writing the number 5 on a math worksheet. Other numbered stations are visible nearby.
Reminder: Tonight - Act 73 Discussion with Local Legislators!
6:00 to 7:30 PM - Fair Haven Union Middle & High School Library
All are welcome!
about 2 hours ago, Slate Valley
Graphic with Slate Valley Community Advisory Council logo and text announcing the next meeting on February 2, 2026, from 6:00–7:30 PM at the Fair Haven Union Middle & High School Library, featuring an Act 73 discussion with local legislators.
Meet Faculty & Staff Monday - February Spotlight

This month we’re excited to spotlight Bethany Link, a Grade 3 teacher at Benson Village School. This is Mrs. Link’s second year at BVS. Before joining the Benson community, she taught for six years at Randolph Elementary School, working with students in grades K–2.

Outside the classroom, Mrs. Link enjoys spending time with her family and going on adventures together. She also loves reading a good book, cooking and baking, getting outdoors, and a little shopping when she can fit it in.

Her classroom community is guided by this shared message:
“In this classroom, we respect each other, we never give up, we are kind, we laugh a lot, we make mistakes, we have big dreams, we are family!”

A quote that inspires her personally is:
“Be the change you want to see in the world.” — Mahatma Gandhi

Mrs. Link began the school year on maternity leave after welcoming a baby boy, Thomas Calvin Link, named in honor of both of his grandfathers. We’re so glad to have her back at Benson Village School and deeply appreciate the warmth, care, and positive energy she brings to her students each day.
about 4 hours ago, Slate Valley
Graphic titled “Meet Monday – Slate Valley Faculty & Staff” featuring BVS Grade 3 teacher Bethany Link, with a family photo and text highlights about her experience, hobbies, classroom motto, and welcome of a new baby boy.
There is no EAST BUS RUN this morning, Monday February 2nd.
about 5 hours ago, Amy Roy
District Newsletter: January 30, 2026
https://mailchi.mp/82c6c6cc4bc0/slate-valley-district-newsletter-january-30-2026
3 days ago, Slate Valley
Slate Valley Unified USD newsletter header dated January 30, 2026, featuring the district logo above a winter scene of people ice fishing on a frozen lake with mountains in the background.
Join Us for our next Community Advisory Council Meeting — Monday, February 2!

We hope you’ll join us for the next Community Advisory Council (CAC) Meeting on Monday, February 2, 2026, from 6:00–7:30 PM in the Library at Fair Haven Union Middle & High School.

We’ll be welcoming our local legislators for an important conversation and updates on Act 73. This is a great opportunity to stay informed, ask questions, and share your perspective as we work together to support our schools and community.

🗓 Monday, February 2, 2026
⏰ 6:00–7:30 PM
📍 FHUMHS Library

Come be part of the conversation — we’d love to see you there!
3 days ago, Slate Valley
Graphic with Slate Valley Community Advisory Council logo and text announcing the next meeting on February 2, 2026, from 6:00–7:30 PM at the Fair Haven Union Middle & High School Library, featuring an Act 73 discussion with local legislators.
A group of community members sit around tables in a school library, listening to a man speaking at the front, with bookshelves lining the walls behind them.
Wear your favorite hoodie and reading fun in first grade!
3 days ago, Kelley Schultz
These images show a group of ten students and one teacher posing in a primary school classroom featuring a strong emphasis on mathematics and student creativity.
In this image, a group of ten children and one adult are posing together in a classroom setting.
Three young children sit side-by-side on a tiled floor against a gray wall, each holding up a large open children's book
Wear your Favorite Hoodie Day fun!
3 days ago, Kelley Schultz
An adult woman and a young boy stand side-by-side in a classroom, smiling at the camera.
An adult woman and three young girls pose for a group photo in a classroom setting.
Wear Your Favorite Hoodie Tomorrow, Friday, January 30th!
4 days ago, Slate Valley
Flyer announcing “Wear Your Favorite Hoodie Day” on Friday, January 30, 2026. Text encourages students to wear any type of hoodie—big or small, fuzzy, old or new, colorful, or animal-themed—and emphasizes that it should reflect personal style. Images show a patterned hoodie, a red hooded outfit, and a cartoon animal wearing a hoodie and sunglasses.
Students learned about drawing for part of Crayola’s creativity week! They learned about textures, shading, and got to to use different utensils to create their own soccer balls and fields. ⚽️
4 days ago, Kelley Schultz
A young girl with brown hair sits at a wooden table in a classroom, smiling at the camera while working on an art project.
a completed mixed-media artwork on white paper.
A group of students sits at a large round wooden table covered in markers, colored pencils, and hand sanitizer.
others work on pieces featuring geometric patterns, swirls, and landscape elements.
In a bright classroom, several students are seated at round wooden tables, focused on art projects. They are using markers and crayons to draw on white paper, with many art supplies scattered across the tables.
Students in crazy eights math club did a road trip today and had to carefully plan a trip from the East Coast to the West Coast with limitations on gas, miles driven, and other factors! It was a great lesson on adding, subtracting, and planning ahead.
4 days ago, Kelley Schultz
These students are engaging with a math and geography game called "Road Trip!".
The Game Board: Students use a large fabric map of the United States featuring routes and state abbreviations to plan their journey.
Game Pieces: The journey is tracked using dice to determine movement and small car-shaped markers to represent their location on the map.
It looks like this is a log tracking mileage and fuel refills. Based on the handwriting, it’s a great exercise in basic subtraction and keeping a running total!
Fun in the Sun and Snow!
5 days ago, Kelley Schultz
Two smiling young boys stand side-by-side on a paved area covered in light snow and ice, wearing heavy winter coats, snow pants, gloves, and hats. Behind them, a snow-covered playground features a large snow pile, a basketball hoop, and a light-colored building under a clear blue sky.
Two smiling girls in colorful winter gear—one in a purple jacket and the other in a light blue jacket with bright pink snow pants—stand in a large pile of snow. In the background, other children play on the snowbanks near a building under a clear blue sky.
a girl in a purple jacket and pom-pom beanie
A girl with long reddish hair leans back and smiles while sitting in a large, textured snowbank. She is wearing a patterned camouflage-style hoodie and light-colored snow pants.
A side-by-side composite shows two children in dark winter gear standing in a vast, flat snow-covered field. The child on the left wears a black jacket and beanie, while the child on the right wears a black jacket and a brown knit hat.
Some beautiful Origami!
5 days ago, Kelley Schultz
These images highlight intricate paper-folding projects, often referred to as Iris Folding or modular origami, created by students in a school setting.
A top-down view of a completed paper-folding project resting on a dark gray square of paper. The artwork is a symmetrical, star-like mandala made of many small, folded "kite" shapes in various shades of blue and green, radiating outward from a central point. The project is placed on a wooden table next to a colorful, paint-splattered sheet and some blue paper scraps.
Two young girls smile while sitting at a table in a school cafeteria, working on intricate paper-folding art projects. They are surrounded by colorful paper squares, glue sticks, and completed geometric designs, with a guide sheet on the table labeled "Kite," "Pyramid," "Bug," and "Glider." In the background, other students are seated at long tables eating lunch.
Making bracelets and playing Fishy, Fishy on a cold winter's day!
5 days ago, Kelley Schultz
A young boy wearing glasses and a white t-shirt with heart characters stands at a table, proudly holding up a string of colorful beads he has made. Behind him, other children and adults are seated at the same table, which is covered with bead trays and a red bin filled with more beads. The setting appears to be a school gym or community center, with a basketball hoop and an American flag visible in the background.
A woman and several young children sit at a long brown table, focused on stringing colorful beads using grey sorting trays. A young boy in a white heart-patterned t-shirt proudly holds up a finished string of beads while standing at a similar workstation.
These images showcase children participating in various supervised indoor activities within a school gymnasium or multipurpose room
These images capture children engaged in creative jewelry-making and physical activities within a school gymnasium or community center.
These images capture children participating in jewelry-making and physical activities within a school gymnasium
A young girl in a cat-themed dress smiles while displaying a finished bead keychain
A woman and four young children sit at a long brown table in a gymnasium, focused on making jewelry with colorful beads and grey sorting trays. Several other children are visible in the background near a blue padded wall and folding cafeteria tables.
Huge thank you to 6th graders for joining and helping Kinders make their play-dough!
5 days ago, Amy Roy
This second image offers another perspective of the group activity, showing several more children focused on their dough creations at the long cafeteria tables.
These images capture children participating in a hands-on playdough making activity within a school cafeteria or gymnasium.
These images capture a multi-stage, hands-on activity where children and teenagers are working together to make and play with homemade playdough.
These images capture a collaborative "Easy No-Cook DIY Playdough" workshop involving children and teenagers in a school cafeteria or gymnasium setting.
These images document a collaborative "Easy No-Cook DIY Playdough" workshop held for children and teenagers in a school cafeteria or gymnasium.
This collection of images documents a collaborative "Easy No-Cook DIY Playdough" workshop held for children and teenagers in a school cafeteria or gymnasium setting.
This image shows a group of children and teenagers gathered around long tables in what appears to be a school cafeteria or gymnasium, enthusiastically working with dough.
Kinders earned a PBIS class celebration! We will each get to make our own play-dough tomorrow :)
6 days ago, Amy Roy
"A group of eight young children sitting on the floor in a school hallway, smiling at the camera. They are in front of a large, craft-style tree with a beehive and paper bees attached. One child is holding a jar filled with small yellow and white balls. Behind them, a bulletin board displays a colorful bear with the words 'Have a Creative Day!' and various student photos. In the background, another child in a pink outfit is at a water fountain near the hallway doors."
Two of our second grade mathematicians have made it to 1,000 on their number scrolls!
7 days ago, Amy Roy
Two elementary-aged students stand indoors in front of a door, smiling and holding very long strips of paper that extend from their hands down to the floor. Each strip is covered with neatly written numbers or math work in small boxes, showing an extensive completed activity. The student on the left wears a dark shirt, and the student on the right wears a light shirt with a hoodie. Classroom posters about calming strategies and breathing are visible on the wall to the right, and a fan sits on the floor to the left.
Board Meeting Tonight- January 26, 2026
You’re invited to the Slate Valley Unified Union School District Board Meeting at 6:30 p.m. at the Fair Haven Union Middle & High School band room.
This meeting will be in person. Virtually connect by going to:
Video call link: https://meet.google.com/zjf-fize-oet
Or dial: (US) +1 413-779-5205 PIN: 549 283 171#

Please note: To participate in conversation virtually and/or ask a question virtually, please use the “raise hand” icon in Google Meet. Typing responses or questions in chat is not an option.
7 days ago, Slate Valley
Graphic announcing a Slate Valley Unified Union School District Board Meeting. Text reads “Please Join Us Tonight” and “Board Meeting.” The agenda includes consent agenda; warning for FY27 school budget; tax rate discussion; committee reports for building and grounds, policy, and executive committee. Meeting details list January 26, 2026 at 6:30 PM, held at Fair Haven Union Middle & High School in the Band Room. The graphic features a circular table with stylized people icons and a Vermont logo.
Good Afternoon,

All Slate Valley Schools will be closed tomorrow, Monday, January 26, 2026, due to the weather conditions. Stay safe and have a great day!

Best,

Brooke Olsen-Farrell, Superintendent
8 days ago, Slate Valley
Graphic announcing “No School Snow Day!” with snowflakes on a snowy background. Text reads “Monday, January 26th,” alongside the Slate Valley Unified School District logo.
Slate Valley District Newsletter for January 23, 2026
https://mailchi.mp/df08e8fadaac/slate-valley-district-newsletter-january-16-13835994
10 days ago, Slate Valley
Slate Valley Unified USD newsletter header dated January 23, 2026, featuring an illustration of five bundled-up people shivering in winter coats beneath hanging icicles, suggesting cold winter weather.