Kinders earned a PBIS class celebration! We will each get to make our own play-dough tomorrow :)
3 months 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!
3 months 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.
3 months 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
3 months 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
3 months 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.
ATTENTION: There will be NO WEST BUS this afternoon.
3 months ago, Slate Valley
Graphic of a yellow school bus with a red “Attention” sign and the message “No West Bus This Afternoon” and “Friday, January 23, 2026.” The bus is labeled “BVS,” with “Benson Village School” shown on the bumper.
Fabulous teachers at work on this Friday morning!
3 months ago, Amy Roy
In this classroom scene, an adult woman (likely a teacher) and several young children are gathered around a kidney-shaped table. The woman, wearing glasses and a tan sweater, smiles warmly at the camera, as does a young girl in a blue fleece jacket who is holding a pencil over her worksheet. Two other students—a boy in a yellow Reebok shirt and a girl in a pink top—are also seated at the table, engaged in their work.
An adult woman and a group of young children are playfully posing for a photo in a school hallway, all attempting to do the splits or wide-legged stretches. The woman stands in the background with her arms and legs outstretched, while about nine children are arranged on the floor in front of her, mirroring the pose with varying degrees of success. Everyone is smiling or looking toward the camera. The hallway has green wainscoting and is decorated with colorful bulletin boards showcasing student work.
A teacher stands at the front of an elementary classroom beside a large interactive screen with materials in their hands. Several students sit at round tables writing and looking toward the teacher. The room has cabinets, bookshelves, and classroom supplies, with colorful posters on the walls and bright overhead lighting
An adult sits beside a student at a classroom table, closely supporting the child as they write on graph paper with a pencil. The student leans forward, focused on their work. On the table are a pink water bottle, rolled paper, and classroom materials. In the background are posters promoting calming strategies and affirmations, along with a large screen and teacher workspace, creating a supportive learning environment.
An adult kneels on the classroom floor at a child’s eye level, holding up a small card and reading or explaining it to a young child who stands beside them. The child wears pink clothing and boots. Behind them are classroom shelves with labeled bins, folders, and learning materials, creating a warm, organized early elementary classroom setting.
A teacher stands at the front of an elementary classroom beside a large interactive screen displaying a math lesson with decimals. Several students sit at round tables working in notebooks and looking toward the screen. The room has cabinets, bookshelves, and classroom supplies, with colorful posters on the walls and bright overhead lighting.
FHU Band Bottle Drive - Help our Slaters get to Orlando, FL!
4 months ago, Slate Valley
Graphic announcing FHU Band bottle drive throughout January 2026, with bottle drop-off at Liberty Street Redemption in Fair Haven; proceeds support the band’s trip to the Orlando Heritage Music Festival in Florida.
A student made this amazing heart with such a fabulous message for me! I will "GO GIRL" all day!
4 months ago, Amy Roy
A child's drawing on a heart-shaped piece of paper featuring vertical rainbow stripes. The name "Mrs. Roy" is written in silver marker across the middle. Additional text includes "School" at the top and "go girl" at the bottom, alongside hand-drawn stars and a small heart.
In Crazy 8’s Club this week we looked at mirror image symmetry and rotational symmetry. Students used special cubes to design patterns of symmetry and even took their shot at recreating designs using the cubes with increasing levels of difficulty.
4 months ago, Amy Roy
A top-down view shows a $3 \times 4$ grid of red and white blocks resting on a wooden tabletop. Each block is a square divided diagonally into a red half and a white half. The blocks are arranged to form a repeating, jagged pattern of red stripes and shapes. In the bottom right corner, a portion of a white paper is visible, showing a printed reference diagram for the pattern.
A composite image of four separate photographs shows four young girls in a classroom setting, each sitting at a wooden desk with a $2 \times 2$ arrangement of red and white patterned blocks in front of them.
A collage of classroom photos showing small groups of elementary students working together at round tables with red-and-white pattern blocks or cubes. Students are building designs, matching patterns on worksheets, and discussing their work. Some students smile toward the camera while others focus closely on constructing shapes. The classroom setting includes tables, chairs, storage shelves, and learning materials, highlighting hands-on, collaborative math or problem-solving activities.
First graders listening attentively as two classmates share their read-aloud—building confidence, community, and a love of reading 📚✨
4 months ago, Amy Roy
A student sits in a small rocking chair at the front of an elementary classroom, holding a picture book open while reading aloud. Several classmates sit on a colorful rug, facing the reader and listening attentively. The walls are filled with math and writing charts, a calendar, coin posters, and number lines, creating a structured and engaging learning environment during group reading time.
An elementary classroom scene where a group of young students sit cross-legged on a colorful rug, listening as one student sits in a rocking chair and reads from a book. The walls display anchor charts about writing and math, a calendar, and number lines. The atmosphere is calm and focused during a classroom reading or sharing time.
Mrs. Miller's 4-5 Science TA made their own Vermont animal track stamps. A huge Thank you to one of our student's Grandfather for donating wood blocks for us to create with.
4 months ago, Kelley Schultz
A close-up of a student holding a square wooden block. They have glued blue foam pieces onto the wood to mirror the "Red Fox" track printed on a paper guide next to it.
A student in a black holiday-themed t-shirt holds up a long wooden block with a white foam animal paw print glued to the surface, showing the progress of their handmade stamp.
A close-up view of two students at a workstation using hot glue guns to attach blue foam animal track shapes onto rectangular wooden blocks.
A student stands in a classroom holding up two finished wooden stamps. One stamp features a "Red Fox" track label and the other a "Coyote" track label, both with 3D elements attached for stamping.
A student in a red plaid dress uses a hot glue gun to secure a white foam paw print onto a wooden block. In the background, another student works on a similar project at the same craft station.
A student in a red hoodie sits at a desk and uses yellow scissors to cut out animal illustrations (fox, raccoon, coyote, opossum) from a printed worksheet. A "Geology" book and various wooden blocks are visible on the table.
A close-up view of two students at a workstation using hot glue guns to attach blue foam animal track shapes onto rectangular wooden blocks.
Sticker equations in Kindergarten!
4 months ago, Kelley Schultz
A young girl with blonde hair in a ponytail and a light blue long-sleeve shirt works on her math. She is mid-action, placing stickers into the boxes on her paper. A colorful name tag is visible on the table. Classroom Environment Background Details: Several photos show a vibrant classroom s
A young boy in a blue t-shirt with a tornado graphic focuses on his math worksheet. He is placing small, colorful stickers into square boxes on the paper to solve addition problems.
A young girl with brown hair and a cream-colored ruffled shirt smiles at the camera. She sits at a yellow table with a math worksheet and a sheet of stickers in front of her.
A young girl with dark wavy hair wearing a floral and striped rust-colored dress looks down at her math paper. She is carefully placing stickers into the designated boxes to complete her addition lesson. Overhead and Action Shots
A young boy with short brown hair wearing a blue, yellow, and white striped long-sleeve shirt sits at a yellow table. He is using a yellow pencil to point at a math worksheet featuring boxes filled with colorful stickers and addition signs.
An overhead view of a child with blonde hair working at a blue table. The child is holding a sticker sheet over a worksheet that shows two addition problems: one totaling seven and one totaling five, represented by sticker groups.
A high-angle shot of a young girl with blonde hair in a grey and purple unicorn-patterned shirt. She is focused on peeling a sticker from a sheet to place onto her math worksheet. A black hair scrunchie sits on the table beside her paper. IMG_5297.png: An overhead view of a child with blonde hair working at a blue table. The child is holding a sticker sheet over a worksheet that shows two addition problems: one totaling seven and one totaling five, represented by sticker groups.
A young girl with long blonde hair looks toward the camera while holding a sheet of colorful smiley-face stickers. In front of her is a math worksheet with hand-drawn squares and addition symbols.
A young girl with a pink butterfly clip in her hair leans over a blue table. She is using her fingers to precisely place a small ladybug sticker into a box on her math assignment.
Our older students are learning about the human skeletal system. They constructed their own skeletons and labeled all of the boxes.
4 months ago, Kelley Schultz
Classroom Hallway Bulletin Board A wide-angle shot of a school hallway featuring a long bulletin board divided into blue and purple sections. Multiple life-sized paper skeletons, created by students, are displayed in a row. Each skeleton is decorated with colorful labels and yarn strings identifying various bones. Above the skeletons are math posters showing decimal grids and fractions. The hallway has shiny floors, a grey tiled lower wall, and fluorescent ceiling lights.
Close-up of Skeleton Diagrams (Blue Background) A close-up view of two paper skeletons on a blue bulletin board. The skeleton on the left uses pink labels with red yarn, while the one on the right uses orange labels with green yarn. The labels point to major bones such as the skull, mandible, scapula, and ribs. The handwriting on the labels is in black marker, and the diagrams show clear anatomical details of the rib cage and pelvis.
A life-sized paper cutout of a human skeleton mounted on a purple bulletin board. The skeleton is labeled with yellow sticky notes connected to specific bones by red yarn. Labels include "Skull," "Mandible," "Scapula," "Humerus," "Ribs," "Spine," "Pelvis," "Radius/Ulna," "Carpals," "Phalanges," "Femur," "Patella," "Tibia/Fibula," "Tarsals," and "Phalanges" (feet). A small blue tag at the bottom reads "Hannah."
1st Graders filled their Honeycomb on Friday and earned a hot cocoa party! They made pom-pom octopus for their craft. A classmate showed some students how to make paper dragons!
4 months ago, Kelley Schultz
A top-down close-up of a craft project resting in a red plastic tray. The craft consists of a blue pom-pom creature with googly eyes attached to a black construction paper cutout shaped like a bat or a stylized bird.
Three children—a boy in a blue Pokémon shirt, a girl in a pink sweatshirt, and a girl in a purple Bass Pro Shops hoodie—stand in a line, smiling. Each child has a small pom-pom creature balanced on their head like a tiny hat.
A boy with glasses and a light blue "Newport" t-shirt holds a colorful paper craft. He has a blue and green pom-pom creature balanced on top of his head. Other children are visible in the background of the classroom.
A young boy in a blue camouflage-patterned shirt smiles as he holds up a craft made of tan paper and several multicolored pom-poms. He is standing in a classroom with a colorful alphabet rug in the background.
A close-up of two pom-pom creatures sitting on a red table. One is blue and sparkly, and the other is green. They are surrounded by scraps of blue, orange, and white construction paper, showing a work-in-progress art project.
1st Grade filled their Honeycomb on Friday, and they earned a hot cocoa party. They made pom-pom octopus for their craft. A classmate showed some students how to make paper dragons!
4 months ago, Kelley Schultz
A group portrait of twelve elementary-aged students posing together in a school hallway. They are kneeling and standing in front of a wall decorated with student photos and a paper "Creative Day" display. Many of them are holding or wearing their pom-pom crafts.
A young boy in a bright blue t-shirt featuring a reindeer "Santa's Helper" graphic smiles broadly for the camera. A small, colorful pom-pom creature with googly eyes is perched playfully on his left shoulder.
A young boy with strawberry-blonde hair wearing an orange henley shirt stands in a classroom. He holds a small, colorful craft made of red and white pom-poms with googly eyes. On the red table in front of him are scraps of black construction paper and another yellow pom-pom creature.
A young boy in a light blue Pokémon t-shirt stands in a classroom with a neutral expression, balancing a large, multicolored yarn pom-pom with googly eyes on top of his head. In the background, another child in an orange shirt sits at a red table, smiling. The classroom is filled with educational toys, including a globe, a colorful stacking tower, and storage bins.
A close-up portrait of the boy in the orange henley shirt, smiling happily. He has tucked his red and white pom-pom creature into his shirt’s chest pocket so only its eyes and the top of its "head" are visible.
Snapshots from Reading Buddies with 1st and 5th Graders!
4 months ago, Kelley Schultz
Two boys are seated cross-legged on a light-colored tile floor, looking down at an open picture book. The book shows a bright red page with a white skeleton of a dog. Behind them are classroom cubbies filled with colorful rolled-up yoga mats in blue, purple, green, and orange. i
A high-angle shot of a classroom reading circle. A girl with long red hair sits on a colorful handprint rug, holding up a picture book featuring a red car to a group of five other children. The children are seated on the floor and a rug, listening intently. The background shows classroom decorations, including a number line and a yellow clock.
Three children are huddled together on a tile floor during a reading session. A boy in a white "Old Navy" t-shirt holds a yellow book featuring a simple illustration of a rocket ship and a planet, pointing to the page. A girl with blonde braids and a boy in a blue shirt watch closely from opposite sides. i
An overhead view of two girls sitting on a classroom floor. One girl, wearing a black hoodie, holds open a picture book titled "Bunny, My Honey," which shows an illustration of a white rabbit. Another girl with long, wavy blonde hair sits with her back to the camera, looking at the pages.
Three children are sitting on a vibrant rug decorated with large, colorful handprints. A girl in a tan sweatshirt holds a large picture book featuring a night sky and a bear. Two other children—a girl in a pink and black hoodie and a boy in a red shirt—lean in to look at the illustrations.
A girl in a pink long-sleeved shirt and a boy in a black "Ninja" t-shirt sit side-by-side on a handprint rug. The girl holds a thin picture book with blue-toned illustrations of a shark. In the background, there is a small wooden stool with cat-shaped cutouts on top.
Three children sit against a white wall on a colorful rug. The girl in the center, wearing a grey "PINK" hoodie and blue cowboy boots, reads a book aloud. To her left, a boy in a bright blue shirt smiles at the camera, and to her right, a girl in a black sweatshirt watches the book.
Slate Valley District Newsletter: January 16, 2026
https://mailchi.mp/409168fc586b/slate-valley-district-newsletter-january-16-13835966
4 months ago, Slate Valley
Graphic header for the Slate Valley Unified Union School District newsletter dated January 16, 2026. The image features a winter illustration with snow-covered trees, mountains, falling snow, and a skier on a snowy hillside, along with the district logo and the text “Our Schools, Your Future.”
NEEDED: Community members interested in serving as Slate Valley School Board Representatives!

Slate Valley Unified Union School District is seeking residents who want to make a meaningful impact on our schools and students. Open seats are available in West Haven (3 seats), Hubbardton (1 seat), and Orwell (1 seat). There are also seats in Benson, Fair Haven, and Castleton, where current members are running unopposed.

Serving on the school board is a great way to represent your community, support student success, and help shape the future of Slate Valley schools. Board members receive an annual stipend, and no prior experience is required—just a commitment to serve.
If you’re interested in running, please visit your town office to obtain a petition and learn more about the process and requirements.
4 months ago, Slate Valley
Graphic announcing “School Board Members Needed” for Slate Valley Unified Union School District, with open seats in West Haven, Hubbardton, and Orwell. Text encourages serving the community, supporting students, and participating in school decisions; notes no experience required and to visit the town office for details. Includes the Slate Valley Vermont logo and a photo of adults seated around a table in discussion.
No School – Monday, January 19, 2026

Slate Valley Unified Union School District schools will be closed on Monday, January 19, 2026, in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

This day honors Dr. King’s legacy of service, equity, and justice, and invites us all to reflect on the values of compassion, courage, and community.

We wish our students, families, and staff a meaningful day of remembrance. ❤️🤍💙
4 months ago, Slate Valley
Graphic shows the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial statue against a blue sky. Text reads, “No School Monday, January 19, 2026, in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day,” with a Vermont school district logo at the bottom.