Castleton Village School

Good morning, The weekly COVID update letter from Superintendent Olsen-Farrell is now available: https://5il.co/13hsj

We have a CVS/OVS basketball doubleheader happening this afternoon in the Castleton Village School Gym. At 4:30 the 7/8 Girls Basketball team tips off against Barstow and will be followed at 5:30 by the 7/8 Boys also against Barstow. Whether it is in-person at the Castleton Village School or virtually over on our YouTube channel, https://bit.ly/3yONQQH, we look forward to seeing you there.

While the holidays are a joyful time, they can also be challenging for many. Here are some resources you may find helpful this holiday season:

Tonight - December 20th You’re invited to the Slate Valley Unified Union School District Board Meeting at 6:30 p.m. at Castleton Village School. This meeting will be in person or you may virtually connect by going to https://meet.google.com/etm-zxwa-vgx or join by phone (US) +1 617-675-4444 PIN: 771 605 109 0703# Tonight’s Agenda: https://5il.co/138oi Previous Meeting Minutes: https://5il.co/12xzp Next Board Meeting: January 10, 2022, 6:30 p.m. at Fair Haven Union High School

We have a basketball doubleheader happening over on the CVS Events YouTube channel this afternoon as the CVS/OVS 7th/8th girls and boys teams are scheduled to play Christ the King School - Rutland. The girls game is scheduled to tip off at 4 to be followed by the boys at 5. We look forward to seeing everyone later today whether in-person or remotely on our YouTube live stream that can be found here, https://bit.ly/3Ea5UFP.

The CVS/OVS girls basketball teams have their first home game of the season today as they welcome Rutland Town to town. The Grade 7 girls are scheduled to tip off at 4:30 to be followed by the Grade 8 girls at approximately 5:30.

Good morning, The weekly COVID update letter from Superintendent Olsen-Farrell is now available: https://5il.co/13bjr

December 16, 2021 Dear Slate Valley Staff and Families, On December 15, 2021, we were informed by the Agency of Education of non-credible (social media-based) school threats that alluded to some potential school violence taking place on December 17, 2021. At this time there are no credible threats in Vermont. These same types of social media threats have taken place in other states across the county. Furthermore, this is not an uncommon pattern that we have seen in other non-credible social media-based threats. The Vermont Intelligence Center and our state’s law enforcement partners are aware of these non-credible threats and will continue to monitor these situations and provide updates to school leadership as needed. As you are aware we take any threat seriously and each incident is evaluated to determine its level of credibility. We have a very close relationship with local and state law enforcement and work with them to assess each situation. As always, please, if you see or hear anything that you are concerned about feel free to reach out. Safety is all of our jobs. Regards, Brooke Olsen-Farrell The full letter can be viewed here: https://5il.co/139sf

Tonight is the first home game of the season for both the 7th and 8th Grade combined CVS/OVS boys basketball teams as they tip off against Otter Valley. The 7th Grade game tips off at 5pm and will be followed by the 8th Grade game at 6pm. If you're not able to make it there to join us in-person both games will be streaming over on our YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/c/CVSAthletics

Good morning, The weekly COVID update letter from Superintendent Olsen-Farrell is now available: https://5il.co/12zrd

Dear Slate Valley Staff and Families, In recent months and weeks there has been an escalation in school violence across the country and concerns in Vermont schools. Our thoughts are certainly with the communities that have been impacted by these tragic events. To date we have not seen the wide-spread escalation in student behaviors such as hazing, harassment, bullying and students in need of threat assessments that some of our neighbors have. Our incidents in these areas are similar to pre-pandemic levels. This speaks to the increased emphasis that our staff has placed on the social/emotional needs of our students as we continue to contend with the pandemic. Recently the State of Vermont put out a new anonymous tip line. Any student, parent/guardian, educator, or member of the community can use this tip line at NO COST! There are three ways to submit a tip: Go to www.SAFE4VT.org and click on submit a tip, then fill out the form with your information. Dial 844-SAFE4VT (723-3488) and speak with a call-taker. Send a text to 274637, type in keyword SAFE4VT and then your tip. As always, please, if you see or hear anything that you are concerned about feel free to reach out. Safety is all of our jobs. Here (https://5il.co/12xss) is a summary of all of the things we do have in place as a school district. If you have questions, ideas or concerns please feel free to reach out. Best, Brooke Olsen-Farrell Superintendent

Tonight! December 6th 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 you may virtually connect by going to https://meet.google.com/cnm-dutk-ziw or join by phone (US) +1 617-675-4444 PIN: 499 110 969 8714# Tonight’s Agenda: https://5il.co/12mhu Previous Meeting Minutes: https://5il.co/128on Next Board Meeting: December 20, 2021, 6:30 p.m. at Castleton Village School

Good morning, The weekly COVID update letter from Superintendent Olsen-Farrell is now available: https://5il.co/12npi.

Dear Slate Valley Families, Please read the following middle school update from FHUHS Principal Ben Worthing: https://5il.co/12mo3

You're Invited! Virtual Listening Tour Join Slate Valley board members (virtually) for an informal discussion about the district middle school and 2022-2023 budget. November 29th at 6 p.m. - with Fair Haven/West Haven board members - Join with Google Meet (https://meet.google.com/jkx-bheh-dck) or join by phone: (US) +1 763-392-3037 (PIN: 199823389) November 30th at 6 p.m. with Castleton/Hubbardton board members - Join with Google Meet (https://meet.google.com/xyc-quzc-oym) or join by phone: (US) +1 636-789-8173 (PIN: 468052357) December 1st at 6 p.m. with Benson/Orwell board members - Join with Google Meet (https://meet.google.com/yir-mzhb-jht) or join by phone: (US) +1 402-509-9411 (PIN: 731841436) You are welcome to (virtually) attend any of the meetings regardless of your town of residence.

Dear Slate Valley Families, I hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving break. A lot of the COVID testing was delayed last week with the holiday. There is a link to the state dashboard on our website for COVID cases in schools although there is a lag in the state’s reporting of the data. I will continue to email you weekly with the updates for the previous week. We continue to expect that the next couple of months will be challenging with the amount of COVID we are seeing in our communities. This past week we saw the following COVID cases in our schools that required contact tracing; 2 at Orwell Village School, 4 at Fair Haven Grade School and 4 at Fair Haven Union High School. The highest overall case counts remain at the high school. Additionally, we continued to see a high absentee rate among staff and students district-wide due to general illness. We urge you and your family to take precautions to limit the spread of COVID. The most important things you can do: -Keep your child home if they have any symptoms of Covid-19-stuffy nose, headache, sore throat, fatigue, muscle aches, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, cough, loss of taste or smell, fever, or shortness of breath. -Make sure your child is wearing a mask (https://bit.ly/3pdgarg) when recommended or required. -Make sure your child is washing their hands (https://bit.ly/3D7RhCq) often, especially after being at public places. -Call your primary care provider if you or your child has symptoms of COVID-19 (https://bit.ly/3d0waHy). -Make sure that your children get vaccinated when they are eligible. Find a location near you (https://bit.ly/3o1beXe). Thank you for your patience and understanding as we navigate this challenging time. With your participation, we believe we can create a safe and fun experience for your children. We all need to do our part. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to me at 265-4905. Best, Brooke Olsen-Farrell Superintendent

Tonight! November 22nd You’re invited to the Slate Valley Unified Union School District Board Meeting at 6:30 p.m. in the Orwell Town Hall. This meeting will be in person or you may virtually connect by going to https://meet.google.com/etm-zxwa-vgx or join by phone (US) +1 617-675-4444 PIN: 401 807 037 1082# Tonight’s Agenda: https://5il.co/11y8v Previous Meeting Minutes: https://5il.co/11mg6 Next Board Meeting: December 13, 2021, 6:30 p.m. at FHUHS

Dear Slate Valley Families, I let you know last week that I would not be sending letters each and every time there is a COVID case, as I am sure the emails have been overwhelming. Instead there is a link to the state dashboard on our website for COVID cases in schools. Additionally, every Friday I will email you with the updates for the week. We fully expect that the next couple of months will be challenging with the amount of COVID we are seeing in our communities. As I communicated on Wednesday, we have a significant amount of cases at our high school. We currently have 21 active COVID cases at the high school that have required contact tracing in the last week and half. We also have had 1 case at Fair Haven Grade School, 2 cases at Castleton Elementary and 2 cases at Castleton Village School this week. Additionally, we have a lot of staff and student absences district-wide due to general illness. Again, I am letting you know that if cases do not subside soon at the high school specifically, we may have to cancel classes as we are extremely short staffed, running out of capacity for contact tracing and have high absentee rates for both students and staff. We urge you and your family to take precautions to limit the spread of COVID so we can keep our schools open. The most important things you can do: -Keep your child home if they have any symptoms of Covid-19-stuffy nose, headache, sore throat, fatigue, muscle aches, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, cough, loss of taste or smell, fever, or shortness of breath. -Make sure your child is wearing a mask (https://bit.ly/3oMPRrQ) when recommended or required. -Make sure your child is washing their hands (https://bit.ly/3HDOBjp) often, especially after being at public places. -Call your primary care provider if you or your child has symptoms of COVID-19 (https://bit.ly/3CwNG0r). -Make sure that your children get vaccinated when they are eligible. Find a location near you (https://bit.ly/30Lnq5u). Thank you for your patience and understanding as we navigate this challenging time. With your participation, we believe we can create a safe and fun experience for your children. We all need to do our part. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to me at 265-4905. Best, Brooke Olsen-Farrell Superintendent

Dear Slate Valley Community, The overriding mission of the School Board since the onset of the pandemic has been to keep our kids safe and to keep them in school. Only from the extraordinary efforts of so many individuals, have we been successful in achieving these goals. We recognize all of our staff have taken on numerous responsibilities and time commitments that are outside normal expectations. Teachers. We appreciate the extra time spent planning for both in-person education and remote learning, and the creativity and compassion used in the classroom to overcome the challenges of mask wearing. Support Staff. We appreciate you taking on additional students due to staffing shortages, volunteering your time as bus monitors, filling in for teachers, and assisting with the test-to-stay program. Administrators. We appreciate you giving up your personal time to work nights and weekends, implementing new programs and procedures, and communicating with anxious staff and families to assure them that their concerns are heard. Nurses. We appreciate the time spent contact tracing, assessing student symptoms, and making sure students are healthy and able to return to class promptly. Custodians. We appreciate the overtime hours worked due to staffing shortages and added time required to complete enhanced cleaning protocols. Bus Drivers. We appreciate you taking on extra shifts and recognize the extra-long routes that have resulted from the consolidation of bus routes. Cafeteria Workers. We appreciate you adjusting normal food practices to overcome supply chain shortages and ensure our kids are provided nutritious meals, oftentimes outside the cafeteria setting. Coaches. We appreciate you adhering to the COVID protocols and for displaying great patience during player quarantine. Getting exercise and being part of a team is absolutely essential in student development. Police. We appreciate community police and school resource officers providing extra layers of protection and realize external threats still exist, even during a pandemic. Thank you for reinforcing those bridges of trust between police and students. Parents. Thank you for setting your frustrations with COVID requirements aside and doing what is asked for kids to attend school safely. Thank you for timely picking up your child and for playing the role of teacher during times of extended student absence. We recognize the financial implications of missing work and appreciate our community employers for granting such flexibility. Taxpayers. Thank you for your continued support. We recognize the many societal and financial challenges confronting our schools today and welcome you as equal partners to ensure a safe and enriching environment for our children to learn and become good citizens. We are grateful. We are proud. We are Slate Valley. Have a happy and healthy holiday season. Submitted by Tim Smith, Board Chair, on behalf of the entire Slate Valley School Board.

Dear Slate Valley Families, A vaccination clinic will be held at Orwell Village School (Town Hall) on December 14th from 9:00-2:30. Registration will open tomorrow, Wednesday, November 17th at 9:00am and needs to be completed by Sunday, December 12th. This clinic is open to the general public, so it is a first come first serve basis for appointments. Please register on-line at VDH COVID-19 portal (https://vermont.force.com/events/s/selfregistration) if you are interested. If your child attends the Orwell Village School, they will be able to be vaccinated without a parent present as long as they are registered in advance. Walk-ins are welcome, but a parent will need to attend with their child with the appropriate consent form (https://bit.ly/3qK3dYG). For Slate Valley students outside of the Orwell Village School, a parent or guardian will need to accompany the child to the clinic on December 14th. The district will not be providing transportation at this time. Anyone who attends the clinic will be scheduled for their second dose on January 4th as part of the clinic exit process. Information on the Pfizer EUA can be found here: Pfizer EUA age 5-11 (https://www.fda.gov/media/153717/download) This is the Emergency Use Authorization for the pediatric Pfizer vaccine. Please let me know if you have any questions. Brooke Olsen-Farrell Superintendent