Trivia Tuesday: Did You Know?
Mr. Rose, from Horace Mann, visited FHGS this morning to see the drums his company donated through the Donors Choose program. Music Teacher, Mrs. Hutchins, put in the request and was extremely thankful to Horace Mann for granting her wish. She brought a group of students together, along with Principal Infurna, and invited Mr. Rose to participate in their "Drum Circle Where Everyone Belongs". Thank you to Horace Mann for the countless hours of musical activities they have given our students.
Students at FHGS enjoyed performances by Jared Campbell today. Jared is a singer/songwriter from upstate New York who has performed for hundreds of schools, shared the stage with famous musicians, and has been acknowledged by Billboard magazine as one of the top independent musicians of the northeast.
Through humor and engaging music, Jared shared messages about being a good friend, finding your passion, "practice makes progress" and making a positive impact in the world. "I Wanna Be A Superhero" is one of our favorite songs. Use this link if you would like to learn more about Jared and his music. https://jaredcampbell.com/about/
Meet Slate Valley Faculty & Staff Monday: Featuring Teann McCrea
Tonight - October 16, 2023
You’re invited to the Slate Valley Unified Union School District Board Meeting at 6:30 p.m. in the Fair Haven Union Middle and High School Library. This meeting will be in person. You can virtually connect by going to: https://meet.google.com/knx-qncn-pxy
Or dial: (US) +1 484-452-4714 PIN: 869 578 711#
October 9, 2023
Dear Slate Valley Families and Staff,
I hope this message finds you well. We wanted to take a moment to address the recent incident that has occurred in our local community and to reassure you about the safety measures we have in place to protect our school community.
As many of you may be aware, there was a tragic incident near the Castleton University Campus, resulting in a manhunt which has understandably raised concerns in our community. The safety and well-being of our students and staff remain our top priority, and I want to assure you that we are taking this situation very seriously. We have been in contact with law enforcement on a regular basis. We take our direction from them.
We plan to hold school as normal. However, there are some safety precautions we have implemented or enhanced at Castleton Elementary, Fair Haven Grade School and Fair Haven Union Middle/High School in response to this incident:
Outside Activities: We will determine whether or not to hold outside activities based on advice from law enforcement. This includes sporting events and outside recess at the MS/HS, FHGS and CES. Right now we are proceeding with outside activities and we will have additional supervision as appropriate.
Bus Stops: Please consider waiting with your child at all bus stops or driving them to and from school. Consider walking in pairs/groups to and from school. Of course this decision is up to you as a parent but that is the advice we are being given.
Communication: We will continue to keep you updated with any relevant information about the situation.
Counseling Services: Our school counselors are available to support students who may be feeling anxious or upset due to recent events. Please do not hesitate to reach out if your child needs support.
If you have any concerns or questions about our safety precautions or would like additional information, please feel free to contact our school. We are committed to providing a safe and secure learning environment for all our students and staff. Your cooperation, understanding, and vigilance are greatly appreciated as we work together to continue to ensure the safety of our school community.
Thank you for your continued support.
Sincerely,
Brooke Olsen-Farrell
Superintendent
Last night, the Lakes Region FreePress held their Best of the Best 2023 Awards Ceremony, honoring those who were voted into the top of their categories by our community. Slate Valley was well represented with Fair Haven Grade School's Applefest placing second for the Best Annual Event! Slate Valley also had 3 out of the 7 teachers who made it into the finalist voting, they were Castleton Elementary's Amy DeSantis, and Fair Haven Union High School's Ashleigh Sanborn and Jennifer Clement. Ms. Sanborn finished in second place to Mrs. Clement, who was awarded highest honor as the community's favorite teacher! Congratulations everyone!
NOTICE FOR TODAY, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2023: Due to the concern in our communities, it has been directed to CANCEL all activities HOME and AWAY for our athletes 5th - 12th grade for Fair Haven Union Middle & High School AND all other Slate Valley Schools.
Therefore:
***ALL PRACTICES are CANCELED - 5th - 12th grade
***5/6 Boys and Girls Soccer AWAY at Middlebury - CANCELED
***7/8 Boys and Girls Soccer HOME vs. Barstow -- CANCELED
***VG Soccer HOME vs. Mt Abe 6pm - CANCELED
Please join Casey O'Meara, Slate Valley's Director of Curriculum, and Principal Deb Infurna for an informational meeting on leveraging Title I Schoolwide Programs to Address Barriers to Academic Success on October 11, 2023 at 5:30pm. The meeting will be held in the Fair Haven Grade School Library and can also be accessed using the following google meet link, meet.google.com/nkc-kegy-dqa. You may view the slides (with a survey at the end) from the presentation here: SVU edu-cfp-annual-title-i-meeting
Dear Slate Valley Families,
I am writing to inform you, yet again, about a concerning incident that recently occurred on our school grounds. The safety and well-being of our students are of the utmost importance to us, and I want to assure you that we are taking this matter very seriously. On Tuesday, October 3rd, we became aware that two Fair Haven Union Middle/High School students were in fact in possession of a stolen handgun while on the grounds of Fair Haven Grade School. The incident occurred afterschool on Friday September 29th. This has been reported to law enforcement and we are following all of our school safety protocols and policies.
Please rest assured that we are doing everything in our power to maintain a safe and secure learning environment for our students. We are also cooperating fully with law enforcement as they conduct their investigation.
I want to take this opportunity to remind all parents and guardians that bringing any kind of weapon, including firearms, onto school property is strictly prohibited by both our school's policies and state/federal law. In light of this incident, we kindly request your support and cooperation in reinforcing this message with your child(ren). Please have a conversation with them about the severe consequences of possessing or bringing any weapon to school, as well as the importance of reporting any suspicious activity to school staff or law enforcement.
If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to reach out to your building administrator. Thank you for your understanding and support as we work together to ensure the safety of our school community.
Sincerely,
Brooke Olsen-Farrell
Superintendent
Thank you to our incredible custodial and maintenance crew for working behind the scenes to keep Slate Valley Schools safe and clean!
The first annual Slaterbration 5K run is approaching fast! The race will be held on Saturday, October 14th with a 9:00 AM start on the FHUMHS Track. Hope to see you there! To Register go to: https://5il.co/24luo
Are you ready for more pictures from our 1st Falcon Gathering of the year? Go SOAR leaders!
Just wanted to share a few photos from Fair Haven Applefest 2023. It was an awesome day with the community!
Part 2 of our amazing morning! Just a few more photos to share!
What an amazing morning here at FHGS! We had our first Falcon Gathering! Such a celebration to see so many students being SOAR leaders!
The Coffee & Conversation originally scheduled for Friday, September 29th in Orwell at Buxton's Store has been RESCHEDULED TO OCTOBER 20TH.
Trivia Tuesday: Did You Know?
Meet Slate Valley Faculty & Staff Monday: Featuring Bryan Muller
