Slate Valley District Newsletter: May 16, 2025
https://mailchi.mp/56bcb5c72913/district-news-may-16-2025
🌟 Spirit Week is Coming! 🌟
Mark your calendars for May 19–23—it’s time to show your school spirit!
This year’s theme is “Positivity”, and all the fun activities have been thoughtfully organized by Student Voice. A special shoutout to Tenley Rice for designing the vibrant and inspiring poster!
Let’s make it a week full of energy, kindness, and positive vibes!
Board Meeting - May 12, 2025
You’re invited to the Slate Valley Unified Union School District Board Meeting at 6:30 p.m. at the Orwell Village School - Town Hall
This meeting will be in person. Virtually connect by going to:
Video call link: https://meet.google.com/asv-ffux-gux
Or dial: (US) +1 443-679-3222 PIN: 164 803 879#
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.
Slate Valley District Newsletter: May 10, 2025
https://mailchi.mp/7194963147c0/may-10-district-newsletter
On May 8th, our Grades 3 & 4 general music students, along with our beginning and intermediate band and chorus, wowed us with another successful spring concert performance!
Congratulations to all the talented students for their hard work and amazing music. And a huge THANK YOU to everyone who supported Cynthia and the performers — your encouragement means the world!
Friday Focus: Faculty and Staff Appreciation
The Slate Valley Unified Union's Central Office team and School Board celebrated Teacher and Staff Appreciation Week by visiting each school with a coffee and pastry cart, going room to room to personally serve and thank our incredible educators and staff. It was a small gesture to show our immense gratitude for all they do every day to support, inspire, and care for our students. Thank you for your unwavering dedication—you are truly appreciated!
HOT PRE-SUMMER SALE - SAVE 20% SITEWIDE
The FHGS Summer Sale has begun, featuring 20% savings across the entire site! Shop for tees, hoodies and jackets, including over 25 new designs! Shop Now!
https://1stplacespiritwear.com/schools/VT/Fair%20Haven/Fair+Haven+Grade+School?utm_source=SFMC&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=consumer
Throwback Thursday: In celebration of Teacher and Staff Appreciation Week, we’re taking a moment to look back to 2005 and honor the incredible educators and staff who shaped lives at Fair Haven Union High School 20 years ago—we're thankful to all, present and past, for your lasting impact and dedication!
The Fair Haven Historical Society visited with the 4th grade yesterday. It was amazing learning all about history. These are just a few of the pictures we took to document our HISTORICAL moment!
Where Are They Now Wednesday? Spotlight on Emily Stockwell
This year marks the 20th reunion of the Fair Haven Union High School Class of 2005, and Emily Stockwell’s journey since graduation has been nothing short of inspiring — a testament to passion, creativity, and community spirit.
After graduating from FHUHS, Emily attended Pennsylvania College of Technology in Williamsport, PA, where she earned an Associate Degree in Floral Design and Interior Plantscape. She honed her craft working with several florists in Pennsylvania before returning to her Vermont roots. Back home, she joined the teams at Hawley Florist and Everyday Flowers, ultimately purchasing Everyday Flowers — a business she now proudly owns and operates in Poultney, Vermont.
Emily’s connection to her alma mater has remained strong. For the past four years, she has generously volunteered her time and supplies to work with some Fair Haven Union High School students, helping them create stunning floral bouquets. Through this initiative, Emily not only shares her expertise but also inspires a new generation to explore their own creative talents.
While at FHUHS, Emily played soccer her freshman year but found a more natural path getting involved with 4-H, where she focused on dairy farming. She credits her high school guidance counselor, Mrs. Tracy Gallipo, as a pivotal influence, who encouraged her to stay focused on her dreams.
Emily’s dedication and artistry have not gone unnoticed: she has been named “Number 1 Florist” for three consecutive years by The Lake Region FreePress. Beyond her flourishing business, she remains deeply connected to her passions for farming, gardening, and animal care — looking after a lively group of dogs, cats, goats, and donkeys. A proud supporter of our nation’s veterans, Emily embodies a spirit of service, gratitude, and community pride.
When asked what advice she would offer current Slate Valley students, Emily shared this heartfelt message:
"Don't give up on your dreams. It might take time, but if you keep working toward them, someday they will come true."
Congratulations, Emily! Your success, generosity, and spirit are a true inspiration to Slater Nation.
Message from VT-Alert: West St. between Washington and Phelps in Fair Haven, VT will be close to through traffic Beginning 8 AM on 5/7/25.
Reminder of Upcoming "Transition to Middle School" Events for Current 6th Graders...
Trivia Tuesday: Do You Know 3rd Grade Math? In Vermont, all students in grades 3 through 9 take the Cognia assessments in English Language Arts (ELA) and mathematics, while students in grades 5, 8, and 11 are also assessed in science. These tests are administered each spring, and although they are untimed, students must complete them within the designated testing window.
Assessment results are not available until the fall, after the new school year begins. Recently, there has been a lot of discussion about our students' performance on these assessments.
To better understand what our students experience during testing, we invite you to try a few questions from the 3rd grade math Cognia practice test. Keep in mind that students complete these tests on their Chromebooks, which means they must navigate the math tools, scroll and move around a small screen, and once they submit an answer, they cannot go back to change it.
Want to explore more practice tests? Visit: https://vermont.onlinehelp.cognia.org/practice-test/
Thank you to all Slate Valley faculty and staff - You are truly the heart and soul of our district!
MEET Faculty & Staff MONDAY:
This month, we’re excited to feature Jared Danyow!
Jared is currently in his fifth year working in the Slate Valley Unified Union School District, all at Fair HavenGrade School (FHGS), and has spent ten years in public education overall.
Before joining Slate Valley, Jaredworked in several Vermont schools, including in the Rutland Northeast and Mount Abraham Unified School Districts, serving as a teacher, behavior interventionist, and paraeducator.
Starting next school year, Jared will be stepping into a new role as the principal of Castleton ElementarySchool!
Outside of school, Jared enjoys a wide variety of activities. He loves listening to music and attending concerts, running and competing in races, playing golf, hiking, reading good books, traveling to new places, and trying new foods. He also enjoys spending time with his golden retriever, Magnolia, and his orange cat, Winston.
We wish Jared all the best next year in his new Principal position!
Slate Valley District Newsletter: Week of May 2, 2025
https://mailchi.mp/4b6708e10e6e/slate-valley-newsletter-may-2nd
First grade visited kindergarten today for a special reading exchange! The first graders read to their younger peers, then the kindergarteners wowed everyone by showing off their own reading skills.
Updated at 9:53 AM: At this time, normal phone service has been restored for the school using the (802)265-3883 number.
Good morning,
We're currently experiencing a phone service provider issue when attempting to receive incoming calls at the Fair Haven Grade School at the (802)265-3883 number, and the provider is currently working on the issue, which is impacting other customers in Vermont as well. In the meantime, if you need to contact the school for non-emergency things, please email Terri in the main office at tdemasi@svuvt.org. If you have to speak with someone directly in an emergency, please call (802)265-2516. We'll provide an update once regular phone service has been restored.
We held the annual 6th Grade Pinewood Derby tonight at FHGS! Congratulations to the winners! All the cars were amazing and what a fun time watching the cars zoom down the track!
