This last couple of weeks has been buzzing with activity in the library!
We read "Honeybee: The Busy Life of Apis Mellifera" by Candance Flemming and learned all about honeybees. Did you know that honeybees on average travel 500 miles and visit over 30,000 flowers, only to gather enough nectar for 1/2 teaspoon of honey? Honeybees sure work hard! Our students also showcased their hard work by programming robots to either visit flowers (kindergarten) or travel through a honeybee's lifecycle (1st - 4th grades). K-2 worked with beebots while 3 and 4th worked with ozobots. The students made some mistakes and experienced frustration but their determination paid off when their robots accomplished what they wanted them to do!
As we approach our April 12th Informational Meeting and April 13th Budget Revote, we are highlighting Frequently Asked Questions (https://5il.co/1898z) related to the FY23 Budget.
Question: What changed from the March vote?
Answer: Since the voters of Castleton and Hubbardton voted to close and purchase the Castleton Village School from Slate Valley UUSD, $33,500 of building operation costs were removed from the budget.
For more information, we invite you to visit our budget web page: https://www.slatevalleyunified.org/page/budget.
FHGS Kindergarten Students have been hard at work collecting donations for the Rutland County Humane Society. Together, with other FHGS Students and Staff, they raised $366 to help purchase items the animals there need. A Humane Society Representative stopped by to share more with kindergarten about the animals, the work people do there, and to accept the donation for the animals. Way to go Kindergarten!
Reminder - The School Budget Re-Vote is one week away. Voting for Fair Haven residents will be at Fair Haven Grade School from 10am-7pm. Please stop by FHGS and vote!
United Way May Day 5K at Castleton University - Slate Valley will have a table there with fun games and prizes. We would love to see families come out and join in the fun!
Please see info below about available Vermont Food Programs.
As we approach our April 12th Informational Meeting and April 13th Budget Revote, we will be highlighting Frequently Asked Questions (https://5il.co/1898z) related to the FY23 Budget. For more information, we invite you to visit our budget web page: https://www.slatevalleyunified.org/page/budget.
Question: Why is there a budget decrease, but on the ballot the school budget article says there is an increase and the district is estimating a tax rate decrease?
Answer: The wording on the budget article can be confusing. The information that appears on the ballot is set by Vermont statute. The language was jointly developed by the Secretary of Education and the Secretary of State and was adopted by the State Board of Education.
$26,236,547 is the amount of the total expenditure budget for the entire district for the school year 2022-2023. It is the amount necessary to operate and maintain 5 buildings and to educate 1,250 students. The expenditure budget is $43,838 less than the 2021-2022 school year budget.
2.78% is the percent increase in education spending per equalized pupil compared to the prior year. Education spending per equalized pupil is the amount of the expenditure budget ($26,236,547) less the district's local revenue divided by equalized pupils. Equalized pupils is based on a formula that gives greater weight to certain students. The principle being that it costs more to educate certain students. Since the district has less local revenues and fewer equalized pupils the resulting change compared to the previous year is a slight increase.
We are estimating a tax rate decrease because Vermont's system of determining education property tax rates takes into consideration the amount of money in the State's Education Fund. Since this year there is a surplus in the Education Fund it reduces the amount of Slate Valley's local tax rates.
In anticipation of the upcoming informational meeting on Tuesday, April 12th and FY23 Budget Revote on Wednesday, April 13th, we have put together a mailer with some helpful information on it: https://5il.co/17itr
For more information, please visit the budget page of our website: https://www.slatevalleyunified.org/page/budget
Please join us Thursday (April 7th) at 5:30 p.m. in the FHUHS Library or join virtually to discuss our Parent/Family/Community Engagement Policy E-1.
This meeting will be an opportunity for parents/community members to provide feedback on the policy and discuss Slate Valley’s Continuous Improvement Planning.
Policy E-1: https://5il.co/rao4
Meeting ID: https://meet.google.com/cee-mehp-crb Phone Number: (US) +1 414-909-5677 (PIN: 707156020)
April 11th is the last day to shop online and help support the FHGS PTO Spring Fundraiser.
Reminder - The FHGS High Notes Basket Raffle has been rescheduled to Saturday, April 9th.
The FHGS March Newsletter is full of great things happening at Fair Haven Grade School! Check it out. https://5il.co/181dk
Middle School students participating in the Winter Hiking activity traveled to Hubbardton to explore the Taconic Mountains. Students were able to identify some tell tale signs of the changing seasons while learning about some of our local history and Vermont geology by getting their hands and boots a little dirty!
FHGS is happy to announce our Spring Concert, live and in-person! K-2 General Music as well as 7th&8th Grade Band will perform. The concert will start at 6:30pm on Wednesday, April 13th in the FHGS gym.
The School Budget Re-Vote is coming up on April 13th. Fair Haven's voting location has changed, for this vote, to Fair Haven Grade School. Please come out to vote! 10am-7pm
Some of our 1st graders were able to spend some time with some of our 7th graders reading and doing a few fun activities this week. It's always nice to see students of different grade levels working together!
The Slate Valley Universal Preschool Program will be conducting developmental screenings for children 0-5 years of age on Thursday March 31st at Benson Village School.
Screening involves activities that are both fun for young children and help us learn about a child’s motor, cognitive, and language skills. Vision and hearing will also be screened. We encourage any child aged 0-5 years that resides in Benson, Castleton, Fair Haven, Hubbardton, Orwell and West Haven who has not previously been screened to be screened.
If you plan to attend this screening, please call Benson Village School for an appointment.
Tonight - March 28, 2022
You’re invited to the Slate Valley Unified School District Board Meeting at 6:30 p.m. in the Castleton Elementary School Cafeteria. This meeting will be in person or virtually connect by going to https://meet.google.com/ibt-nfdy-psz or join by phone (US) +1 260-557-1907 PIN: 533 683 324#
Tonight’s Agenda: https://5il.co/17jpu
Previous Meeting Minutes: https://5il.co/179ke
Next Board Meeting: April 11, 2022 - 6:30 p.m. at Fair Haven Union High School
Final day of session 1 of our Middle School Lifetime Activities. Thank you to all who made it possible!
Please take a few minutes to check out the recording of our first Middle School Family Forum! https://bit.ly/3iC08Vd
If you have not done so already, take a minute to complete this survey https://forms.gle/2Z5GHLFTysAkU1qx5 so we can address your questions and concerns about next year.
Our next forum will be in-person at 5:30pm on April 28th at FHU. Thank you!
