Great job and thank you to Riley Babbie and Emilee Higgins who ran a successful blanket drive this year. They collected 60 new blankets to donate to Rutland Regional Medical Center's 5th Floor. This floor is the medical/oncology unit which cares for long term patients, patients with dementia, hospice patients and oncology patients. The staff of the unit were quite appreciative, knowing how much receiving comfort items means to patients during their stay.
Please Vote - Thursday, April 11th - On the Ballot: REVISED PROPOSED FY25 BUDGET
Please attend the Information Meeting - Wednesday, April 10th, 6:30 PM in the Fair Haven Union Middle & High School Band Room
Attendance can be in-person or virtual.
VIRTUALLY CONNECT BY GOING TO
Video call link:https://meet.google.com/isa-bvcy-yzv
April 11 Polling locations and times are:
Town of Benson 10:00 AM - 7:00 PM Benson Community Hall
Town of Castleton 8:00 AM - 7:00 PM Castleton Fire Station
Town of Fair Haven 10:00 AM - 7:00 PM American Legion Post 49
Town of Hubbardton 10:00 AM - 7:00 PM Hubbardton Town Hall
Town of Orwell 10:00 AM - 7:00 PM Orwell Town Clerk’s Office
Town of West Haven 10:00 AM - 7:00 PM West Haven Town Hall
A few Solar Eclipse activities occured in Middle School classrooms this morning. First, Mr. VanDerKern had his students designing and creating pinhole eclipse viewers. In Ms. Alderman's science class, students followed directions to make another version of pinhole eclipse viewers. And after learning about the science behind a solar eclipse, students in Mr. DiFrancesco's class played a rousing game of Kahoot, which tested their knowledge.
Senior Spotlight: Featuring Jaylena Haley
Reminder: Virtual Online Parent Information Event - "After High School Opportunities for Students with Disabilities" is this Tuesday, April 9, 2024 at 5:30 PM.
Join by going to: https://meet.google.com/yrx-emty-vwc?authuser=0
ANNOUNCEMENT: PLEASE READ - April 6, 2024
Dear Slate Valley Staff and Families,
I hope this message finds you well. I am writing to provide an update regarding the recent incident involving a fuel spill at Fair Haven Union Middle & High School.
As you may be aware, on the morning of April 1st, we discovered a failure in a fuel line, which led to the release of approximately 250 to 500 gallons of heating oil into the boiler room and utility tunnels underneath a portion of the first floor of the building. Consequently, for safety reasons, we had to close the school for the day.
In response to this incident, we immediately took action by bringing in a Barre corporation that specializes in chemical and oil spills, Absolute Spill Response, who promptly initiated the cleanup and removal process. Their diligent efforts continued until late on April 3rd. A Pittsford company that specializes in hazard cleanup and is certified by the Institute of Inspection Cleaning and Restoration Certification (IICRC), Disaster Recovery Incorporation, provided valuable consultation on the next steps and supplied air scrubbers to help eliminate the odor resulting from the spill.
Throughout this challenging period, we maintained close communication with the Agency of Natural Resources and adhered to their guidelines for addressing fuel spills. Furthermore, we prioritized monitoring the air quality within the building to ensure the safety of our staff and students.
I am pleased to inform you that following thorough testing conducted by Choice Environmental Consulting Group, on April 5th, which measured volatile organic compound (VOC) levels throughout the premises, we have met the regulatory requirements for initial release cleanup as outlined by the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation. Common VOCs found in fuel oils include chlorinated compounds, phenolic compounds, styrenes, indene, dicyclopentadiene, dihydrodicyclopentadiene, cumene, benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylenes. All VOC measurements taken fell well below standard acceptable levels. Please review the letter from Choice Environmental, found at https://5il.co/2hzic, for further details.
As a result, I am pleased to announce that Fair Haven Union Middle & High School will resume normal operations and reopen its doors on Monday, April 8th. Please be assured that we will continue to monitor the situation closely and take any necessary further steps to ensure the ongoing safety and well-being of our school community.
I want to express my gratitude for your patience and understanding throughout this process. The cooperation and support of our staff, students, and families have been invaluable, and I am confident that together we will navigate through this situation successfully.
If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact us. Thank you for your continued cooperation and support.
Sincerely,
Ben Worthing & Jennefer Paquette, FHUMHS Co-Principals
Brooke Olsen-Farrell, SVUSD Superintendent
Please Vote - Thursday, April 11th - On the Ballot: REVISED PROPOSED FY25 BUDGET
Please attend the Information Meeting - Wednesday, April 10th, 6:30 PM in the Fair Haven Union Middle & High School Band Room
Attendance can be in-person or virtual.
VIRTUALLY CONNECT BY GOING TO
Video call link:https://meet.google.com/isa-bvcy-yzv
April 11 Polling locations and times are:
Town of Benson 10:00 AM - 7:00 PM Benson Community Hall
Town of Castleton 8:00 AM - 7:00 PM Castleton Fire Station
Town of Fair Haven 10:00 AM - 7:00 PM American Legion Post 49
Town of Hubbardton 10:00 AM - 7:00 PM Hubbardton Town Hall
Town of Orwell 10:00 AM - 7:00 PM Orwell Town Clerk’s Office
Town of West Haven 10:00 AM - 7:00 PM West Haven Town Hall
Reminder: Monday, April 8, 2024 is an EARLY RELEASE for all Slate Valley schools!
Reminder! It's time to sign up for Slater Round-Up! Available for all rising 7th graders, (current 6th graders) See what Middle School is all about! Fill out the form at: https://bit.ly/SlaterRoundup
Senior Spotlight: Featuring Chase Allen
Slate Valley Unified USD Feature in Wednesday's Rutland Herald
Slate Valley Unified USD Feature in Wednesday's Rutland Herald
Today, Thursday, April 4th, all Slate Valley Schools will be closed due to the weather.
Mark your calendars for Tuesday, April 9, 2024 and join us for another Parent Information Event called: After High School Opportunities for Students with Disabilities
This event is Virtual Online Only, Join by going to:
https://meet.google.com/yrx-emty-vwc?authuser=0
Senior Spotlight: Featuring Cheyanne Ricard
Last week in Ms. DesJardins Chemistry class, students learned about stoichiometry (ratios in chemical reactions) using s'mores. When the lesson was done, they enjoyed eating the experiment!
From Athletic Director: Kim Alexander
"Coaches, wrestlers, parents and I would like to thank Scott Shaddock for his 32 years of dedicated coaching at FHUHS. His commitment to the Slater Wrestling Program was incredible. He will be missed but not forgotten.
We all wish you the best. Enjoy your retirement! Thank you Coach Shaddock."
Good Afternoon,
While conditions are improving at Fair Union Middle/High School they have not improved to the level they need to resume occupancy of the building. As a result FHUMHS will be closed through Friday, April 5th. Please be assured we are working as quickly and carefully to address the situation at Fair Haven Union Middle & High School (FHUMHS). We are working closely with experts in the field and state officials. Safety is our number one priority.
Remote days are not an option; those went away after the pandemic. Additionally, we still do not have access to the building to get student or staff materials. A lot of the legal flexibility to educate students went away after the pandemic. 51% of our students must physically be in the school building per the law for it to count as a school day. For those who are interested the legal citation is: 16 V.S.A. 1071(a)(1) “For purposes of this section, a majority of students enrolled in a school must be recorded on the school roll as in attendance on any day counted as a student attendance day.” That requirement has not been expanded to include all-school attendance through remote means.
I am requesting a waiver for the missed days from the Agency of Education. The state requires students in attendance for 175 days. With the cancellation of school this week it brings our total to 174 student days.
We are optimistic that the situation will continue to improve over the next couple of days. If the situation persists into next week we will reassess our plan which would likely add days to the end of the school year. Again, I will keep you updated as I have more information. Thank you for your patience, understanding and flexibility in this matter.
As with the previous days, the Stafford Bus will run as scheduled.
Sincerely,
Brooke Olsen-Farrell
Mark your calendars! Wednesday, April 17, 2024, come out and play some BINGO while supporting the Class of 2024's Project Graduation!
