![Orwell Village School August 2025 newsletter. The top banner features a scenic landscape with mountains, trees, and the Slate Valley logo. The headline reads “Welcome back to Orwell Village School!” followed by a message from Principal Patrick D. Walters highlighting summer renovations, upcoming events, and new staff members. Important dates are listed in a yellow box on the right: Tue, Aug 26: Back-to-School BBQ 5:45 PM and Open House 6:30–7:00 PM Wed, Aug 27: First Day of School Mon, Sep 1: Labor Day [No School] Fri, Sep 27: PBIS Assembly [1:45] Fri, Oct 3: First Friday [7:50] Welcome Families! A tiger mascot graphic appears near the bottom of the page.](https://core-docs.s3.amazonaws.com/slate_valley_unified_school_district_ar/live_feed_image/image/17663660/large_OVS_August_Newsletter.jpg)
Slate Valley School District Newsletter: August 1, 2025
https://mailchi.mp/ee59e5062d88/svuusd-summer-highlights
https://mailchi.mp/ee59e5062d88/svuusd-summer-highlights
Mark your calendars for the upcoming Slate Valley Unified School District Back to School Open House & Meet & Greet Events! ✏️🍎📚
Join us to meet teachers, tour the school, and get ready for the new academic year. We can't wait to see you there!
Here's the schedule of events:
August 25th
Benson Village School: 3:30 PM - 5:30 PM
Fair Haven Union Middle School: 5:30 PM - 6:30 PM
August 26th
Castleton Elementary School: 3:30 PM - 5:00 PM
Fair Haven Grade School: 4:30 PM - 5:30 PM
September 10th
Orwell Village School: 6:00 PM - 7:00 PM
September 25th
Fair Haven Union High School: 5:30 PM - 7:30 PM
See you soon! 🎒
Join us to meet teachers, tour the school, and get ready for the new academic year. We can't wait to see you there!
Here's the schedule of events:
August 25th
Benson Village School: 3:30 PM - 5:30 PM
Fair Haven Union Middle School: 5:30 PM - 6:30 PM
August 26th
Castleton Elementary School: 3:30 PM - 5:00 PM
Fair Haven Grade School: 4:30 PM - 5:30 PM
September 10th
Orwell Village School: 6:00 PM - 7:00 PM
September 25th
Fair Haven Union High School: 5:30 PM - 7:30 PM
See you soon! 🎒
Make a Difference in Your Community!
Slate Valley Unified Union School District is seeking community-minded individuals to help shape the future of education! We’re anticipating a vacant board seat representing Fair Haven and are also looking for three West Haven residents to fill open seats on the District School Board.
Serving on the school board is a meaningful way to support our students, staff, and schools. Your voice matters!
Interested? Submit a letter of interest to:
Slate Valley School Board
c/o Superintendent of Schools
33 Mechanic Street, Fair Haven, VT 05743
or email: bfarrell@svuvt.org
Slate Valley Unified Union School District is seeking community-minded individuals to help shape the future of education! We’re anticipating a vacant board seat representing Fair Haven and are also looking for three West Haven residents to fill open seats on the District School Board.
Serving on the school board is a meaningful way to support our students, staff, and schools. Your voice matters!
Interested? Submit a letter of interest to:
Slate Valley School Board
c/o Superintendent of Schools
33 Mechanic Street, Fair Haven, VT 05743
or email: bfarrell@svuvt.org
🚨 WE'RE HIRING! 🚨
Join the Slate Valley team and make a difference in the lives of students! ✨
📌 Some Current Openings:
• Special Education Teacher (Grades K–6)
• Special Education Teacher – Life Skills (Grades 9–12)
• Driver’s Education Teacher
👉 Explore opportunities & apply today:
🔗 www.slatevalleyunified.org/o/svusd/page/career-opportunities
Join the Slate Valley team and make a difference in the lives of students! ✨
📌 Some Current Openings:
• Special Education Teacher (Grades K–6)
• Special Education Teacher – Life Skills (Grades 9–12)
• Driver’s Education Teacher
👉 Explore opportunities & apply today:
🔗 www.slatevalleyunified.org/o/svusd/page/career-opportunities
Last week's Great Adventure Project (G.A.P.)
Watch the video at: https://youtu.be/zv4pejzrz4M
Introduction taken from the 2025 SVUUSD GAP booklet:
Sixteen students from our school signed up to participate in this year's Great Adventure Project (G.A.P.) which took place at Fair Haven Union Middle and High School. We looked at both the natural and human history of the Southern Lake Champlain Drainage Basin. Each morning we began with a team meeting where we discussed the day's plan and important background information pertinent for students to know before we arrived to ensure all students were prepared for our fieldwork. At each location we explored, observed, posed questions, recorded findings and tried to improve the overall health of the environment. Our group spent three days kayaking and two days hiking within the Southern Lake Champlain Drainage Basin, and everyday we collected trash from each area. After our adventures, we returned to our school campus where we conducted research about the organisms and abiotic elements we observed and documented our findings in this book. The funding for this project comes from the Vermont Community Foundation and the South Lake Champlain Fund.
Watch the video at: https://youtu.be/zv4pejzrz4M
Introduction taken from the 2025 SVUUSD GAP booklet:
Sixteen students from our school signed up to participate in this year's Great Adventure Project (G.A.P.) which took place at Fair Haven Union Middle and High School. We looked at both the natural and human history of the Southern Lake Champlain Drainage Basin. Each morning we began with a team meeting where we discussed the day's plan and important background information pertinent for students to know before we arrived to ensure all students were prepared for our fieldwork. At each location we explored, observed, posed questions, recorded findings and tried to improve the overall health of the environment. Our group spent three days kayaking and two days hiking within the Southern Lake Champlain Drainage Basin, and everyday we collected trash from each area. After our adventures, we returned to our school campus where we conducted research about the organisms and abiotic elements we observed and documented our findings in this book. The funding for this project comes from the Vermont Community Foundation and the South Lake Champlain Fund.
Summer EBT Benefits!
Vermont has issued Summer EBT benefits starting on June 2nd.
Most children who are eligible received the $120 benefit automatically. Benefits can be used to buy food at grocery stores, farmer’s markets, and online where EBT cards are accepted.
The Vermont Department for Children and Families sends you a letter if your family receives the benefit automatically. If you already have an EBT card, the benefits will be added to that card. If you need a replacement card, you can call 1-888-354-0012 (Option 7). If you think you qualify, but you did not receive a letter by July 7th, please visit https://summerebt.vermont.gov/ to submit a short application.
Summer EBT benefits do not affect your immigration status.
In addition to Summer EBT, children 18 and under can receive free meals at Slate Valley Unified Union School District’s open site, Fair Haven Grade School, June 23-August 15, Breakfast 8:00 AM - 9:00 AM, Lunch 11:30 AM - 12:30 PM. Meals must be eaten on site. All children are invited to get summer meals, even if you do not qualify for Summer EBT. Call 2-1-1 or visit https://www.fns.usda.gov/summer/sitefinder to find sites near you.
New this summer, families with EBT cards can visit Vermont State Parks for free! Just show your EBT card at the park entrance and you and your household can enter for free. Visit https://www.vermontparksforever.org/paf-pilot to learn more.
Vermont has issued Summer EBT benefits starting on June 2nd.
Most children who are eligible received the $120 benefit automatically. Benefits can be used to buy food at grocery stores, farmer’s markets, and online where EBT cards are accepted.
The Vermont Department for Children and Families sends you a letter if your family receives the benefit automatically. If you already have an EBT card, the benefits will be added to that card. If you need a replacement card, you can call 1-888-354-0012 (Option 7). If you think you qualify, but you did not receive a letter by July 7th, please visit https://summerebt.vermont.gov/ to submit a short application.
Summer EBT benefits do not affect your immigration status.
In addition to Summer EBT, children 18 and under can receive free meals at Slate Valley Unified Union School District’s open site, Fair Haven Grade School, June 23-August 15, Breakfast 8:00 AM - 9:00 AM, Lunch 11:30 AM - 12:30 PM. Meals must be eaten on site. All children are invited to get summer meals, even if you do not qualify for Summer EBT. Call 2-1-1 or visit https://www.fns.usda.gov/summer/sitefinder to find sites near you.
New this summer, families with EBT cards can visit Vermont State Parks for free! Just show your EBT card at the park entrance and you and your household can enter for free. Visit https://www.vermontparksforever.org/paf-pilot to learn more.
Today, members of our District School Safety Team gathered at the Central Office to review and update all safety assessments and procedures.
Ms. Edmonds, Ms. DeSantis, and Ms. Perry from Castleton Elementary School had the incredible opportunity to attend the national Get Your Teach On conference in Dallas, Texas last week. During the conference, they explored a variety of specialized tracks, including Special Education, Grades 3–6 Math and Science, and Grades 3–6 ELA.
Some of the engaging topics they explored included: Grand Slam Vocabulary Strategies for every classroom, Progression of the Number Line: We Can Skip It, Creating Actionable Data Tracking Systems in the classroom... and much more!
It was an inspiring and energizing experience, and they are excited to bring back a wealth of new tools, strategies, and resources to share with students and staff this fall!
Some of the engaging topics they explored included: Grand Slam Vocabulary Strategies for every classroom, Progression of the Number Line: We Can Skip It, Creating Actionable Data Tracking Systems in the classroom... and much more!
It was an inspiring and energizing experience, and they are excited to bring back a wealth of new tools, strategies, and resources to share with students and staff this fall!
Thank you, Abby Wald, for kicking off our Slate Valley 2025 Summer Happenings!
Message from Athletic Director, Eric Ramey:
Here are the start dates for 2025 fall sports. Practice times and locations will be posted later, as well as communicated through regular communication between the coaches and athletes throughout summer workouts and events.
Just to remind you, all student-athletes must have a Physical Exam on file with the school.
Physicals are valid for two years.
High School Football
>First Day-Monday August 11
High School Golf
>First Day-Thursday August 14
High School Field Hockey
>First Day-Thursday August 14
High School Cross Country
>First Day-Thursday August 14
High School Cheer
>First Day-Thursday August 14
High School Girls & Boys Soccer
>First Day-Thursday August 14
Middle School Cross Country (Grades 5-8)
>First Day-August 27
Middle School Girls & Boys Soccer (Grades 7&8)
>First Day-August 28
5/6 Girls & Boys Soccer
>First Day-September 2nd and/or September 3rd
Here are the start dates for 2025 fall sports. Practice times and locations will be posted later, as well as communicated through regular communication between the coaches and athletes throughout summer workouts and events.
Just to remind you, all student-athletes must have a Physical Exam on file with the school.
Physicals are valid for two years.
High School Football
>First Day-Monday August 11
High School Golf
>First Day-Thursday August 14
High School Field Hockey
>First Day-Thursday August 14
High School Cross Country
>First Day-Thursday August 14
High School Cheer
>First Day-Thursday August 14
High School Girls & Boys Soccer
>First Day-Thursday August 14
Middle School Cross Country (Grades 5-8)
>First Day-August 27
Middle School Girls & Boys Soccer (Grades 7&8)
>First Day-August 28
5/6 Girls & Boys Soccer
>First Day-September 2nd and/or September 3rd
☀️🍦🍉🪁🎣⛵⛱️🕶️🌻
Slate Valley District Newsletter: June 18, 2025
https://mailchi.mp/94fc1ee125d0/june-18th-slate-valley-district-newsletter
Please join us in celebrating Lynn LaClair, one of our incredible District Proficiency-Based Learning Coaches, on her retirement! Lynn’s dedication to student-centered learning and her unwavering support for educators has made a lasting impact across our district. Wishing you all the best in this exciting new chapter—you will be truly missed!
Today we honor the retirement of a truly valued Slate Valley Instructional Assistant, Ms. Helen Reed. Helen, your dedication to student success has been inspiring. Wishing you joy, relaxation, and all the best in the years to come!
After years of helping students learn and grow, our incredible Instructional Assistant, Veronica Lambert, is retiring! Veronica, thank you for all the care and guidance you’ve given the Slate Valley community. Enjoy the adventure ahead!
2025 Summer Food Service Program. To find more locations visit: https://www.fns.usda.gov/summer/sitefinder
We’re celebrating the retirement of one of our dedicated Instructional Assistants, Mary Lou Williams! Mary Lou, your kindness, patience, and commitment to our schools has made a difference every single day. Enjoy the next chapter!
Slate Valley District Newsletter: June 13, 2025
https://mailchi.mp/85e5cf3d8981/june-news-slate-valley-edition
