Slate Valley Unified School District

Good afternoon, The weekly COVID update letter from Superintendent Olsen-Farrell is now available: https://5il.co/13mno. This week's update includes some important updates from the Vermont Department of Health that you need to be aware of.

Good afternoon, Governor Phil Scott today announced that parents and caregivers of Vermont’s K-12 children will be able to pick up one free rapid antigen test kit per student this week at sites around Vermont. The state is encouraging parents to use these kits to test kids before they return to school next week, but a test is not a requirement for returning to school. Families with children in kindergarten through grade 12 will be able to pick up one kit per child at one of 51 Agency of Transportation sites around the state on Thursday, December 30 or Friday, December 31. The pick-up sites will be open both days from 7:00 to 10:00 a.m. and 3:00 to 6:00 p.m. Name and school of the student(s) will be required to pick up the tests. Starting today, Wednesday, December 29, families can complete the registration (https://bit.ly/3sIE69F) for a time to pick up their child’s (or children’s) kit. Registration to pick up the tests is necessary to ensure supply can be distributed equitably across sites. Please read the Governor’s press release (https://bit.ly/3FD30es) for more information.

Good afternoon, The Governor’s office has released information about sites where Vermonters can access free, take-home COVID-19 antigen test kits on December 23, 24, 28, 29 and 30. You can refer to the following page for more information: https://bit.ly/3sAwQfE.

Good morning, The weekly COVID update letter from Superintendent Olsen-Farrell is now available: https://5il.co/13hsj

While the holidays are a joyful time, they can also be challenging for many. Here are some resources you may find helpful this holiday season:

Tonight - December 20th You’re invited to the Slate Valley Unified Union School District Board Meeting at 6:30 p.m. at Castleton Village School. This meeting will be in person or you may virtually connect by going to https://meet.google.com/etm-zxwa-vgx or join by phone (US) +1 617-675-4444 PIN: 771 605 109 0703# Tonight’s Agenda: https://5il.co/138oi Previous Meeting Minutes: https://5il.co/12xzp Next Board Meeting: January 10, 2022, 6:30 p.m. at Fair Haven Union High School

Good morning, The weekly COVID update letter from Superintendent Olsen-Farrell is now available: https://5il.co/13bjr

December 16, 2021 Dear Slate Valley Staff and Families, On December 15, 2021, we were informed by the Agency of Education of non-credible (social media-based) school threats that alluded to some potential school violence taking place on December 17, 2021. At this time there are no credible threats in Vermont. These same types of social media threats have taken place in other states across the county. Furthermore, this is not an uncommon pattern that we have seen in other non-credible social media-based threats. The Vermont Intelligence Center and our state’s law enforcement partners are aware of these non-credible threats and will continue to monitor these situations and provide updates to school leadership as needed. As you are aware we take any threat seriously and each incident is evaluated to determine its level of credibility. We have a very close relationship with local and state law enforcement and work with them to assess each situation. As always, please, if you see or hear anything that you are concerned about feel free to reach out. Safety is all of our jobs. Regards, Brooke Olsen-Farrell The full letter can be viewed here: https://5il.co/139sf

FHUHS R.E.A.L. Class Fundraiser Projects Students in the R.E.A.L. class are currently seeking donations for the following fundraiser projects: 1.Lund (https://lundvt.org/fhuhs/) 2.Fair Haven Concerned (https://www.smore.com/0xkan) 3.R.E.A.L. Class Gently Used or New Book Donation (http://www.shorturl.at/atxD4) R.E.A.L. (Relevant, Equitable, Active, Learning Linked to Life) is an experiential, student centered, authentic learning experience that allows students to engage with and ultimately make connections with the real world.

Good morning, The weekly COVID update letter from Superintendent Olsen-Farrell is now available: https://5il.co/12zrd

Dear Slate Valley Staff and Families, In recent months and weeks there has been an escalation in school violence across the country and concerns in Vermont schools. Our thoughts are certainly with the communities that have been impacted by these tragic events. To date we have not seen the wide-spread escalation in student behaviors such as hazing, harassment, bullying and students in need of threat assessments that some of our neighbors have. Our incidents in these areas are similar to pre-pandemic levels. This speaks to the increased emphasis that our staff has placed on the social/emotional needs of our students as we continue to contend with the pandemic. Recently the State of Vermont put out a new anonymous tip line. Any student, parent/guardian, educator, or member of the community can use this tip line at NO COST! There are three ways to submit a tip: -Go to www.SAFE4VT.org and click on submit a tip, then fill out the form with your information. -Dial 844-SAFE4VT (723-3488) and speak with a call-taker. -Send a text to 274637, type in keyword SAFE4VT and then your tip. As always, please, if you see or hear anything that you are concerned about feel free to reach out. Safety is all of our jobs. Here (https://5il.co/12xss) is a summary of all of the things we do have in place as a school district. If you have questions, ideas or concerns please feel free to reach out. Best, Brooke Olsen-Farrell Superintendent

Good morning, For your convenience, we invite you to refer to the following spreadsheet http://www.shorturl.at/axzKZ for winter sports COVID guidelines and links to livestreams for competing schools throughout the state. The spreadsheet includes masking procedures, spectators protocols, concessions information, and streaming links/information.

Tonight! December 6th You’re invited to the Slate Valley Unified Union School District Board Meeting at 6:30 p.m. at Fair Haven Union High School. This meeting will be in person or you may virtually connect by going to https://meet.google.com/cnm-dutk-ziw or join by phone (US) +1 617-675-4444 PIN: 499 110 969 8714# Tonight’s Agenda: https://5il.co/12mhu Previous Meeting Minutes: https://5il.co/128on Next Board Meeting: December 20, 2021, 6:30 p.m. at Castleton Village School

Good morning, The weekly COVID update letter from Superintendent Olsen-Farrell is now available: https://5il.co/12npi.

FHUHS REAL Class Fundraiser for Lund “Lund helps children thrive by empowering families to break cycles of poverty, addiction and abuse. Lund offers hope and opportunity to families through education, treatment, family support and adoption.” Lund is a non-profit organization, supported by the United Way of Northwest Vermont, which provides services for all Vermonters! Learn more and support the fundraiser: https://lundvt.org/fhuhs/

Dear Slate Valley Families, Please read the following middle school update from FHUHS Principal Ben Worthing: https://5il.co/12mo3

You're Invited! Virtual Listening Tour Join Slate Valley board members (virtually) for an informal discussion about the district middle school and 2022-2023 budget. November 29th at 6 p.m. - with Fair Haven/West Haven board members - Join with Google Meet (https://meet.google.com/jkx-bheh-dck) or join by phone: (US) +1 763-392-3037 (PIN: 199823389) November 30th at 6 p.m. with Castleton/Hubbardton board members - Join with Google Meet (https://meet.google.com/xyc-quzc-oym) or join by phone: (US) +1 636-789-8173 (PIN: 468052357) December 1st at 6 p.m. with Benson/Orwell board members - Join with Google Meet (https://meet.google.com/yir-mzhb-jht) or join by phone: (US) +1 402-509-9411 (PIN: 731841436) You are welcome to (virtually) attend any of the meetings regardless of your town of residence.

Dear Slate Valley Families, I hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving break. A lot of the COVID testing was delayed last week with the holiday. There is a link to the state dashboard on our website for COVID cases in schools although there is a lag in the state’s reporting of the data. I will continue to email you weekly with the updates for the previous week. We continue to expect that the next couple of months will be challenging with the amount of COVID we are seeing in our communities. This past week we saw the following COVID cases in our schools that required contact tracing; 2 at Orwell Village School, 4 at Fair Haven Grade School and 4 at Fair Haven Union High School. The highest overall case counts remain at the high school. Additionally, we continued to see a high absentee rate among staff and students district-wide due to general illness. We urge you and your family to take precautions to limit the spread of COVID. The most important things you can do: -Keep your child home if they have any symptoms of Covid-19-stuffy nose, headache, sore throat, fatigue, muscle aches, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, cough, loss of taste or smell, fever, or shortness of breath. -Make sure your child is wearing a mask (https://bit.ly/3pdgarg) when recommended or required. -Make sure your child is washing their hands (https://bit.ly/3D7RhCq) often, especially after being at public places. -Call your primary care provider if you or your child has symptoms of COVID-19 (https://bit.ly/3d0waHy). -Make sure that your children get vaccinated when they are eligible. Find a location near you (https://bit.ly/3o1beXe). Thank you for your patience and understanding as we navigate this challenging time. With your participation, we believe we can create a safe and fun experience for your children. We all need to do our part. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to me at 265-4905. Best, Brooke Olsen-Farrell Superintendent

Tonight! November 22nd You’re invited to the Slate Valley Unified Union School District Board Meeting at 6:30 p.m. in the Orwell Town Hall. This meeting will be in person or you may virtually connect by going to https://meet.google.com/etm-zxwa-vgx or join by phone (US) +1 617-675-4444 PIN: 401 807 037 1082# Tonight’s Agenda: https://5il.co/11y8v Previous Meeting Minutes: https://5il.co/11mg6 Next Board Meeting: December 13, 2021, 6:30 p.m. at FHUHS

Dear Slate Valley Families, I let you know last week that I would not be sending letters each and every time there is a COVID case, as I am sure the emails have been overwhelming. Instead there is a link to the state dashboard on our website for COVID cases in schools. Additionally, every Friday I will email you with the updates for the week. We fully expect that the next couple of months will be challenging with the amount of COVID we are seeing in our communities. As I communicated on Wednesday, we have a significant amount of cases at our high school. We currently have 21 active COVID cases at the high school that have required contact tracing in the last week and half. We also have had 1 case at Fair Haven Grade School, 2 cases at Castleton Elementary and 2 cases at Castleton Village School this week. Additionally, we have a lot of staff and student absences district-wide due to general illness. Again, I am letting you know that if cases do not subside soon at the high school specifically, we may have to cancel classes as we are extremely short staffed, running out of capacity for contact tracing and have high absentee rates for both students and staff. We urge you and your family to take precautions to limit the spread of COVID so we can keep our schools open. The most important things you can do: -Keep your child home if they have any symptoms of Covid-19-stuffy nose, headache, sore throat, fatigue, muscle aches, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, cough, loss of taste or smell, fever, or shortness of breath. -Make sure your child is wearing a mask (https://bit.ly/3oMPRrQ) when recommended or required. -Make sure your child is washing their hands (https://bit.ly/3HDOBjp) often, especially after being at public places. -Call your primary care provider if you or your child has symptoms of COVID-19 (https://bit.ly/3CwNG0r). -Make sure that your children get vaccinated when they are eligible. Find a location near you (https://bit.ly/30Lnq5u). Thank you for your patience and understanding as we navigate this challenging time. With your participation, we believe we can create a safe and fun experience for your children. We all need to do our part. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to me at 265-4905. Best, Brooke Olsen-Farrell Superintendent