As part of the district food drive and in celebration of the 100th day of school last week, the Kindergarten class set a goal to collect 100 food items. They came close, gathering an impressive 78 items!
Board Meeting - February 10, 2025
You’re invited to the Slate Valley Unified Union School District Board Meeting at 6:30 p.m. at the Fair Haven Union Middle & High School
This meeting will be in person. Virtually connect by going to:
Video call link: https://meet.google.com/xdo-eqfd-dvr
Or dial: (US) +1 240-366-1208 PIN: 741 090 484#
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.
Some more photos of classes celebrating the 100th Day of School! These were submitted yesterday by Ms. Molis, and Ms. Redding!
Yesterday, Miss Burke's second graders celebrated the 100th day of school with engaging math stations, interactive reading groups, and hands-on activities—all centered around the number 100!
Good evening,
Due to the anticipated bad road conditions resulting from snow and ice, ALL Slate Valley Schools (Benson Village School, Orwell Village School, Castleton Elementary School, Fair Haven Grade School, and Fair Haven Union Middle and High School) will be closed on Thursday February 6th.
Good evening,
This is Casey O’Meara Director of Curriculum for Slate Valley schools. Due to the anticipated road conditions resulting from the snow and ice, ALL Slate Valley Schools (Benson Village School, Orwell Village School, Castleton Elementary School, Fair Haven Grade School, and Fair Haven Union Middle and High School) will be closed on Thursday February 6th.
Thank you for your understanding, and please stay safe.
Casey O'Meara
Fair Haven Grade School 5th grade teacher Ms. Folmsbee and PBL Coach Ms. Wald hosted an engaging Cognia Testing Information Night, giving parents of Slate Valley the opportunity to experience the same test their children take. The evening began with an explanatory presentation about Cognia, followed by the interactive testing session. Some FHGS students provided childcare, and attendees enjoyed pizza. It was a well-organized and insightful event for all.
Join Us for a Community Connection Event!
📅 February 25, 2025
⏰ 5:30 – 6:30 PM
📍 Fair Haven Union Middle & High School Library
Engage with Director of Curriculum Casey O'Meara in a discussion on:
✅ Instructional structures & strategies
✅ Academic & behavioral support systems
✅ Assessment, Community Connections & College/Career Readiness
Plus, a Parent/Guardian conversation on Title I & Act 1 Policies and Continuous Improvement Planning.
Bring your questions and join the conversation!
Reminder: Our Annual District Wide Food Drive is Underway!
We are so excited to kickoff this year’s American Heart Association Kids Heart Challenge on Friday, January 31st with a heart healthy assembly! Every student who registers before the assembly will have a chance to win some cool Kids Heart Challenge Prizes! Meet this year’s Heart Hero Team! Introducing Wynn, Rain, Dakota, Pepper, Riley, Ace, Wylie and Bingo. Each heart hero will teach us how to keep our hearts and minds healthy--and your student can collect them all! Download the AHA Schools app or register online at http://www2.heart.org/goto/castletonVT ! Every student who registers and completes Finn’s Mission will earn a Lifesaver Cape and will be entered to win 2 Super Bowl Tickets!
Dear Slate Valley Families and Staff,
We received an update from Powerschool relative to the data breach that occurred in December and wanted to pass the information along to you. The message from Powerschool is below:
Dear Valued Customers,
I am writing today to inform you that our investigation and data review into the scope of the cybersecurity incident has continued in earnest. As part of our commitment to keeping you informed, we are reaching out with an update on the latest steps we have taken in response to this incident and what you can expect over the coming days.
Importantly, this message requires no action on your part and serves simply as an update.
This afternoon, PowerSchool began the process of filing state attorneys general notifications across applicable U.S. jurisdictions on behalf of customers who did not opt-out of our offer to do so. PowerSchool has also started the process of notifying Canadian regulators.
For our U.S. customers, you may also have notification requirements with your state’s Department of Education. Since many customers have already notified and are in close contact with their state’s Department of Education, PowerSchool will defer to you on making these notifications.
In the coming days, PowerSchool will begin providing formal legal notice of the cybersecurity incident to current and former students (or their parents / guardians as applicable) and educators whose information was determined to be involved.
A direct email notification will be distributed by Experian on behalf of PowerSchool in the coming weeks to applicable current and former students (or their parents / guardians as applicable) and educators for whom we have sufficient contact information. PowerSchool will also launch a website and distribute a media release to ensure we reach as many involved individuals as possible and provide them with resources to protect their information. Importantly, these notices will include instructions for involved individuals on how to enroll in the credit monitoring and identity protection services that are being offered by PowerSchool.
PowerSchool will also be providing you with communications materials to help navigate conversations with families and educators as part of our effort to support you with the expected inquiries from your community members.
Thank you for your ongoing patience and partnership.
Hardeep Gulati
Chief Executive Officer, PowerSchool
Last Night’s Slate Valley Community Advisory Council Recap:
Thank you to everyone who joined us for an engaging evening of conversation with local legislators! A special thank you to Senator Weeks, Senator Hardy, Senator Williams, Representative Canfield and Representative Harvey who spoke with over 20 community members about the Governor’s proposed education funding plan and its potential timeline.
Key topics included:
📚 Mental Health in Schools: Concerns were raised about the strain on public schools and how the new plan will address this critical issue.
🏫 Consolidation Worries: Community members voiced concerns about long bus rides, board representation, curriculum decisions, and federal funding cuts.
💡 Budget Challenges: Representatives emphasized the importance of continuing to engage voters and work on explaining tax impacts ahead of the local budget vote.
It was an informative and productive discussion. The Community Advisory Council hopes to meet again in March with legislators and review updates.
Get ready for our Annual District Food Drive, kicking off this Monday, January 27th!
Join us for this insightful event and gain a complete understanding of Cognia Testing!
Our afterschool Art Club is in full swing! Each week, Mrs. Parrott and Mrs. Simpson inspire and guide our students, sharing their amazing ideas and artistic expertise. We can’t wait to see the incredible creations our talented students will bring to life!
Last night, our talented students lit up the stage with their incredible performances at the Winter Concert! From festive songs to heartwarming melodies, their hard work and dedication truly shone. Thank you to our amazing music teacher, Ms. Tugas, staff, and families for making this event so special. Bravo to all our performers!
Superintendent Brooke Olsen-Farrell and Director of Curriculum Casey O'Meara shared cookies and conversation with Castleton Elementary School kindergartners & first graders. The students talked about their favorite playground slide, making friends, and their love for math, art, choice time, and PE. When asked to complete the sentence, 'I love going to school here because…,' one heartfelt response was, 'because our Principal cares and worries about all of us.' #CastletonElementarySchool #CES #StudentVoices #WeAreSlateValley
Dear Slate Valley Unified Union School District Community,
We recently informed you that our district was affected by the PowerSchool data breach, which has garnered national media attention. We take data privacy very seriously, which is why we work with vendors who commit to robust data privacy practices in their contracts through the Student Data Policy Consortium. We expect PowerSchool to fulfill its obligations, and we will continue to monitor the situation closely and follow up as needed to ensure a resolution.
PowerSchool has notified us that the breached data primarily includes parent and guardian contact information for students, such as names, phone numbers and addresses. In some cases across their customer base, personally identifiable information (PII) for students, such as Social Security numbers (SSNs) and medical details (e.g., medical alerts required to ensure student safety, like life-threatening food allergies), was also affected. PowerSchool is currently conducting an urgent investigation to determine if any PII specific to our students was compromised, with a goal of starting notifications to affected parties in the next few weeks.
It’s important to note that Slate Valley does not store Social Security numbers in our PowerSchool database, so this is not a concern for our district based on the current details of the incident. Any staff data that we believe to have been compromised at this time was limited to directory information.
Protecting our students’ information is our top priority. With PowerSchool’s assistance, we will share more information and resources as they become available. If applicable, this may include credit monitoring or identity protection services.
PowerSchool has also created a general information page about this incident, which you can access here: SIS Incident | PowerSchool.
For additional support, here are some resources on identity theft:
Vermont Attorney General’s Office: Identity Theft Resources
Federal Trade Commission: Protect Your Child from Identity Theft
Thank you for your understanding as we work through this matter.
Sincerely,
Brooke Olsen-Farrell
Superintendent
Last week, our 4th graders created Emotion Wind Spinners as part of our Social and Emotional Learning curriculum. It was the perfect day for the project—just enough of a breeze to bring the spinners to life, showcasing the vibrant colors the students had carefully designed. It was a beautiful way for them to express their emotions and see their creativity in motion.
