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Dear Slate Valley Families,
I always try to be as transparent as possible about the issues our schools are faced with so we can work together to solve issues. We all want to ensure a safe, welcoming environment for all of our students. As we emerge from the pandemic we have seen a steep rise in the student misbehavior in our school district. The severity of which varies from school to school. Although we are not the only district dealing with these types of issues in the state or country, it is concerning. This coupled with decreased staffing is putting a great strain on our system.
Some of our students and families are really struggling. In the last several years we have increased mental health support throughout our schools, but there is more that needs to be done. Staff are working tirelessly to meet the needs of our students. However, the needs that exist are more than our system can bear at times and there are few resources outside of the school. The schools have been asked to solve all of the problems in our communities and we lack the capacity to do this despite our very best efforts.
In the coming weeks you will receive communication from your school principals on new code of conducts, reminders on expectations, and what the school is doing to teach and reteach those behavior expectations. We would ask that you help us by reviewing these expectations with your children. We would also ask that if you receive a call from the school about a student behavior that you assume good intentions regarding the school staff. Our staff is very dedicated and they all want the very best for our students. While it is okay to question and be frustrated by something, it is never okay to be disrespectful towards our staff. We are always happy to have a conversation with you regarding your child. We are all on the same team.
I often speak about a community caretaking approach. Now is the time for us to come together and support one another. What does it mean to be part of Slate Valley? Some of the behaviors we are seeing in connection to the school do not, and should not, represent what it means to be part of the Slate Valley community. We have many proud Slate Valley traditions, let's all work together to continue the greater good that our district truly represents. We need your support!
Best,
Brooke Olsen-Farrell
Superintendent
During Library class, Mrs. Rampone read the story "Fly", by Mark Teague to Mr. Martin's Kindergarteners. To go with the book's theme, the students later created adorable robin masks.
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Dear Slate Valley Community, Thank you for your participation in our recent ThoughtExchange on school budget priorities. We had over 400 participants with 125 thoughts shared and over 5,000 ratings for those thoughts. On Monday night, the top thoughts were shared with the school board. They were as follows: Continuation of free breakfast and lunch in our schools. Enrichment opportunities for students. Further addressing student behaviors throughout the system. Addition of a wood and metal shop 7-12. Staff retention. The board and administration plan on taking all of this feedback into consideration as we build our FY24 budget this fall. - Brooke Olsen-Farrell
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FHUHS FOOTBALL CALENDAR FUNDRAISER
At no fault to anyone, the tickets that were sold were accidentally recycled. If you were a person that purchased a ticket, or tickets, or know of anyone that did, PLEASE email Kim Alexander (kalexander@svuvt.org) with your name and phone number and we will reprint tickets.
Tickets were pulled through Friday, October 14th. We will give everyone a chance to respond and get their name back in by Nov 1st and then we will
PULL 17 DAYS WORTH OF TICKETS AND NOTIFY WINNERS.
Thank you all for your UNDERSTANDING of this dilemma.
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Winter Coaches Needed! If you are interested please contact our Athletics Director, Kim Alexander at kalexander@svuvt.org.
Last Friday, Middlebury College International Students visited OVS to share cultural elements from different parts of the world. It was a wonderful experience all around!
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Tonight - October 17, 2022 You’re invited to the Slate Valley Unified Union School District Board Meeting at 6:30 p.m. in the Fair Haven Union Middle and High School Library. You can virtually connect by going to: https://meet.google.com/zns-hjwp-gae Or dial: (US) +1-319-435-9078 PIN: 550 538 051# Tonight’s Agenda: https://5il.co/1j9zp Previous Meeting
Minutes: https://5il.co/1ir1q Next Board Meeting: Monday, November 14, 2022 - Fair Haven Union Middle & High School at 6:30 p.m.
