Orwell Village School

Dear Slate Valley Staff and Families, We are seeing a number of COVID cases in our schools, especially the High School. For many of our High School students it has been more than 5 months since their last vaccine and they have not been boosted. We encourage you to sign your child up for Test to Stay if you haven't already. Please register here: https://bit.ly/3eQAtGx. If you are interested in having your child (12 and up) boosted or vaccinated there is a 12+ walk-up clinic in the High School parking lot this Saturday from 10:30-1:00. Preregistration is not required. We continue to do our best to keep students in school but it is especially challenging at the high school right now. Please anticipate that there could be school cancellations in the coming days. Please keep your child home if they have any symptoms at all. If you are unsure if they should attend school please check with the school nurse before sending your child in. Always thank you for your support. We know this have been a challenging time for families as well. Best, Brooke Olsen-Farrell, Superintendent

Since January is National School Board Recognition Month, we wanted to take this opportunity to thank our school board members for their tireless efforts!

FHUHS vs. Rutland JV and V Boys Basketball --Tonight 1/4/2022 at FHUHS -- POSTPONED. Date of Reschedule TBD. No Basketball Practices at FHUHS today 1/4/2022.

Good morning, There will be a walk-in Covid-19 vaccination clinic (no appointment necessary) on Saturday, January 8th from 10:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at Fair Haven Union High School. Pfizer for 12+ for first and second doses (and 16+ are eligible for boosters) and Moderna for 18+ will be available at the clinic. Note: You have to meet the current eligibility requirements to receive the vaccine/booster. We are currently working to organize an evening clinic for the following week. More details will be shared as they become available.

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

We have a CVS/OVS basketball doubleheader happening this afternoon in the Castleton Village School Gym. At 4:30 the 7/8 Girls Basketball team tips off against Barstow and will be followed at 5:30 by the 7/8 Boys also against Barstow. Whether it is in-person at the Castleton Village School or virtually over on our YouTube channel, https://bit.ly/3yONQQH, we look forward to seeing you there.

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

We have a basketball doubleheader happening over on the CVS Events YouTube channel this afternoon as the CVS/OVS 7th/8th girls and boys teams are scheduled to play Christ the King School - Rutland. The girls game is scheduled to tip off at 4 to be followed by the boys at 5. We look forward to seeing everyone later today whether in-person or remotely on our YouTube live stream that can be found here, https://bit.ly/3Ea5UFP.

Good afternoon Slate Valley Families, Due to the weather tomorrow morning's Grades 1 to 4 Basketball Skills Clinic scheduled for 8:30 to 9:30 at Fair Haven Union High School with Coach Vadnais has been canceled for this week. Have a great rest of the weekend and hopefully everyone gets the chance to go outside and enjoy some time in the snow!

The CVS/OVS girls basketball teams have their first home game of the season today as they welcome Rutland Town to town. The Grade 7 girls are scheduled to tip off at 4:30 to be followed by the Grade 8 girls at approximately 5:30.

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

Tonight is the first home game of the season for both the 7th and 8th Grade combined CVS/OVS boys basketball teams as they tip off against Otter Valley. The 7th Grade game tips off at 5pm and will be followed by the 8th Grade game at 6pm. If you're not able to make it there to join us in-person both games will be streaming over on our YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/c/CVSAthletics

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

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