Otter Valley Union Middle and High School

OV Families: Repairs to the heating system have been completed and the system is operating appropriately. Otter Valley will be open for a normal school day on Thursday, January 19. We appreciate your patience and understanding, and look forward to seeing our students tomorrow.

Hi OV Families: Due to issues with the heating system, there will be no school for OV students on Wednesday, January 18. Please see the letter here (https://tinyurl.com/OVFamilyLetterJan17) for information on how the end of semester schedule will change with this cancellation. At this point, we plan to return to normal operations on Thursday. Please also note that athletics will run as normal tomorrow, as will transportation to and from Stafford Tech and Hannaford Career Center. Please reach out with any questions.

OV Families: Here is our most recent family communication from Principal Michael Ruppel, with information about final exams and semester transition, an upcoming Celebration of Learning, and spring family-teacher conferences. tinyurl.com/FamilyLetterJan6 We hope you have a good Friday and a restful weekend.

CANCELLED - Veggie Van Go - Dec. 23, 2022 The Veggie Van Go event for this Friday, December 23, 2022 at OVUMHS has been cancelled. Families impacted by this cancellation are encouraged to locate additional resources through the Vermont Foodback website or by calling 211.

SNOW DAY - FRIDAY, DEC. 16, 2022 Due to the winter weather advisory issued for late evening Thur., Dec. 15 through Saturday at 1pm, to include difficult travel in both the morning and afternoon commute hours, all RNESU schools will be closed on Friday, December 16, 2022.

Please view the most recent family communication from Michael Ruppel tinyurl.com/OVFamilyLetterDec9

OVUUSD SEEKS SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER The Otter Valley Unified Union School Board is looking for interested parties to be appointed to the Goshen representative seat on the board. The appointed school board member for this seat must be a resident of Goshen and would serve through to the next election in March 2023, at which time they would be required to run and be elected to complete the remaining year of the term. Letters of Interest can be submitted to the board through Let’s Talk and are due by December 1, 2022. For more information, please contact Melinda Piper at mpiper@rnesu.org or (802) 247-5757 x 2722.

Hello OV Families, Please view the attached update letter from Michael Ruppel. tinyurl.com/FamilyLetterNov10

OV Families: Please review these two letters from Michael Ruppel. The first contains some general updates and happenings at OV and is available at The second includes information about our recent lead testing event. tinyurl.com/Oct26FamilyLetter tinyurl.com/OVLeadLetter2 Have a good evening!

RNESU Honors Faculty and Staff: Rutland Northeast Supervisory Union recently hosted its annual Celebration of Contribution to recognize, honor and celebrate teachers and staff members who have made outstanding contributions and have demonstrated an ongoing commitment to excellence. Congratulations Honorees! Distinguished Licensed Professionals: Jennifer Hogan – Art Teacher & Academic Interventionist – Barstow Memorial School Melanie Parker – School Nurse – Lothrop School Katherine Kloss – Literacy Interventionist – Neshobe School Brenna Kimball – 1st Grade Teacher – Otter Creek Academy Alyson Callahan – HS Social Studies Teacher – Otter Valley Union Middle High School Susan Smiel – EEE Early Ed Teacher - RNESU Outstanding Support Staff: Heather Page – Paraeducator – Barstow Memorial School Sara Eddy – Secretary – Lothrop School Lisa Frasier – Paraeducator – Neshobe School Cretia Waldie – Paraeducator – Otter Creek Academy Stephanie Hull – Library Assistant/Media Specialist – Otter Valley Union Middle High School Emily Ferraro – EEE Paraeducator - RNESU

Hello OV Community, Please view the attached letter from Michael Ruppel. Have a great Friday and weekend! https://tinyurl.com/Sept23OVLetter

Please view the letter here from Michael Ruppel with some information on the first two days and about upcoming events at OV. Have a great Friday! https://docs.google.com/document/d/1XtVYr2WLdBi4N3WxXxF6KENnZP7NOYYqbHb3UFgHFc8/edit

VEGGIE VANGO EVENT CHANGE - Due to the district wide convocation occurring at Otter Valley, the RNESU sponsored VeggieVanGo event will be held on Friday, August 26 from 10-11am at Neshobe School. To ensure a safe event, please do not arrive at Neshobe prior to 9:45am and following the signs to access the event. This event is open to all RNESU students and families. Thank you for your patience with the change in location.

Hello OV Families, Please check your email for our welcome back letter, back-to-school checklist, and information about resetting your email password. Email me (mruppel@rnesu.org) or call me (802.247.6833 ext 2611) if you have any questions. Welcome back letter: tinyurl.com/OVWelcome2022 Checklist: tinyurl.com/OVChecklist2022

WELCOME BACK TO SCHOOL! RNESU Students begin school on Wednesday, August 31, 2022. Online Student Registration is now open. Families of returning students have been sent their students' snapcodes for registration via email. If you have not received an email by Friday, Aug. 12, please contact registration@rnesu.org for assistance. Read Superintendent Hubert's welcome back message at the address below: https://rutlandnortheastsuvt.sites.thrillshare.com/article/802126 Please consider sharing your hopes for the year in a ThoughtExchange Survey at https://tejoin.com/scroll/279326332. See you all soon!

Hi OV families, This is just a reminder that we will have the first of our two "Meet the Principal" sessions from 8:30 - 10:00 TOMORROW August 11. Please drop in, have a snack, and say hello. Stay for as little or as much time as you'd like. If folks are interested in checking in but can't make it during those times, please connect with me via email (mruppel@rnesu.org) so that we can set something up that works with your schedule. I also wanted to tell people to be on the lookout for a "Welcome Back" email from us tomorrow, which will give important back-to-school information. Looking forward to connecting! - Michael

Hello OV Families, I am writing to invite you to participate in an informal listening session with me so that I can learn more about your vision for our school community and what needs you see at OV at this time. We'll have light refreshments available during this time. Please consider coming to one or both of these sessions. The first will be on August 11 from 8:30 - 10:00 and the second will be August 16 from 4:30 - 6:00. They are informal drop-in sessions; don’t feel like you need to stay the whole time. Though RSVPs are not required, it would be helpful to get a sense of how many folks will be in attendance for purchasing of refreshments. If possible, please send a quick note to Katie Davis (kdavis@rnesu.org) if you plan to attend. I also wanted to let families know that we are in the process of producing our welcome back letter. We anticipate having that out to families by the second week of August. Thanks, and I hope you are enjoying these last few weeks of summer. I’m looking forward to welcoming your students back to OV this fall! - Michael

Dear Parents and Guardians and Staff This morning around 9 am, Lothrop School was notified of an external community threat. While the threat was not directly made against the school, upon consultation with law enforcement, we made a proactive decision to lock down Lothrop School while the police dealt with the threat. This meant the school was locked to all outsiders, students did not go to outdoor recess, but learning inside the school continued as normal. We also consulted with Brandon Police and did not see a need for a similar lockdown at our Brandon and Leicester schools, as the threat was local to Pittsford. However, the police were ready to assist if anything changed. Shortly after 11, we learned the threat was resolved and we were able to lift the lockdown. We deeply appreciate the partnership with law enforcement and the patience of parents as we worked through our protocols. We also appreciate the work of our staff to maintain a calm learning environment while the school was locked, following protocols and allowing the police to do their work unimpeded. I am proud to be part of the RNESU school and town communities. Thank you. Jeanné Collins, Superintendent, RNESU

Thank you, Mrs. Coro! Teacher Retires After 43 Years https://brandonreporter.com/2022/05/04/oca-teacher-retires-after-43-years/