Van Buren Local Schools

Teamwork makes the dreams work! #BeABlackKnight

Congrats to Maddy and Brynn for their positive behavior referrals! Also congrats to our 5th grade spelling bee champ Kathryn and runner-up Athira! #BeABlackKnight

Van Buren Local Schools received several pallets of hand/surface sanitizer at no cost to the district. We viewed this as an opportunity to not only save the district money, but to also help our community with the intent to get enough to share with district residents, businesses, churches, and families. If you would like free hand/surface sanitizer, please stop by the maintenance/transportation office (white building in the north parking lot) between the hours of 7:00 am and 4:00 pm, Monday - Friday. If you need to schedule an alternative time to pick up, please contact Jon Kelley at jkelley@vbschools.net.

At Van Buren we find it extremely important that our young students have good role models to look up to! A way we make sure this is a success is by having a weekly mentoring program for our young ones. Our high school students go over to the elementary to eat lunch, play games with their buddies, and to model our Traits of a Black Knight! #BeABlackKnight

This week starts the beginning of musical practice for Van Buren’s production of Beauty and the Beast! This photo is from the 2010 Van Buren yearbook and shows pictures from the Children of Eden production! #TBT #BeABlackKnight

Van Buren High School has implemented a Key Club sponsored by the Findlay Kiwanis Club. Anthony Huffman played an integral role in creating this connection and will serve as the Key Club's president. Kiwanis is a club that focuses on community leadership with our students. It helps grow leaders by engaging our students in volunteering opportunities. There are still many positions available in this club, so we encourage our students to join! #BeABlackKnight

Congrats to Cara, Cooper, and Lio for their positive behavior referrals! #BeABlackKnight

Our Alumni Spotlight features Blake Tucker (2005). Blake shares with our student intern, Rachel Cavera, about his position as a regional vice president for TFS in Perrysburg and how his time at VB had a positive impact on him. https://youtu.be/2s2JnoEJ6To #BeABlackKnight

Congrats to Sam, Chloe, Brynlyn, Jack, & Alayna for their positive behavior referrals! #BeABlackKnight

Happy Monday! Episode 32 of The Interviewing People Careercast features a conversation with Kerri Hauman, an Associate Professor of Writing, Rhetoric, and Communication at Transylvania University in Lexington, KY. In the interview, Kerri discusses how she went to college with a pre-med major, how working at Wright State's writing center started her down the path to becoming a professor, how she achieved tenure, and much more. Anyone interested in a career as a college professor will find information relevant to getting started down that path in this episode. To watch this episode and others, please visit bit.ly/InterviewingPeople. Enjoy the show!

Good Sunday Afternoon to all of you. I will be doing weekly updates until we get out of the current surge of Covid and sickness. This past week there was a slight increase in student absences. There are many reasons for the absences. Some are Covid, some are the flu, some are vacations, others are for various doctor appointments and some parents are keeping kids home if they don't feel good. Our staff absences were very limited this past week. We will continue with what we have done for the 2021-22 school year. Masks are still optional and we are still in person learning. As always, if you have questions or concerns, please let me know. Thank you again for all your doing to help us keep students in school.

Congrats to Norah for her positive behavior referral! #BeABlackKnight

Congrats to Sam & Tommy for their positive behavior referrals! #BeABlackKnight

Congrats to Athira, Hailey, Hannah, Sophia, & Emily for their Positive Behavior Referrals for being Respectful, Responsible, and Resilient! #BeABlackKnight

Van Buren Elementary School and the American Red Cross are hosting an upcoming blood drive on March 17, 2022 in the Elementary Cafeteria from 2-7PM! Click below to schedule: https://www.redcrossblood.org/give.html/drive-results?order=DATE&range=10&zipSponsor=VANBURENPINT

Welcome back to 2022! Shout outs to Ryan and Cooper for their Positive Behavior Referrals from before Christmas Break! #BeABlackKnight

Happy Monday! The Interviewing People Careercast is back after a holiday break with the highlights of the interview featuring clinical research coordinator Jessica MacMurray, a 1999 VB graduate who now works for OSU's James Cancer Hospital. To watch these highlights and other episodes, visit www.bit.ly/InterviewingPeople, and enjoy the show!

Good Evening and Happy New Year to everyone. I hope all of you had a great Christmas and enjoyed time with family and friends. I am sending this message in regards to information around the pandemic. Van Buren is committed to having in person learning. The staff at Van Buren has done a remarkable job of staying home when they feel sick, social distancing when they can, wearing masks if they choose, and being fully committed to the learning experiences at Van Buren. We will continue to follow these guidelines and ask that you continue as well. It is appreciated when your child is not feeling well, you keep them home. Van Buren will follow the new CDC guidelines with regards to quarantines. I hope to have some information to send out in the next few days that lays out the new guidance. We will continue to have masks optional. Please be aware that changes could come quickly depending on and if situations around staffing and student absences arise. There are several options that could be used. Remote learning and or wearing of masks for short periods of time. These would be short term options. I bring these options up so no one is caught off guard. Van Buren wants in person learning and will continue to do everything possible to keep students in school. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to reach out to me. Brian S. Blum Superintendent

The Findlay-Hancock County Public Library Bookmobile will be at Van Buren on Monday, January 3, from 11:30 A.M. - 12:30 P.M. Middle and high school students can visit the bookmobile during their lunch periods, so if students have a FHCPL card, please be sure they have their cards so they can check out books. Students can also place holds on books using the FHCPL website (www.findlaylibrary.org) and pick those up on the bookmobile as long as they identify the bookmobile as the pick-up location (they still need to have their library cards with them). Students who don't have library cards can visit the library in Findlay (206 Broadway St.) to register for a card. Parents must be present with their children and have two forms of identification (one must be a photo ID). The bookmobile will also be making stops at the school from 11:30 A.M. - 12:30 P.M. on January 31, February 14 & 28, March 14 & 28, April 11 & 25, and May 9 & 23.

On the last day of school before Christmas break, our elementary teachers shared a video with students reminding them of how much they are loved, even when they are out of the building. We can't wait to see all of our students again on Monday, January 3! https://youtu.be/aEvhYXBOMIk #BeABlackKnight