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
The Interviewing People Careercast is on a short holiday break, but it will be back soon with new episodes featuring Van Buren graduates in a variety of careers. In the meantime, feel free to check out past episodes at bit.ly/InterviewingPeople.
We hope you all are having a fantastic Christmas break! For this week’s Throw Back Thursday, let’s look back at the 2016 Elementary Winter Musical! #BeABlackKnight #TBT
The Interviewing People Careercast is on a short holiday break, but it will be back soon with new episodes featuring Van Buren graduates in a variety of careers. In the meantime, feel free to check out past videos at bit.ly/InterviewingPeople.
On Friday, we had a bus tribute to celebrate the life of Terri Sattler. Terri was a bus driver for Van Buren Local Schools for 30 years. She dedicated so much of her life to serving the community and impacted many lives at Van Buren. She will be missed by many.
bit.ly/33ICqT1
It's officially Christmas Break for Van Buren, and we hope you all enjoy yourselves! We can't wait to see all of our students back on January 3rd. Have a wonderful and safe break everyone! #BeABlackKnight
Van Buren Families,
Van Buren Local Schools are aware of threats and rumors being circulated on social media. The threats discuss possible violent acts that could take place at schools across the country on Friday, December 17, 2021. Van Buren is not aware of any specific threat toward our schools or students.
The Hancock County Sheriff's Department is familiar with the threats and is working closely with our school resource officer. We ask that you talk to your child about the dangers associated with social media. If they see or hear anything unusual, please encourage them to report it to a trusted adult, such as a principal, teacher, or SRO, as soon as possible. As a reminder, the Hancock County Sheriff's Department as well as Van Buren Local Schools have a zero-tolerance policy when it comes to threats of any kind.
The ongoing safety and security of our students and staff will always be our top priority. I ask all of you to please communicate any potential threats to the Hancock County Sheriff Department. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Sincerely,
Brian Blum
Yesterday our first graders were able to put together gingerbread houses! At Van Buren we love to use engaging activities to help teach our students about STEM. The students absolutely loved putting the houses together, and we think they turned out great! #BeABlackKnight
This past two weeks, our Show Choir has had a very busy schedule, with a total of four performances! In honor of this, let’s look back on the 2008 Van Buren Show Choir! #BeABlackKnight #TBT
Hot Chocolate & Candy Cane Sale! Wed. Dec. 15th & Thursday Dec. 16th in the elementary cafeteria during lunch times! $1 for hot chocolate and marshmallows and $1 for candy canes!
#BeABlackKnight
Congrats to Morgan, Mason, Kolton, & Annika for their Positive Behavior Referrals for being Respectful, Responsible, and Resilient!
#BeABlackKnight
Merry Christmas from the 2nd & 3rd graders! Only 40 Winks 'til Christmas!🎄
#BeABlackKnight
Hot Chocolate & Candy Cane Sale! Wed. Dec. 15th & Thursday Dec. 16th in the elementary cafeteria during lunch times! $1 for hot chocolate and marshmallows and $1 for candy canes!
#BeABlackKnight
Please welcome Miss Samuelson! She is our new K-1st grade intervention specialist. She loves to travel and has a goal of attending a game at every NFL stadium! She is so excited to be starting and thinks our support staff is amazing! #BeABlackKnight
This week our Van Buren music calendar is full! Both our choirs and band have their holiday concerts. Please feel free to come out and and support our hardworking and talented students! #BeABlackKnight
Congrats to Adrienne & Mackenzie for their Positive Behavior Referrals!
#BeABlackKnight
Our Pop Culture class here at VB has started a new project called Rebuild the Future! In this project, the students build a society and “trade resources” with other societies in order to advance themselves. The goal for our students with this project is to teach them about dystopian literature and about how dystopian literature portrays social fears and concerns. We are loving how engaging this project is, and can’t wait to see where it goes! #BeABlackKnight
Happy Monday! Episode 31 of The Interviewing People Careercast features a conversation with Jessica MacMurray, a 1999 Van Buren High School graduate who is now a Clinical Research Coordinator at The Ohio State University's James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute. In the interview, Jessica discusses her time as a member of the OSU marching band, how her Animal Science degree has contributed to various roles she has held, the cancer research to which she has contributed, the advice she has for current students, and much more. To watch this episode and others, please visit bit.ly/InterviewingPeople. Enjoy the show!
