Hello Van Buren Families. I hope all of you are having a great weekend. A reminder that there is no school Monday, January 18, 2021. We will start up Tuesday with our current Modified Hybrid schedule.
I have been asked a lot of questions about the vaccine, will we go back to five days a week learning, etc. I have attached a video that explains where Van Buren is currently with the vaccine and a target date of five days a week instruction. So many factors to consider but at least there is discussion around getting students back to school five days a week. As always, things are changing everyday and I will do my best to keep you updated. Have a great week!
https://youtu.be/1o0MXODeeAs
FRIDAY FINANCE FACT: Bond Retirement
School Finance is complicated and not always popular. We’re starting our financial fact with some good news!
Recently the district paid off a long term debt incurred for the purpose of construction and renovation of buildings. This bond specifically funded work at the elementary school and the additional renovation attached to the high school.
Not only is this good news for tax payers of the district, as their annual tax bill will reduce, but it is great news for the district as well to retire long term debt of that size and scope. Stay tuned for more financial fun facts! #VB1team
FHCPL Bookmobile available to high school students: The Findlay-Hancock County Public Library Bookmobile will be at Van Buren in the front parking lot this Thursday, January 14, from 12:30-1:00 P.M. to serve students as they leave school. Students with FHCPL cards can either stop by the bookmobile to check out books on the bookmobile or place holds on books on the FHCPL website before Thursday and indicate they will pick the books up from the bookmobile.
If you would like more information about how you can help your student get a library card or place a hold on a book, please view the following videos:
Library/Digital Cards from FHCPL: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1_ehIw2Vngw8LjGoGenT_RpoaX2TKlR5B/view?usp=sharing
Placing a Hold/Checking Out Books: https://drive.google.com/file/d/10juzoVz9A9d1lleJiNx06nvCCHe5DbKc/view?usp=sharing
In addition to January 14, the bookmobile will be at Van Buren February 11, March 11, April 15, and May 13.
SAFETY REMINDERS for student drivers, parents, and staff:
When leaving the school parking lot please make sure you are using the exit and not the entrance - using the incorrect driveway increases the likelihood of an accident. We understand traffic is congested before and after school, but please be patient so everyone can leave safely.
When entering the school parking lot off of South Main Street, please watch your speed. The posted speed limit on School grounds is 10 MPH.
Please continue to watch for students walking within the parking lot and students are reminded to use the designated crosswalks.
If you are picking up students, please find a designated parking space. Parking in a thru lane may cause traffic to build up.
Good evening everyone. My apologies for being later than usual on the notifications about instruction for this upcoming week. Van Buren will continue to be on a Modified Hybrid Schedule for the week of January 11, 2021. Please continue to be prepared to change on a daily basis depending upon the data that comes in regarding our Covid numbers. I hope all of you have a great week!
We're looking to provide real-world experiences to a VBHS junior interested in communications and marketing! Check out information on our social media internship, which starts next semester... http://bit.ly/VBSoMe
Good Afternoon! I hope all of you had a Safe and Merry Christmas and a Safe and Happy New Year! At this point and time, Van Buren Schools will open on January 4, 2021. Van Buren Schools will be on a Modified Hybrid Schedule. Students will be in school Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. Wednesday will continue to be a remote learning day. As always, this is subject to change on a weekly, daily or hourly basis! Look forward to school starting back on Monday, January 4, 2021
It's not too late to help Mrs. Kanney's class collect donations for the City Mission! They will be accepting donations through Tuesday, Dec. 22! #VB1Team
Good Sunday afternoon to all of you! We will stay in the Modified Hybrid Schedule for this week. We only have school on Monday and Tuesday of this week. Students return from Christmas Break on Monday, January 4, 2021. I will be sending out an email or text to all of you on Saturday, January 2 updating you on what education model we will be using to start the new year. My hope is that we continue on the Modified Hybrid Schedule.
I wish all of you a safe, healthy and Merry Christmas and a safe, healthy and Happy New Year. Thank you for all you have done to keep our students in school!
We shared this opportunity with our junior and senior classes and wanted to share with the community as well.
Terra State Community College in Fremont (a 43-minute drive from VBHS), is offering the Job Corps Scholars Program starting in January 2021 (another cohort will begin in August 2021) for anyone aged 16-24 who would like to earn a certificate/credential in a variety of career technical training programs. The best news - students in this program will earn FREE tuition, lab fees, and books, in addition to receiving housing, food, transportation, and child care assistance. If you are interested, please watch this video for more information: https://youtu.be/r3_UFykqpW4
We are proud of our Van Buren graduates every year, but what happens to those graduates? Now you have an opportunity to hear from graduates like Thomas Piccirillo ('19), Brittany (Ramsey) Busse ('06), Tori Bookwalter ('17), McClain Brown ('17), Emilie Bandy ('00), and Dustin Drerup ('02) as they talk about their career experiences and the influence Van Buren had on them with VBHS English teacher, Mr. Brian Bratt.
In addition to Van Buren graduates, the YouTube channel https://bit.ly/InterviewingPeople provides interviews with other professionals speaking about their career experiences. The goal is to continue adding interviews on a regular basis to provide Van Buren students with information about careers and keep the community up to date regarding the achievements of our graduates. Enjoy!
It's not too late to share your ideas with us on what traits and skills are important for all Black Knights to develop. Help us create our Traits of a Black Knight by completing the survey by Monday, Dec. 21st at 8:00 am.
https://bit.ly/toabk20
#VB1Team
Be sure to check out the HCSO School Resource Officers page on Facebook for a fun holiday project they have been working on. Last night featured Deputy Crouch and VB Elementary! #VB1Team
Good Afternoon to everyone! This is Brian Blum at Van Buren. Wanted to give all of you the model we are starting out with for the week of December 14, 2020. We will continue to operate in the Modified Hybrid Model. As always, be prepared to change to traditional hybrid or remote model quickly.
If you have not had a chance to provide input on our Traits of a Black Knight survey, you still have time. An email was sent out to all parents and you can also access the survey on the website. For more information about what Traits of a Black Knight is, you can watch a video on our website.
Have a safe rest of your Sunday!
Class of 2009 and 2010 senior letters: Mr. Bratt is looking for current addresses for the following 2009 and 2010 graduates so he can send them the letters they wrote to themselves prior to graduating:
2009 - Nadine Akra, Nick Huber
2010 - Alex Anderbery, Justin Baker, Samantha Benson, David Lee, Silver Viera
If you know the addresses of any of these graduates, please e-mail them to bbratt@vbschools.net.
This year, the Van Buren Local School District is bringing together our students, families, staff, alumni, and community members and partners to create our Traits of a Black Knight.
The Traits of a Black Knight will be a collective vision articulating the hopes and dreams of our community for our Van Buren students, including the attributes and skills they will need to thrive as learners, workers, and leaders.
Help us to develop the Traits of a Black Knight by completing the survey: https://forms.gle/zuDd7fj67hm5C9kx6
https://youtu.be/Of-BNhx_4Og
#VB1Team
At this time, the service we use for texting school delays and cancellations will not deliver messages to AT&T subscribers due to AT&T blocking messages from Ohio Alerts. Messages will continue to be delivered to Verizon customers. Our provider is working with AT&T to resolve the issues. We recommend AT&T customers express their disapproval with AT&T.
We also post delays and cancellations to WFIN. You are able to sign-up for text or email alerts through their provider at this link:
https://my.textcaster.com/asa/default.aspx...
If you are not receiving the pre-recorded messages or text messages (typically providing COVID-19 updates) from Mr. Blum, please complete this form: https://forms.gle/7X539FU2Es6S6iwa7
Was great to get some fresh air with the staff on our afternoon walk! Thanks to our friends at Great Scot Community Markets for supporting our "Wellness Wednesday." #VB1Team
Some really cool dioramas students created while reading Lord of the Flies in our Literature Survey class. #VB1Team
Mr. Blum would like to share a message of thanks with the Van Buren community for your continued support of Van Buren Local Schools. #VB1Team
https://youtu.be/SLriQkK0xuQ