Dear OCSU Families and Community,
Every day across Orleans Central, our students walk into classrooms where our amazing teachers help them learn, grow, think, question, problem-solve, and discover what they are capable of. There is so much that goes into making those moments successful, and this week I wanted to share a little about the work happening across OCSU to support strong teaching and learning in every classroom.
Student learning is at the heart of why we are here. Every student, no matter which OCSU school or classroom they are in, must have access to the essential learning they need, and it is our responsibility to make sure they learn. Our teachers know their students and bring their own strengths, expertise, and professional judgment to this work every day. Across OCSU, we are becoming clearer and more consistent about what students must learn, how we will know when they’ve learned, and what we will do when they need more time, additional support, or greater challenge. Our responsibility doesn’t end with teaching the content; it includes paying attention to whether students are learning and responding when they need something different.
That is why we have intentionally provided additional time this year for teachers to work and learn together. They are identifying the most essential learning for students, looking together at evidence of student progress, sharing instructional practices, and planning how best to respond to their students. This time allows teachers to strengthen instruction and respond more effectively to each student’s learning needs. It also gives our teachers the opportunity to learn from one another and ensures they have the clarity, time, and support to do this important work well.
We have much to be proud of in our schools, and we also know there is important work ahead of us. We want more of our students to demonstrate proficiency in literacy, mathematics, and all of the content areas (including unified arts!). This year, we have specific OCSU learning goals connected directly to our strategic plan and student achievement. While assessment results are one way we understand how our students are doing, this work is about much more than test scores. It is about making sure our students develop the knowledge, skills, confidence, and opportunities they will need throughout their lives. Accomplishing this takes all of us, with teachers providing strong instruction, students engaging in their learning, and families continuing to support and encourage learning at home.
The work we are doing is grounded in some of the strongest research and best practices we have about how schools improve student learning, and this is truly shared work. Our principals are working side by side with district leadership, and our teachers are doing the important work of bringing these practices to life with students every day. From Pre-K through grade 12, we are building greater consistency and connection across our schools so that district leaders, principals, and teachers are all moving in the same direction, with student learning at the center.
Our vision at Orleans Central is that all our students will have pathways that lead them to success throughout their lives. That is a big promise, and fulfilling it happens through the work we do together every day. This work happens in our classrooms, in our schools, and in partnership with our students, families and communities.
Thank you for your continued partnership and for the trust you place in us and our schools!
Yours in education,
Jackie Ramsay-Tolman
Your OCSU Superintendent
Very Important: November 3 Election – Orleans Central Board Seats
With the State Board’s approval of our Articles of Agreement, we are moving forward with the November 3 vote on the formation of the Orleans Central Unified Union School District.
In addition to voting on the formation of the new district, voters will elect the initial members of the new Orleans Central Board. If the formation vote is successful, those individuals will serve as the initial board.
The approved Articles establish a 14-member board, with two seats allocated to each of our seven communities (Albany, Barton, Brownington, Glover, Irasburg, Westmore, Village of Orleans). Candidates must be registered voters and residents of the community associated with the seat they are seeking. Because this is a modified at-large model, candidates run for a seat associated with their community, but voters throughout the proposed district vote on the candidates.
Anyone wishing to be a candidate must file the required nominating petition and written consent with Kristin Atwood, Barton Town Clerk no later than 5:00 p.m. on Monday, September 28. You may email the documents to bartontownoffice@gmail.com or you may drop off at the Barton town clerks office. Petitions need at least 30 signatures and they can be from anyone in the District, not just your town.
To have your name printed on the November 3 ballot, the completed petition and written consent must be filed with Barton town clerk by 5:00 p.m. on Monday, September 28.
We can accommodate write-in candidates but they must be qualified for that office.
The necessary candidate forms are linked here for your convenience. If you wish to be a candidate, you will need to print and complete the forms, obtain the required 30 signatures, identify the specific term you are seeking, and file the completed materials with the Barton town clerk by the deadline.
Here are the forms for you to print:
local_candidate_petition.pdf
consent_candidate_local_elections.pdf
The initial terms established in our Articles are:
Albany: 1-year and 2-year
Barton: 1-year and 3-year
Brownington: 1-year and 2-year
Glover: 1-year and 3-year
Irasburg: 1-year and 2-year
Westmore: 2-year and 3-year
Village of Orleans: 2-year and 3-year
These initial staggered terms are established in Article 10 of the approved Articles of Agreement.
We will also have hard copies of the petition and consent forms available for you to pick up at COFEC between the hours of 8:00-3:30 daily
.
Please pay close attention to the filing deadline if you are interested in seeking a seat on the new board.
Dear OCSU Families,
I hope your school year is off to a great start! It’s been great to see students back in the buildings and settling into the daily routines! For the rest of this month, I will be sending out one note each week as part of my Strong Start September communications. This week, I want to talk about one of our OCSU goals for the year, which is to increase our student attendance rates. We know that every day a student is in school is another opportunity to learn, to build on previous learning, participate in what’s happening in the classroom, connect with friends and trusted adults, and get support when it’s needed. Simply put, we want our students in school as much as possible because we want them to get everything they can from their time with us.
Of course, we also know that missed days can add up quickly. Missing just two days a month can mean missing about 10% of the school year. Vermont has a new attendance law that places a greater focus on chronic absenteeism, which is defined as missing 10% or more of school days, whether excused or unexcused. We absolutely have a responsibility to follow the law, but our goal is bigger than compliance. We want to notice concerns earlier, reach out sooner, and work together with families before a few missed days become a bigger concern.
To help us with this, I want to let you know that Danielle Greenwood will be working this year as OCSU’s School-to-Home Coordinator. Danielle will work with students, families, schools, and community partners if attendance becomes a concern. She can help us understand what may be getting in the way, connect families with resources, and bring the right people together to help. We know that sometimes getting to school can be difficult, for all kinds of reasons, and families don’t need to have the problem figured out before reaching out to us. That’s where we can work together.
As we get this school year underway, I’m asking for your partnership. When your child is healthy and able to be at school, we hope you will continue to partner with us and support regular attendance.
Please keep an eye on how many days have been missed and, whenever possible, schedule appointments, trips, and other activities outside of school time. Most importantly, if getting to school is becoming difficult for any reason, please talk with us. The earlier we know, the earlier we can work together to help.
If you’d like to learn more, Attendance Works has helpful information for families about attendance and chronic absence, including their quick 10 Facts About School Attendance resource, which shows how quickly missed days can add up and why regular attendance matters.
Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have questions about Vermont’s new attendance law or the work we are doing here in OCSU, and thank you in advance for your continued partnership as we move through our school year!
Look for another note from me next week as we continue our Strong Start September! Warmly,
Jackie Ramsay-Tolman Your OCSU Superintendent
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Ag8eNZkSZin4feKKdIGxXoujQnwlWrLDO-bmBxUzH3A/edit?tab=t.0
https://www.ocsu.org/page/ocsu-employment-opportunities
LR Spring Chorus Concert
Barton, VT - On Wednesday, April 29th at 7:00 PM the Lake Region Union HS Chorus and Select Chorus will present their Spring concert at the Barton United Church. The concert features folk music from Scotland, England, Ireland, England, Corsica, Croatia, Georgia and Spain. The concert concludes with a set of American civil rights songs. Highlights include "El Vito" from Spain, "O Danny Boy" and "Mairi's Wedding" from Ireland, "Arolo" from Georgia and the traditional spiritual, "We Shall Not Be Moved." Accompanist is Mark Violette and the music director is Dr. Sara Doncaster. Admission is free, but donations will be gratefully accepted in support of the Music Activities Fund. For further information, please call Dr. Sara Doncaster at (802) 754 - 2500 x219 or email at sdoncaster@ocsu.org
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/15c52DMRjl5LzepHVYP_WaA4TS6yskI8E?usp=sharing
A reminder that the next OCSU PTCA meeting is March 24, 2026, at 6pm Lake Region Union High School. Here is the full agenda:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1zlPETCln_4FNPjnUD79HFaZTD-wXr29qsoWhC-4DOEA/edit?usp=sharing
This meeting is immediately following the Lake Region PTCA meeting at 5pm. People are welcome to attend either or both. We hope to see folks there!
Please join us Friday, March 13th for a Free Community Dinner and Movie Night sponsored by the National Honor Society. The film to be screened is Ratatouille, the story of a plucky young rat named Remy who dreams of becoming a chef and his partnership with a restaurant's garbage boy, Alfredo Linguine. Together they work to prove that "Anyone can cook." Doors open at 5:30. This free dinner will include ratatouille, of course, and quiche--two French classics--and linguine alfredo in honor of Remy's best friend and sidekick. The movie will begin at 6:00. The National Honor Society is also sponsoring a bake sale and concessions stand (popcorn!). Proceeds will benefit the Student Resource Center. Please join us for an evening of fun and bring your family.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1NZjKXy5FtwTs0dsVY3L14ky0g9T4LLiPjFRMbKZg23U/edit?usp=sharing
The Lake Region Union Elementary Middle School Board would like to make a few announcements.
ANNUAL MEETINGS: The LRUEMSD Annual School Board Meeting will be on March 9th at Lake Region High School at 6 PM. You can grab a school report at your Town Clerk’s office, town library or on Town Meeting Day for more details. A big change this year has been our move to a sister-school model, and the feedback so far on that change has been mostly positive.
The Lake Region Union High School Annual School Board Meeting will be March 18, also at 6 PM at the high school.
SEATS: The Elementary-Middle School Board has eight elementary-middle school seats that will be up for election on March 9th, so if you or anyone that you know might be interested in joining a school board, there are opportunities available. Four of those seats have incumbents still willing to serve, but we've got vacant seats that need to be filled in Albany, Barton, Orleans and Westmore.
If you might be interested in running, come on out to the March 9th meeting - or if you can't make it, you can also try asking someone else to go and nominate you. Serving on this board is a time commitment of approximately two Monday evenings a month, either in-person or virtually, plus homework time and any meetings for committees that you join. If you're considering this and have questions about what it's like, current board members would be happy to chat with you!
PUBLIC MEETINGS: We’d also like to flag up a couple of big decisions that could come before the voters in the next year.
As our school buildings continue to age, we've been talking about going to the voters for a bond vote to finance building a new elementary-middle school building on the Lake Region High School property. You can read more about this in the Long Term Planning Committee report inside your town report! We'll be scheduling meetings to share information and get your feedback soon, so keep your eyes out for those.
We're also exploring merging the high school and elementary-middle school boards into a single board, with a single budget and single annual meeting. This is a decision that can only be made by voters. We'll also be having public forums to get input on this idea in the coming months.
ACT 73: There are also conversations happening in Montpelier about redistricting on a state-wide level, which could really shape the future of our schools. We're doing our best as a board to respond proactively to Act 73. However, like there was with Act 46, there's going to be a lot that we can't control at this level. So if you're interested in education in Vermont, keep following Act 73 and sharing your thoughts with our representatives in Montpelier.
Tickets will be sold at the door for $5. Concessions and merchandise will be available for purchase to support the theater program and the Barton Theater.
Shows are on February 13, 14, 20, and 21. Doors open at 6:30 p.m., and the show begins at 7:00 p.m. at the Barton Memorial Building.
We hope to see you there! Please reach out to jpastel@ocsu.org for more information.
Due to the extremely cold weather this weekend, the LR Modern Band concert has been rescheduled for Sunday, February 1st, 3:00 PM in the LR Cafeteria. I hope you can attend! Thank you
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1HB6bVL87oreDvTplRzBzaBAu4yZBU31KJE6Q3ld5PfI/edit?tab=t.0
We hope to see everyone there!
