You've got to See this Video!

Take a few minutes to watch this video edited and directed by 11th grader, Benjamin Vidlak, about Scottsbluff High School in Nebraska.  Learning at Scottsbluff High takes place in career academies where learning is supported by modern technology and state of the art equipment.  That's the vision we have for the proposed Valley Unified Comprehensive, Integrated School.  To access the video, click here or on the image below.  Then, just imagine the opportunities our young people would be afforded at a school like this.  Enjoy!

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Just Imagine!

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Take a few minutes to watch a compelling video about the Pathways Innovation Center in Casper, Wyoming.  To access the video, click here or on the image below.  Then, imagine a similar video someday featuring the proposed Valley Unified Comprehensive, Integrated School.

We have the opportunity to build and have a school like this in the Upper St. John Valley.  Just imagine!                                                                                                           

You've Got to Watch This Video Created by Learners in the Madawaska Elementary School Project RISE!

Take a few minutes to watch this entirely learner-created video of Madawaska Elementary School Project RISE participants describing their experiences in this personalized learning environment.  To access the video, click here or on the image below.  Enjoy!

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Valley Unified Gets a Mention on Maine Department of Education Facebook Page

Maine Commissioner of Education, Pender Makin, not only likes the Valley Unified Regional Service Center Facebook page; she also saw to it that Valley Unified was mentioned on the Maine DOE Facebook page after her March 12 visit to the Upper St. John Valley.  To read and hear what is featured there about our work, click here or on the image below.

Fiddlehead Focus Article on March 12 Valley Unified Board Meeting

Take a few minutes to read Jessica Potila's March 14 article in the Fiddlehead Focus concerning the March 12 meeting of the Valley Unified Board of Directors.

The piece features comments made by Maine Commissioner of Education, Pender Makin (who was in attendance) regarding our regional efforts at collaboration innovation and includes information about the results of focus groups conducted with 220 Upper St. John Valley students concerning the proposed Valley Unified Regional Educational Facility.  To access the article, click here or on the image below.  #valleyunified

You've Got to See This Virtual Tour of Sanford High School and Regional Technical Center

Take a few minutes to watch a virtual tour of Sanford High School and Regional Technical Center, an integrated educational facility and Maine's newest school building.  Then, just imagine the possibilities and opportunities the proposed Valley Unified Educational Facility presents for learners in the Upper St. John Valley.  To view the video, click here or on the image (a photo courtesy of Morgan Mitchell, Bangor Daily News) below.

Maine's Commissioner of Education Visits Valley Schools and Meets with Valley Unified Officials

Newly appointed Maine Commissioner of Education, Pender Makin, visited Aroostook County this week and spent Tuesday afternoon and evening visiting St. John Valley schools and meeting with Valley Unified school officials.  

Of the visit, Valley Superintendents Lisa Bernier of MSAD #33, Gisele Dionne of the Madawaska School Department, and Ben Sirois of MSAD #27 said: "We are pleased Commissioner Makin chose to travel to the St. John Valley and Aroostook County so early in her tenure with the Maine Department of Education.  Her visit to the St. John Valley, in particular, clearly indicates the interest, excitement, and enthusiasm that has been generated in Augusta for the collaborative and innovative work we are doing through the St. John Valley Regional Service Center."

For more details on how the Commissioner spent her time with us, click here or on the image below.

Learners Weigh In on Proposed Valley Unified Regional School

In fourteen separate focus groups conducted with a total of 220 learners in grades 6-12 from each of the three School Administrative Units (Madawaska School Department, MSAD #33, and MSAD #27) between late September, 2018 and early February, 2019, young people shared their views, thoughts, and opinions concerning the proposed Valley Unified Regional Educational Facility.

All learners who participated in the focus groups are to be commended for engaging and investing in these discussions in a respectful, responsible manner and for their thoughtful and honest responses to the questions posed during each session.  They did an awesome job sharing their views and hearing the opinions of others.  In the process, they have given all of us lots to think about.

An overview of the summary results of the focus groups was shared with the Valley Unified Board Board of Directors at their March 12 meeting.  To examine the complete summary, click here or on the image below.  Make special note of learners' thoughts on location (Question 2), the summary of opportunities/advantages and challenges/disadvantages presented by this opportunity (Questions 3 and 4), and how they would vote relative to construction of the proposed school (Question 6).

Follow Us On Twitter

We're now on Twitter too!  Help us spread the word about all the exciting happenings across the Valley Unified Regional Service Center.  To follow us on Twitter, click here or on the image below.  Be sure to retweet our messages so your followers can learn about us too.

Like us On Facebook!

We now have a Facebook page.  Help us get the word out about the exciting things happening in the Valley Unified Regional Service Center.  To like us on Facebook, click here or on the image below.  Please also share our posts with your friends and invite them to like us too.  

Learn About WBRC Engineering and Architectural Firm and Their Qualifications

To learn more about WBRC -- the Bangor-based Engineering and Architectural firm selected by the Valley Unified Board of Directors and approved by the Maine Department of Education to conduct a comprehensive search for a site upon which to construct the proposed Valley Unified Regional Educational Facility, click here or on the image below.  Information about the firm's site selection process can be found on pages 106-107.  We recommend scrolling through the document to those pages as doing so will afford you the opportunity to view photos that capture and illustrate exciting school design concepts.  As you scan these photos, just imagine the possibilities!

Just Imagine

Just imagine a school constructed in a manner and equipped with what is necessary to support career academies where young people study the core subjects of English/Language Arts, Math, Science, Social Studies, Visual and Performing Arts, World Languages, Health, and Personal Fitness & Wellness while also:

• pursuing integrated learning opportunities aligned to a variety of high school Career and Technical Education programs;
• accessing a host of post-secondary Early College courses and certificate programs;
• preparing, with the support and guidance of community-based employers, to participate in job shadow and credit-bearing internship experiences; and 
• earning industry-recognized credentials tied to careers that interest them.

Imagine all that happening under one roof and all while learners are working to earn high school diplomas.  

At the Valley Unified Regional Service Center, that's what we dare to imagine when we think about the proposed comprehensive, integrated Valley Unified Regional Educational Facility.  To discover more about the potential career academies and possible career-focused learning opportunities we envision, click here or on the image below.  Let us know what you think.

Valley Unified Board of Directors Selects Firm to Conduct Site Search

Take a few moments to read Morgan Mitchell's article on the selection of WBRC, a Bangor-based Engineering and Architectural firm, to conduct a Valley-wide search for a site upon which to construct the proposed Valley Unified Educational Facility click here.  For information on other Valley Unified business, click on the links embedded in the article.

6th Meeting of the Valley Unified Board of Directors - Tuesday, March 12

The Valley Unified Board of Directors will meet at the Fort Kent Community High School Library on Tuesday, March 12, 2019 at 6:00pm. 

Click on the image above for a larger view of the agenda. 

Why Valley Unified - Part 2

During the 4th meeting of the Valley Unified Board of Directors meeting in Frenchville on Wednesday, February 6, 2019, Executive Director, Benjamin Sirois presented yet another reminder of why we have formed Valley Unified Regional Service Center. 

 

Click on the image for the presentation slides.

Valley Unified Professional Development Day - March 1, 2019

During the second Valley Unified Professional Development day of the school year, all staff and personnel from MSAD33, MSAD27, and the Madawaska School Department met at the Madawaska Middle/High School for a day full of mandatory training, professional development opportunities, and collaboration.

Thank you to the Madawaska Middle/High School staff for accommodating everyone durning this day.  Also, thank you to Mrs. Sharon Chasse,  Mr. Peter Caron, Mr. Paul Chasse, and Mr. Peter Saucier for organizing training and PD opportunities for the day and helping with the workshop details.  Thank you also to Mrs. Melanie Lagasse and the cafeteria crew for preparing today's lunch.  Finally, thank you for all those educators and professionals who helped deliver PD and training sessions all day long!

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