More of the "New Possible"

Did you know ...

• Manufacturing has been identified as a high-demand occupational and career sector in our state by Educate Maine.

• The National Association of Manufacturers reports that the U.S. manufacturing industry is currently faced with filling 2.6 million jobs that will soon be vacated by retirees.

• Local manufacturer, Twin Rivers Paper Company in Madawaska, is a business partner in our proposed comprehensive, integrated 7-16 regional school project.

• We could more effectively align core academic expectations with the applied technical learning in current and future programs at the St. John Valley Technology Center, if all our region's high school educators had the opportunity to form a single team focused on the design and delivery of integrated programming under one roof.

• We could more effectively address the workforce development needs of local employers like Twin Rivers, if we could provide equal access to career-focused learning, beginning in 9th grade, for all Upper St. John Valley students on a single campus. 

The proposed Valley Unified Regional School represents the "new possible" for the students, educators, employers, businesses, citizens, and communities of the Upper St. John Valley. 

To consider an industrial/technical example of this "new possible", click here or on the image below to view sample content from a potential Manufacturing Pathway Program of Study.

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Valley Unified Alternative Schooling Report

One of our commitments at Valley Unified is to provide a broad range of educational opportunities for learners across our region, including Alternative Schooling.  

Alternative Schooling is an educational model designed to accommodate those needs and interests of students that are not being and/or cannot be addressed through their sending school school's current curriculum and programs.

To date, nearly 60 learners from Community High School in Fort Kent, Madawaska High School, and Wisdom High School are participating or are registered to participate in Alternative Schooling learning opportunities, including TOPS Academy, Hybrid Learning, SELECTIVES Blended Learning, and Credit/Standards Recovery.

To review the Valley Unified Alternative Schooling Enrollment Report for the first quarter of the 2019-2020 school year, click here or the image below.

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Valley Unified Schools on a 2-Hour Delay: Tuesday, November 19, 2019

With some reports of mixed precipitation in the region, we have decided to delay the start of the school day by two hours to allow for the road crews to get out and make sure the morning commute is safe.  Please expect buses to arrive approximately 2 hours later than they usually do for student pickup. The school day will begin at 10:00am.  There will be no morning PreK. 

5th Strategic Plan Progress Report

In 2017, MSAD #33, MSAD #27, and the Madawaska School Department adopted a Tri-District Strategic Plan which serves as a key focal point of our activities and efforts at collaboration, innovation, and personalization of learning across the Valley Unified Education Service Center and in our schools.  

In order to move our strategic plan forward, we continually monitor our progress at implementing the eight priorities included in the plan and report this progress to the citizens of the Upper St. John Valley on a quarterly basis.  

While there is still lots of work to do and some distance to go, we are making headway.  To review our 5th Strategic Plan Progress Report, click here or on the image below.  

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Valley Unified Schools Closed Today: Tuesday, November 12, 2019

All Valley Unified Schools are closed today, Tuesday, November 12, 2019 due to inclement weather conditions that are expected to last the entire day.  If you must travel today, please do so safely.

The "New Possible"

The proposed Valley Unified Regional School represents opportunities and outcomes
we will not be able to achieve, in an equitable, cost-effective manner, while maintaining three separate middle/high schools. 

It represents equal access to a broader range of high-quality learning opportunities and student activities for all learners in the Upper St. John Valley -- all under one roof on a single campus.

It represents opportunities for our students to enroll in career pathway academies where they study core subjects and engage in a host of related programs and activities aimed at preparing them for specific jobs and careers linked to the workforce development needs of our local employers and the economic development needs of our communities.

It represents the opportunity for the educators from our three current middle/high schools and the St. John Valley Technology Center to form one team with shared responsibility for facilitating interconnected coursework, student activities, work/career training activities, and technology skills.

The proposed Valley Unified Regional School represents the "new possible" for the students, teachers, employers, businesses, citizens, and communities of the Upper St. John Valley region.

To consider just just one example of this "new possible", click here or on the image below to view sample content from a potential Health Science Pathway Program of Study.

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