The Junior class recently attended the annual Government Outreach Summit, accompanied by Ms. Cek and Mrs. Metcalf. This event, held at three local colleges in Northwest/Central Pennsylvania, gathers high school students to explore government processes and engage in discussions on current and national issues. Congressman Glenn Thompson, a consistent advocate for education and community involvement, serves as the event’s main speaker each year.
The Oswayo Valley School District is seeking qualified applicants for superintendent. Appointment December 2024. Located in northern PA and encompassing over 125 square miles within parts of Potter and McKean counties, Oswayo Valley SD is a small, rural school district serving 365 students. OV is seeking a collaborative leader with excellent communication skills who will engage with students, staff, and the community. Knowledge of current trends in education and a commitment to fiscal responsibility required.
Building level administrative experience preferred.
Requirements:
• Cover Letter and Resume
• PA Letter of Eligibility
• Transcripts
• Current clearances (Acts 34, 151, 114)
• Three reference letters
Application Deadline: November 15, 2024
This search is being facilitated by Seneca Highlands Intermediate Unit. For additional information, please contact Brock Benson, IU9 Executive Director, at 814-887-5512 or bbenson@iu9.org
Applications should be submitted online at: https://jobs.redroverk12.com/org/IU9/opening/111210
Winter Sports & Bocce Team sign-ups for the 2024 – 2025 school year are now taking place for students in grades 7-12. Please visit www.oswayovalleyathletics.com to sign up.
The last day to sign up is Monday, October 28, 2024. If you have any questions or need assistance signing up, please contact Mrs. Unverdorben at 814-260-1701 ext. 225.
Attention OVES Families:
We want to remind all parents and guardians that participate in vehicle drop off and pick up each day at the elementary school that you are not to pass cars in line. This creates a very dangerous situation for students that are entering and/or exiting personal vehicles or school vans.
In the mornings, please wait in line at the loop near the doors by the music room. At the end of the day, if you are picking your child(ren) up in a vehicle, please line up at the side of the building by the apple orchard. If there is a need for you to park in the loop near the music room at dismissal, do not drive around the school vans.
Our top priority is creating a safe environment for each child in this building. Thank you for working alongside the school to make drop-offs and pick-ups safe and successful. Should you have any questions, please give my office a call at 814-260-1702 or email me at jcaldwell@oswayo.com.
Thank you,
Ms. Jordan Caldwell
Principal
Oswayo Valley Elementary School
The memories we make this year are unforgettable, and what better way to preserve them than with the 2024-2025 OV Yearbook?
Price: $65.08 per book
Exclusive Offer: Save 10% when you order before September 30th!
This is your chance to capture every moment—from sports games to school dances, from classes to candid moments with friends! Don’t miss out on this keepsake of memories you’ll cherish forever.
To Purchase:
Go To: ww.treering.com/validate
Enter the OV Passcode: 1016524680804691
Questions? Contact Ms. Cek at kcek@oswayo.com or Mrs. Norton at jnorton@oswayo.com
Please be advised, the OV cafeterias’ online payment systems have changed. Please review the following instructions on how to add funds to your child’s account electronically. Cash and check payments are also still accepted in each of the cafeterias.
To create your online account, please visit https://www.schoolcafe.com/OswayoValley
If you have any questions or need assistance setting up your child’s School Cafe account, please contact Food Service Director Mrs. Amber Marshall at 814-260-1701.
The Oswayo Valley School District has the following vacancies available:
Full-Time Custodian
Part-Time Instructional Aide
Volleyball Assistant Co-Coach (JH)
Wrestling Assistant Coach
Boys Basketball Assistant Coach (JH)
The District is also searching for substitute employees for the 2024-25 school year in the following areas:
Cafeteria Worker
Custodian
Instructional Aide
Secretary
Teacher
Interested individuals should apply online at www.oswayovalley.com . For any questions or assistance with the application process, please contact Mrs. Christi Stedman in the District Office at 814-260-1700.
Students in grades 7-12 who are participating in a sport, marching band, and/or bocce in the upcoming school year must have a sports physical and impact test prior to participating.
Impact testing will take place on July 17, 18, 23, 24 and August 5 and August 7 at 1:00 p.m. and 2:00 p.m.
The District has contracted with the UPMC Shinglehouse Health Center to provide students with the opportunity of obtaining a sports physical at a cost of $20 per student. Appointments are being scheduled for August 16.
Please contact Mrs. Unverdorben at 814-260-1701 extension 225 to schedule your child’s impact test and/or sports physical.
Please be advised, the PIAA recently made changes to the Comprehensive Initial Pre-Participation Physical Evaluation Form (sports physical packet), including the dates of authorization. In the past, authorization could not be completed before June 1st. That date has been changed to May 1st. This means families are permitted to have their child’s sports physical completed and dated May 1st or later. Please note, due to the changes to the form, old packets will not be accepted. The certification must be on the new form. If your child has a physical scheduled in May and needs an updated packet, please contact Mrs. Unverdorben in the Activities Office, otherwise, packets will be distributed to students later in May. At this time, we do not have a date scheduled for physicals with the school physician, but families will be notified as soon as that information becomes available.
Please see below Oswayo Valley’s proposed Special Education Plan for public review. The Plan will be submitted to the Oswayo Valley School Board of Directors for their approval at their April 2024 meeting.
Hello all,
I hope that everyone has enjoyed their summer! I am very excited to welcome everyone back to a new school year at Oswayo Valley Jr./Sr. High School. We have consolidated our Middle School and High School at the state level, which now classifies us as one school instead of two. The only change you will notice from this is that we changed our official title to Oswayo Valley Junior/Senior High School. As everyone is preparing to return, I’d like to highlight a few items of importance for both parents and students.
First and foremost, OV Jr./Sr. High School would like to start changing some communications to email instead of phone calls, so parents please take a moment to update your contact information in Focus. You can do this yourself at home, call in to the guidance office, or stop in. This will not be immediate, and we will give warning of any changes before they happen, but we want to be prepared for that time.
Over the past few months, we have attended multiple county-wide meetings and found many Potter County Schools are seeing attendance issues since returning from Covid. Because of this, we have all decided to strictly follow the same policies and procedures that we have in place since they reflect the Pennsylvania School Code. Attached, please find 2 files that define and describe all possible types of absences that can occur in a school year and a flow chart of consequences of illegal absences.
Another point of emphasis this year is the use of cellphones and other electronic devices that can connect to each other and/or social media. We have watched these devices become an increasing distraction to student learning and a threat to student safety. Please take a minute to read the attached letter that fully describes why and how we plan to implement a schoolwide ban on these devices. Again, alongside the letter, there is a flow chart attached to help you understand the procedures.
When students come back, they will also notice a few changes to the master schedule. There will be no more flex periods, but rather 9 full periods, each of which run for 40 minutes. Students will still be offered breakfast in the morning, but now they will be allowed to move on to homeroom at 7:45 if they are not eating or if they have finished eating. There are multiple 2-hour delays built into the schedule this year, so please be sure to check the calendar now and plan accordingly for those days.
Please feel free to reach out to me at any point with questions or concerns. I am looking forward to a new year and can’t wait to see everyone soon!
Thank you.
Erich Zaun
Jr./Sr. High School Principal
2023-24 Unexcused Absence Flow
We are excited to announce that Kooth is now available for ALL students ages 11-18! Students under the age of 13 will need parental consent and the parental consent process is now integrated directly into the platform.
Kooth will be offering a series of Parent/Caregiver Webinars for our school families in which Kooth’s Engagement team will introduce Kooth, walk parents through account set up, and answer any questions they might have. We encourage parents to attend one 30 minute session. Listed below are some upcoming sessions. Please click on the link to register for a session.
Thursday, March 16 at 5:00 p.m.
Wednesday, March 22 at 10:00 a.m.
Wednesday, March 22 at 5:00 p.m.
We are pleased to announce our partnership with Kooth, a leading digital mental health platform to provide accessible counseling for students in the Middle/High School. This is in addition to our multi-tiered systems of support.
Students will have immediate access to self-help content, anonymous safe, moderated forums, journaling, goal setting, and therapeutic activities from their smartphones and computers. The app will be available soon for students to download and create an account.
The service has been made available to the district at no cost to students, parents, or the school thanks to a grant funded by the state budget.
Superintendent Jed Hamberger – “We have seen an increase in demand for mental health services since the onset of the pandemic. We have attempted to provide multiple in-person services and are struggling due to a shortage in certified mental health service staff. This is an added layer of support for us to communicate in students’ language through technology with the Kooth platform to address our student and family needs.”
According to CDC data:
• Of American youths aged 12-17, 1 in 3 have persistent feelings of sadness
• 4 in 10 have issues that are going untreated
• and 1 in 6 have made a suicide plan
“For too many young people, counseling has been out of reach and we see them struggling with increasing rates of mental health challenges,” said Kooth US General Manager, Kevin Winters. “Students are facing unique issues, and Kooth knew we needed to create a unique solution. We’re so proud to offer this product to Oswayo Valley School District and other schools across the state of Pennsylvania.”
About Kooth:
Kooth is a leading digital mental health platform. Our mission is to provide accessible and safe spaces for everyone to achieve better mental health. Our platform is clinically robust and accredited to provide a range of therapeutic support and interventions. All our services are predicated on easy access to make early intervention and prevention a reality.
To learn more about Kooth, please visit their website at https://us.kooth.com/
At their August 19, 2022 meeting, the Oswayo Valley School Board of Directors approved the Comprehensive Plan for 30-day public review, Superintendent approved revisions, and submission after 30-day review. To view the Comprehensive Plan, please click on the link below.
At their September 13, 2021, the Oswayo Valley School Board of Directors approved the updated ESSER Health and Safety Plan. To view the plan, please click on the following link.
Please click on the following links for contact information regarding mental health services available for youth and adults.
Potter County Mental Health Services for Youth
Potter County Mental Health Services for Adults
