Orange East Supervisory Union

Dear OESU Community,

As we move through these beautiful September days, we’re enjoying the pleasant weather and the joy that comes with outdoor learning. Across our schools, students are taking hikes, tending to gardens, and diving into hands-on, place-based experiences that enrich both their education and their connection to the natural world.

Here are some highlights from this newsletter:

• Community Discussions & Listening Sessions - Please join us!

• The Future of Our Schools: Redistricting Survey

• Bradford Elementary Tucker Mountain Hike Program Highlight

• Thetford Elementary Super Compost Program Highlight

• River Bend Career and Technical Center Program Highlights

The Vermont Redistricting Task Force will be holding their next meeting at Oxbow High School on October 10, and we want to come to that meeting with a clear sense of your hopes, ideas, and concerns. Please take a few minutes to complete our Redistricting Survey, and consider joining us for one of our Community Discussions and Listening Sessions. Your voice matters.

I am so grateful for the continued partnership of our families, staff, and community members. Together, we support schools where every student’s needs are met, and where a sense of belonging and purpose guides all we do.

Warmly,

Heather Lawler

Superintendent of Schools

Orange East Supervisory Union

Here is the link to the September 16, 2025 Monthly Superintendents Report which was included in the OESU board packet. It includes a legislative update, information about residency requirements, Special Education, McKinney Vento, Curriculum updates, and much more.

Here is a link to the 9/16/2025 OESU Meeting Materials folder which includes 2024-2025 end of year financials and the first financial reports of the year for the SU and for all our schools for 2025-2026. We are striving for full transparency as we look ahead to the 2027 budgets.

The Superintendent and the OESU School Boards invite you to attend an upcoming Act 73 Community Discussion.

We need to hear your thoughts and understand what you want for our schools.

The Vermont Redistricting Task Force will be holding their October 10 meeting at Oxbow High School and we want to be prepared with a full understanding of the communities thinking on this legislation.

Please join us!

Act 73 Community Discussion

Blue Mountain Union School District Board

Monday, September 22, 2025

6:00 PM

Blue Mountain Union School

Act 73 Community Discussion

Oxbow Unified Union School District Board (Bradford, Newbury, Oxbow, & River Bend)

Tuesday, September 23, 2025

6:00 PM

Oxbow Union High School

Act 73 Community Discussion

Waits River Valley School District Board

Wednesday, September 24, 2025

6:00 PM

Waits River Valley School

Act 73 Community Discussion

Thetford Town School District

Tuesday, September 30, 2025

6:00 PM

Thetford Elementary School

Please join us for any of these events.

We will be asking all attendees to complete this survey and invite any interested community member to complete the survey as well. Thank you for your time and participation!

Several OESU staff teamed up with Bradford Elementary School for their all school hike up Tucker Mountain on Thursday 9/18. Bradford Elementary reached out to see if anyone was willing to go on a hike with them to help have enough adults to be able to complete the annual hike the kids love. It was a joyful day with beautiful Vermont late summer weather.

Mae Tucker

Database Manager

Orange East Supervisory Union

Thetford Elementary School works hard to ensure their garden program remains at the forefront of their learning community. All classrooms are assigned a garden bed and conduct seed to bed projects starting in the winter and spring. The variety of seeds that are planted are then used as harvest for their cafeteria program. Fifth and sixth grade students are responsible for composting and this is integrated in their science curriculum. TES as a whole composts their food scraps and completes composting deposits weekly. TES is also a part of the Upper Valley Super Compost Project which is "a nonprofit initiative to bring tailored compost infrastructure to public schools and support the development of cooperative, fully integrated school composting programs

In addition to TES’s robust gardening program, the learning community takes pride in utilizing their outdoor classrooms for hands-on education. On average, classes head outside at least once a week to learn in these spaces, giving students opportunities to explore, spark their curiosity, and strengthen their community building with one another.

Caitlin Toleno, Thetford Elementary Principal

River Bend Career and Technical Center will be hosting a Family Night on Tuesday, September 23 starting at 5:30 PM. Here are some highlights from their programs:

Welding Diversified Agriculture and Natural Resources student Abigail Allen (Oxbow High School) gets ready to do some welding on a moveable cart that will hold pieces of sheet metal at River Bend Career and Technical Center.

Dozer1 Second-year Heavy Equipment Program student Brady Kilduff ( Oxbow High School) works at adjusting and installing a rebuilt hydraulic piston on a bulldozer in his program at River Bend Career and Technical Center.

Dissection2 River Bend Career and Technical Center students from the Level 2 Health Science Program and the Level 2 EMS Program recently participated in an incredible hands-on learning experience. Guest speaker David Pratt brought in 28 dogfish shark specimens for students to dissect. During their dissection, students were able to explore the anatomy of the sharks and, in turn, compare to human anatomy. In this photo, Health Science students Sonya McFarland (left, Oxbow High School) and Mazie Bourgeois (right, Oxbow High School) work with guest speaker David Pratt as they identify body systems in their specimen.

Bob Jones

Outreach Coordinator

River Bend Career and Technical Center

Monday, September 22 Blue Mountain Union School District Community Discussion @ 6:00 PM

Tuesday, September 23 Oxbow Unified Union School District Community Discussion @ 6:00 PM

Wednesday, September 24 River Bend Career & Technical Center Family Night at 5:30 PM

Wednesday, September 24 Waits River Valley School District Community Discussion @ 6:00 PM

Tuesday, September 30 Thetford Town School District Community Discussion @ 6:00 PM

Wednesday, October 1 Blue Mountain Union School District (BMUSD) Board Meeting @ 6:00PM

Friday, October 10 No School Teacher In-Service Day

Friday, October 10 Vermont Redistricting Task Force Meeting to be held at Oxbow High School

Monday, October 13 No School Indigenous People's Day

Full Calendars are available on the OESU website at https://www.oesu.org/calendars.

Orange East Supervisory Union (OESU) is located in the beautiful Upper Valley of the Connecticut River, The Central Office is located in Bradford, Vermont. The SU includes Blue Mountain Union School, Bradford Elementary School, Newbury Elementary School, Oxbow Middle High School, Riverbend Career and Technical Center, Thetford Elementary School, and Waits River Valley School. The Supervisory Union proudly serves and connects the towns of Bradford, Newbury, Corinth, Groton, Ryegate, Thetford, Topsham, Wells River and local tuition towns. We all work together to support student learning and improve educational outcomes.

Orange East Supervisory Union

64 Main Street

Bradford, Vermont

(802) 222-5216