Orange East Supervisory Union

Dear OESU Community,

Tuesday, September 22nd, marks the Autumn Equinox bringing crisp morning air and a wonderful season for outdoor learning across our campuses. School is in full swing, and our buildings are filled with energy and learning. Here are some highlights in this newsletter:

• Portrait of a Learner: Our district-wide work continues this year as students, staff, and community members collaborate to define the vision, core competencies, and future for our graduates.

• Agriculture Education at the Tunbridge Fair: A huge congratulations to our students from Waits River Valley, Thetford Elementary, and Bradford Elementary who represented us so well and took home top honors at Agriculture Education Day!

• Oxbow & BES Reading Buddies: A inspiring cross-school collaboration where high school students shared literature and built connection with our elementary readers.

Connecting with our community remains a top priority. Below, you will find schedule details and links for upcoming Board meetings, public meeting minutes, and links to the official Facebook pages for all of our OESU schools so you can stay updated on daily classroom achievements.

Thank you to our students, educators, families, and community members for making the start of this school year so dynamic. I encourage everyone to get outside, enjoy the beautiful autumn weather, and celebrate the incredible work happening in our schools every day.

Warmly,

Heather Lawler

Superintendent of Schools

On Thursday, September 17, students across Orange East Supervisory Union celebrated Agriculture Education Day with a trip to the Tunbridge World’s Fair! Students from Waits River Valley School (Grades K–8), Thetford Elementary School (Grades 3–4), and Bradford Elementary School (Grades 3–5) spent a day immersed in local agriculture, hands-on learning, and community traditions.

Our students proudly entered a variety of agricultural, baking, and artistic projects and came home with an impressive stack of ribbons!

Working alongside Shayne Brunet, Farm to School Coordinator, 5th graders prepared for the fair by baking delicious muffins, harvesting fresh garden vegetables for their market basket, and entering a class pumpkin. Using produce picked straight from the BES gardens, small student groups created impressive vegetable scenes depicting moments from Gary Paulsen's novel Hatchet. The students were thrilled to spend the day exploring the fairgrounds and celebrating their hard-earned ribbons!

"A huge thank you to all of our wonderful volunteers who joined 3rd grade at the Tunbridge Fair this year! We had such a fun day exploring the schoolhouse, cheering on a classmate who was competing, and checking out our beautiful sunflowers. The kids loved trying fresh apple cider and yogurt and enjoying the yummy milk provided. We truly appreciate you taking the time to make the day so special!"

Congratulations to all of our talented, hardworking students and dedicated staff for representing our schools so well!

Over the past year, OESU students, staff, families, and community members came together to identify our core educational values. After analyzing hundreds of survey responses, meeting notes, and student writing samples, four central pillars emerged: Academic Proficiency, Global Citizenship, Creative Innovation, and Personal Responsibility. As one student noted during our discussions, these values must guide everyone across our district—students and staff alike.

This week, collaborative teams of students and educators across all OESU schools began defining what those four values look like in our classrooms every day, and building a roadmap to bring them to life. Teams from every school in the supervisory union will gather this Thursday at the OESU Central Office in Bradford to launch this next phase together.

This fall the Personal Anthology class at Oxbow High School explored what it means to be human by collecting, creating, and reflecting on writing connected to real emotions and experiences. As part of this work, high school juniors and seniors recently traveled to Bradford Elementary School for a special "Reading Buddy" day.

The visit offered high schoolers a unique opportunity to fostering a love of reading in our younger students. The elementary students welcomed their older buddies into the classrooms, where they spent time reading together, sharing stories, and building connections across grade levels.

A huge thank you to Ms. Ditcheos and her Oxbow students for visiting and making this collaboration such a memorable experience for Bradford Elementary!

• Tuesday, September 22 - First Day of Autumn & Picture Day at Oxbow
• Tuesday, September 22 - River Bend Regional Advisory Board Meeting 5:30 PM
• Wednesday, September 23 - Picture Day at WRVS
• Wednesday, September 30 - 1/2 day for students
• Wednesday, October 7, 2026 - Blue Mountain Union Board Meeting 6:00 PM
• Friday, October 9, 2026 - Staff Inservice - no school
• Monday, October 12, 2026 - Indigenous Peoples Day - no school
• Tuesday, October 13, 2026 - Thetford Town School Board Meeting 6:00 PM
• Wednesday, October 14, 2026 - Oxbow Unified Union Board Meeting 5:30 PM
• Thursday, October 15, 2026 - Waits River Valley Board Meeting 6:00 PM
• Tuesday, October 20, 2026 - Orange East Supervisory Union Board Meeting 6:00 PM

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

Orange East Schools are on Facebook! Follow us!

Blue Mountain Union is on Facebook

Bradford Elementary is on Facebook

Here is the BES Family Newsletter

Newbury Elementary School is on Facebook

Oxbow Middle High is on Facebook

River Bend is on Facebook

Thetford Elementary is on Facebook

Waits River Valley School is on Facebook

Here is the Waits River Valley Newsletter

OESU is on Facebook

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, River Bend 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 South Main Street

Bradford, Vermont

(802) 222-5216