Van Buren County Schools

Van Buren County Schools Families, This is another friendly reminder that the 2020 U.S. Census is still being conducted. You can fill the census out online by going to www.2020census.gov after you receive your invitation.. You may also respond to the mail-in or phone questionnaire. Census data affects every part of our community including funding for our school system! It is extremely important that you participate and accurately respond. You have the power to help our county receive its fair-share of federal funding and resources!

As you know Spring Break is next week, March 30-April 3. The Van Buren County School System will be set up in the following locations on Monday, March 30 from 9:30 AM–11:00 AM: Cedar Grove FD​​​​ Fall Creek Falls FD Piney FD #1​​​​ Rocky River FD #1 Housing Project​​​​ Greenbriar Apartments Bone Cave Community Center Fall Creek Falls Community Center Welchland Baptist Church Each school family is allowed 1 bag of food. This is the ONLY day we will be providing food during Spring Break. We will resume bus delivery on April 6, 2020. Hope you and your family have a safe and healthy Spring Break!!!

Van Buren County Schools will be closed after Spring Break through April 24th. The current plan is for students to return on Monday, April 27th. However, this is subject to change. Yesterday afternoon and today, teachers and staff have been and will be contacting you to determine if you have appropriate internet and technology access where your student is staying. If you do not receive a call by 2:00pm this afternoon please call your child’s school. If you do not reach anyone at the school please leave a message and we will work to get back with you as soon as possible after Spring Break. Beginning the week of April 6th work for students will be distributed online through Google Classroom and by other means as directed by the student’s teachers. All students in 2nd grade through 12th grade have a school email address and G-mail login. If you have trouble accessing this please contact your child’s teacher. All teacher emails are listed on the school websites at www.vanburenschools.org. If you need internet access, three free Wifi hot-spot locations will be in Spencer. The Van Buren County Schools Campus, the public library, and the fairgrounds will all be available during this time to park your car and access the internet if needed. Teachers will be primarily working from home and will be regularly checking their school email. Teachers will hold office hours that you may contact them on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 9:00-11:00am unless they are delivering food, in which case they will be available once they return. You may email teachers at any time with questions or concerns and they will check them during their office hours. Please be patient with our teachers and staff. This is a new adventure for all of us, including them. They are working hard behind the scenes to deliver meals, meet needs, and still help provide learning resources for your students. Please know that we miss all of our students! We hope everyone is staying healthy during this time of uncertainty. Things are changing on a daily basis and we will work to communicate with you as quickly as possible regarding school.

We just wanted to say a huge thank you to all of our faculty and staff who worked so hard to send out food on the bus routes and at the pick up locations! Parents and Families, we understand there were a few glitches today. Thank you for being patient as we navigate through this situation. We have worked to hopefully make Friday’s deliveries go even more smoothly. Our priority will always be our students and we want to ensure they are provided for. If you have any questions or would like to receive food and didn’t, please call the Board of Education central office at (931) 946-2242. Students, be on the lookout Friday morning for our staff handing out food. They plan to wear some spirited and silly outfits! Thank you and GO EAGLES!

This is just a reminder that VBC schools will be will be closed starting tomorrow, March 18 – April 5. Starting tomorrow buses will be delivering breakfast and lunch to their afternoon routes. Buses will leave the school at 9 AM. Meals are available for all children in the home that are 18 and under. This includes children that are not enrolled in school. The person receiving the food needs to be visible so that bus drivers will know to stop. If your child does not ride a bus, and you want to pick up food, we have several locations where food will be available. The pickup locations are as follows: Spencer – Back lobby of High School Piney – Fire Station #1 on Old Highway 111 Cedar Grove – Fire Department Fall Creek Falls – Fire Department Rocky River – Fire Station #1 at foot of mountain Old Cummingsville School – Cane Creek Road (*Added location) Food will be available at these sites from 9:30-10:30 AM. Food will be delivered on the following dates: Wednesday – March 18 Friday – March 20 Monday – March 23 Wednesday – March 25 Friday – March 27 Food will NOT be delivered March 30-April 3. Handouts with educational resources will be given out at each site and will also be available on the school website at vanburenschools.org. Thank you, Cheryl Cole

March 16, 2020 Dear Parents/Guardians, Van Buren County Schools will CLOSED Wednesday, March 18, 2020, and will remain CLOSED until Monday, April 6, 2020. Buses will run their regular routes to deliver breakfast and lunch to any children 18 years of age or under in the household. This will begin Wednesday, March 18th and will be delivered each Monday, Wednesday, and Friday through March 27, 2020. Buses will deliver enough food for two days. They will depart from the back of the high school at 9:00 A.M. Parents who want to pick up food for their children may pick this up at the back of the high school or at the following food distribution locations beginning at 9:30 A.M. on Wednesday, March 18, 2020.: Food Distribution Locations in the County Spencer- Back lobby of High School Piney- Fire Station 1 on Old 111 Cedar Grove- Fire Department Fall Creek Falls- Fire Department Rocky River- Fire Station 1 Food should be at these locations by 9:30 A.M. each day listed and will be available for pickup until 10:30 A.M. Food will not be distributed during our regular Spring Break which is Monday, March 30th through Friday, April 3rd. Thank you, Cheryl Cole Director of Schools

Juniors: the ACT test will still be given as scheduled tomorrow morning. Junior students should report to the Ag. Building promptly by 8:00am. Be sure to get plenty of rest tonight and eat a good breakfast in the morning. We want you to be ready to do your best!

This is a clarification for school activities for tomorrow, Monday March 16th and Tuesday, March 17th. School activities, athletic events, and after-school care will still continue as scheduled. However, beginning Wednesday, March 18th all athletic events, practices, extra-curricular events, and after-school care will cease until further notice.

Van Buren County Schools Families, No one in our school system has tested positive for the COVID-19 coronavirus. As of today, Van Buren County Schools will be open this Monday, March 16th and Tuesday, March 17th. Our schools will then be closed beginning Wednesday, March 18th and will remain closed until Monday, April 6th. During the closure, only employees will be allowed inside the buildings. All extra-curricular activities will cease until further notice. You will be contacted in the coming days to inform you of our future plans for providing services to students and families. You can also check the school websites and Facebook pages for more information.

SES Spring Pictures are tomorrow!

We invite all adults who live in Van Buren Co. to complete the Community Health Survey. The survey link is now on our school website! Results will be used to help in planning future community health projects! There is a $25 gift card drawing each week from submitted surveys!

Van Buren County Schools Families, This is a friendly reminder that the 2020 U.S. Census begins this Thursday, March 12th. You can fill the census out online by going to www.2020census.gov after you receive your invitation between March 12th-20th. You may also respond to the mail-in or phone questionnaire. Census data affects every part of our community including funding for our school system! It is extremely important that you participate and accurately respond. You have the power to help our county receive its fair-share of federal funding and resources.

Our Van Buren County High School and Middle School Baseball Teams are proud to say that they are TOBACCO FREE! #tnstrong #strikeouttobacco

Clarification on Tornado Disaster Relief Collection Drive: If you choose to donate clothing please make sure it is in good condition and separated and labeled by size. Used socks and underwear cannot be accepted - only new unopened packs. An additional request has been made for donations of universal phone chargers. All items must be turned in to one of the drop-off locations by 10:00am tomorrow morning (3/6). Thank you for your help in meeting this great need.

Good evening Van Buren County Schools Family, Yesterday morning, our Upper Cumberland community woke up to learn of the disaster and tragedy that had struck our neighbors in Putnam County. Many of us have connections with those who were directly affected by the loss of homes, belongings, and family. Those of us who don’t still feel the weight of heartache for those involved. Through times of tragedy and need we are reminded why Tennesseans are known as “volunteers” and are proud to show that the people of Van Buren County live up to that title. In an effort to help our friends in Cookeville, a collection drive has been established to gather needed items for those affected. Items that are most needed include toiletries, clothing, baby items, pet items, supplies, and food. A complete list can be found on the flyer posted on the school website and Facebook page. The collection drive with run from today March 4th through Friday March 6th at 10:00am. Items can be dropped off at the high school and at the elementary school. Cash donations are also being accepted. Students can bring any donations with them to school. Donations will be delivered to Cookeville on Friday. Cookeville Regional Medical Center is also in need of blood. Interested individuals may also donate blood this afternoon from 2:00pm to 7:00pm at the bloodmobile that will be set up at 504 Army Camp Road in Spencer. You can register to donate by going to donor.bloodassurance.org. If you have any questions you may call SES at (931) 946-2171 or VBHS at (931) 946-2442. Thank you and have a great evening.

Van Buren County Schools will be two hours late today, Tuesday, March 3rd, 2020 due to the timing of the incoming storm activity.

The girls’ basketball first round region game against Red Boiling Springs will still be held tonight (2/28) at 7:00pm. The boys’ region game will be held tomorrow night (2/29) at 7:00pm against Pickett County. Both games will be hosted at VBHS. Please come out and support our Eagles and Eaglettes!

Van Buren County Schools will be CLOSED today, Friday, February 28th, 2020 due to the winter weather advisory.

Parents and Guardians, This is a reminder that Parent Teacher Conferences will still be held this evening from 3:30pm-7:00pm. There will be no LEAPS after-school care this afternoon.

Van Buren County Schools will be two hours late today, Thursday, February 27th, 2020.