Look on youtube.com for all the live streamed recordings of the music concerts for the High School, Middle School and the Elementary School. The recordings are available to watch on the Oley Valley School District YouTube channel at any time. We have some very talented students in Oley Valley!

Skip the cash! Pay school fees online

To help ensure the health and safety of all our students and staff, we ask that parents please consider paying for their student’s school fee online through MySchoolBucks. This will help minimize the amount of cash/check deposits that need to be handled throughout the day, which allows us to focus on keeping your student safe.

Create your free MySchoolBucks account to conveniently and securely pay for your student’s fees online or with the mobile app. With MySchoolBucks you’ll also be able to quickly browse school items in our School Store, be notified when fees are due, and make payments from anywhere!

Get Started Today:

1. Go to myschoolbucks.com or download the mobile app
2. Create your free account and add your students using their school name / student ID. There will be a 4.95% transaction fee applied.
3. Add school items or invoices to your cart
4. Check out using your credit / debit card or electronic check
   A program fee may apply.

If you need assistance with your account, you can find helpful how-to videos and answers to commonly asked questions by visiting myschoolbucks.com. Or, you can contact MySchoolBucks directly by logging into your account to start a chat conversation or give them a call at (855) 832-5226.

Oley Valley School District has new items and fees available online in MySchoolBucks!

You can now pay for items such as Field Trips/Laptop Fees through your MySchoolBucks.com account. THERE IS A 4.95% TRANSACTION FEE APPLIED FOR ONLINE PAYMENTS.

· Log in to MySchoolBucks.com or create a free account

· Click School Store at the top of the page and select Browse All Items

· Choose the Store Item and add it to your cart

· Check out!

Visit MySchoolBucks.com

Facebook: http://facebook.com/OleyValleyES/
Twitter: @ElemOley

The Oley Valley Elementary School hosted our annual Family Math and Reading Night on Thursday, November 3rd. This year, we welcomed the Forgotten Friend Reptile Sanctuary. The presentation was educational and a great show for all ages! Did you know the hognose snake plays dead when threatened? We got to practice! At the end of the engaging show, students and families were also able to form a line to pet a snake and meet a tortoise. What a great experience! Check them out at https://forgottenfriend.org/ .

OVES families also “hopped” into the cafeteria for reptile themed math and reading stations and craft activities. Students guessed books with emoji clues, created their own paper snake and turtle, built 3D shapes and created Tangram animals.

To join the reptile theme of the evening, we had a unique guest visit our Scholastic Book Fair. The special guest was Change-Up, the turtle mascot from the Reading Fightin’ Phils. Change-Up took pictures, helped families shop, and was such a fun addition to our special night!

A special thank you goes out to the parents and volunteers who made the Fall Book Fair and gift basket raffle possible. The Fall Book Fair was a resounding success! We are already looking forward to the schoolwide Spring Book Fair event. Thank you to the OVES community and PTO for all your continued support!

Facebook: http://facebook.com/OleyValleyMS/
Twitter: @OleyMS

Shown below are the Aevidum club members and the signs they made to celebrate Red Ribbon Week at the Middle School.

The following students are pictured:

Karis Wamsher

Olivia Milas

Fynn McCulley

Aubrey Kieffer

Carly Mich

Madisyn Yost

Facebook: http://facebook.com/oleyvalleyHS/
Twitter: @OleyValleyHS

Oley Valley FFA made the trip to Indianapolis, Indiana to attend the 95th

National FFA Convention with nine competing members and twenty-five members

total! To be able to compete at the National Convention, members had to win their

career or leadership development event at the State level. Pennsylvania held its

convention this past June, so all the winners from Oley Valley FFA worked diligently

to be successful at the National Convention! Jay Houp (Senior), Wesley Hoffman

(Sophomore), John Allmendinger (Sophomore), and Cole Peifer (Sophomore) were

the Pennsylvania State winners in Forestry and gladly took on the challenge of

Nationals! The team placed 11th overall! Our Food Science Team, which consisted

of Lilly Hetrick (Senior), Kendall Rohrbach (Oley Graduate), Addison Arrowsmith

(Oley Graduate), and Sarah Berger (Oley Graduate), were also excited to place 11th

in the Nation! To put the icing on the cake, Lilly received 8th overall individual and

Kendall placed 11th overall individual! The two will both receive $400 cash for their

placing! Leah Walters competed in the FFA Creed Speaking Leadership Development

Event and received a Bronze Medal Placing! Leah was also Oley's first-ever state

champion Creed Speaker! To compete in the public speaking competition at

Nationals, Leah had to advance through multiple levels of competition to make it to

the state level, then Nationals! Oley also had the honor of having three Oley

Graduates receive their American degrees, the highest degree you can achieve in

FFA! Grace Prout, Haley Weidman, and Rebecca Kugler all had the honor to receive

their American Degrees! To say Oley FFA is proud of these members is an

understatement. These members have put forth so much effort, dedication, and

challenged themselves to become a better version of themselves! It will be amazing

to see where these outstanding members go!

On the trip there, the chapter stopped at the National Air Force Museum in

Dayton, Ohio! The members were able to walk through time as they saw everything

from WWI planes to space shuttles! On Wednesday, the second day of the trip, all

of our teams and individuals were competing and the other members could get a

head start at the FFA Shopping Mall, Mega Store, and Career Expo Center! Later

on, the chapter went to the Creed Speaking Awards Banquet where Leah received

her Bronze Medal! The next day, all members went back to the convention where

they explored more careers and purchased lots of goodies! That night, the Food

Science and Forestry team both had banquets and received their placings, and later

on, the chapter attended a concert where they saw Mickey Guyton and Russell

Dickerson! On Friday, the chapter took a tour and saw what Indianapolis had to

offer! The members were not disappointed as they went to Horseshoe Indianapolis,

a renowned thoroughbred and quarter-horse racetrack. Students were shown how

they maintain the racetrack, and everyone's favorite part, visiting the horses! After

a short drive, the chapter arrived at the Indianapolis 500! A tour bus took them

around the speedway and to the bricks! Everyone was down to kiss the bricks, as

many race winners had before them! They ventured into the museum and saw older

cars, engines, and galleries of famous racetrack drivers! To finish the day, the

members ventured to the CINCH World's Toughest Rodeo, where they saw

bareback bronc, saddle bronc riding, and bull riding! Everyone was amazed by the

talent shown and will never forget the sights they saw! On Saturday, everyone was

packed on the bus and ready to go, and three members donned their official dress

for the last time. The whole chapter made their way into the Convention Center one

last time to watch Grace, Haley, and Rebecca receive their degrees, and then, they

were off to find their way back to Oley, PA!

All the members that went will never forget the sights they saw and the

memories they made. Oley FFA had an outstanding year, and they hope to be back

at Nationals again next year competing!

- Leah Walters

The Oley Valley High School hosted for the first time a Health Career Expo where our students were exposed to possible career choices. The health care community was well represented by over 20 established professionals who donated their time to expose our children to career pathways. This dynamic night has lead to job shadowing opportunities, and for students to explore options that they may not have previously been exposed to prior to this event.

November 1st is the day that the Mexican people honor their deceased loved ones on Día de los Muertos. Spanish 4 students wrote biographies, built ofrendas and did classroom presentations to commemorate the lives of people whom they admired. Allison Hassler - Masha Amini, Tetje Williamson - Socrates, Benjamin Levengood - Stephen Grim (grandfather) Jaden Kelly - Bill Russell, Chase Rubendall - Kenneth Kistler (adopted grandfather)

For the third year, Oley Valley High School in Pennsylvania is offering its students veterinary technician courses as part of its agricultural program – and Kerrie Yost, a supervisor at VCA Sinking Spring Animal Hospital in Reading, PA is a major contributor to their success.

Yost is a graduate of Oley Valley High School. Jeremy Deysher, who teaches the veterinary technician courses, was Yost's agricultural science teacher. He reached out to her for help.

"I want to give Kerrie credit for helping me develop the curriculum," Deysher says. "She's an asset to the program."

Yost, who is finishing up college coursework to receive her degree and veterinary technician credential, says VCA Sinking Spring donated supplies "and I helped set up their classroom to make it look like an exam room.”

Volunteering for Hands-on Lessons

Oley Valley High School's Vet Tech A and Vet Tech B courses provide students hands-on experience with animals. Students learn about everything from animal behavior and handling to anatomy and diseases.

On her days off, Yost has brought in her dog or cat to show students how to perform exams. "I demonstrate how injections are given and blood is drawn under veterinarian supervision, and other skills like bandaging and grooming," she says.

Kendra Barlet, a junior at Oley Valley High School, was already interested in becoming a veterinary technician before taking the course. Yost's participation increased her interest.

"Kerrie helped me understand parasites and how to do a physical on a cat and dog," Barlet says. "She also helped me understand the practicums for the FFA's Veterinary Science CDE (Career Development Event), such as handling cats and filling a prescription."

Yost's favorite part of helping with the course is "being able to share my knowledge with students that are hopefully looking to get into the career," she says.

She hopes Oley Valley High School students will be able to take a field trip to VCA Sinking Spring and tour the hospital. "That way, they can get their foot in the door and see if it’s actually something they want to pursue for college," she says.

Yost also helps ensure the classroom animals stay healthy. Deysher says that if there's a problem with one of the animals, Yost will take a picture of it to show a veterinarian at VCA Sinking Spring.

When the classroom guinea pig developed a mammary gland tumor, Dr. Nicole Barnett, co-medical director of the hospital, volunteered her time to remove it. Yost videotaped the surgery so the students could observe the process. When the guinea pig later developed a tumor in his abdomen, Dr. Barnett once again donated her services and removed it.

Helping Helpless Animals

Like many people working in the veterinary field, Yost's career choice was inspired by her love of animals. "Being able to help helpless animals and seeing them get better" is what inspires her, she says.

However, Yost notes that people looking into a veterinary career should be aware that it's not all about the animals. "It's your relationship with the pet owners as well," she says. "Just because you love animals, you have to think about their owners, too. There's a lot of client communication and education needed."

“Whether you really like surgery, diagnostic imaging, dentistry or emergency medicine, the possibilities are endless. You can find your niche and what part of veterinary medicine speaks to you the most. ”

'A Wonderful Career Path'

Veterinary technicians are crucial members of an animal hospital team. They provide expert care and perform essential duties such as assisting with surgeries and administering advanced procedures.

For anyone thinking about becoming a veterinary technician, Carolyn Spivock, RVT, director of veterinary technician and assistant development at VCA, offers some advice.

"I would recommend exploring veterinary medicine and looking at it through a compassionate-care lens," she says. "It helps you think about how you can support the patients, collaborate with the doctors and educate clients as a credentialed veterinary technician.”

There are many different areas in which to get involved and find an area of medicine that inspires you, Spivock says. "Whether you really like surgery, diagnostic imaging, dentistry or emergency medicine, the possibilities are endless," she adds. "You can find your niche and what part of veterinary medicine speaks to you the most. There are a variety of different opportunities and career paths to take."

The employment of veterinary technicians is expected to grow 20% over the next nine years, the U.S. Department of Labor Statistics forecasts. This is a much higher growth rate than for other occupations.

There’s a strong need for talent in the veterinary technician field, Spivock says. "It's a growing profession, and the more awareness there is about what a veterinary technician contributes to the hospital team, the commitment it takes and the opportunities available, I am hopeful it will attract more individuals to the industry,” she says. “I think programs like Kerrie is supporting will help to do that. It’s a wonderful career you don't have to do on your way to becoming a veterinarian. It’s a complete career path in and of itself."

The requirements for becoming a veterinary technician vary by state, but according to the American Veterinary Medical Association, it generally involves obtaining an associate’s or bachelor’s degree in college, passing a credentialing exam, and completing ongoing continuing education courses.

VCA is committed to ensuring that veterinary technicians in our hospitals and the industry can practice at the top of their credentials and take advantage of opportunities to advance their careers.

Finding a Future

To encourage young people interested in veterinary medicine, earlier this year VCA partnered with Vet Set Go, a web community dedicated to helping elementary, middle and high school students explore this field. The partnership will provide students with opportunities including hands-on learning and shadowing veterinary professionals.

As for Oley Valley High School junior Barlet, she is now planning to go to college and become a veterinary technician. She believes every school should have a veterinary technician course. "I’m glad I had the opportunity to take a class like this and find my future," she says.

Is veterinary medicine calling to you? A career in veterinary medicine is full of possibilities and opportunities to continue to learn and grow. Explore the vast array of opportunities in veterinary medicine by visiting the VCA Careers site.

Sometimes you’ll be given a problem and you’ll work halfway through it, and then it's like, this is terrible. You’ve got to scrap the whole thing and try again. And as frustrating as that is, I do enjoy that process. You’re finding a solution to something and testing it.

Kit Jackson '24 could never wait to get started.

In high school, he earned college-level credit through Project Lead the Way — which certifies teachers to lead college-level STEM classes for high school students — and by taking classes at a local community college. It was enough to earn Jackson an associate's degree along with his high school diploma.

Just a few weeks later, he plunged headfirst into his engineering experience at Bucknell.

Jackson was among the first class of incoming students to take part in Engineering EXCELerator, a five-week program that invites students to join team-based design projects, train on makerspace tools and take introductory coursework the summer before their first semester. Funded by donor partners and open to students from all backgrounds, the endowed program offers a foundational engineering experience at no cost to students.

As he built a miniature car powered by unconventional chemical reactions and designed prototypes with advanced fabrication tools, Jackson found himself immersed in the sorts of experiences that have long drawn him to engineering — building and testing, sometimes failing, but usually moving toward a solution, even when it's not a straight line from A to B.

"Sometimes you'll be given a problem and you'll work halfway through it, and then it's like, this is terrible," Jackson says. "You've got to scrap the whole thing and try again. And as frustrating as that is, I do enjoy that process. You’re finding a solution to something and testing it."

A few semesters on, Jackson has continued pursuing solutions to vexing problems. He's helped computer science professors explore new ways of implementing virtual reality in their classrooms and is now at work developing technology to help biology professors learn more about a little-understood aquatic creature — one that resides just a few blocks from Bucknell at the bottom of the Susquehanna River.

Move a Mussel

Freshwater bivalves, or river mussels, have a chewy consistency and lack the culinary appeal of their ocean-dwelling cousins. Because of this, Jackson says few have paid much attention to them — scientists aren't even exactly sure how they move around.

Together with engineering professors Stewart Thomas, electrical & computer engineering, and Alan Marchiori, computer science and electrical & computer engineering, as well as Professor Elizabeth Capaldi, biology and animal behavior, Jackson is developing a sensor that can be attached to the side of a river mussel's shell. Combining parts commonly found in smartphones such as a gyroscope and accelerometer with wireless transmitting capabilities, the device could one day shed new light on the ecology of Bucknell's own backyard, Jackson says.

Jackson says that day is years down the road, but the possibility of tangible results still entices him. He says it's a big part of why he chose to major in computer science & engineering.

"A lot of people just do computer science, you know, become analysts at companies dealing with data, which is just not really something I was looking to do," he says. "I want to be looking at a problem and trying to figure out how to fix it using computer science. Computer science & engineering allows me to do that. I can see a problem and learn how to think like an engineer and work through those processes, instead of just writing code."

Jackson now knows that his next step will involve work with a purpose that's personally meaningful for him. Following a lead from the College of Engineering, Jackson has earned admission to the Department of Defense's Science, Mathematics, and Research for Transformation (SMART) Scholarship-for-Service Program, which will fund his Bucknell education in full and provide him a job at the DEVCOM Army Research Laboratory at Aberdeen Proving Ground in Aberdeen, Md., following his graduation.

"I'd always had the desire to serve my country in some way," Jackson says. "Being able to work for the government in cybersecurity or something like that was something I'd always really wanted to do. This offered me the ability to stay at Bucknell and then also have a job when I graduate in the field that I wanted to work for."

Help at Every Turn

Once Jackson decided what he wanted to pursue, he found another helping hand at Bucknell. Besides learning about the opportunity through his college, Jackson found expert guidance in preparing his SMART application in Bucknell's Center for Career Advancement.

"They helped me with the application," Jackson says. "There was a certain letter I needed that I had never heard of before. They were like, 'Oh, yeah, we know exactly what that is. Here's a packet about how to write it.' "

Thanks to the experience he's gained at Bucknell, Jackson says he feels secure about his next steps. In his career with the army, Jackson anticipates enjoying the same iterative, experimental cycle of finding a solution by trying and testing that has captivated his attention in his engineering classes and research.

"[In the army] there are all these sensors and technologies that are implemented in the field — on planes and with soldiers and everything. And if there's ever an issue, it comes back to us, and we try to see what the bug was and try to fix it, test it and then eventually reimplement or improve it," he says.

Until then, Jackson is looking to pay forward the guidance and support he's received all along in his Bucknell experience. The summer after his first year at Buckell, he returned to the EXCELerator program as a student mentor.

"It was very, very influential in my experience at Bucknell," Jackson says.

OVCEF is pleased to announce it will award 9 scholarships in the amount of $25,000 to deserving class of 2023 seniors. The 2023 scholarship awards will be the Foundation’s largest award to date. The application process will begin on January 3, 2023. To learn more about OVCEF’s Scholarships please visit our website at https://www.oleyvalleycef.com/scholarships

The Oley Valley Community Education Foundation (OVCEF) is seeking nominations for the annual Oley Valley Distinguished Alumni Award and for the Distinguished Service to the Oley Valley School District Award.

In past years these awards have recognized alumni of Oley Valley High School for their efforts and achievements and other individuals who have provided outstanding service to the Oley Valley School District.

One or more awards are presented each fall to alumni for outstanding achievement in their professions, humanitarian efforts, volunteerism, or service in their communities, or a single exceptional achievement. One or more awards may also be presented to individuals who have provided unselfish service to the Oley Valley School District.

Deadline for applications is June 30, 2023.

To learn more about Distinguished Alumni & Service or for a nomination application, visit our website at https://www.oleyvalleycef.com/alumni-awards

For families and students who may experience homelessness, information on the McKinney-Vento Act is available on the Oley Valley School District Website or see below.

OVSD Homeless Liaison and Unaccompanied Youth Contact:

Mia K. Pietsch, M.Ed

Director of Student Services

Oley Valley School District

17 Jefferson Street Oley, PA 19547

610. 987.4100 ext. 1187 or ext. 1188

mpietsch@ovsdpa.org

Please Visit the Sites below for information:

David R. Pollock Jr., President

Robert A. Heckman, Vice President

Dawn Zackon, Treasurer

Maria Bogdanova-Peifer, Member

Zachary D. Fatkin, Member

Nancy Jackson, Member

Aaron Keller, Member

Darrell L. Markley, Ed.D., Member

Mary Lou Parry, Member

Benjamin Pratt, Esquire, Board Solicitor

The Oley Valley School District is an Equal Opportunity Employer and Educator who fully and actively supports equal access for all people regardless of Race, Color, Religion, Gender, Age, National Origin, Veteran Status, Disability, Genetic Information or Testing, Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity or Expression and prohibits Retaliation against individuals who bring forth any complaint, orally or in writing, to the employer or the government, or against any individuals who assist or practice in the investigation of any complaint, or otherwise oppose discrimination. Compliance issues/questions should be directed to the Office of the Superintendent.