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!

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

Elementary Express is a student-run organization at Oley Valley Elementary School that gives children the chance to receive small packages of gifts that their parents can purchase during the holidays. Alaina and Noel commented that the funds raised through Elementary Express go back into the school to benefit the students. Last school year, the fifth graders used the profits to buy playground toys, such as jump ropes, soccer balls, and many more awesome items to make recess more fun for everyone.

The students in the Oley Valley Elementary Enrichment Program (OVEEP) lead this initiative. Each year, the fifth graders in this program take charge of running Elementary Express, a program where students can order holiday-themed stuffed animals, balloons, pencils, and more. Parents can surprise their children with these fun treats for holidays like Halloween, Christmas, Valentine’s Day, and Easter. As Emmalynn, Kenley, and Madelyn shared, "We really enjoy making and handing out gift bags. We can’t wait for the orders to start coming in!"

Last year, the fifth graders decided to spend the money they earned to improve the playground. They purchased new soccer balls, footballs, basketballs, jump ropes, and other items to help make recess more enjoyable. They even bought weighted balls with tails to throw around and Velcro handles with tennis balls for catch. There was also a giant lawn Connect Four game that teachers can borrow to use in their classrooms for a special activity. The equipment was distributed during the first weeks of school to both the primary and intermediate playgrounds.

The current fifth graders are excited to continue this tradition. Remy, Ian, and Michael, some of this year’s leaders, said, "We are proud to be taking over Elementary Express this year, and we started by giving back to our school with more playground equipment." The fifth graders, with some help from the fourth graders, work together to deliver and produce these items, making sure everything runs smoothly for their schoolmates.

Liam and Brennan added, "We made profit money by selling toys and other things that parents could order for their kids. This year, we’ll use the profits to continue improving our school." Whether it's new equipment for recess or better classroom supplies, Elementary Express is all about making the school a better place for everyone.

In conclusion, Elementary Express is more than just a fun way to celebrate the holidays—it’s a way for the students to learn about entrepreneurship and to give back to their school and create lasting improvements for future classes. Through their hard work and creativity, the students of OVES are making their school a better place, one holiday gift at a time.

Note: This article is a combination of articles written by fifth grade students.

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

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

Blue and Gold Taking Over Penn State at the 95th Pennsylvania FFA State Convention

On Tuesday June 11, the Oley Valley FFA arrived at the High School bright and early, excited to make their way to Penn State University for the 95th Pennsylvania State FFA Convention. All the members had spent the last few weeks preparing to compete in one of the many available Career Development Events (CDE’s). We had an astounding 38 members compete in a variety/ of different competitions including Agronomy, Aquatics, Dairy Cattle Evaluation and Management, Employment Skills, Farm and Agribusiness Management, Floriculture, Food Science, Forestry, Horse Evaluation, Livestock Evaluation, Veterinary Science, and Wildlife. All the students excelled in their competitions and a few even secured spots to compete at the National competitions.

For the Oley Valley FFA member, States wasn't just about the competitions. It was also about the amazing memories that were made. We had three amazing days of making friends through competitions, line dancing in the courtyard with all the different FFA chapters, going to the creamery to try the famous ice cream, playing cards in the common areas, sprinting out of the Bryce Jordan Center and across the baseball field to our dorms after our daily sessions, and taking pictures to make sure we will remember the 95th Pennsylvania State Convention forever. While Tuesday and Wednesday were dedicated to competitions, we still made sure there was plenty of time to hang out with friends and have fun after our daily sessions and competitions, and on Thursday we sat anxiously as awards were given out. We watched the State Officers retire their jackets and saw new state officers get elected before we went back to our dorms packed up and started our long journey back to the Oley Valley High School. There were a few bumps along the way such as keycard and wardrobe malfunctions, but in the end, everyone still had a great time. I think all the FFA members can agree when I say that we can’t wait for next year's state convention.

Our Food Science team consisted of four seniors, Emily Seidel, Allison Riley, Robert Kowalski, and Jacob Mowry. They competed in a variety of different skill tests including a general knowledge test, practicums on customer inquiry and food safety, a triangle test, a problem solving/math practicum, aroma identification, and a team product development project. This team placed first and will be going to Indianapolis, Indiana to compete at Nationals. Natalie Baum, Eleana Arrowsmith, Harry Fisher, and Elita Bogdanova competed as a team in the Farm and Agribusiness Management CDE. In their competition they had to take a three hour long written exam and have a team activity where they were judged based on their teamwork, communication, knowledge, and involvement in the activity they were given. They were able to secure themselves a spot to The Big E convention in Springfield, Massachusetts.

We also had an Agronomy team which consisted of four students. For this CDE they had to take a general knowledge exam, take an agronomy guide exam, identify weeds, crops, seeds, pest management, and machinery, complete activities on soils, commodity evaluation, and a team activity which this year included finding the acreage of a field, seed and crop population, identifying a weed located in the field, and determine what herbicide should be used and how much should be used in the field. They were able to secure third place overall. Another team that did exceptionally well was the Dairy Cattle Management Team which was made up of four students, also securing third overall. Their competition consisted of a general knowledge exam, 5 judging classes, oral reason for why they picked the classes they did, and a team activity where each team is given a dairy farm management scenario and they must identify problems and come up with improvements that can be made. We also had a Forestry team, a Veterinary Science team, and a Horse Evaluation team, placing 5th, 8th, and 9th in that order. In addition to these teams, we also had 10 individuals compete in Wildlife, Agronomy, Employment Skills, Aquatics, Floriculture, and Livestock Evaluation.

Individuals who placed top 10 are as follows:

Emily Seidel- 1st place in Food Science

Allison Riley- 2nd place in Food Science

Robert Kowalski- 3rd place in Food Science

Jacob Mowry- 6th place in Food Science

Natalie Baum- 5th place in Agribusiness Management

Eleana Arrowsmith- 7th place in Agribusiness Management

Harry Fisher- 8th place in Agribusiness Management

Cole Peifer- 10th place in Agronomy

Charlotte Prout- 8th place in Dairy Cattle Management and Evaluation

Jenna Hoffman- 7th place in Forestry

Throughout the summer, the Oley Valley FFA members were involved in a lot of events and activities. This summer we had the Kutztown and Allentown fair, our officer retreat, the annual welcome back picnic, workdays, the fish fry, and we also helped the Moser family clean up after their devastating fire.

When the Allentown and Kutztown fairs came round, many members entered different items, and everyone did amazing with their entries. We also had some members show their animals and come away with lots of success. Throughout the summer, we worked to create two display boards to enter into both fairs. This summer our two boards were “Serving Up Fun With Future Farmers” and our Short Corn display. Both boards did exceptionally well.

We had our officer retreat at the high school on July 30th. This year we have a lot of younger members on the team, so we spent the first half of the day having a meeting and practicing how to conduct official chapter meetings. Afterwards we all brought food for dinner while we bonded and grew closer as we talked. It was so much fun to get to know everyone better and I cannot wait to grow closer as an officer team.

On August 23rd, we had our annual welcome back picnic at the Houps. We had a great time welcoming and getting to know new members that are interested in joining FFA. We played a variety of games such as volleyball and the balloon game. Halfway through the night we all went on a hayride and when we got back, we played a few more games and ended the night with line dancing. Everyone had a great time, and I can't wait for next year's picnic!

Summer workdays took place every Monday and Wednesday from 9 to 1. We helped clean animal cages, water plants, prepare for fairs, and helped prepare the Ag wing for the upcoming school year.

Our Fish Fry was held on July 12th from 5 to 9 pm. Members learned how to clean and filet tilapia. We then fried and baked the tilapia. We had a great time learning this new skill!

On August 12th, we had an extra special workday where we went and helped the Moser family clean up after their devastating fire. On July 15th early in the morning, the Moser dairy farm had a fire start in one of their barns. This resulted in a devastating loss of feed, farm equipment, and other supplies. Luke Moser, a transfer student from Boyertown, is one of our fellow FFA members so in order to help him and his family out we had this special workday at their farm. We had 14 or so members volunteer to help out around the Moser’s farm. We focused on moving dairy calves, weeding and putting down stones around the chicken coop, and helping prepare an area to store the burnt hay that was in the barn that caught fire. By the end of the day the Moser family thanked us and showed us where the fire took place. We were so happy to have the opportunity to help out one of our fellow members.

Summer break may be over, but we had a great time while it lasted. We are all so excited for all the events that will take place this school year and can't wait for next summer.

Early in the morning of July 15, the Moser dairy farm (Lalisa Holsteins) in Bally, PA had a fire in their hay/tractor barn which resulted in a tremendous loss of feed for the dairy cattle as well as farm equipment and other supplies. The pictures show the devastation! The farm is self-sustaining, with a majority of the feed and bedding planted, harvested, and processed by the Moser’s. Luke is a transfer student from Boyertown and very active in the Oley Valley FFA and has plans to continue to farm as his life’s work.

On August 12th, 2024, thirteen dedicated Oley Valley FFA members visited Moser’s Farms to participate in a community service cleanup day. The event focused on completing tasks that had been delayed due to the recent fire. Throughout the day, students worked on various projects, including moving dairy calves to a new pasture and restoring the family orchard. Some members took on the challenge of renovating the landscaping around the chicken coop, while others tackled the removal of a messy brush pile, preparing the area to store the burnt hay from the fire. Part of the FFA’s official mission statement is to help develop students to their potential for personal growth through “Living to Serve” with a vision to build communities. The Moser family was extremely grateful for the help and support from the FFA community.

The Oley Valley FFA is also planning a sandwich sale fundraiser through R&K Subs for all proceeds to go to the Moser Family Farm. Sale will be from the start of the school year till September 13th, 2024. Sandwiches will be available for pick up on September 25th, 2024.

In the days before automobiles were numerous, Oley was linked to Reading and to Boyertown by a trolley line. Shown here is a view of the trolley passing through near what today is the Dunkin’ Donuts store and a view of the conductor and the motorman posing with their car near the same site. The line was discontinued in 1931.

The Oley Valley School District held classes in this structure, located across Jefferson Street from the high school for a while until the present high school was completed!

We enjoyed seeing so many people stop by our booth at the Oley Fair last week, and for those who were wondering who won our Fair Favorites Contest, the top fair favorites were Animals in first place, Food in second place, and Rides in third place.

Our Golf Tournament will be held on Monday, October 21 at the Golden Oaks Golf Club.

Register online here: https://givebutter.com/OVCEF2024Golf

Or print a Registration Form from our website here:
https://irp.cdn-website.com/685ee59d/files/uploaded/2024_Golf_Website_Graphic.pdf

We are thankful for our awesome teachers who seek every opportunity to prepare our students for life after high school and give them tools to explore different career paths.

We want to thank all the individuals and businesses who financially support OVCEF and our mission of enhancing educational opportunities for students, residents, employees, and alumni of the Oley Valley School District while encouraging community support and participation.

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:

Jamie Freed, President

Aaron Keller, Vice President

Dawn Zackon, Treasurer

Maria Bogdanova-Peifer, Member

Candice Corle, Member

Mary Harris, Member

Sharon Kershner, Member

Zachary Moore, Member

Christina Moyer, Member

Levin Legal Group, P.C., 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.