Tiger Pride

Hours of Operation:

7:30am: Doors Open

7:55am: Tardy Bell

2:35pm: Dismissal

Website: https://ves.burke.k12.nc.us/

Address: 298 Praley St. Valdese, NC, 28690

Phone: 828-874-0704

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/valdeseelementaryschool

Hello Tiger Families,

November and December are shaping up to be busy and exciting months at Valdese Elementary! Between assessments, holiday celebrations, and classroom activities, there is so much to look forward to as we approach the end of the first semester. As always, we appreciate your continued support and partnership in helping our Tigers grow and succeed!

As we move into this busy season, we encourage families to continue reinforcing learning at home. Whether it's reading together, practicing math facts, or simply asking your child about their school day, those small moments make a big difference! With upcoming assessments, consistent attendance and daily practice are especially important. If your child needs additional support, please don't hesitate to reach out to their teacher. We are always happy to partner with you to help your child be successful!

📅 Reminders for This Week:

• Tuesday, November 10: Student Council meeting until 3:15 PM.

• Wednesday, November 11: 🇺🇸 NO SCHOOL in observance of Veterans Day. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to all veterans for their service and sacrifice!

• Thursday, November 12: Pre-K Vision Screenings.

• Friday, November 13: "You Deserve to Be Safe" Presentation during COMBO, led by our school counselor, Mrs. Aldridge.

🛡️ Important Information About Friday's Safety Presentation:

Mrs. Aldridge will be presenting You Deserve to Be Safe, an age-appropriate safety lesson designed to help students recognize unsafe situations, understand personal safety, and identify trusted adults they can turn to for help. The presentation addresses important topics such as abuse and neglect, with an emphasis on recognizing warning signs, speaking up, and seeking support when needed. An opt-out form was sent home last week in Thursday folders. If you do not wish for your child to participate, please return the completed form as soon as possible. If you need another copy, please contact your child's teacher.

Thank you for all you do to support our students and staff! We are grateful for our Tiger families and look forward to another great week of learning, growing, and making memories together.

Have a great weekend,

Courtney Hull, Principal

Calling all 3rd–5th grade Tigers! Get ready to dance the afternoon away at our annual Fall Dance on Friday, November 20th, from 2:45–4:00 PM! 🎶✨

Admission is $5 per student, which includes a slice of pizza! Additional candy, drinks, and snacks will be available for purchase.

A few important reminders:

• Students should come to school dressed for the dance, as there will not be time to change.

• School rules apply, and student cell phones are not permitted.

• The dance will be supervised by school staff.

• All students must be picked up NO LATER than 4:10 PM using the front car rider line.

📝 Please return the completed permission slip and $5 admission fee (cash or check payable to VES PTO) to your child's teacher.

We can't wait to see our Tigers show off their best dance moves! 🐯🪩🍁

Every Tiger Makes the Pack Stronger. Work together, encourage one another, do your part, and celebrate what your team (class) can accomplish together.

🎉🎉🎉Congratulations to 2nd Grade, who had the highest attendance percentage this week!

Consistent attendance is essential for academic success, personal growth, and future career readiness. Together, we recognize the importance of regular attendance in providing a well-rounded education.

We appreciate your continued communication regarding absences, excuses, and medical notes with both your child's teacher and Mrs. Stallings, our Data Manager. If your child is absent, please send a written note, doctor’s note, or a Dojo message to their teacher.

Our daily attendance goal is 95%, and we appreciate your support in helping us reach it!

Take a night off from cooking and join us for Valdese Elementary's McTeacher Night at the Valdese McDonald's!

📅 Tuesday, November 17

⏰ 5:00–7:00 PM

📍 Valdese McDonald's

Come enjoy dinner with your family while supporting our school! Be sure to let the McDonald's staff know you're there for McTeacher Night, and a portion of the proceeds will be donated back to Valdese Elementary!

Student safety is always our first priority on the bus. Students should remain in their assigned seat and use an inside-voice level on the bus in order to avoid distracting the bus driver. Students should avoid bringing drinks, food, or candy on the bus. Cell phones are also prohibited on the bus and in classrooms. Please be flexible and patient with bus times the first few weeks as we add students and drivers become accustomed to the routes.

All students can eat breakfast and lunch for free each day in the cafeteria. We have a grab-and-go breakfast program where students get their breakfast and take it to their classroom in the morning. The lunch schedule is posted below.

We love welcoming families to VES and appreciate the time you take to come enjoy lunch with your child. To help us keep lunchtime safe, organized, and consistent for all students, please remember that visitors may eat only with their own child. Students may not invite friends or other students to join a visiting family.

All visitors should check in through the front office, remain in the cafeteria during the visit, and exit through the front office when lunch is over. For safety and to protect instructional time, visitors should not walk students back to classrooms or enter academic hallways.

Thank you for helping us maintain a safe, welcoming environment while still allowing families to enjoy this special time with their child. We truly appreciate your cooperation and support.

November

11/2- Half Day- Dismiss at 11:30

11/3- No School (Optional Teacher Workday)

11/4- Fire Drill

Girls Running Club

11/5- 5th Grade Breakfast Food Truck

STEAM Trip #1

11/6- 5th Grade Science Check In #1

School Store

11/10- Student Council until 3:15

11/11- No School- Happy Veteran's Day

11/12- Pre-K Vision Screening

11/13- School Store

2nd-5th You Deserve to be Safe Presentation in COMBO

11/16- PTO Meeting in Media Center at 4pm

11/17- Field Trip (Social Group)- June Belle Construction

McTeacher Night @ Valdese McDonalds 5-7pm

11/18- Girls Running Club

11/19- School Improvement Team Meeting 3:15-4:15 in Media Center

11/20- Fall Dance- 3:00-4:00

School Store

11/24- Interim Reports go home

11/25- No School

11/26 - No School - HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

11/27- No School

12/1- Tree Lighting Ceremony at ORS 6PM

12/3- Half Day Dismissal at 11:30

Fall Make Up Pictures

🎶 Rockin’ at the Lake – Community Concert 🎶

Join the Valdese community for a fun afternoon of live music at Valdese Lakeside Park on Sunday, November 22 from 3:00–5:00 PM. The concert will feature Lost Wages and is free to attend.

This special event will benefit the Valdese Police Department’s Operation Blue Santa, a program that helps support Valdese Elementary School families during the Christmas season.

Donations are appreciated, and we hope many of our Tiger families will come out, enjoy the music, and support this wonderful community cause!

The Town of Valdese is inviting families to get creative and celebrate the season of thankfulness with the Grateful Gobbler Coloring Contest!

Grab a poster, gather your family, and decorate your turkey with crayons, paint, glitter, or anything your imagination can dream up! Don't forget to write what you're thankful for around your turkey!

📸 How to Enter:

Pick up a poster at Old Rock School or Farris Insurance.

Decorate your turkey together as a family.

Snap a picture with your masterpiece (the more family members, the better!).

Email your photo to mangi@valdesenc.gov or message the Town of Valdese on Facebook.

📅 Deadline: November 23, 2026

🏆 Prizes:
🥇 1st Place: $100
🥈 2nd Place: $75
🥉 3rd Place: $50
🏅 4th Place: $25

Winners will be announced November 23rd!

We can't wait to see our Valdese Tiger families show off their creativity and share what makes them thankful! 🐯🧡

Parents, if you're anything like me, you love to plan ahead, especially when it comes to shopping for fun and festive spirit day outfits! There's nothing quite like realizing the night before that your child needs something special to wear the next morning!

With that in mind, we're sharing our December Christmas Spirit Day Calendar a little early so families have plenty of time to plan, prepare, and get creative!

From festive pajamas and ugly Christmas sweaters to Grinch Day and holiday colors, we have lots of fun planned to make December extra special for our Tigers! 🎁✨

Please remember that all spirit days are completely OPTIONAL! There is absolutely no need to purchase anything new. We encourage families to use what they already have, get creative, and participate in whatever days work best for them!

We can't wait to fill our hallways with holiday cheer, smiling faces, and LOTS of Christmas spirit!

There are lots of ways that you can volunteer to support our school!

• We can use your help reading with students.
• Supervising students in the cafeteria for short periods of time so teachers can have a duty-free lunch as a team.
• Help with fundraisers.
• Help the media coordinator with the Book Fair
• Serve with the PTO

If you are interested and available to help, please reach out to the office. Someone from PTO will be in touch with you. Our next whole group meeting will be in September. More information coming soon.

Courtney Hull, Principal

📩 courtneyhull@burke.k12.nc.us

📱 828-874-0704

📍 298 Praley St. Valdese, NC 28690

Savannah Cole, Assistant Principal

📩savannahcole@burke.k12.nc.us

📱828-874-0704

📍298 Praley St. Valdese, NC 28690