Valley Heights Elementary Schools

We had a great time celebrating Kansas Day this week! Thank you to our special guests who helped make this day special! See below for more details on our fun day!

February is upon us! It is already a short month, but a few activities will make it feel even shorter! On February 13th we will have Valentine's parties. February 16th we do not have school due to a staff professional development day. February 25th school dismisses at 11:50 am and we will have Student Success Meetings from 12:30-8:30 pm. There will be no school on February 27th.

This Thursday, February 5th is the 100th day of school! We will be doing some fun activities in classrooms. Students can dress up like they're 100 years old if they wish!

Monday:

• Colts Round Up

Tuesday:

• Colts Round Up

Wednesday:

• Colts Round Up

Thursday:

• 100th Day of School! Dress up like you're 100!
• Colts Round Up

Friday:

• No elementary activities

Looking Ahead:

• February 10 Free Dental Screenings
• February 13th Valentine's Day Parties
• February 16th No School- Staff Professional Development
• February 25th Dismiss @ 11:50 am. Student Success Meetings 12:30-8:30
• February 27th No School

Waterville Grade School students had a great day celebrating Kansas! Students enjoyed rotations with guest presenters including a Park Ranger from Homestead National Historical Park sharing a buffalo trunk, the Blue Rapids Museum providing a bingo game for us, Regina Blaske with Parents as Teachers reading us a Kansas story, Cindy Kulp sharing beekeeping with us, old time games during PE, and square dancing during music! Thank you to all our guests for making this day special for us!

Officer Dan Hargrave visited the Preschool and Kinder Prep classes to talk about police officers and staying safe. Thank you for keeping us safe!!

It was an exciting week at Blue Rapids Elementary. Monday was a district snow day, and a huge thank-you goes to Ryan, Jaqi, and our custodial and maintenance staff for their outstanding snow-removal efforts. Thursday we celebrated Kansas Day and the great state of Kansas with special lessons and activities throughout the building, highlighted by a creative fourth-grade activity using chocolate pudding to represent Kansas’ fertile soil. Congratulations to our Spelling Bee finalists—Lexi Dummermuth, Zaiden Hartley, Edison Underhill, Easton Turner, Rainaa Crimmins, Aurora Conti, Twila Dick, and Eric Crumbley—for placing in the top eight of the preliminary contests. Zaiden, Edison, Easton, Rainaa, Aurora, and Twila will represent Blue Rapids at the Marshall County Spelling Bee in Marysville on February 5, with Lexi and Eric serving as alternates.

Here are some upcoming dates to remember:

• 5th and 6th grades to the Symphony - February 3rd
• Marshall County Spelling Bee - February 5th
• Dental Screenings - February 10th
• Professional Development Day - NO SCHOOL - February 16th
• Board of Education Meeting - February 16th

As always, thank you for the privilege and blessing that it is to work with your children. My door is always open if you have any concerns or you need to visit.

-Mr. Staples

Congratulations to all these students that participated in the Marshall County Conservation Poster Contest last fall!!

Dental Screenings are for students in K-12. The above forms will be sent home with your child(ren) early next week. If you are interested in the OPTIONAL Fluoride Treatment, the consent form will need to be returned by Monday, February 9th.

This week's Waterville VHS ticket winners are Hunter and Alyvia winning lunch with Mrs. deBoer, and Elliette and Nellie winning prizes!

Waterville's monthly VHS ticket winners were Elliot, Cash, Natalie, and Iris!

Looking for a night of suspense, strategy, and community fun? The Valley Heights Booster Club cordially invites you to join us for our upcoming Murder Mystery Event!

This is a fantastic opportunity to mingle with other parents, neighbors, and the wider Valley Heights community in a relaxed, high-energy setting. Whether you’re a master sleuth or just along for the ride, it’s going to be a night to remember.

Event Highlights

• The Mystery: Put your detective skills to the test as we work together to solve a "crime." Costumes are encouraged and add a fun level to the evening, but not required!

• The Silent Auction: In addition to the mystery, we are thrilled to host a Silent Auction throughout the evening. It’s a great chance to snag some unique items while supporting our students. This committee is working hard and gathering some really exciting items!

• Community Spirit: A wonderful night of food, fun, and conversation with the people who make Valley Heights great!

Reserve Your Spot

Please use the link below to RSVP and secure your tickets: Sign Up Here!

Questions? If you have any questions regarding the event or the auction, please feel free to reach out to Kelsie Gleason at 785-313-3233.

We can’t wait to see you there and see who among us has the best investigative instincts!

Each week we'll give you a fun question to talk about around the dinner table with your family! Eating together as a family is an excellent time to strengthen relationships and check in with your child and their needs. Enjoy discussing the question of the week!

Did you know you can pay your child's lunch fees online? We'll even cover the processing fees for you so you have no extra fees! Click HERE to be taken directly to the link! Or you can navigate to this page from the Valley Heights website, then clicking on Parent & Student Resources, then Online Payment.

Check out the Schools That Care newsletter below for information on resources available in our community!

Early Head Start 0-3 provides services to infants, toddlers, and pregnant women. It promotes

• healthy prenatal outcomes, healthy babies
• enhances the development of infants and toddlers, and
• promotes healthy/thriving families

NEK-CAP, Inc. receives federal funds for 160 children to operate and provide Early Head Start (0-3) services for infants, toddlers, pregnant mothers, and fathers.

NEK-CAP, Inc. receives federal funds for 238 children to operate and provide Head Start services. Head Start is committed to cultivating partnerships with the community to ensure that children and families receive an array of individualized services focused upon early childhood development, family support, health and education.

Head Start/Early Head Start 0-5 services are available at no cost to children and families. Up to 10% of enrollment may be used to serve children that are over income. Transportation is available at some locations.

Click HERE for more information!

Did you know that even though packaging no longer has box tops on them to cut out, that you can still support your school? Download the Box Tops app and scan your receipt to earn money for schools. This is a simple way to give back to your community! Click here for more details!

Another avenue of supporting your school is through Casey's rewards! Check it out at caseys.com/community/donate-your-points!

Email: judeboer@valleyheights.org tstaples@valleyheights.org sspoonts@valleyheights.org
Website: www.valleyheights.org