VAIS Family Newsletter

11/02/23 Fall Party 1:00pm-2:00pm

11/03/23 Asynchronous Learning Day, kids stay home from school and learn from home

11/04/23 Kids Expo, Badger Ridge Gym 9am-12pm

11/08/23 Optional China Trip for Spring Break info meeting, Fitchburg Community Center, 7pm

11/13/23 Governance Council Meeting at VAIS 6:30pm-8:30pm

11/14/23 Picture Retake Day

11/14/23 Dad's Night Out at Wisconsin Brewing Company, 6-8:30pm

11/22/23-11/24/23 Thanksgiving Break

12/11/23 Governance Council Meeting at VAIS 6:30pm-8:30pm

12/20/23 Community Gathering, 7:35am-8:00am

12/21/23 VAIS Winter Party 1-2pm

12/22/23 Asynchronous Learning Day, kids stay home from school and learn from home

Friday, November 3rd will be an asynchronous learning day. This means your child will be learning at home. On Thursday you will be receiving a packet of work along with a schedule for Friday. You will also receive an email from VASD with links to the work and schedule for the day.

Staff will be available for support from 12-1pm on Friday. Here is the contact information for VAIS staff members. The Mandarin teachers will also be sending some Mandarin work for your child. You may substitute any activity from the day for Mandarin.

Thanks for all your support this day, so our staff can engage in a day of learning.

Interested in getting to know our kiddos and helping to build community within our schools? Do you have a couple of hours to spare occasionally or is your time flexible enough that you can come once a week? We would love to have you assist in our lunchroom.

All volunteers will need to be background checked through the district here.

Please complete this short survey with your availability.

Here is the link to a Google Public Calendar with this year’s updated NCS events:

VAIS Public Google Calendar

This calendar will be updated continually throughout the year with school events, such as swim and gym days, library days, Picture Day, Back to School Night, field trips, parent/teacher conferences, days off of school, Governance Council meetings, and so much more! We hope that this will make things easier for you!

Have you joined the VAIS Facebook Groups?

All Current families are welcome to join “VAIS Parents Group” on Facebook. We will be posting events and pop-up playdates in this group. This is also a great resource for new parents/guardians to ask any questions they may have. Please also like and follow our VAIS School Facebook here. Alumni families are welcome to join the “VAIS Alumni Parent Group” Facebook Group.

Additional resources for new and current families are here and here.

Calling all dads! This one is for you. Dad’s night out at Wisconsin Brewing Company. Come play some trivia and grab a drink or drinks (no judgement) with other VAIS dads. Get to know your fellow VAIS fathers!

Details: November 14, 6pm at Wisconsin Brewing Company in Verona - Trivia runs from 6:30 to 8:30pm. Please arrive around 6pm to save a seat. If you get hungry, you can bring food from home or order from a nearby restaurant.

Thank you Volunteers!!

Thank you to all the amazing parents/guardians that have volunteered to help staff our upcoming recruitment events. We are so appreciative of all of your time and willingness to help. We are still looking for a few volunteers for the Kids’ Expo on 11/4, so please go to recruitment event volunteer sign up or https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20F0B44AFA72DA02-44632840-volunteers if you can volunteer some time.

It’s Recruitment Season!

Thank you to all of the families that completed our sibling survey. For the 2024-25 school year, we have 14 spots in Kindergarden and 2 spots in 1st grade to fill (without any Mandarin experience). We can also fill spots in upper grades (in classes with less than 22 students), but the school does ask about language proficiency for those entering 2nd-5th grade.

In November there are two recruitment events: 1) Kids’ Expo on Saturday, November 4th from 9am-12 noon at BRMS and 2) VAIS Tour on Thursday, November 16th at 9am. If you know of any 3k/4k families, please feel free to share these events with them.

If you have any ideas for Recruitment Season, please join us Thursday, November 9th at 7:30pm for the next Community Outreach Meeting in the VAIS Library.

VAIS Governance Council

The VAIS Governance Council makes the high level or “big picture” decisions concerning the day-to-day operations of VAIS. The Governance Council generally meets on the 2nd Monday of the month. The next meeting is Monday, November 13th, 2023 at 6:30pm either in person at the VAIS Library or on Zoom. For more information, please join us on the 13th or email us at gc@vaisverona.org . Thank you for your time and consideration!

Trip to China – Info Session on November 8th

Are you interested in going to China for Spring Break 2024? This trip will focus on the Chengdu and Xi An areas of China, and is open to all current and former VAIS students and families. Do you have questions about the trip to China being planned over Spring Break? Please attend an Interested Informational Session on Wednesday, November 8th at 7pm in the the dining room of the Fitchburg Community Center, 5510 Lacy Rd, Fitchburg.

Volunteer at the Fall Classroom Parties

The Fall Classroom Parties will be November 2 from 1 to 2pm. These parties are a great way for parents to get in the classroom and work with the students. The children (and teachers) love the festivities! We need three volunteers for each classroom to plan and lead an activity (craft, game or worksheet)

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/8050C44A9A828A4FA7-45385691-fall

We’re asking for your help to keep all children safe near and on Main Street. Our city is growing, our schools are growing, and Main Street is at times very busy. We have, combined, nearly 1,000 elementary students attending our three schools here on Main Street, including many students who are walking or biking in the area. Our close neighbors on this campus, Core Knowledge Charter School and Badger Ridge Middle School, have an additional 1,200 students. We need your help to keep each and every child safe, and that means:

• Recognize that you are in a school zone, and please follow the posted speed limit.
• Be aware that this area is populated by … children. They are small, not as careful as they should be, and need all of us adults to keep them safe.
• Accept that a school zone will naturally result in times when there is a great deal more traffic.
• Increase your awareness around crosswalks for pedestrians and bikers.
• Be on the lookout for buses. We support our drivers at Sugar Creek, New Century and VAIS! They are trying their best to get their riders to and from school on time and safely.
• Please obey crossing guards. We are so lucky to have the great team we do, including Laurie and Rhonda, pictured above.
• Conditions will generally deteriorate as we move into autumn and then winter, as our world becomes darker, snowier, and colder. It is imperative that drivers give themselves more space and time to stop in the event of an emergency.
• We team with the Verona Police Department. They know our concerns, our suggestions, and our busy times, and they have been good partners.
• Drive like every child you see was your own child.

Thank you for your cooperation.

Our students experience having two different classroom teachers throughout the day. It can be confusing for families to know which teacher to communicate with at times. If you are reaching out to your child’s teacher, please include both teachers on any communication.

Do you have some extra golf umbrellas around your house from special events or given to you as corporate gifts? We have many staff members greeting kids and keeping them safe during arrival. This is Rain or Shine. We would appreciate donations of large, sturdy umbrellas for staff members to use during this time. Golf umbrellas are usually large enough for us to also include a few kids. You can bring an donations to our office.

The Sunshine Committee is made up of many amazing family members of students from our schools whose mission is to spread kindness and support for families and school staff. They do this by providing support in the form of cards, meals, gift cards, and other resources to families and staff in need of a little pick-me-up. They also have provided support to our school through stocking those awesome bathroom supply baskets in our staff bathrooms and by helping organize our winter clothes.

For more information and to assist in brining sunshine to our community please contact Shannon Ratchman.

If you need assistance with lunch costs please visit our Free and Reduced Lunch application for information on income levels and an application for assistance.

Previously, digital citizenship communication was sent in a separate email. Moving forward, we will send the information about these important lessons in our monthly newsletter. Attached you will find the October information and links for families.

If your student is ill, has an early morning appointment or early pick up, or will be late arriving to school for another reason, in addition to notifying their classroom teachers please make sure that you contact one of the following PRIOR TO THE START OF THE SCHOOL DAY:

1) EMAIL VAIS Attendance: vais-attendance@verona.k12.wi.us or

2) CALL the office at (608) 845-4500 (If you are making a change after 11:00 am the same day, then please call the office).

Please do not email the school secretaries directly if possible.