VAIS Family Newsletter

3/6/2026 - Spring concerts

3/16/2026 - Governance Council meeting in the library 6:30-8:30pm

3/23/2026 - 3/27/2026 - Spring Break, no school

3/30/2026 - Family newsletter info due to Miss Amelia

4/2/2026 - Mattress sale parent meeting 6pm at Badger Ridge

4/24/2026 - Spring Dance 5:30pm-7:30pm

You can find a link to a feedback survey located on the sidebar of our online menus or at this direct link.

We've got a second mini space for warm weather gear, and we'd love a little help. If you have smaller sizes in snow pants or snow suits, waterproof gloves or mittens, boots that are more likely to fit Kinder through 3rd grade feet, we'd love to add them to this collection. Donations for this winter gear, and any gym shoes size 1 or 2 you might have, we'd love to see them here in the office. Thank you in advance for sharing!

• Thank you to everyone for their support! We are so excited to welcome the next Kindergarten class to VAIS.

• If you know anyone who is still interested in VAIS, encourage them to contact Sally Parks to inquire about open spots for VASD residents and the process of Open Enrollment for out of district families.

• Open Enrollment is available for VASD into Pre-K to 8th grade.

• If you are an out of district family, or know of families who are interested, please visit the district site: Open Enrollment - Verona Area School District (Make sure to list VAIS as preferred school)

Chocolate Shoppe Fundraiser and Play Date Tuesday, March 31

Support our school and join us for a park playdate! Chocolate shoppe will donate a portion of proceeds after 4pm. Grab some ice cream and then come join us a McKee Farms Park Kids Crossing playground in Fitchburg to burn off some energy and socialize with other families from 4:30-6:30 pm. Join us the whole time or stop by for a few minutes to say hi. Rain location will be in Chocolate Shoppe for friend time and socializing while we eat.

Parent meeting:

April 2nd 6 pm to 7 pm

Badger Ridge Cafeteria

Mattress sale:

April 18th 9-5 pm

Badger Ridge Cafeteria

Join us for the NCS/VAIS Hawaiian Luau Spring Dance on Friday, April 24th 5:30-7:30pm! The Spring Dance is coming soon, and we’re looking for volunteers to help make the night a success. Whether you can assist with set-up, donate items, or help during the event, we appreciate your support. Please sign up by Wednesday, April 15th.

When you purchase gift cards through our school, a percentage of every card comes back to fund our students' Chinese language immersion school at no additional cost to you.

HOW IT WORKS:

1. Choose from hundreds of retailers - groceries, restaurants, clothing, Amazon, gas, and more! See the full list at https://bit.ly/VAISGiftCards

2. Pay the face value of the gift card - no fees!

3. The school receives a percentage back automatically!

HOW TO ORDER:

- Email your order to raiseforVAlS@gmail.com.

- Payment can be made by cash, check (payable to VAIS Foundation Inc.), or Venmo (@vais-treasurer).

THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING VAIS!

We have a Facebook page and web site that is administered by the VAIS Governance Council separate from the VASD Facebook page and web site. 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. Use the QR code to join or take a look at our website here.

Family volunteers help make VAIS the vibrant place it is and are so appreciated! Please consider signing up for one or more of the opportunities below. If you plan to volunteer in ANY capacity in the building this school year, NOW is a great time to take a few minutes to fill out the required background check form so you are ready to go when asked. Please note background checks must be completed no later than 1 week prior to the event. Once passed, this background check is valid for 2 years.

As the school year is winding down we could use your assistance if you have time to give. Are you looking for ways to help out? Is your time flexible enough that you can come once a week? We would love to have you volunteer in our lunchroom. We are looking for weekly volunteers for Thursdays and Fridays. This is a stellar way to get to know the students of both schools and help in building on our awesome community. All volunteers need to complete a background check through the district here.

Please complete this form and reach out to reach out to Miss Jenni at: gumienyj@verona.k12.wi.us with questions.

Interested in helping recruit new families to VAIS? Have ideas to get the VAIS name out in the community? Join our Outreach committee meeting on Tuesday, March 3 @7:30pm at Verona Public Library.

The Sunshine Committee is made up of amazing NCS and VAIS families whose mission is to spread kindness and support for families and school staff. They do this by providing assistance in the form of cards, meals, gift cards, and other resources to families and staff in need of a little pick-me-up. Interested in signing up to help or nominating a family or individual? Please contact Miss Amelia at mcconnea@verona.k12.wi.us

Each March, we celebrate Youth Art Month (Y.A.M.) as a school district by art teachers selecting and displaying visual art from our young artists! Support and celebrate the artists below, whose work was selected based on creativity, craftsmanship, and growth by viewing their work at the Verona Public Library throughout the month!

K Emil Bruner
1 Joyce Benbow
2 Joshua Gillespie
3 Dree Ding
4 Bryn Markiewicz
5 Eliana Grace

- Ms. Laxton

Where have you been reading? In a treehouse? At the dentist? On vacation? Please share a photo by emailing our Library Director, Ms. Roltgen, at roltgent@verona.k12.wi.us You may be featured on social media, in the library, or in a future edition of the newsletter!

Here is our very own Ms. Digmann's 6-month-old nephew Diego enjoying a baby best seller about bugs.

In library classes, we spend time asking inquiry questions, finding answers to those questions, and fostering curiosity. In that spirit, we'll feature a Frequently Asked Question (FAQ) each month.

March Library FAQ: What is the purpose of checking out library books each week?

I often tell our scholars that library is like any other related arts area. In physical education, we move our bodies. In music, we sing and dance. In art, we create. In library, we blend all these areas together and discuss, think, share, create, read, and check out books for use at school and home! I would always rather lose a book than a reader, so our checkout limits are guidelines, but I often allow extra checkouts before school breaks and based on student interests or hold requests. Historically, we usually lose fewer than 50 books per year, and with 20,000 expected checkouts during the 2025-2026 school year, this is actually a very acceptable percentage given the age of our patrons who are learning how to borrow and return items. If you are ever concerned about charges on your account, please do not hesitate to reach out via email (roltgent@verona.k12.us), and we will come up with a plan. Again, encouraging and growing readers is our business, not charging for lost items!

Verona Rec is offering a new afterschool program beginning in 2026!

This program is for kids in grades K-5th and will be held at the new Verona Community Center. We'll encourage health and wellness through play and physical activity both outside and inside with a variety of activities each day.

Find out more about Verona Rec Afterschool: https://www.veronawi.gov/943/Verona-Rec-Afterschool

Register: https://secure.rec1.com/WI/verona-wi/catalog

We’re excited to share that Girl Scouts In Action is starting this fall at the Boys & Girls Club!

Tuesdays, 4:30–5:30 PM
Boys & Girls Club
Hands-on activities, career exploration, leadership development & more!
Free to join

Please help us spread the word by sharing the attached flyer with families. We’d love for more students to take part in this opportunity!

SAVE THE DATES - VASD Summer School has announced its session dates! Stay tuned for upcoming details about registration. VASD Summer School is a free program available to all incoming kindergarten through 12th‑grade students. Learners can explore a wide range of engaging enrichment courses designed to spark curiosity and keep skills growing over the summer.

2026 Summer School Registration Information:

Monday, April 6 for Seniors at 1:00p
Tuesday April 7 at 12 PM for 9-11
Tuesday April 7 at 2 PM for 6-8
Tuesday April 7 at 3 PM for K-5

Summer School - Verona Area School District

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, we appreciate it! The attendance line email is the best way to communicate with school.

To ensure student safety, all chaperones for off-site events and trips must have an approved VASD Volunteer Background Check. It's never too early to complete one of these forms for trips next year, even if you might only be able to help out once or twice!

If you are considering chaperoning field trips or any off-site events, please ensure your background check is approved in advance. This process is completed online using this link, and approval typically takes 7–10 days. However, there have been instances where processing takes longer, so we encourage you to complete it as soon as possible if needed. Please reach out to reach out to Miss Jenni at: gumienyj@verona.k12.wi.us with questions.

Here is the '25-26 VASD Elementary School Family Handbook . It is a good resource for families. Families are encouraged to review this information and refer to it throughout the school year. It is also available on our website.

Our social media is a great resource to find information in real time. We post upcoming events, special spirit days, Sign Up Genius links and more. We especially love to share happy faces and creativity happening here at school. Please help us increase our engagement with following our page, liking a post or two, and even leaving a comment. Each of those steps helps our school to pop to the top of your feed and help you reach the information you need.

VAIS on Facebook

VAIS on Twitter / X

And bookmark our school website, which tells you more about school closures, menus and more.

Our school office maintains a school calendar for families and the public. Here is the link to a Google Public Calendar with this year’s updated events: VAIS Public Google Calendar

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