Valley Heights Elementary Schools

I hope your child came home Wednesday and said they had a blast at the KSU Basketball game! There were tons of smiles on their faces during the game and they even broke out into song several times during the game! There was also some snoozing on the bus ride home! Find the section below for pictures of our fun day! We even had some students make the jumbotron!

We are wrapping up the end of the semester! We will be having a small gift exchange in classrooms during our Christmas parties this Thursday, December 18th If you aren't able to bring a gift for your child to exchange, please let your child's classroom teacher know as soon as possible and we can help you out.

Friday, December 19th is our Preschool and Kinder Prep Christmas program. It will begin at 8:30 am. Preschool and Kinder Prep students will go home with their parents following the program, and will not have class that day.

K-2 students will be dismissed at 12:30 on Friday, December 19th. Lunch will be served. School will resume on Monday, January 5th. Have a wonderful and safe Christmas break!

Next Week

Monday:

• Colts Round Up
• Board of Education Meeting at VHHS 6:00 pm

Tuesday:

• Harvester's Food Truck at Waterville United Methodist Church--free food distribution!
• Colts Round Up

Wednesday:

• Colts Round Up

Thursday:

• Colts Round Up

Friday:

• Preschool/Kinder Prep Music Program 8:30 am
• K-2 dismisses at 12:30. Lunch will be served.

Looking Ahead:

• School resumes on Monday, January 5th!

The students and staff were blessed on Wednesday to be able to attend "Education Day at the K-State women's basketball game. (see pictures below) The day was filled with excitement as the students cheered hard for the cats and had a great time! Thank you to Mrs. deBoer for lining up the free tickets. I also want to thank Mr. Tony for lining up transportation as well as Mary Medina for all her hard work to make lunch go smoothly that day!

All of this said, we have a lot to be thankful for this holiday season. We have one week left till Christmas break and our focus as a staff and students is finishing the semester strong. Christmas is right around the corner!! ❄🎅

Please take note of the important dates below.

Here are some upcoming dates to remember:

• Board Meeting - December 15th
• End of Semester/Early Dismissal @ 12:30 pm - December 19th
• Classes resume - Monday, January 5th

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

This week's Waterville VHS ticket winners were Evelyn, Lawson, Mia, and Alyvia!

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.

Community Education has recently sent out a program survey to gather community interests and Ideas to increase programming and participation in activities beyond the school day. We invite you to click on the link below to fill out the survey and give us your thoughts and ideas.

Survey Link: https://forms.gle/KuzPRNFKjXkyEiqf8

We’d like to remind families to discuss a safe route to school with your students. Whether it is on foot, bike, or a car we want everyone to arrive to and from school safely! For students on foot and bike remember that the safest crossings are at Chestnut & Highway 77 in Blue Rapids and Minnesota & Highway 77 in Waterville.

These crossings are monitored both before and after school.

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