The Little Judges' Docket

We have some exciting things happening this week! The Book Fair is at the Library. Students will be able to shop during library time and before school. Parents can join them on Thursday, March 12th from 3-6pm during conferences so there will be no tutoring. We also start our Virginia Reads One Book this week. Our grade level with the best attendance will travel to DMIS on Wednesday, March 11th to watch the Aladdin musical. If you do not want your child to go, please let your child's homeroom teacher or the office know by Tuesday.

Reminder: We do not have school on Friday, March 13th. Teachers will be working on report cards for third quarter.

Reminders for arrival and dismissal:

• If you are dropping your student off to walk to the school, please do not block driveways. Neighbors have complained and we want to be good neighbors.
• No transportation changes after 1pm.

Daniel Morgan Theatre Club’s production of Disney’s Aladdin Jr. performs March 20-22 in the Daniel Morgan Theatre. Each tea party attendee will receive a coupon for one free ticket to the show, to be redeemed at the door.

Our Commitment: Our campus is a safe haven dedicated to learning and student well-being. To ensure this remains a protected space, we do not permit outside organizations to access students unless they are authorized health and safety officials acting within their legal jurisdiction. Our priority is to ensure every child feels secure and supported from the moment they arrive until they return home.

Please have your student to school as close to 7:30am as possible so they have time to put their belongings away and eat breakfast since we have announcements at 7:45am and instruction begins at 7:50am. If you are a car rider, the parking lot will be blocked off at 7:45am so if you are later than that you will need to walk your child into the office to sign them in. We will have safety drills (fire drills and lockdown drills) per Virginia state code sporadically throughout the year. We will make sure to let you know in the newsletter the weeks they will be happening.

Thank you as always for your support for our school. We need to work together as a community to make our students successful because we are creating Local leaders today - Global leaders tomorrow!

Lisa Pluska, Ed.D.

Principal, Virginia Avenue Charlotte DeHart Elementary School

540-665-6330

• Virginia Reads One Book: We are about to read together! Every student will receive a copy of Charlotte's Web to take home. Please make the time to read the book aloud together and follow the nightly reading schedule. At school, we will share trivia, discussions, and special assemblies.

• Spring Book Fair (March 6–12): The Scholastic Spring Book Fair is coming to the VACDES Library Media Center! We will host a Family Open House during Spring Parent/Teacher Conferences on Thursday, March 12th from 3:00 PM – 6:00 PM.

Everyday of school is so important to help our students learn and be prepared for the next grade. We are showing such great growth in our students for reading this year! The extra 10 minutes before instruction is also helping. We are working on stamina (reading longer passages and staying engaged), fluency (reading like you speak, comfortably), and comprehension (making sure students understand what they have read). Please make time to read with your students at home. Set aside time for them to read uninterrupted and then ask them questions about what they reading. This will just continue to help our students grow!

If you are not receiving report cards, please contact the office to make sure we have your correct email address. This is the time of year that we are really pushing to get more kids on grade level and to get them reading regularly. We are excited to say that our students are gaining ground academically.

Reading is so important for students to be successful in life. The statistics show that if a child is not reading on grade level by 3rd grade, they really struggle to keep up with their peers and they struggle to graduate on time. We are focusing on every student being on grade level by the end of the year. If you see that your child is struggling with reading, reach out to the teacher or our Reading Specialist, Robin Packard. She can give you tips on working with students at home. The best thing you can do is read with your child every day. It can be in any language and with lots of pictures. Just let your child see that reading is fun and important to you as well!

2026-2027 Kindergarten Registration: Registration begins Monday, March 9.

It's time to register for Kindergarten for 2026-2027!

➡ Everything you need is on our Registration website: bit.ly/WPSregistration2026.
Registration begins Monday, March 9.
‼ You must upload your required documents, including birth certificate, TWO proofs of residency, physical exam, and immunization record.
An email address is required to register.
We can't wait to welcome new students and families to Winchester Public Schools!
*Please Note: Details about Preschool Registration for 2026-2027 will be available later this spring!**

We are currently at 11.2% of our students are considered chronically absent. Any absence counts toward chronic absenteeism whether it is excused or unexcused. Our goal is only 8% or less will be chronically absent which means they miss 10% or more of the school year. If a child misses more than 17 days they are chronically absent. It's so important to come to school every day that you can. Studies show that if students start out with strong attendance in school, it stays with them and they continue to attend school. In order to be on grade level, students have to be here to get the instruction.

Thank you for continuing to ensure your student is at school. It truly takes us all working together to make sure our students are successful. Just a reminder as to how important it is to be in school every day. If your child is sick, of course we understand. Please make sure to talk to your students about the importance of hand washing. We always tend to have sicknesses when everyone comes back.

We are celebrating kindness at VACDES. Homerooms get an opportunity to earn ducks for their classroom for acts of kindness. As the classroom's pond is filled, the class gets a large duck to place in the pond in our display case. The students are working towards a prize at VACDES for showing how kind we can be to each other.

At VACDES, we want every student to feel safe and ready to learn. Lately, we’ve noticed that we need a little extra practice with physical contact and disruptions in the classroom.

To support our students, we are launching a celebration plan to recognize those who follow our core rules! You can help us by reminding your student that being a great classmate means:

• Safety first: Hands and feet to ourselves.

• Kindness always: Using helpful words.

• Responsibility: Staying in our areas and following directions right away.

Thank you for being our partners in creating a school environment that students truly love to be in!

Every day on the announcements we will be talking about the three school wide rules -

1. Keep hands and feet to self and use kind words;
2. Stay in your assigned area; and
3. Follow directions quickly and quietly.

Ask your students if they remember the rules to help reinforce them as we work together.

If you are interested in volunteering, please see below! Make sure you let the office staff or your child's teacher know before filling out the application so we can make sure you are on the volunteer list.

March 6 - 12 - Book Fair at School

March 9 - Kick off for Virginia Reads One Book

March 11 - Winning Attendance Grade goes to DMIS at 9am

March 12 - 3-6pm Student Led Conferences - NO TUTORING

March 13 - No school for students

March 20 - 3rd grade Field Trip

March 27 - PBIS Event for 3rd quarter

March 30 - April 6 - Spring Break

• Here is the link for the Student/Parent Handbook .
• If there needs to be a change in transportation, please call the office (not the teacher) at 540-665-6330 before 1pm to let us know. Car riders must come to the back of the school by Pleasant Valley, walkers to the bus loop doors, and bus riders will be let off the bus on Van Fossen Street and coming in the front door and on the bus in the afternoon on the Van Fossen St side. Staff will be there to help guide and get your child into the school safely.
• If you arrive after 7:50 A.M., you must accompany your child to the office to sign your child in.