Valley Heights Elementary Schools
April 7th - April 11th
Waterville Elementary
What's Happening in Waterville
We've had another great week here at Waterville Elementary! We are planning our annual Preschool/Kinder Prep/Kindergarten Open House night that is coming up on Monday, April 14th! We hope everyone with a child in this age range can join us for a fun evening! See the flier below for more details!
Reminder that we do not have school on Friday, April 18th and Monday, April 21st.
Monday, April 7th:
- Colts Round Up
Tuesday, April 8th:
- Colts Round Up
Wednesday, April 9th:
- Colts Round Up
Thursday, April 10th:
- Colts Round Up
Friday, April 11th:
- No elementary activities
Looking Ahead:
April 14th Early Childhood/Kindergarten Open House
April 18th No School
April 21st No School
April 23rd Secretary Appreciation Day!
April 25th Kindergarten Field Trip
May 7th Nurse Appreciation Day!
May 9th Play Day!
April Fools!
2nd graders working on a word search that doesn't actually have any words in it! April Fools!
April Fools!
Kindergarten students learned about marshmallow bushes and it just so happened that the Waterville marshmallow bushes were ready to harvest on April 1st! Students had a blast harvesting them!
April Fools!
April Fools!
Mrs. Young's class practiced a flood drill on Tuesday! Afterwards they discovered Mrs. Young was tricking them!
1st graders are hatching chicks and candle the eggs to check for progress.
Donuts are always a hit at breakfast!
Miss Peterson's room had a special guest reader from the central office, Dinah!
Kindergarten friends posing for a picture!
Lawson was so excited he matched Coach Cox and requested a picture with him!
Shaving cream fun in Miss Eckart's room!
Shaving cream fun in Miss Eckart's room!
Shaving cream fun in Miss Eckart's room!
Art in Mrs. Woodyard's room!
Art in Mrs. Woodyard's room!
Art in Mrs. Woodyard's room!
Kids Heart Challenge!
Students who raised $50 or more for the Kids Heart Challenge won a pizza and ice cream party with Coach Cox and Mrs. deBoer!
Kids Heart Challenge!
Students who raised $50 or more for the Kids Heart Challenge won a pizza and ice cream party with Coach Cox and Mrs. deBoer!
School Jobs!
Students enjoy helping around the school. These first graders helped collect trash.
Blue Rapids Elementary
It's all blue skies in Blue Rapids
It was a great week at Blue Rapids Elementary! We continued this past week with our state assessments as all students put out an outstanding effort and showed an excellent attitude. Both the teachers/staff and the students have worked very hard to get to this point, I am excited to see the fruits of their labor. As a reminder to parents and students, the weather is getting nicer and students are walking and riding bikes to school. Please be sure to use the crosswalks and sidewalks before and after school. We have had a good year and i just want to get all the students to the summer safely.
Here are some upcoming dates to remember:
- April 7th - 3rd - 6th Grade Spring Picture/Classroom Group Picture Day
- April 18th - No School/Easter Break
- April 21st - No School/Teachers' Professional Development Day
As always, I want to thank you for the blessing that it is to work with your children. My door is always open if you have any questions or concerns.
-Mr. Staples
6th Grade
Learning to write in Cuneiform (a form of ancient Mesopotamia writing system) using playdough.
5th Grade
Proofreading their stories for final draft.
4th Grade
The 4th graders enjoyed being at Ag Day. Although it was cool and rainy, they still had fun learning about farming and animals. 🐑🌽🚜
3rd Grade
Working on cursive writing! ✍🏻
Para Appreciation Day
We love our Paras! They are very helpful to the teachers and are very flexible in their schedule to cover any needs! Thank you Mrs. Hall, Miss Jaqi, Mrs. Pralle, Ms. Reed and Mrs. Wetter for all you do! 💖
Librarian Appreciation Day
Thank you, Mrs. Hogan, for all that you do in our library. You are very much loved and appreciated! 😍📚
Attendance Matters!
Staff Birthdays 🎂
Happy Birthday, Mr. Z!
Mr. Zimmerman celebrates his birthday on April 10th. He enjoys cashews, Reese's and drinking Mr. Pibb or Root Beer. One of his favorite places to eat is Culvers. In his spare time, Mr. Z likes to do woodworking. Have a great day!
Happy Birthday, Cheryl!
Mrs. Cheryl Ralph also celebrates her birthday on April 10th. Her favorite drink is coffee. When she is at home she loves to do diamond painting and play with her cat. She also loves her family and going camping with them. Enjoy your birthday!
Colts Round Up!
Breakfast Menu
Lunch Menu
Value, Honor, Success!
Mrs. Wetter awarded Ashlynn and Fritz with VHS tickets for working hard on their tests. Way to go Ashlynn and Fritz!
This week's Waterville VHS ticket winners were Elliette and Helen winning lunch with Mrs. deBoer, and Julian and Delilah winning prizes!
Family Dinner Conversation of the Week
Community Education
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.
Schools That Care
Check out the Schools That Care newsletter below for information on resources available in our community!
Early Head Start
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!
Foster Grandparent Program
Family Mobile Crisis Helpline
Box Tops for Education
Support your school!
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!

