Hi Waterville Families!

Teachers are busy setting up classrooms, attending professional development, and anxiously waiting for the 1st day of school! Below are some important items to make note of before the school year begins!

• If you haven't enrolled your child yet, please do so ASAP at the Waterville Grade School.
• Yungeberg Drug has enough school supplies for each student, so if you haven't gotten your school supplies yet, there is still time!
• Back to School Night is this Wednesday, August 16th from 6:00-7:30. Bring your supplies in, find where your child's desk is, and meet their teacher! Class lists will be on the office window if you do not know who your child's teacher is yet.
• The 1st day of school is Thursday, August 17th. Doors open at 7:30 am. Breakfast is served from 7:30-8:05 am. School will dismiss at 12:30. Lunch will be served.
• Sunday, August 20th is our annual Mustang Spirit Night at 6:00 pm. All activities are free!
• Preschool and Kinder Prep do not start class until Tuesday, August 22nd.

We will also communicate with families via the Bloomz app. Information on how to connect to your child's teacher will be handed out at Back to School Night!

Dismissal Reminder:

If your dismissal plans change please call the office to let us know instead of messaging the classroom teacher on Bloomz. This way all staff involved are aware of the changes. The Waterville phone number is 785-363-2530.

We can't wait to see your children and start off a wonderful school year!

See you soon,

Mrs. deBoer

We are so excited for the start of the 2023-2024 school year! All the teachers have been in the building getting ready for our amazing students. I have talked to many of you and want to thank you for all the encouragement and support as we get ready to start this new year. There is definitely a buzz and excitement in the air.

As parents, we all know the transition back to school can be challenging. Here are some things our family is doing this week to get ready for school:

• getting back on our bedtime / wake up schedule for school
• focusing on healthy breakfasts
• making sure we have a low-key evening schedule for the first week of school

• bring all your kids' school supplies
• class lists will be posted in the office window
• meet your kid's teacher(s)
• connect with new classmates

Our 1st day of school is Thursday, August 17th. The gym/building will be open at 7:30 am. Breakfast is served from 7:30-8:05 am. School will be dismissed at 12:30. School lunch will be served.

Here are a couple of friendly reminders regarding pickup and drop off at Blue Rapids elementary.

• when you drop off your student, drop them off in front of the gym, be mindful of oncoming traffic
• if your student is eating breakfast at school, they will go to the cafeteria in the main building
• please make sure you are not parking in the yellow designated areas.
• be sure to always use the crosswalk and encourage your students to do so as well
• be sure the students use the sidewalks and do not walk in the street
• when the students are coming off the bus please stand back as you wait for your students

As always, my door is always open. Please call the school, or stop by if you need anything.

Thank you for the privilege and blessing it is to work with your children.

-Mr. Staples

Each day in the elementary schools, we teach our students how to have purposeful interactions and goals. We believe that having a common purpose will promote the academic and social emotional well-being of each student. We teach students the VHS model:

Colts Round-Up is an after-school enrichment program that runs Monday through Thursday from 3:30—5:30.

IT IS VERY IMPORTANT THAT STUDENTS BE PICKED UP ON TIME EACH DAY.

There will be transportation provided at the end of CRU for students back to BR. There is no rural transportation.

Blue Rapids students need to be picked up at the bus stop by 5:40.

There will be NO FEE for Colts Round-Up at this time however this form is crucial to keeping a record of the number of students we serve for grant money.

The impact of an afterschool program is vital. Colts Round-Up provides a safe, nurturing place with opportunities to reinforce learning from school, teach social skills, encourage good citizenship, and allow parents peace of mind while they finish their workdays.

As a community and school district, we are blessed to have fantastic staff & families. Colts Round-Up supplies a healthy snack, enrichment activities, social interaction with their peers as well as opportunities to enhance the lives of others through community service. We will continue to emphasize character-building and physical activity.

This year, Colts Round-Up will again offer programming for the KP-6 grades. We hope that this can have a positive impact on the families and students in our community.

Click the link to register today!

CRU Registration Link

FIRST DAY: September 5

Days there will not be CRU:

September: 25

October: 3, 4, 16 & 31

November: 13, 22 & 23

December: 6 & 7
LAST DAY OF FIRST SEMESTER: December 19

SECOND SEMESTER FIRST DAY: January 8

Days there will not be CRU:

January: 15

February: 13, 15, 19

March: 11-15(spring break)

April: 15

LAST DAY: May 9

This school year we will be affected by the replacement of the bridge over Fawn Creek between Blue Rapids and Waterville on US 77. The work will last the entire school year and will slow things down going to and from school and activities. Traffic will be monitored by a stop light and reduced to one lane. We will maintain our leave times in the mornings at 7:35 am. Please leave early so you have your student(s) at the bus stop on time to ensure that we run on schedule.

Email: judeboer@valleyheights.org tstaples@valleyheights.org sspoonts@valleyheights.org
Website: www.valleyheights.org