Valley Heights District Newsletter

USD 498: 2024-2025 Year in Review
As we close out another remarkable school year, I want to take a moment to thank our students, staff, families, and community members for your continued support and partnership. At USD 498 Valley Heights, we’ve made meaningful progress this year in the areas of communication, visibility, safety, facilities, and academic and community engagement.

Communication & Transparency
We continued our efforts to keep our stakeholders informed through both electronic and hard-copy newsletters, distributed across our communities and local businesses. We’ve strengthened connections with community organizations such as Blue Rapids Community Action, the BR Chamber, BR Watch, and Waterville Community Connections.

Our team developed a comprehensive 2024-2025 schedule for District Leadership (Building Leadership Team/District Leadership Team/District Site Council), monthly board meeting topics, and key communication hubs for teachers and administration. A yearly professional development calendar was also established in collaboration with our MTSS team, setting clear priorities for growth and improvement.

Strategic Planning
We held multiple community and board strategic planning sessions in Fall 2024. By December, the Board approved a focused, actionable Strategic Plan that now guides our district’s path forward.

Connections & Community Engagement
Community involvement continues to be a cornerstone of our district’s identity. Flyers around town now include QR codes for easy access to all district newsletters. I was honored to present updates at both the Waterville and Blue Rapids community meetings.

This year, our staff had the opportunity to tour Blue Rapids GP and Blue Rapids museum during inservice days. We also partnered with the Marysville School District to create a joint professional development experience. In our elementary schools, monthly Family Fun Nights were held for each grade, providing fun, engagement, and a stronger school-to-home connection.

Visibility
As part of my commitment, I’ve prioritized being present in every building, every day (most days...)—ensuring accessibility, support, and real-time understanding of the needs within each school.

Facility Improvements
Our district made major strides in upgrading our buildings and grounds:

• Completed LED lighting upgrades in all buildings (Aug '24)

• Installed the new greenhouse and concrete (completed Nov '24)

• BR carpet replacement (Dec '24); roofing projects completed (Oct '24); HVAC Phase 1 at VHHS finished (Nov '24); epoxy flooring scheduled for Summer '25

• Awarded over $400,000 in state and federal grants to improve school safety (SVPP COPS Grant, State Safe Schools Grant)

• New kitchen ovens installed, HVAC ductwork replacement underway, and summer projects lined up for carpets, sewer line project(fully funded by a $1.27M Small Town Grant!!!!), track and field improvements.

Recognition & Awards
We are proud to have earned the Kansans Can Civic Engagement Copper Award and the Academically Prepared for Postsecondary Bronze Award, reflecting the incredible work of our students and staff in and out of the classroom.

As we head into summer, I want to thank you all once again for being part of this journey. From family engagement events to strategic facility upgrades, we are building a stronger future for all Valley Heights students.

Have a safe, fun, and restful summer—we look forward to welcoming everyone back in August!

Warm regards,

Sean Spoonts
Superintendent, USD 498 Valley Heights

Valley Heights Awarded $1.27 Million for Sewer Infrastructure Project

We are pleased to share that USD 498 has been awarded a $1.27 million grant through the Small Town Water and Sewer Infrastructure Assistance Grant Program, administered by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE).

This grant will fully fund a much-needed sewer infrastructure project at the Valley Heights High School campus. The Small Town Grant Program supports communities with populations under 1,000 in addressing health and regulatory compliance issues related to water and wastewater systems. Projects like ours that promote regional solutions—such as connecting to a city’s existing treatment system—receive priority consideration.

Why This Project Is Necessary

The existing treatment lagoons at the VHHS facility have never functioned as designed—they fail to retain water and no longer meet KDHE standards. In 2021, KDHE issued a Compliance Schedule requiring the district to correct these issues, including commissioning an engineering study. The study found that the site’s space limitations made any expansion of the current lagoon system unfeasible due to state-mandated Separation and Habitation Distances (100 feet from property lines, 500 feet from buildings).

Currently, the lagoon sits only:

• ~35 feet from the long jump pit

• ~60 feet from utility lines

• ~200 feet from the end zone of the football field

Any expansion would push the project out of compliance, increase costs, and further restrict valuable land use on our campus.

A Better Long-Term Solution

The solution, supported by KDHE, is to decommission the existing lagoon and install a new pumping station and force main line to send wastewater to the City of Waterville’s treatment facility. This regional partnership is more sustainable, more cost-effective, and ensures long-term compliance with state environmental regulations. It also frees the district from the ongoing burden of maintaining a KDHE wastewater permit.

What This Means for Our District

This grant allows USD 498 to:

• Eliminate an outdated and failing lagoon system

• Preserve and protect land used for student activities

• Avoid costly future expansion and compliance issues

• Improve overall environmental and public health standards

• Complete the project without using local tax dollars

We are grateful to KDHE for recognizing the importance of this project and to the City of Waterville for their partnership. This investment ensures our campus infrastructure meets current and future needs.

This year instead of planning building-wide family engagement nights, we had each grade level host a Family Fun Night. Teachers planned their night to be developmentally appropriate for their age group of students. The Colts Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) provided funding for these nights. Parents as Teachers and our Family Advocate also helped with these events.

• Colts PTO sponsored several activities this year for our students/staff:
• Sponsored our Family Fun Nights
• Sponsored class field trips
• Provided meals for our teaching staff during Student Success Meetings in the fall and spring.
• Sponsored the Scholastic Book Fair and meal
• Sponsored an inflatable obstacle course for our annual Charles Steele Play Day and provided water.
• Provided teacher appreciation gifts for staff.
• The halls of Waterville Grade School got updated over Christmas break with a fresh coat of paint. The school is much brighter now! We are looking forward to getting new carpet in two classrooms as well as more painting over the summer.
• Signs were installed in both Waterville and Blue Rapids along the highway displaying our ESEA National Title I Distinguished School 2018, 2023 and National Blue Ribbon School 2018, 2023 awards.
• Community Connections:
• We had monthly visits from the Waterville Shakespeare Club teaching our students about art.
• Guest readers from the community.
• Kansas Day presenters
• Marshall County Sheriff's Office
• Waterville Fire Department
• Local business tours
• Waterville Public Library visits
• Hosted Rotary Club meals
• Snacks provided by Citizens State Bank
• Ice cream provided for Play Day by a community member
• Fire & Ice provided slushies for our students
• We would like to thank the Valley Heights Video Production Team for the technology advancements that were made this school year!
• Our Christmas Program was live streamed on YouTube this year and had 692 views! Our Spring program was live streamed on YouTube and had 423 views!
• Drone footage was taken of our annual Charles Steele Play Day event!

• Each of our grades completed a family fun night where the teachers engaged with their students and their families. There were fun activities and food along with many laughs and memories.
• The students completed their state assessments in April with all students putting out an outstanding effort. Results will be distributed by the state in the fall
• Six Blue Rapids students proudly represented Valley Heights elementary at the Marshall County Spelling Bee in Marysville.
• The 6th grade leadership team did a great job of showing leadership by performing safety duties covering the crosswalk, collecting food for the local food pantry, they raised money for a picnic table for the playground,as well as collecting funds to help several families who lost loved ones this year. They also organized several fun activities throughout the year including the end of year knockout tournament and basketball game.
• The students enjoyed some fun field trips this year. The 3rd grade went to Nebraska to tour the Homestead National Park, 4th grade went to Sycamore Springs in Sabetha, 5th grade went to Fort Riley to tour the army base and the 6th grade went to the Konza prairie and the Discovery center.
  
• This past year Valley Heights received copper recognition from the state of Kansas for civic engagement from the Kansas Star Recognition program.
• We applied for Kansas Star Recognition in Social Emotional and Civic Engagement for next year.
  
• At our end of the year assembly Mrs. Hogan recognized 17 students in the building for their outstanding reading this year. This list included the top readers in each class as well as the school.
• On May 21st we promoted 34 sixth grade students that will be going on to 7th grade. We look forward to seeing them grow and be a part of the Mustang tradition.
  
• Blue Rapids elementary staff and students would like to express our gratitude to three very special staff members. Mrs. Erickson was our 5th grade teacher this year. She did an outstanding job of pouring into the students and was a strong asset to the building. We wish her all the best as she continues her career at Marysville Elementary. Miss. Coleman has been our band teacher for two years and is moving on to pursue other career goals. Miss. Coleman did a great job with our 5th and 6th grade band and we wish her all the best in her future plans. Mrs. Hogan is retiring as librarian in the Blue Rapids building. She has worked at Valley Heights for 23 years performing a variety of duties in all three buildings. We wish Mrs. Hogan the best in her retirement!

Passion, purpose, and connections are essential elements that synergistically work together to create a vibrant and effective educational environment in our schools. Passion fuels students' intrinsic motivation, driving them to pursue their interests with fervor and dedication. When students discover their passions, they gain a sense of purpose, understanding how their interests align with their long-term goals and aspirations. Purpose provides direction and clarity, guiding students in their educational journey and helping them stay focused on their objectives. Additionally, fostering connections within the school community, between students, teachers, and mentors, enhances learning experiences by providing support, collaboration, and opportunities for growth. Through passion-driven pursuits, guided by purpose, and supported by meaningful connections, students are empowered to achieve their full potential and contribute positively to their school and beyond.

The newsletter serves as a beacon, illuminating the opportunities available within our educational community for nurturing passion, purpose and connections. It showcases extracurricular activities and initiatives designed to ignite student's passions and provide avenues for exploration and self-discovery. Additionally, the newsletter highlights programs and resources geared towards helping students identify their purpose, whether through mentoring programs, or community service projects. Through the newsletter, members of our school community are inspired to engage, pursue their passions, find their purpose, and forge lasting connections that enrich their educational journey.

Email: sspoonts@valleyheights.org
Website: https://www.valleyheights.org
Location: 2274 6th Road, Blue Rapids, KS, USA
Phone: 785-363-2398
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/vhusd498/
Twitter: @usd498