Valley Heights Elementary Schools

Waterville Elementary students looked great today for picture day! We loved all the smiles and pictures are going to turn out great! If your child was absent today, or after viewing your child's photo you decide you want retakes, we have scheduled them for Tuesday, October 7th. Remember, to make sure you stay up-to-date with when pictures are ready to order, text PGDM77997 to the number 90738.

We have no school this coming Monday, September 15th!

PAT, PRESCHOOL, & KINDER PREP FAMILIES: This Monday, September 15th will be our Family Fun Night for PAT, Preschool, and Kinder Prep families! 5:30-6:30 pm at the Waterville Grade School! See the flyer below for more details and how to RSVP! Even if you didn't get a change to RSVP, we'd love to have you!

Next Week

Monday:

• No School! Teacher professional development day
• PAT/Preschool/Kinder Prep Family Fun Night! 5:30-6:30 pm
• Board of Education Meeting at VHHS 6:00 pm

Tuesday:

• Colts Round Up

Wednesday:

• Colts Round Up

Thursday:

• Colts Round Up

Friday:

• No elementary activities.

Valley Heights High School sophomore and Miss Kansas Jr Teen, Julia Heinen visited our Kindergarten through 2nd grade classrooms this week! She spoke about perseverance and working hard for your goals with our students. Thank you, Julia, for your encouraging words and positive message!

Jill Hull, pictured here with her late husband, Lloyd, passed away on Monday, September 8th. She was an elementary teacher in Waterville from 1971 to 2003; most of that time as the second grade teacher. Visitation will be this Friday, September 12th, from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm. Funeral services will be this Saturday, September 13th, at 10:00 am at the Waterville Methodist Church. Our condolences go out to her two daughters, Heather and Melissa and their families.

Mrs. Winifred Elmborg passed away Tuesday, September 9th. She was the first-grade teacher at Valley Heights Elementary in Blue Rapids from 1973 until her retirement in 1994. She was preceded in death by her husband, John Elmborg, who was an attorney in Blue Rapids. Her funeral was Friday morning. Our condolences go out to her family.

It was a good week at Blue Rapids Elementary. I am just so proud of our students and staff for how they have helped to get the school year off to a good start.

Safety before and after school is always a focus as we want kids to arrive at school and home safely. Please encourage your children to use sidewalks and the designated crosswalks when going to and from school.

Here are some upcoming dates to remember:

• No School - Professional Development - September 15th
• Homecoming Week - September 29th

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

The Kansas Department of Education released state assessment scores from the spring 2025 testing window. We are so proud of all the students and staff at Valley Heights for their hard work in achieving such amazing test scores. To put things in perspective, Valley Heights on average scored 19 points above the state average in English Language Arts, 20 points above the average in Math and 22 points above the average in Science. Please see the districts results below. The blue bar is the average state score and the green bar is the Valley Heights average for that grade level.

📣🏈Please return Kiddie Clinic forms by September 26th. Thank you! 📣🏈

Waterville Grade School VHS ticket winners were Oakley and Gunner winning lunch with Mrs. deBoer and Alyvia and Emily winning prizes!

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!

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