Tiger Pride

Valdese Elementary Contact Information

Hours of Operation:

7:30am: Doors Open

7:55am: Tardy Bell

2:35pm: Dismissal

Website: https://ves.burke.k12.nc.us/

Address: 298 Praley St. Valdese, NC, 28690

Phone: 828-874-0704

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/valdeseelementaryschool

Mission Statement:

Valdese Elementary School strives to provide students with a safe, positive, and challenging learning environment in which students become productive and confident lifelong learners.

Vision Statement:

Valdese Elementary School will prepare students to live a productive life while becoming responsible citizens both locally and globally.

🐯 Tiger Families!

This is your principal, Courtney Hull, with a few important reminders.

Our school year is off to a wonderful start! This week, we officially welcomed our Pre-K and Kindergarten Tigers, and it has been so exciting to see our building full of happy students learning, growing, and getting comfortable with their new routines.

As I have visited classrooms throughout the week, I have seen so many great things happening—stories being read, students participating in rotations and learning stations, writing activities, and lots of opportunities for students to get to know their teachers and classmates. Our Tigers are already hard at work!

We have also had great attendance this week! Thank you for making it a priority to have your child at school, on time, and ready to learn each day. Keep it up! Every day matters, and strong attendance gives our students the best opportunity to be successful.

We also want to thank everyone for your continued patience with transportation. Our students, families, bus drivers, and staff are still adjusting to bus and car rider routines. Each day is getting a little smoother, and we appreciate your flexibility and understanding as we continue working to make arrival and dismissal as safe and efficient as possible.

Please remember that we are here to support you and your child throughout the school year. If you have questions, concerns, or need assistance with anything, please do not hesitate to reach out.

Proud to be a Tiger,
Courtney Hull, Principal
Valdese Elementary School

September Character Focus- Honesty

Students will be encouraged to be truthful in their words and actions, admit mistakes, and choose what is right even when it may be difficult.

Bus Information

Student safety is always our first priority on the bus. Students should remain in their assigned seat and use an inside-voice level on the bus in order to avoid distracting the bus driver. Students should avoid bringing drinks, food, or candy on the bus. Cell phones are also prohibited on the bus and in classrooms. Please be flexible and patient with bus times the first few weeks as we add students and drivers become accustomed to the routes.

Free Breakfast and Lunch

All students can eat breakfast and lunch for free each day in the cafeteria. We have a grab-and-go breakfast program where students get their breakfast and take it to their classroom in the morning. The lunch schedule is posted below.

We're celebrating Grandparents Week in our cafeteria Sept. 14-18! Grandparents and guests can join their students for lunch during their specified celebration time.

While lunch is free for all students, adult meals are $5 for an entree, two sides and a tea. We only accept cash at the register. (if using the RSVP form) Please return the RSVP form sent home with your student by Sept. 9. We look forward to serving you!

Online Enrollment

Your child's journey in Burke County Schools begins here

Whether your child is brand-new to school or transferring from another school, we welcome you into Burke County Public Schools. As you get to know us, you will discover that we are passionate about making education better for the students we serve, and our staff brings that spirit into the classroom every day. Our personalized approach to educating students inspires them to discover their full potential in an environment that celebrates their individual strengths and promotes a community of learners.

Enrollment - Burke County Public Schools - NC

My School Bucks & Device Fees 💻💲

Set up MySchoolBucks and pay your child’s device fee. Online payments can be made for up to **two children per family**. If you have more than two children, you will need to come to the school to complete payment.

The Greatest 8

The Greatest 8™ is an exciting initiative designed to help parents give their children, from birth through age 8, a great emotional start in life. The initiative focuses on eight key skills that, when developed early in life, help lay the foundation for lifelong mental wellness. The Greatest 8™ is designed to help parents support their children's healthy emotional development and positive behavior. Click on the title to learn more!

Student Attendance

Graphic with the phrase “EVERY DAY MATTERS” in large, distressed lettering. “EVERY” and “MATTERS” appear in bright blue, while “DAY” is orange. A small black graduation cap sits above the word “DAY.” The image has a simple white background and emphasizes the importance of daily school attendance.

Thank you for helping your child start each day successfully by arriving at school on time! This year, one of our schoolwide goals is to reduce the number of tardies at VES, and we would love to partner with our families to make that happen.

As an added incentive, students who have three or fewer unexcused tardies during each nine-week grading period will be eligible to participate in a raffle for grocery gift cards! 🎉

We appreciate your partnership in helping our Tigers arrive on time and ready to learn each day. More information about this exciting attendance incentive will be coming soon! 🐯💛

Consistent attendance is essential for academic success, personal growth, and future career readiness. Together, we recognize the importance of regular attendance in providing a well-rounded education.

We appreciate your continued communication regarding absences, excuses, and medical notes with both your child's teacher and Mrs. Stallings, our Data Manager. If your child is absent, please send a written note, doctor’s note, or a Dojo message to their teacher.

Our daily attendance goal is 95%, and we appreciate your support in helping us reach it!

Calendar Events 📆

🍁September

9/2- Fire Drill

9/7- No School- Labor Day

9/8- AFG Fundraiser Begins

9/9- BOG Test (3rd Grade)

9/14-9/18- Grandparents' Week (during lunch)

9/14- PTO Meeting in the Media Center @ 6:00 p.m.

9/21- AFG Fundraiser Ends

9/22- DHS HOCO Parade @ 6:30

Important Information 💡

Parent Volunteers

There are lots of ways that you can volunteer to support our school!

We can use your help reading with students.
Supervising students in the cafeteria for short periods of time so teachers can have a duty-free lunch as a team.
Help with fundraisers.
Help the media coordinator with the Book Fair
Serve with the PTO

If you are interested and available to help, please reach out to the office. Someone from PTO will be in touch with you. Our next whole group meeting will be in September. More information coming soon.