Tiger Pride

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

A huge thank you to all of our families who participated in Grandparents Week at VES! We had an amazing turnout, and I know our students truly enjoyed spending that special time with you. We are so grateful for the love and support you continue to show our Tigers!

Looking ahead to next week, Monday will be the final day of our AFG fundraiser. We will also be hosting our Fall Book Fair Monday through Friday. Students are welcome to bring money to shop during their breakout time, or families can add money to a student’s Scholastic eWallet here: https://bookfairs.scholastic.com/bf/valdeseelementaryschool.

Interim reports will also be coming home in Take Home Tuesday folders. This is a great opportunity to sit down with your child, review grades and progress together, celebrate growth, and talk about any areas where additional support may be needed.

Lastly, we are excited to celebrate our September Citizens of the Month on Friday! These students have demonstrated honesty and trustworthiness throughout the month, and we look forward to recognizing them for showing strong character.

Thank you, as always, for your continued support and partnership. We are so thankful for our VES families! 🖤💛

Have a great week!

Courtney Hull, Principal

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.

🩷🦎 AXOLOTL FUNDRAISER — LAST CALL! 🦎🩷

🚨 MONDAY IS THE LAST DAY! 🚨

Students have until MONDAY to get those last sales in! 🎉 Mrs. Dixon will be collecting tickets on Monday, and this will be the FINAL DAY to turn them in.

📋 IMPORTANT REMINDERS FOR MONDAY:
✅ Send in ALL order forms AND money
❌ DO NOT put online orders on your order forms — online orders are already submitted electronically!

🩷🦎 THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU! 🦎🩷

We are so grateful for all of the amazing support you have given our school during this fundraiser! Your participation and hard work have helped make this fundraiser a SUCCESS for Valdese Elementary! 🐯✨

We appreciate every student, family, friend, and neighbor who helped make it happen! 💛

LET’S FINISH STRONG, TIGERS! 🐯🔥

🦎💗 Get those last sales in and bring everything to school MONDAY! 💗🦎

🎅🩵 Operation Blue Santa

Operation Blue Santa is a special community outreach program that pairs children with Valdese Police Officers for a memorable day of fellowship, a shared meal, prayer, a bus ride, and a Christmas shopping experience. It is a wonderful way for our community to come together and help make the holiday season special for local children.

You can help support Operation Blue Santa next Monday, September 21, from 5:00–9:00 PM at Chick-fil-A in Morganton. A percentage of your purchase will be donated to Operation Blue Santa when you mention Blue Santa at checkout. 🐄🩵🎅

Looking ahead, another opportunity to support this program will be the Boos and Birdies Golf Tournament on Saturday, October 24, 2026, from 12:00–6:00 PM at Silver Creek Golf Course, 4241 Plantation Dr., Morganton, NC. This event will also serve as a fundraiser for Operation Blue Santa.

It’s almost time for one of our favorite Homecoming traditions! Join the Draughn High School Wildcat Family as we take over downtown Valdese for our annual Homecoming Parade!

Come out, line the streets, and help us celebrate our students, athletes, clubs, organizations, Homecoming Court, and the many communities that make up the Wildcat Family!

Bring your family, wear your BLACK & GOLD, and show your WILDCAT PRIDE!

See you downtown! GO WILDCATS!

The Rock School Arts Foundation is offering exciting after school art classes this fall at Old Rock School in Valdese, NC for students in K–5!

🖌️ Class Dates: September 15 – November 17
🕒 When: Tuesdays from 3:00–4:00 PM
📍 Location: Old Rock School, Valdese, NC

Classes Offered:
🎨 K–2nd Grade – Elements and Principles of Art
Instructor: Isabella Flores
Location: Studio 101
Cost: $80 for the 8-week class (materials included)

🧵 Grades 3–5 – Fiber Art
Instructor: Denise Seay
Location: Classroom 119 (beside Studio 101)
Cost: $110 for the 8-week class (materials included)

📌 Please Note:

• No class on October 20 or November 3 due to teacher workdays.
• Tuition should be brought to the first class.
• Cash or check payable to RSAF.
• Parents/guardians will be emailed a registration form to complete and bring to the first class.

📧 To enroll, email: rsaf1893@gmail.com

This is a wonderful opportunity for students to explore creativity, build artistic skills, and have fun after school!

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.

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 love welcoming families to VES and appreciate the time you take to come enjoy lunch with your child. To help us keep lunchtime safe, organized, and consistent for all students, please remember that visitors may eat only with their own child. Students may not invite friends or other students to join a visiting family.

All visitors should check in through the front office, remain in the cafeteria during the visit, and exit through the front office when lunch is over. For safety and to protect instructional time, visitors should not walk students back to classrooms or enter academic hallways.

Thank you for helping us maintain a safe, welcoming environment while still allowing families to enjoy this special time with their child. We truly appreciate your cooperation and support.

Please make sure you have completed your annual update in the parent portal!

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.

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™ 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!

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!

🍁September

9/2- Fire Drill

9/7- No School- Labor Day

9/8- AFG Fundraiser Begins

9/9- BOG Test (3rd Grade)

9/10- 3rd Grade to NC Symphony @ COMMA

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

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

9/16- Girls Running Club 2:35-3:30

9/21- AFG Fundraiser Ends

9/21- Bookfair Begins

9/22- DHS HOCO Parade @ 6:30

- Interim Reports go home

9/23- Girls Running Club 2:35-3:30

9/25- Bookfair Ends

9/30- Girls Running Club 2:35-3:30

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.

DHS is putting on a Basketball Clinic in October - register now:

Courtney Hull, Principal

📩 courtneyhull@burke.k12.nc.us

📱 828-874-0704

📍 298 Praley St. Valdese, NC 28690

Savannah Cole, Assistant Principal

📩savannahcole@burke.k12.nc.us

📱828-874-0704

📍298 Praley St. Valdese, NC 28690