Valley Heights Elementary Schools

The end of the first nine weeks is here! We look forward to all of the fun we will have this next nine weeks!

I would like to invite all of you to attend our District Site Council meeting this Wednesday, October 22nd at 6:30 pm at the Waterville Grade School. We will discuss district updates and have our annual Title I parent meeting.

Halloween is right around the corner! Our Kindergarten through 2nd grade students will change into their costumes after lunch on October 31st and we will walk to downtown Waterville for a costume parade. Our plan is to be there at 1:00. We ask that costumes do not include blood, weapons, or gory masks or face coverings. Also keep in mind accessories may get lost so if you want to keep those at home safe for the special night that may be a good idea! Preschool and Kinder Prep students will not attend the downtown parade. Morning classes will ride the bus to the Blue Valley Nursing Home in Blue Rapids and parade their costumes there. Afternoon classes will walk to the Waterville Public Library for a story and activity.

Next Week

Monday:

• Colts Round Up
• Board of Education Meeting @ VHHS 6:00 pm

Tuesday:

• Colts Round Up

Wednesday:

• Colts Round Up
• 5:30-6:30 Kindergarten Family Fun Night
• 6:30 District Site Council Meeting @ Waterville Grade School

Thursday:

• 1st Grade Field Trip to Britt's Farm in Manhattan
• Colts Round Up
• Lights On After School Family Night from 5:30-6:30 at Waterville Grade School!

Friday:

• No elementary activities

Looking Ahead:

• Sunday, October 26th- Fall Fest on BR Square
• October 31st- Halloween Parties & Parades
• November 10th- No School
• November 26th-28th Thanksgiving Break!

It was a good week at Blue Rapids elementary. The first quarter came to an end on Friday the 17th. Parents be on the lookout. We will sending grades home next week. On October 23rd, we will have picture retakes. Please make sure to notify the office if your child is going to participate in retakes. Halloween is upon us. On the 31st of October at 2:15, we will have our annual Halloween parade around the town circle/square. Come out and see the BR students dressed up in their Halloween regalia!

I also wanted to invite everyone to our district wide SITE council meeting on the 22nd of October at 6:30 pm at the Waterville school library. This will be a great night to hear about exciting things happening at the school as well as an opportunity for parents and community members to give the school feedback.

Please take note of the important dates below.

Here are some upcoming dates to remember:

• District Wide SITE Council-October 22nd, 6:30 pm Waterville Grade School Library
• Fall picture retakes for 3rd - 6th grades - October 23rd
• Fall Festival on Blue Rapids Square - October 26th
• Halloween parade on the Blue Rapids Square (flyer below) - October 31st

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

On October 23, Valley Heights Community Education will host Lights On Afterschool Making Connections event from 5:30 to 6:30 PM at Waterville Grade School. They will celebrate how 21st Century Community Learning Centers Colt's Round-Up and Camp Exploration students are “Making Connections” in afterschool with STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math). Guests will create their own Halloween themed paper LED light circuit and show support for afterschool programs everywhere.

This month is Bullying Prevention Month and our students have taken a pledge to end bullying! Through character education lessons students have learned about what it means for someone to be a bully and how they can help put a stop to bullying!

Julia Heinen, VHHS Sophomore and Miss Teen Kansas, spoke to the 3rd - 6th graders about anti-bullying. Thanks, Julia, for a great message! 💜🤍

It is National School Bus Safety Week! We would like to thank our drivers for getting us where we need to be SAFELY and on time! As many of you know this is not an easy task! Sometimes we forget that school starts at 6 am and gets over at 5 or later for some and that's why it is important to remember, those people are the start and end of the school day for a lot of kids and their number one job is to do it safely, and they do!

Thank you to all of our fantastic drivers, whether it is in a bus or a passenger vehicle you are responsible for making sure the day starts and ends safely!

This week's Waterville VHS ticket winners were Maebel and Jesse winning lunch with Mrs. deBoer and Beaux and Freyja 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