Vass-Lakeview Weekly Update
2026-2027 Back to School Edition
Welcome Back!
Welcome to our first family weekly update of the 2026–2027 school year! As we get ready to welcome our Eagles back to campus, I wanted to take a moment to officially introduce myself and share just how excited I am to begin my first year as principal of Vass-Lakeview Elementary.
While I may be new to Vass-Lakeview, I’m not new to Vass. I’m proud to call this community home! My husband and I live here with our three children, ages 7, 3, and 1, so I have the unique privilege of serving not only as your principal, but also as a fellow parent and community member.
Throughout my career in education, I’ve had the opportunity to serve as a teacher in kindergarten, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 5th grades, as well as an ESL specialist, instructional coach, and assistant principal. Each of those roles has shaped what I believe about schools, but one thing has remained constant: kids come first.
As I begin this new chapter, my goal isn’t to change all of the things that make Vass-Lakeview special. It’s to listen, learn, and continue building upon them. Above all, student safety and student growth will remain at the heart of the decisions we make. I want Vass-Lakeview to be a place where children feel safe, known, challenged, and excited to come to school each day.
I also want our families to know that I value open communication and partnership. My door is always open, although you may not always find me behind it! I love being out in classrooms, hallways, and around campus with our students and staff. If you’d like to sit down and talk, please reach out to schedule a time so I can make sure I’m available and able to give you my full attention.
I’m incredibly excited for the year ahead and grateful for the opportunity to serve the students, staff, and families of Vass-Lakeview. Here’s to a wonderful year of learning, growing, and soaring together!
One of my goals this year is to simplify communication and make it more meaningful. We know families receive countless emails, notifications, messages, and social media posts every day. When everything feels important, it can become easy to miss the things that truly are! This year, we’re simplifying how we communicate so you always know exactly where to look for important school information.
The Weekly Update = Your One-Stop Shop
Each week, I will send a Vass-Lakeview Weekly Update with everything families need to know for the week ahead - important dates, upcoming events, reminders, school updates, etc. The same update will be shared in two places: ClassDojo School Story and a simple weekly email.
If you read the Weekly Update each week, you’ll be in the know! You shouldn't have to search through multiple platforms or wonder whether you missed an important announcement somewhere else.
ClassDojo
To cut down on notifications, our School Story will be reserved for the Weekly Update and any last-minute bus or transportation updates from our assistant principal, Mrs. Glendenning. Teachers will continue to use their Class Stories to share classroom-specific reminders, pictures, celebrations, and a peek into what students are learning.
VLE Facebook = Sharing Our Story
Our Facebook page will have a different purpose this year: to tell the story of Vass-Lakeview! We'll use it to celebrate our students and staff and share the great things happening throughout our school through pictures and videos. You won't need to check Facebook for vital school information. We simply hope you'll follow along and enjoy seeing our Eagles in action! Our Vass-Lakeview PTA will continue sharing event-specific updates on their page, so we encourage you to give them a follow!
Our goal is simple: fewer notifications, less repetition, and more meaningful communication. When we send something your way, we want it to be worth your time to read it. Most importantly, we want every family to know exactly where to go to stay informed: your Vass-Lakeview Weekly Update.
A Safer, Smoother Dismissal with PikMyKid!
This year, Vass-Lakeview is transitioning to PikMyKid, a dismissal management system designed to make the end of our school day safer, smoother, and more efficient.
There are several reasons we’re excited to make this change. PikMyKid will allow us to more accurately track students throughout the dismissal process, providing an additional layer of safety and accountability. It will also give families a consistent way to submit transportation changes without interrupting classrooms throughout the school day. Fewer calls and messages to classrooms means fewer interruptions for teachers and more protected instructional time for our students!
We’ll Transition Together
We will NOT begin using PikMyKid on the first day of school. We know this will be new for many of our families, and we want everyone to have time to learn the system and get comfortable with it.
We will gradually transition to PikMyKid during the first few weeks of school, with full implementation beginning Wednesday, September 16. We’ll share additional information, reminders, and support along the way!
What Families Will Need to Do
1. Create your PikMyKid account.
You will receive information and a QR code in your child's folder the first week of school to help you create your account. Once set up, PikMyKid will allow you to indicate how your child will go home each day and submit transportation changes directly through the system.
2. Car-rider families: Display your barcode. If you pick your child up through the car-rider line, you must display the PikMyKid barcode provided by the school in your front window. Staff will scan the barcode as you enter the line, allowing us to quickly identify your child and prepare them for dismissal. This will help our car-rider line move faster and more smoothly while adding an additional layer of security to our dismissal process.
Beginning September 16, when we fully transition to PikMyKid, every vehicle must have the appropriate barcode and/or unique three-digit code for each child being picked up. Simply providing a student’s name will no longer be sufficient for pickup.
This is an important safety measure. We will not release a child to anyone who cannot provide that child’s unique three-digit code. Parents and guardians will be responsible for sharing this code only with individuals they authorize to pick up their child.
Safety + Instructional Time
Any change to dismissal takes a little time to learn, and we appreciate your patience as our students, staff, and families adjust to the new system. Ultimately, this change comes back to two of our biggest priorities at Vass-Lakeview: keeping our students safe and protecting their instructional time.
More information is coming soon! Keep an eye out for your PikMyKid information and QR code via your child's folder and next week's update, and we’ll make sure you have what you need before our September 16 transition.
VLE Spirit Rock
