Staff Newsletter

Hello VWES Staff,

As we wrap up another busy week, I just want to say thank you all so much for a great week of testing! The environment throughout our building gave our students every opportunity to do their very best, and that is a direct reflection of your hard work, positivity, patience, and dedication. We still have another week of testing ahead, and I know our team will continue creating the supportive atmosphere our students need!

I also had the opportunity to enjoy the 4th grade shark dissections this week. That is always such a fun and memorable experience for our students before they graduate and move on. Seeing their excitement, curiosity, and engagement is a reminder of the incredible experiences you create for children every day!

We now have 12 days remaining in our school year. As we head into the final stretch, please continue to keep your focus and your cool. Have patience with one another and with our students, and truly enjoy these final days together. This is a special time of year because we will never have this same team together again in its current form. Take time to appreciate the moments, support one another, and enjoy the relationships that make VWES such a special place!

I hope each of you has a rest-filled weekend and takes time to recharge. You have earned it!

You are AWESOME!

#onelancaster

Dr. Ramey

Lancaster County School District Goals/Expectations

1. Ensuring the physical and social-emotional well-being of staff and students

2. Providing universal access to standards-aligned grade appropriate instruction(equity and excellence)

3. Supporting strong professional learning communities with a focus on a multi-tiered system

of support.

Van Wyck Elementary Goals/Expectations

1. Focus on what is possible

2. Elevate our Planning/Data Discussions - CTs

3. Greatness is the Standard

4. One Lancaster

Monday, May 18th

Specials Day: F

Team Rodney Day (Wear Black/Light Blue) Jeans Day

PTO Meeting (6:00pm-7:00pm) VWES Cafeteria

Tuesday, May 19th

Specials Day: G

SC READY Testing - Math Part 1 (3rd & 4th Graders)

No Late Day Planning (Leave @ Normal Time)

Jeans Day

PTO Dine Out Event - Freddy's Indian Land

Wednesday, May 20th

Specials Day: A

SC READY Testing - Math Part 2 (3rd & 4th Graders)

Jeans Day (PTO Members)

Thursday, May 21st

Specials Day: B

SC READY Testing - Science (4th Graders)

Jeans Day

Friday, May 22nd

Specials Day: C

ILHS Senior Walk (9:20am)

Jeans Day

Monday, May 18th

Rotisserie Chicken Wings

Meat Loaf

Au Gratin Potatoes

Green Beans

Blue Strawberry Cup

Fresh Fruit Choice

Whole Wheat Roll

MILK,1% Lowfat

MILK,Skim

Tuesday, May 19th

Breakfast for Lunch Day

Pancakes w/ Turkey Sausage

Cheese Grits w/ Turkey Sausage

Carrot Sticks w/ Hummus

Mandarin Oranges

Fresh Fruit Choice

Buttered Toast

MILK,1% Lowfat

MILK,Skim

Wednesday, May 20th

Teriyaki Chicken

Chicken Tenders

Minh Fried Rice

Oriental Vegetables

Pinto Beans

Peach Slice Cup

Fresh Fruit Choice

Whole Wheat Breadstick

MILK,1% Lowfat

MILK,Skim

Thursday, May 21st

Spaghetti and Meat Sauce

Pepperoni and Cheese Pizza Kit

Corn on the Cob

Mixed Greens

Pear Crisp

Fresh Fruit Choice

Garlic Texas Toast

Whole Wheat Crackers

MILK,1% Lowfat

MILK,Skim

Friday, May 22nd

Emoji Chicken Nuggets

Crispy Fish Sticks

Sweet Potato Fries

Lima Beans

Strawberry Cup

Fresh Fruit Choice

Whole Wheat Breadstick

MILK,1% Lowfat

MILK,Skim

2025-2026 School Meals

Students can apply for free or reduced meals by clicking the link below. Here are the new breakfast and lunch prices for the 2025-2026 school year.

Student Breakfast:

Elementary - $1.50

Secondary - $1.50

Student Lunch:

Elementary - $2.20

Secondary - $2.75

Titan Family Portal, our meal application and payment site, is changing its name and application to LinQ Connect. Returning parents and staff can still log on to Titan Family Portal and nothing has changed with accounts. You will be direct to the newer site. Links, getting started for new accounts, and other information is linked below.

LINQ Connect

LINQ Getting Started and FAQs

Chloe Briggs - May 1st

Leah Brindle - May 8th

Marley Cole - May 9th

Nurse Terry - May 11th

Cortney Davis - May 13th

Jeaneen Wainman - May 29th

Jennifer High - May 30th

May 2026

Monday, May 25th - Memorial Day - No School

Thursday, May 28th - Kindergarten Graduation

Thursday, May 28th - EAGLES/Art Showcase

Friday, May 29th - 4th Grade Graduation

June 2026

Monday, June 1st - Kindergarten & 4th Grade Celebrations

Wednesday, June 3rd - Half-Day Dismissal - ½ Work-Day for Staff - Last Day

Wednesday, June 3rd - End of 4th Nine Weeks - Report Cards Issued

We need to follow the protocol below for any technological needs this year:

Please email Ashley Gulledge, Megan Yeargin, AND Melodie Perez when you are experiencing an issue with your technology (ex: ClearTouch board, laptop, etc.)

Someone will enter a ticket in 1to1 for you.

Tickets are important for the following reasons:

* Your concern will be addressed in a timely manner

* Provides a history of what occurred

* Tickets will be addressed over emails or requests in person.

* Chromebook issues for students:

All students should take Chromebooks to the Melodie Perez, Media Center Assistant.

ELA

I continue to enjoy working together during our CT meetings. Your collaboration is top notch! Use the "Schedule a time" link if you need more time to discuss your students, your instruction, your data, etc!

LETRS information can be found here on the LCSD Literacy website. More information will be coming soon!

The SC Department of Education has updated their website with instructional resources and professional development. Make sure to check it out!

SCDE ELA Website

BOOKS! BOOKS! and MORE BOOKS!

Know where the laminator and leveled book room is in the library? This has become the home for ALL the books that teachers do not want. There are TONS of books that we need to get into our students' hands and classrooms. 90% of these books are district/school purchased books, which means they can't be sent home for kids to keep and need to be in our classrooms. All staff are able to "shop" for books from this room. PLEASE go book shopping :)

Please bookmark this site as it will be used heavily while we are planning with our new standards and new curriculum this year: LCSD Math Site

You can find pacing guides, planning documents, standards documents, resources from the curriculum, and much more!

See the link below for more information about our Multilingual Learner Program, ways to help support your child's learning at home, ways to get involved at your child's school, and resources available in our community. Please let us know if you have any questions or suggestions about information you would like us to include to support you and your family. We are here to help!

ML Services & Outreach Center
https://sites.google.com/lcsd.k12.sc.us/lcsdmlservicesoutreachcenter/home

Please follow our VWES Social Media Accounts:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/VWESeagles (VWESeagles)

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vweseagles (vweseagles)

Please follow our VWES PTO Social Media Accounts:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/vwespto (vwespto)

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vwespto (vwespto)

SECTION 59-5-63. Unencumbered time requirement; policies; school district adoptions.

• The State Board of Education shall adopt and periodically revise as necessary a statewide policy that each local school board shall use to develop and implement a plan that directs the principal of each elementary school to provide at least thirty minutes of unencumbered time on each regular school day to all full-time teachers teaching in a grade between kindergarten through fifth grade.

• Our certified classroom teachers’ unencumbered time will be the first 30 minutes of your workday.

Thursday, September 11th - 1st Nine Weeks Progress Reports

Tuesday, September 30th - Parent-Teacher Conference Night

Friday, October 17th - End of 1st Nine Weeks

Thursday, October 23rd - 1st Nine Weeks Report Cards Issued

Friday, December 19th - End of 2nd Nine Weeks

Tuesday, January 13th - 2nd Nine Weeks Report Cards Issued

Tuesday, February 10th - Spring Parent-Teacher Conference Night

Tuesday, February 10th - 3rd Nine Weeks Progress Reports

Thursday, March 12th - End of 3rd Nine Weeks

Wednesday, March 25th - 3rd Nine Weeks Report Cards Issued

Wednesday, April 22nd - 4th Nine Weeks Progress Reports

Wednesday, June 3rd - End of 4th Nine Weeks - Report Cards Issued

Please review the link below with important information in our Staff Handbook:

STAFF HANDBOOK

Please review the link below with important information in our District's Employee Handbook:

EMPLOYEE HANDBOOK

If you are interested in purchasing any VWES Clothing Items our school has a team store through BSN Sports. Click the link below for more details.

VWES Team Store

Please use the Teacher Resources page HERE to access all Staff Links for this year!

We use Safe Schools to present mandatory training about healthy and safe schools. There are several training modules that have been assigned to you. You need to go to https://lcsd-sc.safeschools.com/login to access the training modules that have been assigned to you. Your login is your employee ID. If the system prompts for a password, it is also your employee ID. Your school bookkeeper can help you if you do not know/remember your employee ID.

Please do your best to avoid scheduling appointments or events during the following dates/weeks, if possible. These are subject to change until finalized by the district. We will update everyone when these are finalized.

August 18-August 26th - Fall MAP Testing

September 29-October 3rd - Panorama Wellness Survey

October 6-October 28th - CogAT and Iowa Testing

November 3-November 7th - Fall CASE Benchmark Testing

December 8-December 16th: Winter MAP Testing

January 20-March 6th: ML ACCESS Testing

March 23-March 27th: Spring CASE Benchmark Testing

April 13-17th: Spring MAP Testing

May 4-29th: SCReady and SCPass Testing