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

Happy Friday, Tiger Families!

First, I want to say a huge thank you to all of our families who have donated candy for Trick or Read! We have received an incredible amount of candy, and we are so appreciative of your generosity! We are still in need of just a little more, so if you are able to donate an additional bag, it would be greatly appreciated!

We have a busy and exciting week ahead, so please take a moment to review these important reminders!

📚 NC Check-In Testing – Grades 3–5

Our 3rd–5th grade students will be participating in NC Check-In assessments for reading and math this week. Please help your child be prepared by making sure they get plenty of rest, eat a good breakfast, and arrive at school on time. Most importantly, encourage them to slow down, take their time, and give their very best effort!

-Monday- 4th Grade RTA Test

-Wednesday- 3rd-5th Reading Check-In

-Thursday- 3rd-5th Math Check-In

🎃 Halloween Costumes – Tuesday, October 27

Students are welcome to wear their Halloween costumes to school on Tuesday if they choose! Please be sure to review the costume guidelines included below to ensure costumes are safe and school-appropriate.

👻🍬 Trick or Read Mega Party – Tuesday, October 27 | 5:00–7:00 PM

We are SO excited to welcome our Tiger families for one of our favorite events of the year!

A few important details to help the evening run smoothly:

• 🚗 Parking: Please park in the staff parking lot or at the teacher cottage. The driveway leading down to the school will be coned off, so please do not drive beyond the designated parking areas.

• ✅ Check-In: Our check-in table will be located at the end of the sidewalk closest to the parking lot. Students will work their way down the sidewalk to the bottom of the staircase, completing activities along the way.

• 🎟️ Wristbands: Once students have earned their wristbands, they may head to the field for more fun!

• 🎉 Field Activities: Enjoy inflatables, snow cones, and more!

• Don't forget to bring your candy buckets!

Thursday, October 29th

• Kindergarten will be going on a field trip to Henry River Farms. Remember to dress appropriately for outdoors and wear comfortable shoes! 🎃
• AFG Fundraiser items will be delivered and available for pickup! Mrs. Dixon will make a dojo post when items are ready. Be looking for her announcement!

Thank you for your continued support of Valdese Elementary. We are so thankful for our school community and the many ways you help make these experiences possible for our students!

Have a wonderful weekend, Tiger Families!

🐯🖤💛 Courtney Hull

A special thank you to Mrs. Schaffer, who has gone above and beyond this year by teaching art during our Thursday rotations! Thanks to her dedication and creativity, our students have a beautiful display of artwork featured in the Burke County Public Schools Art Exhibition, sponsored by the Rock School Arts Foundation. We are so proud of our talented Tiger artists and thankful to Mrs. Schaffer for providing this wonderful opportunity for our students to shine!

Be a Tiger Others Can Count On. Keep your promises, make good choices, and show through your actions that others can depend on you.

🎉🎉🎉Congratulations to 4th Grade, who had the highest attendance percentage this week!

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!

Burke County Public Schools will open its Academically and Intellectually Gifted (AIG) nomination window for students in grades 3–8 beginning October 12 and ending October 23.

This nomination period gives parents and teachers the opportunity to recommend students for consideration and possible placement testing for the district’s AIG program.

If you believe your child should be considered for AIG testing, please contact your child’s teacher to discuss a nomination.

The deadline to nominate a student is October 23.

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.

We are getting ready for our upcoming Trick-or-Read event and would greatly appreciate candy donations from our families and community!

To help keep all of our students safe, please refrain from donating any candy that contains peanuts due to allergies.

📅 Candy donations are needed by October 23rd.

Thank you so much for helping us make Trick-or-Read a fun and special evening for our Tigers! 🐯🖤💛

October

10/2- School Spelling Bee @ 8:30

10/5- PTO Spirit Wear Sale

10/7- Fire Drill

10/7- Girls Running Club

10/9- Fire Truck Visit- Fire Prevention Week Celebration

10/13-Student Council 2:35-3:15

10/15- Great Shakeout and Lockdown Drill

10/16- School Store

10/16- End of 1st 9 Weeks

10/16-Rock School Arts Foundation Art Show Begins

10/19- Teacher Workday-No School

10/20- Teacher Workday-No School

10/21- Girls Running Club

10/21- Archery Tryouts 4th and 5th grade only

10/22- Kindergarten Hearing Screenings

10/23- School Store

10/23- Picture Day

10/26- 4th grade RTA test

10/27- Trick-or-Read and Mega Party 5:00-7:00

10/28- ELA Check In #1(Grades 3-5)

10/28- Girls Running Club

10/29- Math Check In #1(Grades 3-5)

10/29- Kindergarten to Henry River Farms

10/29- October Citizen of the Month Celebration

10/29- AFG Delivery- Can pick up throughout the day

🎶 Rockin’ at the Lake – Community Concert 🎶

Join the Valdese community for a fun afternoon of live music at Valdese Lakeside Park on Sunday, November 22 from 3:00–5:00 PM. The concert will feature Lost Wages and is free to attend.

This special event will benefit the Valdese Police Department’s Operation Blue Santa, a program that helps support Valdese Elementary School families during the Christmas season.

Donations are appreciated, and we hope many of our Tiger families will come out, enjoy the music, and support this wonderful community cause!

Families are invited to the 5th Annual Spooky Science Night at NCSSM-Morganton for an evening of fun, hands-on elementary school challenge events!

📅 Wednesday, October 28, 2026

⏰ 5:00–7:00 PM

📍 NCSSM-Morganton

Come enjoy a spooky evening filled with science, creativity, and family fun! We hope to see some of our Tigers there! 🐯🧡💜

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.

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