VALERIUS ELEMENTARY
Late Start School Hours: 10:00am-3:35pm
Breakfast Time: 8:40-8:55
Click here for the school calendar!
Website: urbandaleschools.com
Location: 3305 92nd Street, Urbandale, IA, USA
Phone: (515)457-6500
Facebook: facebook.com/valeriuselementary
MESSAGE FROM MRS. MAURO
Valerius Parents-
We had a great first week of school and are ready to make this a great year! I have a few updates on ways I personally am going to try to connect with and improve our school this year. Below, you will find a description of each item:
Rounding- You may have heard of “rounding” as a medical term, where doctors do their rounds with patients. Similar to this, I am going to begin rounding with parents and will be calling parents to learn more about student and family perspectives on what’s going well and what needs to be improved at Valerius. These will be informal conversations that help to inform the decisions being made in attempt to provide great service to our students and families.
Principal’s Advisory Council- Once per trimester, I will host a roundtable discussion with parents. The topics of these meetings will be a strategic plan update (related to our school’s goals and actions), discussion of pertinent topics that are of interest to Valerius community members, an open forum where parents and principal can discuss actions necessary to improve our school. The dates for these meetings will be Tuesday, November 27th, Tuesday, March 12th, and Tuesday, May 28th. Times for these meetings have not been set yet, as I would like to seek feedback from the members of the council for what works best. Please email me if you are interested in collaborating with this team.
Parents as Partners Activities- This year, all teachers will be inviting parents in to participate in learning activities in their classrooms. There will be three activities in each class, spread out over the course of the school year. We are excited to provide an opportunity for parents to catch a firsthand glimpse of the amazing teaching and learning that takes place at our school. Look for email invitations from your child’s teacher for times, dates, details. We will also be placing these events on the school calendar. They are, of course, optional, but we hope you will be able to make it to at least one!
MESSAGE FROM MRS. MACGREGOR
Welcome back, Valerius families!
It has been so much fun reconnecting with our students after summer break as well as meeting many new friends who have joined our Valerius family. We are going to have an awesome year!
We have started out the year with some introductory lessons in Guidance classes where the students learned about my role in the building and the process for getting support from me, if needed.
Our second week of lessons will cover building safety. This will include both who can help us stay safe at school and what steps we would follow in an emergency situation.
Problem solving will be our next cycle of guidance lessons as we learn to recognize the differences between small, medium and large problems. Almost all problems we have at school are small problems that the students can either ignore or solve independently. Problem solving is a very valuable skill and can be practiced at school and at home!
Please look for a monthly guidance update from me that will be sent home with your child’s classroom newsletter and as always, feel free to call or email me with questions or concerns. I look forward to a wonderful year of learning and growing with your child!
MESSAGE FROM THE HEALTH OFFICE
Urbandale CSD Guidelines for Healthy Snacks in the Classroom
Guidelines For Snacks:
· Snacks must be store-bought, pre-packaged items, or items purchased through the Urbandale CSD Nutrition services Program or an otherwise licensed food establishment. No homemade snacks or treats may be brought to school.
Classroom Snack Consumption:
· Snacks provided to students in a class for celebratory reasons (e.g. birthday treats) will be consumed after lunch.
· Snacks provided to a class also must be confined to the classroom.
· Snacks are not to leave the classroom. (No passing treats out to other students or teachers in the school building)
· CATERING CONTACTS:
Stephanie Allsup
Webster Elementary Manager
Birthday Treats or Bakery Caterings
515-331-8653
allsups@urbandaleschools.com
Food Allergies (Allergy Aware):
Food allergies can be severe and life-threatening. Strict avoidance is the only way for a person with food allergies to prevent a reaction. Parents, guardians, and students are encouraged to be mindful of food allergies (e.g. peanut, tree-nut, soy, gluten, etc.) when packing lunches.
When providing snacks for an individual student or a class of students, families are encouraged to follow the Healthy Snack List provided below and always check with your child’s classroom teacher to confirm the presence of any food allergies.
Samples of some Healthy Snacks:
· Prepared veggie and fruit trays.
· Fruit cups packed in juice or water.
· Cheese and saltine crackers; Goldfish crackers.
· Beef sticks
· Pretzels
· Sugar-free pudding cups.
· Yogurt in cups and squeeze tubes.
· Brown rice cakes topped with fruit.
· Boxed raisins and other dried fruits.
· Whole grain fig cookies like Fig Newtons.
· 100% fruit juice boxes
· Water
Attendance Phone Number (515) 457-6503 When to Stay Home: · Fever- Student must be fever free for 24 hours (less than 100 degrees) without a fever reducer medication.
· Vomit- Student must have not vomited for 24 hours before returning to school.
· Diarrhea- Student must be free from diarrhea for 24 hours.
· Pink Eye- Student can return to school after 1st dose of medication or as directed by your
physician.
· Lice- Student is not sent home the day of discovery. Allowed to return after initial treatment.
MESSAGE FROM MS. TIFFANY
Greetings, my name is Tiffany Braxton. I am the Facilitator of Family Outreach Services at Valerius Elementary. The abbreviation of my job title is FFO which may sound a little “out of this world.” UFO comes to mind when I say it, but I am a down to earth person with a “terrific” two daughter who is a handful of love and energy to match.
I have my bachelors in Psychology from the University of Iowa and Masters in Human Services through Liberty University. I assist students and families with resources in the community. I can help with food, clothing, housing, employment resources, whatever needs that can cause barriers in school. I also aid with attendance and provide case management for those families experiencing homelessness.
With the start of school, I wanted to provide a few facts and valuable information compiled from www.attendanceworks.org that will help further ensure school success for your child.
Did You Know?
· Starting in kindergarten, too many absences can cause children to fall behind in school
· Missing 10 percent (about 18 days in a school year) can make it harder to learn to read
· Students can fall behind if they miss just a day or two every few weeks
What Can You Do? A few helpful tips
· Set a regular bed time and morning routine
· Lay out clothes and pack backpacks the night before
· Develop back-up plans for getting to school if something comes up. Call on a family member, a neighbor or another parent.
It truly “takes a village,” and I am so glad to be a part of this village at Valerius Elementary. If you are in need of assistance, please feel free to email me at braxtont@urbandaleschools.com or via my work cell (515)202-8107.