Valley Heights Elementary Schools

There will be NO School this Monday, October 21st due to teacher professional development.

Kindergarten Family Fun Night! Save the date for our kindergarten family fun night! It will be on Thursday, October 24th. Kindergarten students and their parents are invited to have a night of fun! We will have babysitting available for siblings. Please RSVP as soon as possible!

Sunday:

• Colts PTO Meeting at Waterville Grade School. 6:00 pm. All are welcome!

Monday:

• NO SCHOOL!
• Board of Education Meeting @ VHHS 12:00-1:00 pm
• 2A Regional Volleyball at VHHS

Tuesday:

• Colts Round Up
• District Site Council @ Waterville Grade School 6:00-7:00 pm

Wednesday:

• Colts Round Up
• StuCo Day of Service- Jr/Sr High students will come to our building in the afternoon and do activities with our students.

Thursday:

• Red Ribbon Week Presentation from the Marshall County Sheriff's Office!
• Kindergarten Family Fun Night! 5:30-6:30

Friday:

• 1st Grade Field Trip to Britt's Farm! Leave at 8:30 and return at 1:30.

Sunday:

• Fall Fest on the Square 4:00-5:30
• Colts PTO Movie @ Blue Rapids gym 5:45-7:00

Looking ahead:

October 31: Halloween Parade Downtown Waterville. Parties to follow in classrooms.

The 2nd grade classes attended the Flint Hills Discovery Center this week! It was a great field trip! Thank you, Colts PTO for sponsoring our trip!

OPAA provided prizes for our students for National School Lunch Week!

Kindergarten Families--please RSVP as soon as possible for our Family Fun Night! You won't want to miss it! Click HERE to RSVP!

This year we will be taking K-2 students to downtown Waterville to parade their costumes! We hope to see you there!

It was a good week at Blue Rapids elementary. The first quarter came to an end on Friday the 18th. Parents be on the lookout. We will sending grades home this week. As a reminder this coming Monday October 21st, there will be NO School for students as the teachers will be having an In-service day. Please take note, due to the playoff volleyball games at the high school, the time of the school board meeting scheduled for Monday will be moved to 12:00 pm. On October 24th, 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 thank you all for the privilege of working with your children! If you have any questions don’t hesitate to call the office at 785-363-7693 or email me at tstaples@valleyheights.org.

-Titus Staples

The Penny War has come to an end. Congratulations to the 3rd graders for winning first place! There was definite strategy going on to knock the 6th graders out of 1st place at the end. Ironically enough, the order went 3rd, 4th, 5th, then 6th! The grand total raised was $1,214.34. The funds will go to purchase a picnic table for the playground. Fun was had by all!!!

Some 3rd and 4th grade girls have been practicing the Mustang Fight Song during recess and performed it during JumpStart to the student body! Great work, girls!

Congrats to this week's Waterville VHS ticket winners! Louis, Milo, Nellie, and Jet! Good work!

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.

Each school day, millions of children ride school buses. Did you know that the school bus is one of the safest vehicles on the road? Less than 1% of all traffic fatalities involve children in school vehicles. However, children are more at risk when approaching or leaving a school bus. It's important for all drivers, parents, and students to understand school bus safety.

Bus Stop Safety

Parents,

It's important to talk to your child about bus stop safety. Here are some tips:

Before the bus arrives:

Your child should arrive at the bus stop at least five minutes before the bus arrives. Ahead of the new school year, visit the bus stop and show your child where to wait for the bus, at least ten feet--five giant steps--away from the curb. Remind your child that the bus stop is not a place to run or play.

Getting on and off safely:

When the school bus arrives, your child should wait until the bus comes to a complete stop, the door opens, and the driver says it's okay to get on or off. Your child should use the handrails to avoid falling.

Always use caution around the bus:

Your child should never walk behind a school bus. If your child must cross the street in front of the bus, tell them to walk on a sidewalk or along the side of the street to a place at least ten feet--five giant steps--in front of the bus before crossing. Your child should also make eye contact with the bus driver before crossing to make sure the driver can see that they're crossing to avoid the danger zone. If your child drops something near the school bus like a phone or book, the safest thing is to tell the bus driver immediately. Your child should not try to pick up the item, because the bus driver might be unable to see them.

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!

Email: judeboer@valleyheights.org tstaples@valleyheights.org sspoonts@valleyheights.org
Website: www.valleyheights.org