Hello Families,

A gentle reminder to sign up your child(ren) for our Readathon, which is running now through the end of the month. This is our primary fundraiser for the year. Last year, we raised thousands of dollars, and we hope to do the same this year. This fundraiser promotes the most essential skill in education—reading—while raising important funds for our school.

Please use this link to sign...https://www.read-a-thon.com/readers/r/3233323634/1

The beginning of October proved to be a great start. In addition to seeing all of the kids dressed up for picture day, we finished the week with our first Blue and Gold Assembly. This month we are focusing on one of our goals in our vision statement: Kindness!

Below are pictures from some of our classrooms this week.

Photo 1: Mrs. Honyoski's class discussing the changing states of matter

Photo 2: Mrs. Monroe's class engaging in a read aloud.

Photo 3: Mrs. Lotter's 2nd grade class kicking off a new math focusing on units of measurement. Here students are using various math tools to compare the heights of objects and determine which was the tallest.

Photo 4: Dr. Ferguson teaching Mrs. O'Connor's 4th grade class on how to advocate for themselves.

Photo 5: Mrs. Federowicz's 2nd grade class exploring the changes of the state of matter of crayons.

Below are pictures from our Blue and Gold Assembly. Classes from each grade participated. The first graders sang a song about reading, a third grade class shared what they have learned about Indigenous People, and a fifth grade class shared their knowledge of the three branches of government. We learned about kindness, and how we are one big family at Pleasant Valley where we care not only for ourselves but also for others. Everyone, both presenting and in the audience, were amazing!

Early Release - 1:15 p.m. dismissal

-Please pack an extra pair of clothes to keep in your students backpacks in case of a bathroom accident or food spill. While we do have some clothing available to students in the health office, we do not have every size. Packing a spare change of clothes will prevent us from having to call home to bring some in.

-If your child is going home ill, please make every effort to come in a timely fashion. We understand that sometimes this can't happen but please make every effort to do so.

-With the changing of seasons, please dress children in layers as the mornings can be chilly and the afternoons quite warm. With winter approaching, all students do go outside for recess unless the temperature is below 20 degrees Fahrenheit.

We worry about our students safety in the car and we want them as protected as possible. Please read the below link to ensure safe driving practices.

Kindly take a moment to review our upcoming events and important links below. Your participation and volunteer efforts with the PTO are highly encouraged as they play a vital role in ensuring a smooth transition into the school year and in fostering a strong community connection. The links provided include essential information about arrival and dismissal procedures, FAQs, PTO details, and a link to our school website.

Tickets for Bingo go on sale TODAY at approximately 3:30PM. There are just over 300 tickets for sale. The Zeffy link to purchase tickets is posted on the PTO Facebook group and included below. Act fast when you see the link - we sold out in about a week last year!

Some highlights for this year's events will include MORE ROUNDS OF BINGO, and over 25 amazing raffle prizes including:

1. Ride to School in a Fire Truck

2. Tickets to events like Radio City's Christmas Spectacular, a Wolfpack game, a Yard Goats game, Lion King at the Bushnell

3. $500 Bob's Discount Furniture Gift Card

4. Meta Glasses

5. A Turkey! (A throw-back reference to when Bingo Night was called Turkey Toy Bingo because frozen turkeys were given away as prizes!)

6. So much more!

Here is the link:

https://www.zeffy.com/ticketing/3d29fb8b-56a1-4d3d-9f69-4b27f19f723b

This event is an amazing way to support our 5th graders and is a tradition at PV that is in its 51st year! Contact Abby Bernd (Abigailbernd@gmail.com)

Volunteers Needed: The Bingo team is asking for volunteers. You can sign up using the SignUpGenius link here: Bingo Volunteer Sign-Up.

Our readathon fundraising event is a friendly competition/ challenge for our students to read as many books or for as many minutes as possible over a set period of time. Sponsors pledge donations based on the amount of reading completed. This event encourages literacy and raises funds for schools or charitable causes. Click on the link to register your child.

https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=https%3a%2f%2fwww.read-a-thon.com%2fadmin%2fconcierge_readathon_teaser&c=E,1,-cp2A1sTqu1ZnlM573dHSpuQWPb2TAkye42_MVWi93uIROyyjWXnj7jWF_I8JVAfEsRBXS3Hw-Nebaf9V8Zs8uhlxknYZ2dwATRZ_sEhOlUrkw36Boju&typo=1

Trunk or Treat is an event where people decorate the trunks of their cars in fun or spooky themes and hand out candy to children. It often takes place in a parking lot or other community space, offering a safer, more controlled environment for trick-or-treating. Kids go from car to car, collecting treats, much like traditional door-to-door trick-or-treat. This will take place in the PV parking lot.

Throughout the school year, there are many volunteer opportunities for parents/guardians (for example - chaperoning a field trip, helping at a PTO event, etc.) If you would like to volunteer, you must complete a Volunteer Registration form-

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1qAMRufE73HU1o6kY-a4M__z9n9tM9DJLUM_VlzbUi-c/viewform?ts=66cdd567&edit_requested=true

Do you love to ride bikes? Are you willing to help 4th graders learn to ride? We would love to have your help. Dates for Bike week are April 23, 22, 24, & 25. If you are interested, please complete the Volunteer Registration form above and email Kristin Carmon to let us know you are interested.

If your child is going to be absent, please log in to your Parent Portal and fill out the Attendance Monitor prior to the start of the school day. It is very important that the office be aware of your child's absence. Attendance Monitor Instructions can be found under Important Links, below.

If you would like to pick your child up early, please email both Mrs. Brown and Mrs. Strom or call the office at 860-610-0291.