MVES Newsletter

September

30- Spirit Week- Pajama Day

October

1- Spirit Week- Sports Day

1- Dominos Night

1- Fall Fundraiser Ends

2- Spirit Week- Tropical Day

3- Spirit Week- Disney Day

4- Spirit Week- MVES /TA Spirit Wear

9- 5th Grade Field Trip to MTC 12:25-2:30

11- Picture Day

14- NO SCHOOL- Teacher Work Day

Join our team! MVES is looking for a new Special Education Assistant. This is a full time (10 month) position working with a variety of learners with identified special education needs. Please call Candice Ray, our assistant principal, for more information.

September is busy. Really. Busy. School has started; fall sports practices are in full swing; and it can be hard to manage all the busyness. One way we tackle the fall at my house is by having a family meeting every weekend. We start with relationships and address any current conflicts within the family, review each person’s schedule for the week (sports practices, after school jobs, school commitments) and then determine the dinner meal plan. Once my sons got older, they typically prepared a dinner during the work week: usually a “heat and eat” frozen food medley that included pizza or some other frozen concoction from Costco. After we’d spend way too much time talking about food, the final two things we’d discuss in our meeting were what fun activity we want to do as a family over the weekend and what chores needed to be done that week.

When my sons were in elementary school they started doing their own laundry; loading and unloading the dishwasher (except for the sharp knives); emptying trash cans; moving firewood; cleaning household bathrooms, etc. Depending on the chore and the quality of work, I paid them- $.75 for a bathroom sink, $2 for a clean toilet, etc. It was a great way to teach them about responsibility and money. As they got older, I even got this app to help.

Though I would NEVER tell my mom this, I’m a big fan of kids completing daily and weekly chores. As the kid of a single-mom, I look back now 🙂 and see how important my role was in helping her out as she juggled working a 50+ hour a week job; attending graduate school classes; and shuttling me to various athletic practices. According to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry “children who do chores may exhibit higher self-esteem, be more responsible, and be better equipped to deal with frustration, adversity, and delayed gratification. These skills can lead to greater success in school, work, and relationships.” According to this article, chores can help kids feel like they matter and that “a sense of mattering ‘acted like a protective shield’ against stress and setbacks.”

One of my goals as principal is that MVES would prepare children for the path, not prepare the path for children. Simple household chores are a great way to prepare kids for life!

Sept. Week 4: Scientific Method & Investigation: Make Your Own Chalk!

Observation: Chalk is white. Egg shells are white.

Question: Is there a connection between chalk and egg shells?

Create-Your-Own-Hypothesis!

IF _________ THEN _________ .

Materials:

• 10 egg shells

• 2 tsp. Flour

• 4 tsp. Hot Water

• Food Dye

• Paper Towel

Experiment:

• Clean egg shells thoroughly, removing the membrane, and leave them to dry.

• Grind the Eggshells (with a mortar & pestle OR a rock & piece of concrete) until you create a powder (This part takes TIME & MUSCLE!)

• Place your eggshell powder in a bowl, add 2 tsp. of flower and enough hot water to make a very stiff paste (looks like clumps)

• Add a couple drops of food dye to your eggshell paste.

• Roll the eggshell paste in a paper towl to create a cylinder & leave to dry for 2-3 days.

• Once dry, use chalk outdoors on sidewalks or blacktop! (It will NOT work on indoor chalkboards)

Data: Take a picture of your structure and submit it to your teacher on SeeSaw!

Conclusion:

• How did your chalk turn out? What would you change about the experiment next time?

References:

https://www.kidspot.com.au/parenting/things-to-do/how-to-make-your-own-eggshell-chalk/news-story/041ab8334eebedbaebcd6a52a9d5fe63 6/10/24

A photographer from Strawbridge Studios will be at MVES on 10/11/2024 to take Fall pictures. The following link will allows you to sign up to receive updates via email regarding your child's school portraits. These updates include promotions, additional deals and the ability to order more pictures at a later time. When entering your child's information, be sure to enter your child's name as it is on file at the school.

https://strawbridge.fotomerchanthv.com/clients/mountain-view-elementary-school-1/fall-pictures-10-11-2024-43/optIn

The fall fundraiser will come to a close on Tuesday! Please be sure to turn in all orders by October 1st. We expect orders to be delivered to the school around the first of November. We will send out a notification once we know the exact date. We appreciate all those who have helped make this a successful fundraiser!

MVES has an outstanding team of dedicated staff who go above and beyond to support and inspire our students every day. The RCPS Inspire Award is a recognition program that honors the exceptional teachers and staff within our school community. To celebrate their hard work, we encourage you to submit an online submission form. When filling out the nomination form, please explain why you are nominating this teacher or staff member for the Inspire Award. Please include specific details and examples of how this person has inspired you or your child and is deserving of this recognition. (If your nomination is selected, this is what you will read publicly at the School Board meeting.) Use the following link to submit your nomination.

Link to the nomination form

Don't forget, every Tuesday and Thursday (rain or shine) is Walk/Bike to school! Deputy Custer (Our School’s Resource Officer) will be stationed at that intersection from 7:55-8:10am to help students cross Route 33 safely. We are planning to continue this until the weather turns in mid/late October.

As we continue to work together toward academic excellence, I want to emphasize the importance of consistent attendance in ensuring student success.

We know that regular attendance is one of the most critical factors in achieving academic growth. Every day counts, and each day missed can have a cumulative impact on your child’s learning. This year, we are encouraging all of our students to embrace the challenge of “Strive for Less Than"5"—

to not be out of school for more than five days throughout the entire year.

September is National School Attendance Awareness Month, and I have a special challenge for students and staff who don't miss any days in September. Please watch my video for more information!

Attendance Video Link

Sincerely,

Larry Shifflett, Ed.D.

Division Superintendent

If your child is going to be absent from school, please call the office at 540-438-1965 or email mvesattendance@rockingham.k12.va.us. If you are planning to take a vacation or your child will be out of school for an extended period of time, please contact the office. Thank you!

Be sure to check out updates from our Fine Arts here Fine Arts News.

All transportation changes must be made by 2:00pm. Please contact the office at 540-438-1965 or you may send an email to mvesattendance@rockingham.k12.va.us with your change. If you’ve notified your child’s teacher please be sure to notify the office as well.

The parent portal is an online portal accessible anywhere on the web that parents can log in to and see all of their children in one place, their grades, assignments, scores, attendance, schedules, and teacher comments for each school your children attend.

Parents need to contact the school to get access information to create an account in PowerSchool.