Spring Valley Family News

October 2024

Greetings from Ms. Misner

Spring Valley Families,

It's hard to believe it is already October! The month of September seemed to fly by. Students have become familiar with our routines and school wide expectations and we are coming to the end of our Fall Assessment window.

Attendance is one of our focus areas this school year. We will be recognizing students with perfect attendance monthly with a special treat at lunch. The classroom with the highest attendance rate each month will earn a trip to 7-11 for a Slurpee! Please make sure that your child is at school every day, on time and stays for the duration of the day. If your child needs to miss school due to illness or appointments, please contact the main office so that we can excuse their absence.

State Count Day is this Wednesday 10/2/24, please make sure that your child is in attendance.

We have lots coming up this month including Fall Conferences and our first SOAR Flight of the year. Be sure to read through the Newsletter for more information!

Take Good Care,

Heather L. Misner

Principal, Spring Valley Center for Exploration

Fall Fundraiser

It is time for the 2024/2025 Goodies Factory Fundraiser!

This fundraiser has been very successful in past years. The products are very tasty and our school receives 50% of all sales. This fundraiser is sponsored by the Spring Valley PTO and the funds raised create additional opportunities for our students.

Your child will be bringing home a packet with instructions on how to participate. The fundraiser will start 10/3/24 and end 10/27/24 with a delivery date of 11/13/24.

A class pizza party will be held for the class selling the highest amount.

Individual prizes are given as shown in the brochures!

Please note that if your student takes orders that are delivered to Spring Valley, then distributed by

you student, there is no shipping fee!

CHECKS OR MONEY ORDERS ARE TO BE MADE TO SPRING VALLEY ELEMENTARY.

NO CASH PLEASE!

Attendance Procedures

We will continue to implement the District's Attendance Policy this school year. The attendance procedures are designed for all students. Good attendance will help students do well in school, college, and at work. It does not matter if absences are excused or unexcused, they all represent lost time in the classroom and lost opportunities to learn. Too many absent students can impact the whole classroom.

When your student has the following number of unexcused absences in a trimester, you should expect to receive the following notifications and support.

3 days of unexcused absences in a trimester

Letter or email to parent/guardian
Robo text or phone call

5 days of unexcused absences in a trimester

Letter or email to parent/guardian
In person, virtual or phone conference

10 days of unexcused absences in a trimester

Letter or email to parent/guardian
School attendance committee creates an individualized plan of support

15 days of unexcused absences in a trimester

Letter or email to parent/guardian
Referral to central office.

The central office attendance team will make further recommendations that may include:

wrap around services
referrals to community support organizations
academic interventions
summer school attendance
possible recommendations for grade level retention

Parent(s)’/Guardian(s)’ Responsibility:

It is the responsibility of the parent(s) and/or guardian(s) to notify the student’s school as early as possible on the day of an absence and explain the reasons for the absence.
Written or email verification of a student’s absence by a parent/guardian is required (unless otherwise indicated by the appropriate administrator) and should be provided to the school the day after an absence.

Tardies and Early Dismissals Can Add up!

We have several students who are tardy (signing in after 8:50am) or leaving early/being signed out prior to dismissal. You may think that it is only 5 minutes, or only 15 minutes. Check out the chart below and see what those minutes actually add up to! We need students here everyday, on time, and all day.

If you have an issue with getting students here on time or having to pick up early, please reach out to see if we can support you.

Fall Conferences

Parent Teacher Conferences are coming up next week. Spring Valley will be holding conferences on:

Monday 10/7/24 from 4:00-8:00
Wednesday 10/9/24 from 4:00-8:00
Thursday 10/10/24 from 12:00-4:00

Conferences can be held in person, virtually or over the phone. Please be sure to reach out to your child's teacher if you have not yet received your date and time for Fall Conferences.

October SOAR Flight

Our first SOAR Flight is coming up on October 25th, 2024.

A SOAR Flight is an activity/experience that is held at Spring Valley every other month.

Students can attend SOAR flights by saving up the SOAR Slips they receive for being: Safe, Organized, Attentive and Respectful.

For the October SOAR Flight, students who attend will be painting Pumpkins!

Food Pantry at Spring Valley

We are lucky to again have a Food Pantry on site at Spring Valley through Loves and Fishes.

To schedule an appointment, please text Mr. Nate Lake (CIS Site Coordinator) at (269) 337-0750.

Arrival/Dismissal Procedures

If your child is a walker or drop off, please enter in the side parking lot and stop at the sign. Students will say goodbye to their families at that time and line up outside by grade. All teachers and support staff will be outdoors greeting students and helping them find their class on the first day.
PLEASE DO NOT PARK FOR ANY REASON IN FRONT OF THE SCHOOL at arrival or dismissal. This area is for buses only. This includes parking on Glendale in front of the bus lane.
Dismissal: Children who are pick up may be picked up at the doors by the gym at 3:56 pm. Parents will meet a staff member and sign their child out before leaving the school. Please park in the main lot during dismissal. Be prepared to show an ID if requested. Please make sure any person who can pick up your child(ren) are listed on the registration so we can assure every child is safe.
If your child has a change in dismissal plans please notify the Main Office prior to 3:00PM

The earliest time students may be dropped off for school is at 8:30am. There is no supervision outside before 8:30am. Please drop off in the main parking lot near the gym. From 8:30 - 8:44am, students will wait outside in their designated grade level areas. During inclement weather, students will wait in designated areas inside the building.

Cell Phone Expectations

Please remember that students should not have cell phones during the school day. Many of the issues that arise are a result of cell phone use. If your child has a cell phone, the safest place for it to be during the school day is at home. If your child needs a cell phone for after school communication, they should give it to their teacher to be locked up during the day and returned at dismissal. If a student has a cell phone out during the school day, it will be sent to the main office for a parent to pick up.

Thank you for your help in keeping our learning environment free from the distraction of phones!

Important Dates

10/1- Fall Picture Day
10/2- State Count Day
10/4- Half Day Dismissal at 12:06 (No PEEP or ECSE)
10/7 and 10/9- Conferences 4:00-8:00
10/9- No PEEP
10/10- Conferences 12:00-4:00
10/10- Half Day Dismissal at 12:06 (NO PEEP or ECSE)
10/11- Half Day Dismissal at 12:06 (NO PEEP or ECSE)
10/21- Half Day Dismissal at 12:06
10/25- SOAR Flight (Painting Pumpkins)
11/1- No School

Let's Stay Connected!

Please be sure that your contact information is updated as many of our communications come through phone calls and emails. If your information has changed, please let the main office know so that we can update it in our system.

If you haven't already, please like/join our Spring Valley Facebook Page. We post frequent updates such as: bus cancellations, snow days, school activities, upcoming events and pictures of the amazing things happening in our classrooms/school!

Spring Valley Facebook Page