Hello Valhalla Community,
We hope you are enjoying every minute of summer; it is hard to believe the new school year is right around the corner!
The office is now open and many of our teachers have begun to set up their rooms and meet with their grade levels to collaborate on curriculum, projects, field trips, and more! District Trainings are set for our Staff Development Days on August 5th and 6th and we are excited to begin another school year! The first day of school is on August 8th and is a regular day: 2024-2025 Bell Schedule.
To our incoming families, WELCOME; we look forward to meeting you in August and having you join the Viking Family at Valhalla. To our returning families - we are looking forward to seeing you again!
Please check out the upcoming dates and important info below!
Respectfully yours,
Theodora 🖤😎
Miss Pappas
2024 - 2025 Class Supply Lists
A Note from VPFA President, Marcie Stewart
Dear Valhalla Families,
To all of our new families - Welcome to Valhalla! And to all returning families - Welcome back Vikings! I hope you had a wonderful summer full of adventures and a chance to rest and reset for another great school year.
My name is Marcie Stewart and I am Valhalla Elementary’s new VPFA President. My son, Cameron, is starting 2nd grade and my daughter, Kaylie, is starting 5th. I joined the VPFA as a nervous Kinder parent in 2019, in hopes of meeting new people and learning more about our school but quickly realized how important this organization is in our school community. The impact the VPFA has on teachers, students, families, and the community is amazing and I am so excited for all of the events, fundraisers, and projects our amazing VPFA Board has planned to make our Valhalla community even stronger this year.
As a Board, we hope to focus on diversity, equity and inclusivity by highlighting what makes us unique and celebrating differences at Valhalla through activities and experiences that will leave an impression on our community. We have carefully planned and scheduled our fundraising events to promote life lessons and spotlight students’ interests such as living a healthy lifestyle (Boosterthon), fostering a love of reading (Readathon), expression through art (SquareOne), and always making time for FUN (Auction & Valhalloween). Our goal is to create a community and host events where everyone feels compelled to attend, get involved, and feel comfortable sharing their passions and ideas, whether by volunteering, coming to a VPFA meeting, having a conversation on campus, or sending an email to the VPFA Board.
In the coming weeks, the VPFA Board will be publishing a calendar of events and posting volunteer opportunities on Konstella. I encourage you to take a look and sign up for a few things that interest you. No amount of time or effort is too small to make a big impression on our students and our school community.
We are looking forward to kicking off the year with the annual All in One event on Tuesday, August 6th. This is a chance to ask questions, make your contributions, buy limited-edition Valhalla spirit wear, and finally find out who your students’ teachers are. This is an exciting afternoon and we hope to move through the process quickly and get everyone prepared to start the school year bright and early on Thursday, August 8th.
Mark your calendars for the VPFA Parent Mixer on August 21st at Morgan Territory Brewing in Pleasant Hill. Grab your friends and show off your trivia skills, or just come to mingle with us outside of the school gates.
Our first VPFA meeting will be held on September 18th at 6pm in the library annex. No membership dues are required and we highly encourage everyone who can to attend. We are looking forward to sharing information and getting your feedback to help us make decisions that impact our students and our school.
If you have any questions about VPFA, what we do, or how you can get involved, feel free to reach out to me at president@valhallavpfa.com or check out our website at www.valhallavpfa.com, where you will find loads of information as well as contact information for all Board Members.
As we jump into the year, I encourage you to join and familiarize yourself with our communication platforms:
Valhalla Facebook Group - www.facebook.com/groups/VPFA.PH
Konstella – Code: GPVNEM
ParentSquare
Valhalla Pride Newsletter from Ms. Pappas
I hope you and your students enjoy the last few days of summer! The VPFA Board is looking forward to working with you, our Valhalla community, to have a great school year!
Thank you,
Marcie Stewart
VPFA President
All In One Day!
We are ready for All In One day! This is the time when the office collects required forms, you can purchase spirit wear, learn about VPFA, learn about 5th-grade Outdoor Ed camp, and pick up your child's teacher assignment.
Please do your best to come at your assigned time: Tuesday August 6th, 3:00-7:00 p.m.
Alphabetically by LAST NAME
3:00 pm-4:00 pm Q-Z
4:00pm-5:00pm M-P
5:00pm-6:00pm E-L
6:00pm-7:00pm A-D
How to volunteer at Valhalla...
Attached is a link for the packet with everything you need to be a volunteer in the classroom and on campus at Valhalla. If you plan to do livescan at All in One Day, the form you need is in the attached packet link. Please print, fill out, and bring with you on 8/6/24.
If you were cleared last year, you will still be on our list for this year. Any questions, ask Miss Stephanie, ortizste@mdusd.org
August Calendar
1 - New Family Orientation 3pm - Thor Hall
6 - All In One Day 3-7pm - Thor Hall
7- TK & K Back to School Night 3pm in your student's classroom!
7 - Mt. Mikes' fundraiser
8 - First Day of School
15- Back to School Night - 6:00-7:15pm in your student's classroom!
21 - VPFA Parent Mixer at Morgan Territory Brewing
27 - Fall Picture Day
2024-2025 Yearbook 📘📸🌲
The yearbook is LIVE! Order the 2024-2025 yearbook for a 10% discount today. It will be full of fun memories of our wonderful times together!
TreeRing plants 1 tree for every yearbook purchased and the quality of these yearbooks are fantastic - it's also a great fundraiser for our school!
You can also personally customize TWO FULL pages for your student that will print in their personal yearbook! What a fun and great memory to have from this school year!
Please see the attached flyer and purchase your yearbook:
Click HERE
You can also go to: www.treering.com/validate
Code: 1015925122132765
Make sure to select THIS YEAR's book: 2024-2025 (you can also purchase previous years' books).
Breakfast & lunch info: 2024-2025 MEALS AT NO CHARGE!
Thank you to Miss Anna and Mr. Marco for always making us delicious and healthy meals and snacks!
Click here for MDUSD's Food and Nutrition Services Department.
Click here to learn more about California Universal Meals: This includes background, policy, provisions, webinars, resources, FAQs, and contacts regarding California’s Universal Meals Program.
Chromebooks: grades 3-5
If you are new to Valhalla this year, you will be given your own chromebook the first week of school!
If you are in second grade, you will be given your own chromebook as soon as our district provides them!
A Note from our Librarian, Ms. Neys
Did you know that you can see the Valhalla Library’s book collection from your computer at home? Spend time with your student a day or two before library day to browse the collection and choose their next book to check out (you may want a second choice in case the book is already checked out). Simply go to: destiny.mdusd.org, scroll down and click on "Valhalla Elementary", then click the “Catalog” tab at the top of the page and begin your search. For a more visual experience, click the “Destiny Discover” tab on the left side.
Amazon supply/wish list:
Jeanne Hollander TK Teacher, click here for her Amazon supply/wish list.
Tamara Robinett, second grade, click here for her Amazon supply/wish list.
Kerry Phillips, fifth grade, click here for her Amazon supply/wish list.
Donor's Choose
Tamara Robinett - Second grade - Unfolding Fun: Picnic Table & Benches for Our Kids' Adventures!
Help me give my students a lovely place to work outside at beautiful picnic benches! Click here to donate & more info.
Edy Fairbanks - TK - Please Sit-Down (part 2). Help me give my students a proper place to sit during social snack time, partner & small group activities, like, hands-on art, science, playdough & puzzle time. Lakeshores 3-in-1 chair sets will fit them "just right". Click here to donate & more info.
Our vision & theme for 24-25:
Valhalla Elementary School strives to provide a safe and orderly environment conducive to learning which supports all members of its community, both educationally and socially.
We strive to prepare students to be successful life-long learners and to be happy, kind, and contributing adults in a global society.
We strive to foster mutual respect, appreciation of diversity, and high individual self-esteem.
We strive to accomplish our goals by cultivating high levels of achievement and commitment on the part of students, parents, staff, and the broader community.
🌟 Our theme for this year is "Your Quest" 🌟
Stay connected!
Email: PappasT@mdusd.org
Website: https://valhalla.mdusd.org/
Location: 530 Kiki Drive, Pleasant Hill, CA, USA
Phone: (925)687-1700
Twitter: @VikingPridePH