Greetings Valley students and families,
As we roll through the month of September, this is a crucial week for students to experience success, because it's what I refer to as "the banana peel week".
When students return to school after summer, they have made goals for themselves and promises that "this is going to be the year!" This refers to maximizing their potential as learners, and becoming the student they always aspired to be. We begin the semester attending all classes and being engaged. It's about the second or third week of school that old habits might begin to creep back in, and students slip into old ways.
Make sure you are regularly checking in with your student and encouraging them to be to school on time and attend all of their classes!!
On another note, Homecoming is just over a week away and the week is filled with so many fun activities for all students in West Des Moines! Make sure you are watching your email for updates and more information!
Mr. Maxwell
ARTS
Valley's Vocal Music department wants to share that Vocal Music apparel pop-up store is running through September 15th featuring items for Show Choirs, Jazz Choirs, and all Valley Choirs
Valley Band and Valleyfest apparel webstore is available at https://adcraftwebstores.com/wdmvalleybandsfall2023/ Orders close on September 12th.
For those who like jazz music, a student combo will be playing during the intermission of the Des Moines Big Band at Noce jazz club on Wednesday, September 13th. The whole evening starts at 7:00 PM, and our students will play shortly after 8:00 PM!
Valley Orchestra students are performing in the Together Through Sound Music Festival this weekend as a part of Collaboration Concert at 8:30 PM on Sunday, September 10th, at Riverview Park. This festival is free to attend and aims to showcase the cultural collaboration of the arts.
ATHLETICS
Click here for Valley's sports page.
It's time for our Fall sports to start competing! Please take time to support our Spring athletes on the following teams:
Boys' and Girls' Cross-Country
Girls' Swimming
Boys' Golf
Volleyball
Football
ACADEMICS
Monday, 9/11 will be an ODD block day.
In order to better support students, Advisory teachers will be reaching out with progress updates during conferences on September 13th..
Friday, September 22nd is Valley's annual Homecoming assembly!
Here is the assembly schedule for Friday, September 22nd.
For the 23-24 school year, Valley is taking a different approach to Encore. Encore is a 40 minute amount of time on Tuesday and Thursday intended to help students with, e.g., extension learning or reassessment opportunities. Here is the rationale for our Encore Wheel this year.
There have been questions around the Closed Campus/Study Hall policy for sophomores and juniors. Here are some FAQ's. For parents who wish to excuse their child from school through email, please use vhsattendance@wdmcs.org.
Sophomore drivers who park at the Shepherd of the Valley or Valley United Methodist Church parking lots, please make sure you are abiding by all traffic laws and respecting our neighbors' properties.
ACTIVITIES
The annual Fall Night O' Mime will be Thursday, September 14th beginning at 7:00 PM in the Staplin Performing Arts Center. This event is free to the public!!
Chem Club is sponsoring a guest speaker from Iowa State University's department of Chemical Engineering on Tuesday, September 19th in room 3429 at 3:30 PM.
For students interested in serving on Mr. Maxwell's Principal's Advisory Council, please fill out this application and return to his secretary, Mrs. Chavez-Chun. We meet the first Wednesday of each month from 7:00-7:45 AM in the Forum. The first meeting will be October 4th.
Do you like building things? Working with others to create impressive products? Learning new skills and having tons of fun while doing it? Join Tech Crew! Got questions? Email Tech Director Amanda Pichler at pichler@wdmcs.org; for Carpentry, email Jonathan Ruth at jr39976@wdmcs.org; for Electrics, email Jaden Ladd at jl40168@wdmcs.org; for Painting, email Kai Eilers at ke53957@wdmcs.org.
Join VHS Chess Club, Tuesdays in the Media Center after school (3:20-5:00 PM).
Principal
David Maxwell
Associate Principals
Shannon Campbell
Josh Griffith
Chris Novak
Megan Thomsen
Activities Director
Brad Rose