Spring Valley Family News

August 2024

Greetings from Ms. Misner

Spring Valley Families,

Welcome to the 2024/2025 school year! I hope that you all had a wonderful summer. We are looking forward to an amazing year at Spring Valley.

We hope that you can join us for a Popsicle Pop In on Wednesday, August 21st from 4:00-5:00. You will have the chance to find out who your child's teacher will be this school year, meet some of our staff and reconnect with/meet new friends.

The first day of school is Monday, August 26th and will be a half day (Arrival: 8:50 Dismissal: 12:06). We have a great year planned at Spring Valley and are ready to SOAR! Our Schoolwide SOAR Expectations remind us to be: Safe, Organized, Attentive and Respectful. We will be teaching and reviewing these expectations the first few weeks of school to help set students up for a successful year.

Please be sure to check out the rest of the Newsletter for important information on first day procedures, upcoming events and other opportunities for your family.

I look forward to continuing to partner with all of you as we work to provide your child with the supports and services they need to reach their full potential and fulfill their Promise.

Take Good Care,

Heather L. Misner

Principal, Spring Valley Center for Exploration

Pop In for a Popsicle!

New Staff Members

Marlene Katz- HHS

Asiaunna Bryant- General Music

Lisa Thomas- Library Assistant

Welcome to the Spring Valley Team!

We have a couple new staff members joining us this year.

Mrs. Marlene Katz who will be our Home Support Specialist. She will be at Spring Valley on Monday, Wednesday and every other Friday. We will be sharing her with Northeastern on the other days.

"Hi my name is Marlene Katz. I am married and have 3 children who all attend Kalamazoo Public Schools. We moved to Kalamazoo from NYC three years ago. I have been a building sub at Parkwood Upjohn for 2 years. During that time I did mostly behaviors. I was raised in the NYC foster care system. I have a passion for inclusion. I want all children to feel safe and enjoy school. I am excited to work at Northeastern and Spring Valley and support the students as well as the staff."

Ms. Asiaunnya Bryant who will be teaching music at Spring Valley and Northeastern. She will be in the building Monday through Wednesday.

"Hello everyone! My name is Asiaunnya Bryant , and I'm thrilled to be your music teacher this year! We’re going to have a fantastic time exploring the world of music together. Whether we’re singing, playing instruments, or learning about different musical styles, my goal is to make music fun and exciting for all of you. I can't wait to share the joy of music and help you discover your own musical talents. Let’s make some beautiful music together!"

Many of you already know Mrs. Lisa Thomas. This year, she will be Spring Valley's Library Assistant and will be in the building on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday. She will also be Arcadia's Library Assistant this school year.

"I’m thrilled to step into the role of Spring Valley's new school librarian! I have served nearly 15 years at our wonderful school including the last 5 years as a 5th Grade ELA teacher. I'm eager to continue in fostering the importance of reading. I look forward to inspiring our students, and collaborating with all of you in this new chapter. Happy Reading!"

Please help welcome them to our Spring Valley Team!

Class/Teacher Assignments

If you are not able to make it to the Meet and Greet/Popsicle Pop In, we will leave class lists posted on the windows of the school near the Main Office and Gym until the 1st day of school.

1st Day- Arrival/Dismissal Procedures

First Day Procedures

Monday August 26th, 2024

Please make sure you and your child know their morning and afternoon bus number(s). If you have not received a mailing from KPS with your child’s pick up and drop off time by Friday 8/16, please call the Main Office.
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.
Dismissal: Children who are pick up may be picked up at the doors by the gym at 12:06 pm. Parents will meet a staff member and sign their child out before leaving the school. Please park in the side 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.

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.

2024/2025 Bell Schedule

Four minutes of instruction have been added to the end of each regular and half day to allow for 6 half-day Professional Development days for staff. Below is our Bell Schedule for the 24/25 school year:

Full Day of School

Student Instruction begins at 8:50 AM

Student Instruction ends (dismissal) at 3:56 PM

Half-Day Schedule

Student Instruction begins at 8:50 AM

Student Instruction ends (dismissal) at 12:06 PM

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

Wednesday 8/21-Popsicle Pop In- 4:00-5:00
Monday 8/26- First Day of School (half day) 8:50am - 12:06 pm
Tuesday 8/27- First Full day 8:50am - 3:56pm
9/30 & 9/2- No School (Labor Day Weekend)
9/3- First day-ECSE
9/9- First day-PEEP

First Day Shoe Fund

Fall Online Ordering Begins September

First Day Shoe Fund provides new athletic shoes to students at Kalamazoo County Public

elementary schools at no cost. Any caregiver who needs shoes for their elementary aged

student can order online at www.firstdayshoefund.org/order or by scanning the QR code on the

poster. Online ordering opens on August 19th and will close on September 10th. If you order

online, you will get an email confirmation; please keep this email as it acts as a receipt for your

order. Students will also receive a paper order form once school starts and caregivers can order

by returning this to their school if ordering online isn’t possible.

Spring Valley's Fall Fitting is scheduled for Thursday, September 26th.

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