Vermilion Elementary
Sailor Scoop - October 2024
Principals' Message
Hello VES Families,
September went fast and we are in the full swing of the school year. Our kindergarten students are in the rhythm, beginning of the year testing is all complete, intervention groups are up and running, and we are preparing to have you in for conferences next week! You should have received an e-mail to sign up for conferences (k-3) and by the end of the day on Oct. 1st you should receive a paper copy to sign up if needed as well as your students fall test scores. We hope that you will take advantage of this opportunity to meet with your teacher so that they can communicate the areas of success and areas for potential growth for your student.
While academics are a big part of what we do, the safety of your child and our team is our top priority. The false alarm at the high school provides us all an opportunity for reflection and to revisit the things we currently have in place. Our staff has been trained in using the following lockdown procedures:
A level 1 lockdown is the least restrictive and calls for the building to be locked down from all people entering and exiting the building, any class outside would immediately return to the inside. This allows students and staff to move freely in the building and continue with our day. This type of lockdown is used for situations outside of the school that do not pose an immediate threat to our students and staff but allows us to transition to a level 2 or level 3 quickly if needed.
A level 2 lockdown is when students and staff remain in classrooms and movement is prohibited within the building and all entering and exiting of the building is prohibited. Students and staff can continue to work in the classrooms at this time but must remain in the classroom. This type of lockdown could be for a medical emergency, suspicious visitor, or other situations that don’t pose an immediate threat to safety. All staff is aware and prepared for any instructions that could cause us to move to a level 3.
A level 3 lockdown is when we know we have a true threat to the safety of our students and staff in the building. This type of lockdown will include the immediate locking of classrooms, moving away from windows, getting students quiet, and whenever possible preparing to evacuate the building. The training that we took part in shows that the safest place to be in these situations is out of the building. Staff will use all information they have to determine if it is safe to evacuate their students. If it is, they will immediately exit the building. If it is not, they will follow the protocols for locking down.
When we practice level 3 we give different situations and information to staff. Some staff evacuate because of that information and some lockdown and barricade. This decision is information dependent. When students do practice evacuation, we practice evacuating using different routes and different meeting places outside of our building.
Each year we start over with and practice all 3 types. Classroom teachers are to go over each type in the first two weeks of school. Then we practice all 3 levels by the end of October as a school. So far we have practiced a level 1. You will get an e-mail after each drill that we practice and whenever possible notice a few days before a drill.
Lastly, there are many reasons we could have to evacuate our buildings, these are rare and almost never occur but we must have a plan. These can include gas leaks, chemical spills, bomb threats, fires, and the worst case situation an act of violence on our campus. In the event that we have to evacuate the building and we need a safe place to relocate with the students, we do have a planned reunification site. Our team has a safe place to take the students and are familiar with the layout and routes to this site. Once we have students evacuated we have to be able to get them back to their families safely. For the first time this year we are planning a reunification pick up drill that will include parents and families picking students up from our evacuation site in April. More information will come home to all of you about the reunification practice. While we have always had plans to get students to the reunification site and practiced that in the past, this is just the next step in practicing by including the parent pick up portion. We work closely with our local law enforcement, through our resource officer, Officer Kinzie Chandler. She is in our building each day.
These topics can be unnerving and scary but communication is the key. Our team will continue to have ongoing conversations about safety and how as a district we can better prepare. We will continue to share that information with you and keep you up to date. We hope this information about the varying levels of lockdown, evacuation, and reunification answers some questions that may have come from the recent false alarm at the high school.
Have a great October and we look forward to seeing you around the school soon!!
Mr. Malear and Mrs. Rebman
Welcome to our new school nurse!
Vermilion Schools is now contracting with the Erie County Health Department for our school nursing. We hated to say goodbye to Nurse Alycia but we are very excited to welcome Nurse Lauren to our team. She is an RN with emergency room experience but also has experience working in a camp setting. She shadowed for a couple of weeks here at VES and is now running the clinic daily. Check out her all about me poster that she shared with our staff. You can reach the school clinic by calling 440-204-1703 ext. 646
3rd Grade OST FALL READING TEST DATES
Our 3rd grade students will take part in an end of year 3rd grade skills test later this month. This is the 1st opportunity that they get to show proficiency in reading as determined by the state. They will take the test again in April. All students will take the test and it is given over a two day period. Please make sure your child is in attendance on the following dates - Oct. 22nd and 23rd. We will have make-ups on the 24th, 28th, and 29th.
Book Donations at Conferences!
Looking to get rid of those gently used books! We will take them to get them into the hands of other VES students and families. We will have drop of boxes at conferences so that you can donate your old favorites for someone else to enjoy. We will have our table out for families to grab a few new books at Lights on For Literacy on October 17th.
You're Invited!
VLSD will be hosting our 2nd Annual Lights on for Literacy Event. Last year was a great success! We look forward to seeing our VES families there!
Picture Retakes are Wednesday, November 13th
Plan Ahead: VES NO SCHOOL DATES
10/10 - NO SCHOOL - Teacher Professional Development and Conferences
10/11 - NO SCHOOL - NEOEA DAY
10/25 - NO SCHOOL - End of Quarter 1 Teacher Workday
11/27-11/29 - Thanksgiving
12/23-1/3 - Winter Break
1/10 - NO SCHOOL - End of Quarter 2 Teacher Workday
1/20 - NO SCHOOL - MLK Jr. Day
2/13 - NO SCHOOL - Teacher Professional Development and Conferences
2/14 - NO SCHOOL
2/17 - NO SCHOOL - President's Day
3/7 - NO SCHOOL - Teacher Professional Development
3/21 - NO SCHOOL - End of Quarter 3 Teacher Workday
3/24-3/28 - Spring Break
4/18 - NO SCHOOL
5/26 - NO SCHOOL - Memorial Day
PBIS Corner
One of the most important parts in implementing a school wide Tier 1 program is teaching, modeling and practicing expectations for various important parts of the school day. Routines and procedures are introduced in the first several weeks of school and practiced and reviewed throughout the year and as needed. The PBIS creates a matrix of expectations and it is displayed around the building and in classrooms. Teachers also create a matrix for their classroom and review what's expected collaboratively with their class. The PBIS Team also wrote lesson plans that teachers can use or modify as they teach expectations in the classroom. Below is a picture of our matrix and an example lesson plan.
One way families can help at home is to review expectations and why they are important. Our goal next is to bring a bus during bus safety week and review those expectations on the bus, but talking about it at home is also helpful! Below is a great general video that I have shared with many of our students!
Thanks for being a partner in helping our school stay safe and our students to be respectful and responsible!
Set Sail with Ms. Naill
Hello, Sailors Families! I enjoyed visiting your child’s classroom during the month of September to introduce myself and my role as their school counselor. Please mark your calendars to join the school counseling department in celebrating the following dates during the month of October:
Wednesday, October 16, 2024
Unity Day - Wear Orange!
VES will wear orange to unite for kindness, acceptance, and inclusion in recognition of National Bullying Prevention Month.
Consider using the following resources to talk with your child:
Monday, October 28 - Friday, November 1, 2024
Red Ribbon Week
VES uses this week-long initiative to promote healthy lifestyle choices. This year’s national theme is “life is a movie, film a healthy lifestyle.”
Students will have the opportunity to participate in a coloring contest. Coloring pages are due by Wednesday, October 30th.
"Rally in Red" on Wednesday, October 30th
All students and staff will rally together by wearing red to recognize all we have learned about making healthy choices.
Considering using the following resource to talk with your child: Healthy Choices Video
Halloween Parade and Parties
The Halloween Parade will start at 1:50 on 10/31. Parents are welcome to line the driveway to watch the parade. Students will start at the south door on the front of the building and head towards the main entrance. They will follow the sidewalk around the north side of the building re-enter at the grade 1 playground door. Parents can line up along the front drive way. The students will be using the sidewalks so please keep those clear.
Parents who the teacher have designated as room parents for the Halloween Party will be the only parents allowed into the building on the day of the Parade. Please check with your teacher for when they need you to arrive. No Parents will be allowed in before 1:30. All party parents must exit the building by 3:05 so we can prepare for dismissal.
Important October Dates
- 10/2 1st Grade 3-Pod to Molly's Vineyard
- 10/3 1st Grade 2-Pod to Molly's Vineyard
- 10/2 PTO Meeting @ 6:30
- 10/4 K to Burnhams
- 10/4 Book Fair Starts
- 10/8 K to Fire Station
- 10/8 Conference Night
- 10/9 Miss Aimee to visit 3rd Grade
- 10/10 No School for VES Students
- 10/10 Pizza Galley Night
- 10/10 Conference Night
- 10/10 Book Fair Ends
- 10/11 No School NEOEA Day
- 10/14 Board Meeting
- 10/16 Unity Day - Wear Orange
- 10/16 Tales with a Teacher
- 10/17 Lights on for Literacy
- 10/18 Miss Aimee to visit K
- 10/22-10/24 Fall OST for 3rd Grade
- 10/24 End of Quarter 1
- 10/25 No School - Teacher Workday
- Week of 10/28 - Red Ribbon Week
- 10/29 Trunk or Treat 5:30 - 7
- 10/31 Class Parties and Halloween Parade
Past Sailor Scoop Editions
About Us
Office Hours: 8:00 am - 4:00 pm
Doors Open for students: 8:30 am
Student Hours: 8:50 am - 3:30 pm
Email: mmalear@vermilionschools.org
Website: https://www.vermilionschools.org/vermilionelementary_home.aspx
Location: 1285 Douglas Street, Vermilion, OH, USA
Phone: 440-204-1703
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063691387394
Twitter: @VESAsstPrin