Venetia Valley Voice

Can you believe April is here? Time sure has been getting by us very quickly this year. I would like to briefly thank you all for taking a moment out of your busy schedules to read our Venetia Valley Voice and become familiar with the top happenings this month at Venetia Valley School.

First, I'd like to ask you to join me in welcoming our new superintendent to San Rafael City Schools! Ms. Carmen Diaz Ghysels comes to us from the Tahoe Truckee Unified School District with a vast experience in district and site leadership, along with having been a special education teacher, dual language immersion teacher and so on! We are very excited to have Ms. Ghysels join the SRCS team.

During April Fools weekend, we had our annual Falcon 5K run/walk event and have over 70 participants! This was a great turnout and we extend a special thank you to our first grade teacher, Ms. Kegley and middle school teacher, Mr. Dominguez for organizing this great event.

As you'll read below, we have our Open House event this week (Thursday, April 6th from 5:30 - 7 PM), followed by an early release day (12:50 PM) on Friday, April 7th. We encourage all of our families to come and participate in a gallery walk to see the amazing things your children have been doing in each of their classrooms. For our middle grade students, we incentivized the open house event by clearing out student tardies if students participate with their families! Clearing the tardies means middle schoolers can attend the Farmer's Market field trip later this month.

Finally, the week of April 10th thru April 14th, we have our much needed spring break! We will have no school during that time, but our Family Center will be hosting our weekly food bank on Tuesday, 4/11 beginning at 3:30 PM.

As always, I like to thank each of our families for continuing to support us, for having the faith and confidence in our team, and allowing us to provide an exceptional educational experience for all of your children! Thank you. Have a great month ahead.

Sincerely,

Principal Quesada

Events that Happen Every Week during the Month

• Tuesdays - Food Pantry from 3:15 - 4:30 pm in front of the school
• Matrix Parent Network: 9:30 am - 11:30 am in the FC
• Wednesdays are Early Release Days. Students are dismissed at 1:15 pm for Special Day Classes (SDC), 1:35 pm for TK/Kindergarten, 1:40 pm for Middle School, and 1:45 pm for 1st - 5th Grade.

Week of April 3rd - 7th:

TUESDAY 4/4

• Choco Banana Sale- During lunchtimes

WEDNESDAY 4/5

• SEAL Parent Workshop: 9:30 am - 7 pm in the FC

THURSDAY 4/6

• Charla: 9 am - 10:30 am in the FC
• Open House: 5 pm - 7:30 pm

FRIDAY 4/7

• Volunteers in Action: 9 am to 11 am in the FC
• Annual Spring Scavenger Hunt: 5:30 pm - 6:30 pm- whole school

Week of April 10th - 14th: Spring Break

• NO SCHOOL
• Food Bank will continue as normal beginning at 3 PM at Venetia Valley

Saturday, April 15th

LATINO FAMILY EDUCATIONAL SUMMIT at Sonoma State

Week of April 17th - 21st:

WEDNESDAY 4/19

• SEAL Parent Workshop: 9:30 am - 7 pm in the FC

THURSDAY 4/20

• ELAC Meeting: 9:30 am - 11 am in the FC
• SSC Meeting: 4:30 pm - 5:30 pm in the FC

FRIDAY 4/21

• Volunteers in Action: 9 am to 11 am in the FC

Week of April 24th - 28th

WEDNESDAY 4/26 (Administrative Appreciation Day)

• SEAL Parent Workshop: 9:30 am - 7 pm in the FC

FRIDAY 4/28

• Volunteers in Action: 9 am to 11 am in the FC

Saturday, April 29th

HEADS UP CARNIVAL at Davidson Middle- 11 am - 3 pm

With deep gratitude and appreciation for my years as Assistant Principal at Venetia Valley, I am excited to announce that I will be making the next step into a Principal position at Lynwood Elementary School in Novato at the start of the 2023-24 school year. Thank you for your trust and partnership over the last six years. Although I will no longer be a staff member, I will continue to be a member of the Falcon family as a parent. I hope to see you all at school and community events for many years to come!

As ever,

Lauren Menchavez

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Hola Halcones,

Con profunda gratitud y aprecio por mis años como Subdirectora en Venetia Valley, me complace anunciar que voy a dar el siguiente paso en una posición de Directora en la Escuela Primaria Lynwood en Novato al comienzo del año escolar 2023-24. Gracias por su confianza y colaboración durante los últimos seis años. Aunque ya no seré un miembro del personal, seguiré siendo un miembro de la familia Halcon como mamá. Espero verlos a todos en los eventos de la escuela y de la comunidad por muchos años.

Atentamente,

Lauren Menchavez

Dear Venetia Valley Families and Staff,

I want to inform you that April 17th will be my last official day as Director of the Family Center here at Venetia Valley.

I leave Venetia Valley with great gratitude for all your support and for making my time here enjoyable. Throughout my tenure, I have learned a lot from our families, students, staff, and the community. I am truly grateful to my team at the Family Center (Pilar, Kristal, and Nicole), without whom I know I would not have been able to succeed in this role. Thank you to the office team, who always support the Family Center on their many adventures; you are all amazing! It has been a pleasure to work alongside the LEAP team to serve our families better. Teachers, thank you for your hard work and all the support for our VV families. Families, thank you for allowing me to be of service to you and for all the meaningful relationships we created. And, a special thanks to Mr. Quesada, who trusted me with rebuilding the Family Center when I took this role three years ago. Thank you for supporting my many ideas and your leadership, which have helped me grow professionally. I will miss working with all of you.

I will be helping with the transition until this position is filled. So, I will be here on Mondays, and on special occasions. I wish you all the very best.

Kind regards,

Sheila Ramirez

Last week we were honored to celebrate 47 students who met the criteria for reclassification and demonstrated English proficiency. This culminating event was a special moment for students, their families, and our teachers and staff to celebrate each student's accomplishment.

Our reclassified students are:

In an effort to improve our services, we are asking for your honest opinion on some of the events we have had. The Winter Festival is one event we would like to continue for the next school year. Please fill out the attached survey to help us improve.

Thank you,

Winter Festival Survey

Hello Venetia Valley Families,

• SEAL Parents Workshop in Spañish.

The classes are on 4 Wednesdays. We start on March 29 and through April 5, 19, and 26. From 9:30 - 11:00 am, in the family center.

• Latino Family Summit

Families are invited to attend the SSU's Annual Latino Family Educational Summit. A conference filled with workshops for students of all ages and parents about higher education. If you want to attend, please get in touch with me; registration is required.

Latino Family Educational Summit 2023.pdf

• Free Homework Tutors:

The Civic Center Library will offer a weekly Homework Helpers program for students in grades 3rd-10th. The program will begin on April 19th, and it will be every Wednesday from 3:30 -5 pm.

STUDENT Library Homework Help Program Flyer SP.pdf

STUDENT_ Library Homework Help Program Flyer.pdf

• Camp Chance

Sponsored by the San Rafael Police Department and Marin County Sheriff’s Department, Camp Chance offers underserved kids ages 11-14 the opportunity to enjoy a traditional camping experience and connect with police officers and deputy sheriffs free of charge.

CAMP CHANCE STUDENTS LIST 2023

CAMP CHANCE 2023 YELLOW FLYER.pdf

2023 Camp Chance Flyer.pdf

WC101 Parent Information Packet 2022 (Spanish).pdf

WC101 Parent Information Packet 2022 English.pdf

• Allen Sports for 6-8 grades.

Friendly reminder that April is the last month of Allen Sports.

Office hours are Monday- Friday from 8:00 am – 4:30 pm.

Pilar Sanchez

Venetia Valley Community Liaison

Office (415) 492-3150 Ext 2001

Fax (415) 492-3160

psanchez@srcs.org

Hello Dear Venetia Valley Families,

We only have 43 days left of the school year and are only four days away from spring break, yet we have several events planned till the end of the school year. For this month, there are four major events taking place. We have our Open House, Scavenger Hunt, El Dia del Niño Celebration, and the Heads Up Carnival. We hope to see everyone join us at these events.

First, our Open House is on Thursday, April 6, 2023, from 5:30 pm to 7 pm. Families are welcome to see what their child has been doing this school year. Here is the schedule for Thursday:

• Our Elementary families can come from 5:30 pm to 7 pm.
• For our Middle School families, the time is as follows:

5:30 - 5:40 1st period

5:44 - 5:54 2nd period

5:58 - 6:08 3rd period

6:12 - 6:22 4th period

6:26 - 6:36 5th period

6:40 - 6:50 6th period

Our third Annual Spring Scavenger Hunt will occur on Friday, April 7, from 5:30 pm to 6:30 pm (Doors at 5:45 pm). Families are welcome to come-in in search of eggs throughout the school. We will also have music and Golden Egg prizes. We hope you can join us! Any donation of eggs and/or candy will be greatly appreciated.

We will send more details about how families can support us in celebrating El Dia del Niño (Kids' Day). For now, mark it in your calendars; the event will occur on Thursday, April 27th, during each grade level's lunchtime.

Lastly, the Annual Heads Up Carnival will be on Saturday, April 29th, at Davidson Middle School from 11 am to 3 pm. Venetia Valley will be selling Nachos. If you want to volunteer that day, please get in touch with Sheila at the Family Center. We are also looking for donations of Nacho Cheese and Chips; if you would like to donate, please bring them to the FC.

Note: Please park at the Jury Lot for these events due to limited parking.

Parents and guardians, please ensure our students are here and ready to learn daily. Attendance is very important; when they miss many days of school, the effects are always negative. Below are tips on how you can help your child succeed in school:

Attendance-Works-Elementary__handout_101421.pdf

Elementary_handout_SPANISH_110421-1.pdf

As always, do not hesitate to reach out if you need any support.

Upcoming Events:

• Food Bank distribution happens every Tuesday from 3:15 pm - 4:15 pm

Families, remember that bags of food are handed out every Tuesday in front of the school. Feel free to stop by if you need this service.

• Matrix Parent Network- Every Wednesday from 9:30 am - 11 am - FC.

A representative from Matrix to support families with any questions they may have regarding Special Education, EIPs, and much more.

• Community Closet- Friday, April 5, from 3:30 pm to 4:30 pm in the Family Center

Due to our Annual Scavenger Hunt, we will have the Community Closet on Wednesday.

• Coffee & Conversation- Thursday, April 6, from 9 am to 10:30 am in Family Center

Families, join us for informative monthly presentations, essential school updates, and an opportunity to voice any questions, comments, and/or concerns. Also, learn about services or events happening in our community. This month's topic is Mental Health.

• Community Fridge- Bay Marin Church parking lot at 150 N. San Pedro Road

The Community Fridge is open 24/7 for families to come and grab what they need! If you wish to donate any food, this is also a place where you can donate by placing your food in the community fridge.

Families, make sure you are following us on Facebook and Instagram @venetiavalleytk8.

Want to contact us? Here's how:

Family Center Hours

Monday to Friday from 8:30 am - 4:30 pm

Direct line: 415-496-0226

Kristal Garcia - Family Advocate - kgarcia@srcs.org

Nicole Lescano- Family Advocate- nlescano@srcs.org

Sheila Ramirez- Family Center Director- sramirez@srcs.org

Follow us on social media: Facebook and Instagram @ventiavalleyTK8, and follow Mr. Quesada on Twitter @PrincipalPaulQ.

Venetia Valley is a community school where students, families and staff are celebrated for who they already are and are supported in every way to become all that they aspire to be.

Nuestra Declaración de Misión

Venetia Valley es una escuela comunitaria donde los estudiantes, las familias y el personal son reconocidos por quienes ya son y son apoyados en todos los sentidos para convertirse en todo lo que aspiran a ser.

Email: aquesada@srcs.org
Website: https://vv-srcs-ca.schoolloop.com/
Location: 177 North San Pedro Road, San Rafael, CA, USA
Phone: 415-492-3150
Twitter: @PrincipalPaulQ