Valley View News
January, 2023
Message from the Principal
Dear Viking families,
I hope this newsletter finds you resting after a busy holiday season and appreciative for any rest you were able to find over the winter break. It was great to see the students return to school happy and well-rested and eager to wrap up first semester. Wow, this year is flying by!
As we move into second semester, I am reminded that the job we have at VVMS is to prepare our students for the next phase of their education: high school. At Valley View that means second semester we increase the cognitive complexity and the volume of work which means school can be harder for some students. An important part of our responsibility is to mentally prepare our students for the high school experience. For many students that means learning to demonstrate the characteristics of a learner including grit, perseverance, and toughness. I am oftentimes asked how to teach those skills or how to have those conversations with children.
This video is about athletics at the college level. I see this as easily transferrable to the same preparation we are doing between elementary and middle school, middle school and high school, and for many high school to college. I think students can take this narrative to illustrate how the challenges associated with school help prepare young people for adulthood.
Here is the video featuring Duke women’s basketball head coach Kara Lawson in her talk titled, “Handle Hard Better”: https://youtu.be/oDzfZOfNki4.
In the next few weeks, we are reinforcing what it means to be a Viking. That includes academic, behavioral, and attendance expectations. Our students have done a good job upholding the standards and we want to continue that trend second semester.
I hope you all have a great new year!
With Viking Pride,
Eric Cahan
VVMS Principal
Wrestling and Girls Basketball Begin January 31
Dress Code Policy
Preserving a beneficial learning environment and assuring the safety and well-being of all students are primary concerns of the Snohomish School District. Students’ choices in matters of dress should be made in consultation with their parents. Student dress will only be regulated, when, in the judgement of school administration, there is a reasonable expectation that:
1. A health or safety hazard will be presented by the student's dress or appearance.
2. Damage to school property will result from the student's dress; or
3. A material and substantial disruption of the educational process will result from the students’ dress.
For the purpose of this policy, a material and substantial disruption of the educational process may be found to exist when a student’s dress is inconsistent with the educational mission of the school district. Students must wear:
• Clothing including both a shirt with pants or skirt, or the equivalent and shoes.
• Shirts and dresses must have fabric that covers the front, back, mid-drift and sides.
• Clothing must cover undergarments.
• Fabric covering all private parts must not be see through.
• Clothing must be suitable for all scheduled classroom activities including physical education, science labs, wood shop, and other activities where unique hazards exist.
• Courses that include attire as part of the curriculum (for example, professionalism, public speaking and job readiness) may include assignment-specific clothing.
Prohibited dress includes:
• Offensive images or language, including profanity, hate speech and pornography.
• Images or language depicting or advocating violence or the use of tobacco, vaping, alcohol or drugs.
• Attire that intentionally shows private parts.
• Apparel identified by local law enforcement as belonging to or identifying with any gang, violent or criminal group.
• Sunglasses must be removed upon entering the school building at the beginning of the day and put away in a bag or locker until the end of the school day.
The uniforms of nationally recognized youth organizations, and clothing worn in observance of a student’s religion are not subject to this policy.
DRESS CODE VIOLATIONS
- The student can either remove the item immediately if it is not a primary piece of clothing (i.e.: hat, sweatshirt, jewelry); or
- If the student has appropriate clothing available to change into, the student may change and return to class; or
- The student may call their parent/guardian to bring them appropriate clothing to change into.
Important Upcoming Events/Dates:
Monday, January 16-Martin Luther King Jr. Day-No School
Tuesday, January 24-Parent Club Meeting 6pm Library
Monday, January 30-Non Student Day
Tuesday, January 31-Start of Second Semester/Wrestling and Girls Basketball begin
Friday, February 17 and Monday, February 20-Mid Winter Break-No School
Interested in serving as a substitute teacher and/or substitute paraeducator?
Our district is actively hiring certificated substitute teachers, emergency substitute teachers, and substitute paraeducators.
Please visit https://www.sno.wednet.edu/jobs and click on the first link under Employment Opportunities to learn more about these open positions. If you have any questions regarding becoming a substitute, please contact the district's Guest Teacher & Substitute Services Coordinator, Shana Hainzinger, at shana.hainzinger@sno.wednet.edu.
Partner with us for healthy schools
In the last several weeks we have had several students coming to school with symptoms of respiratory and other illness. Because these illnesses spread quickly through the classroom, we are asking you to observe the following guidelines when deciding whether to send your child to school.
Please keep your child home if they have:
- A fever (>100.4 F) or chills. Your child should stay home for 24 hours after the fever is gone, without taking fever-reducing medication (ie.Tylenol/Advil);
- A cough, muscle or body aches, difficulty breathing, loss of taste or smell;
- Significant congestion or runny nose, sore throat, reddened eyes, green or yellow drainage from the nose;
- Fatigue or headache;
- Nausea, vomiting or diarrhea (24 hours free - before returning to school).
If your child has any of the above symptoms, please reach out to your health care provider. It is encouraged that those with symptoms be tested for COVID-19. If testing positive, please reach out to your school nurse/health room for further guidance.
One of the most effective ways to control the spread of illness in school is to keep your child home when symptoms first appear. Frequent hand washing, covering mouth/nose when coughing or sneezing, wearing masks, socially distancing, and receiving preventable vaccines, help prevent the spread of germs, viruses and illness.
Attendance Procedures and Reporting
- Call the attendance line 360-563-4227
- Enter a request in Family Access/Skyward
- Email denise.dow@sno.wednet.edu
- A written note signed by a parent/guardian or medical/dental provider
- Please provide your student's first and last name, the date of the absence and a reason for the absence. Please spell the name if needed.
- An absence will be considered excused when we receive notification from a parent or legal guardian in the attendance office within 48 hours of the absence.
click here for attendance policies and procedures.
Students Need Their ID/ASB Cards at Lunch
WATCH D.O.G.S. are at Valley View!
If you have any questions or would like to learn more about the program please contact Skip Fuller at skipfuller@comcast.net or 206-226-3861. To schedule a day here at Valley View please call Denise Dow at 360-563-4227.
Valley View Direct Give Fundraiser
Hello Valley View Parents!
The Parent Club is pleased to announce we are in full swing for the 2022-23 school year and need your help! The past few years have yielded very little in fundraising due to Covid limitations. Donations will assist us in funding things like student planners, teacher meals and snacks during conferences, holiday treats and meals for staff, support for a family meal for valley view families in need over the holidays, teacher/staff appreciation week, scholarships for GP students having attended Valley View, the 8th grade dance and more. In order to support our teachers and students, would you please consider a donation to our cause?
A generous donation of $25 per student would be greatly appreciated! Thank you for the consideration and support!
Parent Club Direct Give QR Code
Parent Club Venmo Direct Give QR Code
Valley View Parent Club
- Next meeting will be Tuesday, January 24 at 6pm
- Parent Club website - www.vvmspc.org
- Zoom Access https://snohomishsd.zoom.us/j/91653206455.
- Valley View Parent Club needs volunteers. Please email the Valley View Parent Club at info@vvmspc.org for more information
Link Your Fred Meyer Card-It's an Easy Way to Donate Money
InvestEd is a fund that helps our students in financial need stay involved in school events and activities. You can help by shopping and using your rewards card. You will still earn your rewards points, fuel points, and rebates.
Simply go to visit https://www.fredmeyer.com. Once logged into your Fred Meyer account scroll to the bottom and click on Fred Meyer Community Rewards. Click on "search for organization" to link your card to Valley View Valley View Middle School and then click Enroll. From the app click on the 3 bars on left, go to rewards, community, search for Valley View and enroll! New users will need to create an account which requires some basic information, a valid email address and a rewards card.
*Customers must have a registered Fred Meyer rewards card account to link to Valley View.
*If you do not yet have a Fred Meyer rewards card, they are available at the customer service desk at any Fred Meyer.
We earned $68.56 this quarter. That is with only 21 families signed up. Imagine what we could earn if half of our families enrolled, it's easy!!
Join Our Team!
We are looking for teachers, nurses, paraeducators, custodians, bus drivers, kitchen staff, pool team members, and other positions! Visit www.sno.wednet.edu/jobs or call 360-563-7233 today!
Current high-need school and district openings include:
- Substitute paraeducators - $20.47-$21.62/hour
- Paraeducators - $20.47-$24.74/hour
- Interpreters - $32.53-$36.23/hour
- Braillists - $28.37-$32.49/hour
- Substitute bus drivers - $25.47/hour
- Substitute teachers/Guest teachers – $185-$260/day ($24.66-$34.66/hour)
- Various maintenance and custodial positions including substitute - $24.18-$36.12/hour (depending on position)
Snohomish School District positions
- If you would like to be considered for employment in the Snohomish School District, please login to submit a new application through our Frontline application tool.
- Please feel free to contact us in Human Resource Services at 360-563-7233 with any questions.
- If you would like to be considered for employment at the Snohomish Aquatic Center, please click here.
- Please feel free to contact Chris Bensen, Snohomish Aquatic Center Supervisor, at 360-563-1986 or 360-568-8030, with any questions.
Chartwells K-12/Compass Group (district's food service provider) positions
- If you would like to be considered for employment with Chartwells K-12/Compass Group (district's food service provider), please click here.
- Please feel free to contact Marty Grasa, Chartwells K-12/Compass Group Manager, at 360-563-7357 with any questions.
Please Subscribe to Listserv to Receive Newsletters
Principal
Eric Cahan
Assistant Principal
Brenda Weyhrauch
Student Last Names L-Z
brenda.weyhrauch@sno.wednet.edu
Assistant Principal
Philippa Farrell
Student Last Names A-K
philippa.farrell@sno.wednet.edu
Main Office Secretary/Athletics
Michelle Walker
360-563-4225
michelle.walker@sno.wednet.edu
Attendance Secretary
Denise Dow
360-563-4227
Registrar
Adrienne Galusha
360-563-4239
adrienne.galusha@sno.wednet.edu
Bookkeeper
Jackie Dalrymple
360-563-4240
jackie.dalrymple@sno.wednet.edu
Health Room
Cathy Waldron
360-563-4237
Counselor
Nikki Longworth
nicole.longworth@sno.wednet.edu
Last Names A-K
Counselor
Brian Johnson
Last Names L-Z
Fax-360-563-4236
Non Discrimination Notice
The Snohomish School District does not discriminate in any programs or activities on the basis of sex, race, creed, religion, color, national origin, age, veteran or military status, sexual orientation, gender expression or identity, disability, or the use of a trained dog guide or service animal and provides equal access to the Boy Scouts and other designated youth groups. The following employees have been designated to handle questions and complaints of alleged discrimination: Civil Rights Coordinator, Title IX Coordinator and ADA – Darryl Pernat, 1601 Avenue D, Snohomish, WA 98290, 360-563-7285, darryl.pernat@sno.wednet.edu; Section 504 Coordinator and Harassment, Intimidation and Bullying – Shawn Stevenson, 1601 Avenue D, Snohomish, WA 98290, 360-563-7314, shawn.stevenson@sno.wednet.edu.
Parents have the right to request information on the professional qualifications of their student’s classroom teachers.