March is Women's History Month! Let's take a moment to recognize and appreciate the incredible contributions of women, both at Vernon and around the world. From trailblazers who have shattered glass ceilings to the everyday heroes who make a difference in our lives, women play an integral role in shaping our communities and society. I hope we are all able to take some time this month to express gratitude to the amazing women around you for all they do. Together, let's celebrate the past, present, and future achievements of women everywhere!

Join us for the Vernon PTA's latest fundraiser, Raise Craze! This month-long initiative isn't just about raising funds, it's about raising kindness. We believe that fostering a culture of kindness is essential to creating a positive learning environment for our children.

Raise Craze encourages acts of kindness within our community, showing our children the importance of giving back and spreading positivity. Plus, it's an opportunity to support our school without selling anything!

By participating in Raise Craze, you'll not only contribute to the betterment of our school through classroom support and student experiences, but you'll also help reinfiorce the importance of being caring communicators in our children.

Visit the PTA Events and Updates in the newsletter for more details on how you can get involved and make a difference at Vernon! Let's raise kindness together!

Vernon Proud,

Ben Keefer

bkeefer@pps.net

Principal

Mrs. Belcher and Mrs. Wilkins wanted to congratulate all students in the elementary and middle school level who participated in OBOB (Oregon Battle of the books) for this school year.

We know it takes a lot of time and commitment to read sixteen books as a team and are super proud of students taking the reading challenge!!!!

We are already looking forward to next year! If you have a child that will be in

Grades 3-5 or Grades 6-8 next year, now is a great time to talk to your child about OBOB and taking this reading challenge.

Most of the books have been selected for the 2024-2025 school year and more information can be found through the OBOB website: https://www.oregonbattleofthebooks.org/2024-2025-titles/

Vernon Teams at Regionals

At the elementary level we want to wish the Flying Pans (Otto, Ayla, Cricket, and Grove) great luck at their Regional Competition on Saturday, March 16th at Capital Hill Elementary.

At the middle school level we want to wish the Party Frogs (Nevena, Caity, and Melody) great luck at their Regional Competition on Saturday, March 9th at Happy Valley Middle School.

Due to the amount of participants and their families who attend, Regional's attendance is limited to only students who are competing and their families.

We have had many Chromebooks with intentional damage of late. Please take a moment and review and sign this agreement with your 3-8th grade student/s. You will need to fill out one survey per student please. Thanks for your support at home to maintain these valuable tools.

WHAT IS RAISE CRAZE?

Vernon Raise Craze is a month-long drive to be better community members, paying it forward by completing Acts of Kindness (AOKs) out in the community - A great way to learn the values of kindness and gratitude, without having to sell anything.

There’s an online platform enabling participants to set up secure, custom websites where they request donations via email, text, and social.

WHY?

We want to continue to make our school a better place by providing helpful and enriching benefits to our students & families, via classroom support, student experiences and more! We’ve chosen Raise Craze to help with these needs because it keeps kindness and inclusivity at the center, while allowing our school to keep 90% or more!

WHEN?

March 1st through April 1st, 2024

GET STARTED!

Step 1: REGISTER - Scan the QR code to the right to register, or go to:

https://my.raisecraze.com/app2/join/AYRQ8SM

Step 2: ACTS OF KINDNESS (AOKs) - Select different Acts of Kindness to complete for others!

Step 3: INVITE - Invite your friends & family to donate, then start spreading kindness!

https://www.vernonpta.org/2024-vernon-raise-craze.more here

Save the Date for Owl Fest on Saturday, June 1st from 2:00-6:00 at Vernon. Owl Fest is all about fun and fundraising with our Vernon community. We need volunteers and have tons of ways to get involved, like running a carnival game booth, joining a parent band, or helping on the clean up crew.

Email Simone Nagle at simone.nagle.msw@gmail.com to connect about volunteer opportunities.