Bulldog Beat 12/16-12/20

Please give a resounding congratulations to our Kindergarten teacher and Valley Institute Elementary School teacher of the Year winner Mrs. Hull. She recently received this accolade from her fellow Valley faculty and staff. She is an integral part of our students and staff's lives. We are blessed to have her on our team. "She is a caring and loving to our students. She strives to see them achieve their goals and helps them reach new heights," said Amber Hayden who is the Reading Specialist and former Kindergarten team member. Her role as mother to three girls has also been a blessing to our students who benefit from her maternal love and desire to see every child have the best experience here at VIES.

We would like to extend our sincerest appreciation to our PTO committee for all of the hard work, long hours, and of the amazing creative ideas to benefit our faculty and staff. Since the beginning of school and our first family night they have been an integral part of helping us and our students succeeded. Here are just a few of the ways they have supported us, lifted us up, and/or helped to make us better:

-Approved the purchase of a new ice machine from PTO funds. This was especially needed for our Nurse's clinic.

-Hosted holiday candy grams to raise funds for VIES.

-Volunteers came in every month to help teachers, they organized classrooms, setup for events, and covered teachers' lunch duty to give the teacher a respite.

-They were librarians for the day as they worked alongside Mrs. Harman in setting up, tearing down, and running our annual Book Fair.

-They put together and hosted one of our biggest school year events the VIES Holiday Night, which was titled "Santa Supper" this year.

Every day they work to make our days easier. This allows us to put our energy back into the students and give even more. Thank you Valley PTO from the bottom of all of our hearts for all you do.

Congratulations to Ms. Widner, our Washington Way nominee and PK Aide! You always exemplify the characteristics of being a "Helping Hand" and we are so thankful to have you on our team!

"She is enthusiastic, creative, and loving. [I] enjoy working with her because she is willing to lend a hand, be a team player, and she is knowledgeable in her field," said Mrs. Countiss who is the Preschool Aide in our ECSE class. Ms. Widner, you make us and our students better!

We would like to thank all of our families that have donated to the PBIS store. Students are excited to be able to spend their Bulldog Bucks they are earning during the second nine weeks. The second nine weeks PBIS store will be December 20, 2024. If you would still like to donate, please review the attached letter below.

VIES is looking for parent volunteers to assist with various events and activities throughout the school year. If you are interested, please contact the school to learn more about the background check process and possible opportunities.

This week's winners of the Perfect Attendance Blizzard drawing is:

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

We love having all our Bulldogs in attendance and we can't to see who will win next week's Blizzard Drawing!

Click on the image to take you to dreamland...we hope you enjoy!

We have several ways to stay connected to your child's education and teachers. Every parent has access to ParentPortal which allows you to see grades and attendance. You can register on the county website if you have not already signed up or you can call the school and request your student's login information.

Every grade uses an app to maintain communication between parents/guardians and teachers. Please see the list below on which app you should download to stay connected to your student's teacher:

PreSchool- Call the school at (276)642-5500

Kindergarten- Remind

First- Remind

Second- Email

Third- ParentPortal

Fourth- ClassDojo

Fifth- Remind

Elementary Menus:

Breakfast Menu: Link

Lunch Menu: Link

The new site is linqconnect which can be accessed from the school nutrition home webpage. There is also a link on the School Nutrition webpage FAQ's/Direction on how to access linqconnect for student account prepayments. Here is the Link to WCS nutritional page.

• Please call the office if your child is absent from school. 276-642-5500 or email rhockman@wcs.k12.va.us
  

• Send or fax any doctor appointment notes to cover for excused absences. 276-645-2394
  

• Any transportation changes must be made by 2:20 PM to ensure safety of dismissal time.
  

• Due to Safety, NO check outs from office after 2:20 PM students will need to go to car rider line.

Instagram: /vies_bulldogs

Website: https://vies.wcs.k12.va.us/
Location: 4350 Gate City Highway, Bristol, VA, USA
Phone: 276-642-5500
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/viesbulldogs
Twitter: @VIESBulldogs