VAIS Family Newsletter

12/11/23 Governance Council Meeting at VAIS 6:30pm-8:30pm

12/12/23 VAIS Incoming Tour 7:45-8:45am

12/12/23 Mom's Night Out 7:30pm

12/20/23 Community Gathering, 7:35am-8:00am

12/20/23 NCS & VAIS 5th grade to High School PAC

12/21/23 VAIS Winter Party 1-2pm

12/22/23 Asynchronous Learning Day, kids learn from home

12/23/23 - 1/1/2024 Winter Break/No School

2/13/2024 Battle of the Books District Wide Competition

Computer Science Week is Dec 4-8th. Classrooms will engage in various opportunities to feel what it is like to be a computer programmer. Mrs. Konop will visit some classrooms and use Scratch Jr, Ozobots, and other fun on code.org (Hour of Code). On Friday, December 8th from 1:50 to 2:10pm, all students at VAIS and NCS will head to the hallways to code together! Stay tuned for some pictures of the event!

Classroom Parties:

Sign up to volunteer at the Winter classroom party on Dec 21 from 1 to 2pm. These parties are a great way for parents to get in the classroom and work with the students. The children (and teachers) love the festivities! Volunteers will plan, prepare and lead an activity (craft, game or worksheet).

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/8050C44A9A828A4FA7-46245694-classroom

Mom’s Night Out

It’s our turn now! Join other VAIS moms for games and conversation at Jennifer Tzeng’s house. Bring your favorite game along with a snack or drink to share. Can’t wait to see you there!

When: Tuesday December 12th at 7:30pm

Where: 956 Pollow Rd, Verona

Winter Wonderland – NCS & VAIS Staff Appreciation

Let’s bring a Winter Wonderland to the NCS & VAIS staff lounge this season! Please sign up to provide a food or drink item on one of the listed days in December, and help show our appreciation for staff in the final days of the calendar year.

Drop off can be anytime during school hours for non-perishables. Otherwise 7:15-7:30 am for perishables.

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/8050C49ADAF2FA3FE3-46256605-winter

RSVP on Facebook, https://fb.me/e/1rorbvUXF, or email jennifer.tzeng@live.com

It’s Recruitment Season!

Recruitment season to fill our 2024-2025 incoming kindergarten class is underway. Our first school tour will be this Tuesday, December 12th at 8am. I am also posting a photo of our events for the entire recruitment season and they are on our website https://www.vaisverona.org/tours-enrollment/

Why is this important?

As the youngest charter school, VAIS has to work hard to fill our kindergarten class for next year, making sure we have 22 in-district students enrolled and ready to go.

How can I help?

We are thankful to all the families that have signed up to volunteer - our November, December, and January events are all full with volunteers. Please mark your calendar for the Chinese New Year Celebration at Verona Public Library on Saturday, February 10th as that is a date we will need all hands on deck! Please also share our recruitment schedule and why you love VAIS with potential incoming families, curious friends, and neighbors. If you have any ideas about recruitment, please join us Wednesday, December 13th at the next Community Outreach Meeting at 7:30pm.

Thank you for your help! It takes a community to fill a kindergarten class.

Here is the link to a Google Public Calendar with this year’s updated NCS events:

VAIS Public Google Calendar

This calendar will be updated continually throughout the year with school events, such as swim and gym days, library days, Picture Day, Back to School Night, field trips, parent/teacher conferences, days off of school, Governance Council meetings, and so much more! We hope that this will make things easier for you!

Have you joined the VAIS Facebook Groups?

All Current families are welcome to join “VAIS Parents Group” on Facebook. We will be posting events and pop-up playdates in this group. This is also a great resource for new parents/guardians to ask any questions they may have. Please also like and follow our VAIS School Facebook here. Alumni families are welcome to join the “VAIS Alumni Parent Group” Facebook Group.

Additional resources for new and current families are here and here.

Interested in getting to know our kiddos and helping to build community within our schools? Do you have a couple of hours to spare occasionally or is your time flexible enough that you can come once a week? We would love to have you assist in our lunchroom.

All volunteers will need to be background checked through the district here.

Please complete this short survey with your availability.

We’re asking for your help to keep all children safe near and on Main Street. Our city is growing, our schools are growing, and Main Street is at times very busy. We have, combined, nearly 1,000 elementary students attending our three schools here on Main Street, including many students who are walking or biking in the area. Our close neighbors on this campus, Core Knowledge Charter School and Badger Ridge Middle School, have an additional 1,200 students. We need your help to keep each and every child safe, and that means:

• Recognize that you are in a school zone, and please follow the posted speed limit.
• Be aware that this area is populated by … children. They are small, not as careful as they should be, and need all of us adults to keep them safe.
• Accept that a school zone will naturally result in times when there is a great deal more traffic.
• Increase your awareness around crosswalks for pedestrians and bikers.
• Be on the lookout for buses. We support our drivers at Sugar Creek, New Century and VAIS! They are trying their best to get their riders to and from school on time and safely.
• Please obey crossing guards. We are so lucky to have the great team we do, including Laurie and Rhonda, pictured above.
• Conditions will generally deteriorate as we move into autumn and then winter, as our world becomes darker, snowier, and colder. It is imperative that drivers give themselves more space and time to stop in the event of an emergency.
• We team with the Verona Police Department. They know our concerns, our suggestions, and our busy times, and they have been good partners.
• Drive like every child you see was your own child.

Thank you for your cooperation.

Our students experience having two different classroom teachers throughout the day. It can be confusing for families to know which teacher to communicate with at times. If you are reaching out to your child’s teacher, please include both teachers on any communication.

The Sunshine Committee is made up of many amazing family members of students from our schools whose mission is to spread kindness and support for families and school staff. They do this by providing support in the form of cards, meals, gift cards, and other resources to families and staff in need of a little pick-me-up. They also have provided support to our school through stocking those awesome bathroom supply baskets in our staff bathrooms and by helping organize our winter clothes.

For more information and to assist in brining sunshine to our community please contact Shannon Ratchman.

The Bridging Brighter Smiles program is a safe, affordable, accessible way to meet a dental hygienist... right here in Verona Area School District!

Learn more at https://bridgingbrightersmiles.org/

If you need assistance with lunch costs please visit our Free and Reduced Lunch application for information on income levels and an application for assistance.

If your student is ill, has an early morning appointment or early pick up, or will be late arriving to school for another reason, in addition to notifying their classroom teachers please make sure that you contact one of the following PRIOR TO THE START OF THE SCHOOL DAY:

1) EMAIL VAIS Attendance: vais-attendance@verona.k12.wi.us or

2) CALL the office at (608) 845-4500 (If you are making a change after 11:00 am the same day, then please call the office).

Please do not email the school secretaries directly if possible.