VCS Social Services Newsletter

As we move through second half of the school year, remember that the VCS Social Services Team is here to assist you. Click the button below to find our contact information.

VCS Social Workers want to extend a huge thank you to our school community for supporting the Holiday Assistance Program this year! Collaborating with individuals, families, community organizations, churches, and local businesses allowed us to provide 674 students with gifts this holiday season! Thanks again for the overwhelming support & generosity of the Valparaiso and local communities.

About Backpacks and Snacks

During the 2022-2023 school year, the VCS Social Services Team is once again providing weekend meal kits for children experiencing food insecurity. The Backpacks and Snacks Weekend Food Program is a response to the 64 hours between Friday evenings and Monday mornings when food may not be accessible for some families. Through this program, children ages 18 and under are provided with student-friendly, easily prepared breakfasts, lunches, and dinners to sustain them through each weekend. This program is made possible thanks to many generous community donors! In 2022-2023, we are already serving approximately 240 children.

Information for Families

If you would like to be included in our weekend meal distributions, and are not yet enrolled, please open the pdf below for information and the sign up link.

If you are already enrolled in Backpacks and Snacks, and you are in need of a family food kit for the upcoming spring break, please be on the lookout for a sign up coming from your school social worker in early March. You will be able to pick up the family food kits at VALE during the week of March 20th.

Information for Donors

If you would like to support the Backpacks and Snacks program, here are some possibilities.

• Sponsor a student for a weekend (~$6), a month (~$24), a semester (~$108), or a school year (~$216)

• Sponsor a week of our program for families (~$1400)

• Sponsor a month of our program for families (~$5600)

Monetary donations can be made via check payable to "Valparaiso Community Schools" with “Backpacks and Snacks” in the memo line.

Deliver or mail checks to:

Valparaiso Community Schools

Attn. Backpacks and Snacks

3801 N. Campbell St.

Valparaiso, IN 46385

Dressed for School is a non-profit organization that aims to help elementary students who are in need of new, quality clothing, at no cost, in a shopping environment. They are located in the VALE building at 653 Hayes Leonard Rd. (the old Hayes Leonard Elementary School).

Plans are being made for the spring elementary clothing distribution from Dressed for School. Elementary parents will receive an email with information around spring break.

Dressed for School recently began serving a limited number of middle school students through a referral process in partnership with the social services team. Thank you Dressed for School for your continued work to contribute to the confidence and success of our students!

If you would like to learn more about Dressed for School, visit their website via the button below.

We wanted to let you know about an opportunity for your 6th grader. Boys to Men and Girls to Women are group mentoring programs that are offered through Our Greater Good. Groups meet for a little over an hour after school once a week. Up to four adult mentors meet with up to 12 students in a Journey group. The goal is Journey groups will remain intact until that group graduates from high school. Yes, these groups have the option of following your child through all of middle school AND high school, should your child choose to stay involved.

The format each Journey Group (or J-group) follows is similar. Each week students will receive a snack, have discussion time and usually an activity. Mentors go through a formal training on the national curriculum for this program but are given the flexibility to allow the group to go in whatever direction the children need that week. Activities range from ice-breakers to games to possible field trips. Groups meet immediately after school until the late bus arrives to take them home (or parents come to pick them up).

Please talk about this opportunity with your student. We know middle school can be a time when students could sometimes use a consistent, safe space to connect with few extra adults and students to process all of the transitions and new things they are learning and experiencing. If your student is interested in joining or even just coming to check it out, please complete the permission form at: https://forms.gle/jxzB9B6W8EGa9t776

If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to the Our Greater Good program coordinator, Natalie Wilson at 219-728-8733 or natalie@ourgreatergood.com