January Newsletter 2023
Valley View Elementary School
From Principal Kuhlman
Dear Families,
Happy New Year!! Every year at this time, I like to reflect on the past year. Valley View has come so far in the last year! Our enrollment has grown to an amazing 562 students. When many schools are shrinking, Valley View is growing. A major contributor to this is our remarkable school community. Staff, students, and parents are working together to help children grow and learn. We strive to provide our students with the best educational experiences possible. Together, we create safe spaces for our students to take risks and learn from their mistakes. We have created a space where all are welcomed and are free to be their authentic selves. I am so proud of the work we have all accomplished, and am excited to see what the new year holds for us.
As we look to the new year, we continue to focus on academic achievement, social-emotional learning, and building a strong school community. We want students and families to feel welcomed and valued in our school. Your participation in school events has shown our students we are partners in their education. We have a number of events coming up for families to attend. Valley View Game Night and Parent Academy in January, PreK/Kindergarten Open House and Winter Extravaganza in February, and many more to come. If you know of potential families looking for a school, or know of family or friends wanting to make a move to Valley View, please invite them to one of our events. We are always looking to add to our community.
A strong school community is characterized by the willingness of each member to support the other. This support comes in many different ways. One way we can support our families is to provide access to outside resources. We know the holidays and the darkness of winter can be hard on all of us. We encourage our families to reach out to us if they need support. We are always willing to help. Please don’t hesitate to call Mr. Kevin, Ms. Nicole, or me if you need anything. Another resource is our website, https://www.colheights.k12.mn.us/Page/3544.
Wishing you a very merry New Year,
Mr. Kuhlman
Flex Learning Day Information
All district student devices and chargers must be returned to school on Wednesday, January 4.
4th Grade
The fourth grade had a visit from The Works Museum, a hands-on engineering and design museum located in Bloomington! We experimented with components of an electric circuit to create fans or wobblebots. Using a battery, wire, load, and a switch, we explored how electricity flows and had a lot of fun! After our visit, Mrs. Brandt taught us more about conductors, insulators, and different types of circuits.
5th Grade
In 5th grade, we finished out the year by learning about holidays around the world! Students were assigned a group and a country to research and create a project. They were able to present these projects to the rest of the school to learn about the similarities and differences in cultures and traditions.
They have also been working hard on fractions in math, and will continue to do so into the new year! We started our skills block, where 5th graders rotate between science, social-emotional learning (SEL), and writing. Currently in SEL, students are doing a fun project to learn about cooperation. In writing, they are working on writing letters. In science, 5th graders are learning about landforms and are doing an investigation using our stream tables!
Band
5th grade beginning band! We’re entering an exciting time of the year. So far this year we have learned how to read rhythms and note names fluently. We have learned simple instrument care and maintenance. We have learned to make sounds on our instruments and how to change notes, which can be very challenging.
Our biggest challenge yet has just begun! We are on the journey of learning our first five-note songs. These are songs composed of quarter, half, and whole notes, as well as the first five notes of the concert Bb scale. Such easy listening favorites, like Hot Cross Buns, Rain Rain Go Away, and Merrily We Roll Along! This is often the time of year when students really start to “get” it and begin playing actual music on their instrument. We are also preparing these songs for an all-elementary concert on January 26 at 6:30 in the Columbia Academy Gym. We love this concert as teachers too because the 5th graders from last year join us and play a few songs as well! Please come and see all of our hard work on January 26! Remember, keep practicing! It will get better.
-Mr. Hanson
Game Night
- Board Games
- Academic Games
- STEM Activities
We hope to see you there!
FREE January Parent Seminar
Promoting Literacy in the Home: For families with children ages 8 years and younger.
Monday, January 23, 6-7pm
Location: Family Center
Research has shown that early experiences with literacy build a strong foundation for a child’s language development, reading, writing and overall learning throughout life. During this adult only workshop, we will discuss helpful strategies for promoting literacy within the home and daily activities. Spanish Interpreter available.
**Limited child care is available, pre-registration required by calling 763-528-4517 before 12:00pm on Friday, January 20, 2023.
PTO Information
We hope that your break was full of good food, people in whom you delight, and a bit of rest and refreshment. Our next meeting is on Thursday, January 12 at 6 pm in the school library. We will be planning the details of our next fundraiser, which we're all excited about - selling freshly roasted bags of coffee! If you aren't able to join us for our meeting but would like to help, text Bethany at 608-395-1327.
Look for coffee ordering forms later this month. We hope you enjoy sharing coffee with your family and friends! The money you have helped us raise this last year has gone towards buying books for the classrooms. Teachers have been able to add more books to their collections that are diverse like our students.
About Us
All Belong, All Succeed
Email: KuhlmanJ@colheights.k12.mn.us
Website: https://www.colheights.k12.mn.us/VVES
Location: 800 49th Avenue Northeast, Columbia Heights, MN, USA
Phone: 763-528-4200
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/VVisd13