Viking Pride
August 18, 2022
Hello Valhalla Community,
Dear Viking Community,
I am very excited and proud to begin my third year as your Principal at Valhalla! During the previous two years, I have gotten to know this radiant community and built relationships with so many of our families and students, staff and teachers. Valhalla is a special place surrounded with caring and talented teachers and staff, amazing parents, and wonderful students! I appreciate that we are all working together, supporting each other to grow and nurture our students.
As I begin my 22nd year in education, I would like to share my educational journey. I began my teaching career in 2001 teaching high school government, economics and history. I then transitioned to middle school where I taught 7/8th grade study skills and was an assistant principal for 6 years. I joined the MDUSD team 13 years ago and served as a Vice Principal at various middle school sites throughout the district. In 2018, I transitioned to elementary school and was honored to serve as the Vice Principal at Cambridge Elementary School, which was an extremely enriching experience, and ultimately prepared me for my role as principal. I have found my true heart and passion in elementary school working with our youngest learners, their teachers and families!
I grew up in the City of Berkeley, where I still live and enjoy Tilden Park, and the vast cultural diversity. My parents were both born in Greece and I have spent many summers enjoying the sea, crisp mountain air and reconnecting with my family and friends! This summer, I attended my cousinβs wedding under the Acropolis, fulfilled my dream of visiting the Great Sphinx of Giza in Egypt, swam the beaches of Krete, and relaxed in my mountain village of Kalavryta! I love visiting my brother (he works for the Raiders), sister-in-law in Las Vegas (she is also an elementary principal), my tiny niece, and my cousin in Anaheim. I come from a long line of teachers and administrators. My grandfather and great aunt were teachers in Greece and now my cousins are teachers in Greece and Ireland. I have other family members who are educators in the U.S. as well.
I am committed to continue working closely with our students, parents, teachers, staff, and community to grow, support and challenge all Valhalla Vikings! Thank you for continuing to greet me during pickups and drop offs, and when you are on campus volunteering. I enjoy seeing all the community and relationship building that is taking place. Please continue to offer me feedback. I look forward to seeing all the learning that is taking place. Iβm excited for incredible school events that are a deep part of Valhalla's culture for our school spirit and connection. I am thrilled to host my first in person Back to School Night (Wednesday, August 24, 6:00pm - 7:30pm) in person at the amphitheater to continue to build relationships and gain more perspective within our incredible community!
Great job on the first six days of school! WOW! Please dress to impress for picture day tomorrow, Friday, August 12th for our second spirit day!
Respectfully yours,
Theodora
Principal Pappas
Congratulations!
The Great Sphinx of Giza!
The cousins in Kalavryta!
Picture Day - Friday, August 19th
You can order here: https://www.shoobphoto.com/
Please consider making a grant for our schoolwide project on Donor's Choose:
Click here for more info & to donate - Popcorn Parties for PBIS Rewards:
In our school we are celebrating great behaviors and placing emphasis on building good character. This is our first year with the new Positive Behavior Intervention System (PBIS) at Valhalla. We are excited to offer many prizes for our students as they earn rewards for their great behaviors such as pencils, stickers, lunch with the principal, and we would love to include popcorn for the whole class as part of the rewards.
What better way to reward students than with a healthy snack for displaying positive behaviors or meeting an academic goal. As we move through the year and future years, we want to make sure that our students are given every opportunity to be rewarded and make positive healthy choices.
Thank you!
Mr. Buell & Principal Pappas
Donors Choose:
Please consider making a grant to our teacher's projects:
Mrs. Motta: Kindergarten STEAM Tables Help me give my students STEAM tables. Click here to donate and for more info.
Mrs. O'Leary: Kindergarten: If You Give A Kinder A Computer Desk Help me give my students a comfortable place to do their computer station activities. Click here to donate and for more info.
*Thank you for fully funding Mr. Buell's "Calming Center and New Counseling Setup" , Ms. Fivey's "Carpet Time Is Critical & Mrs. Kellerhalls Kindergarten Set-Up!!" WOW! π π
Back to School Night!
Wednesday, August 24, 6:00pm - 7:30pm
6-6:30 grades TK, K, 1 & 2 (in your classroom)
6:35-6:55 All famlies join Principal Pappas, Mr. Buell, VPFA President Tiffany O'Sullivan and 5th grade Outdoor Ed Rep Marni Hutchins in the amphitheater
7-7:30 grades 3, 4 & 5 (in your classroom)
*Familes, please leave your students at home. This is an adult only event. Thank you!
Amazon supply/wish list:
Emily Fox , second grade, click here for her Amazon supply/wish list.
Tamara Robinett, second grade, click here for her Amazon supply/wish list.
Please consider joining us at the happiest place on earth! π Check out these positions here at Valhalla for the school year 2022-23:
Secetary:
If you or a friend are interested in being the "core" of our school, please apply here! Any ?, ask Miss Pappas. (Matching outfits not required!)
Noon Duty Supervisors & Crosswalk Duty:
Noon Duty Supervisor - start date August 11, 2022 click here for more info & to apply! Hours are 11:30am - 1pm. What a great way to help at school and get to know our amazing students!
Crosswalk duty: morning and/or after school. Please call the office. 925-687-1700
Instructional Assistant:
SEA 2 - IEP Special Education Assistant 2:
Welcome Dinner Dance! πΆππ΅
Celebrate the start of the school year by bringing the whole family for dinner and a fun dance party outdoors on the blacktop! This incudes food trucks, a fun DJ, and other delecious items too!
August Calendar
18 - Water Assembly - 8:15am (Tk-2), 9am (3-5)
19 - Fall Picture Day
23 - Fire Drill @ 9am
24 - Back to School Night 6:00pm - 7:30pm!
VPFA Corner:
*VPFA Fundraising:
- General Fund - click here for more info & to donate! π°
- See's Candy - click here for more info & to purchase! π«
A Note from VPFA President, Tiffany OβSullivan
Welcome back Valhalla Vikings!
Thank you all for making All In One such a wonderful event. It was fantastic to see all the smiling faces back on campus and ready to start the new year.
Special thank you to Katie Eldridge for running the event, Corinne Donohue for the amazing spirit wear, teachers/staff for donating their time, and all the volunteers who helped make it run so smoothly!
I would like to formally invite everyone to the first VPFA meeting of the year on September 14th at 6:30pm in the Library Annex. For those who cannot join in person, a zoom link will be posted at a later date. We will be discussing the calendar of events for the year, hear from our principal and teacher representatives, and review the budget for the upcoming school year. Valhalla is a wonderful community that thrives on parent involvement and we can not do it without all of you. Hope to see you soon.
If you have any questions about VPFA, what we do or how you can get involved, I encourage you to check out our website at www.valhallavpfa.com. There you can find loads of information as well as contact info for all board members. I am always available as well at vpfapresident@gmail.com
Thank you,
Tiffany OβSullivan
VPFA President
THANK YOU! ππππ
We've got spirit! Yes we do! We've got spirit! How about you? ππ
Friday treats for Valhalla's staff! π₯―π©π§πͺβπ₯ͺπ
Let's show our teachers and staff how much we appreciate them by bringing treats every Friday. Please sign up for a slot to bring a treat for the staff to the teacher's lounge on a Friday morning.
We have approximately 40 staff members. Click here to sign up! Thank you!
MDUSD 5th grade Elementary Instrumental Music Program
5th grade students are invited to enroll in optional Band and Orchestra instrument classes!! Your child's teacher, Mrs. Bromley, will talk to them about the program and demonstrate the instruments this week.
Instruction is during the school day, free, and prior experience is not required. (Students returning to our program are required to register again.) Thank you!
For more information and to register for music classes, please visit our website:
https://sites.google.com/mdusd.org/mdusdeim/home
Any ?s ask Mrs. Bromley bromleyj@mdusd.org
5th Grade Camp: βΊπ₯Ύ
Outdoor Ed is an immersive science and nature experience for 5th grade students. They spend 3 nights and 4 days in nature and learning about life science and biology. This year the dates are March 20th - March 23rd.
- click here for more info about Walker Creek Ranch! π
- click here to donate! π
- click here for FAQ! β
Thank you for helping us get all of our 5th graders to camp this year!
Two upcoming meetings for Outdoor Ed:
Interested in getting involved and learning more about Fundraising for Outdoor Ed? 5th grade parents (and 4th grade parents who would like to learn more for next year), please join us at 6:30pm on Tues Aug 23rd at 104 Bramblewood Lane in Pleasant Hill. We are all in this together and need to work together to make this happen for our kids.
5th grade families informational meeting 7pm on September 7th at Valhalla. Please plan on attending. More details to come.
Please see link for contributions to Outdoor Ed - this can be sent to family members and friends to contribute as well. Checks can also be dropped in the office made out to Valhalla with a memo of Outdoor Ed.
https://www.konstella.com/open/donations/62719c1390fa09b546d2b032
How to help at Valhalla: πππ«
Volunteers:
MDUSD has approved parent volunteers inside and outside the classroom. Volunteers must have a valid TB test, fingerprints on file, & proof of vaccination. Please reach out to Mrs. Tammy, our sub secretary, to show proof of vaccination. Please reach out to your teacher for further information regarding helping in the classroom or sign up on Konstella to volunteer at lunch. (Link to sign up coming soon!)
Click here to apply to be a volunteer on campus including lunch duty, PE, classroom parents, the library, reading lab, the garden or to help at future field trips.
Lunch Time Volunteers Needed! 11:30-1pm daily!
Calling parents, grandparents, friends or neighbors to help provide additional supervision during lunch and lunch recess. Please feel free to sign up for one shift or many (or all!). It's a great way to connect to our campus and see your kids in action!
Check in to the office when you arrive. Volunteers must be cleared by the district. (A valid TB test, fingerprints on file, & proof of vaccination.)
Please consider volunteering by signing up on the Konstella link ...if it is full and you are cleared to volunteer and want to come help...JUST COME ON BY! THANK YOU!!!
Substitutes:
*Teacher: Substitute Teacher EdJoin Job Posting (Pay is $230/)
*Special Education Assistant Substitute (SEA SUB) -
Special Education Assistant Substitute (SEA SUB) click here to apply and for further information.
*Substitute Secretarial/Clerical: Click here to apply for secretary substitute and for further info!
*Noon Supervisor Substitute: Click here to apply for noon supervisor substitute and for further info!
Any ?s please see Miss Pappas! Thank you for your consideration!
Parent Square
MDUSD/Valhalla uses Parent Square to contact parents in regards to community events, school news and events and emergency notices. Teachers also use Parent Square to reach out to their whole class or individual families/parents.
Parent Square has a similar interface as Facebook, it is pretty easy to use and user friendly. Parents also get absence notices from Parent Square to where you can directly respond back about why your child is absent.
Konstella (VPFA)
You can sign up HERE
Valhalla's school code for this year: UM4322
Drop off & pick up safety guidelines: π«
Dear Valhalla famlies,
Thank you for following all of our safety procedures at Valhalla. There are two options to . drop-off and pick up your students. You can park in the neighborhood and walk together up to the blacktop or stay in your vehicle and utlize the traffic circle where Mr. Ken and Miss Pappas will be there to help. Here are some reminders to review:
Please do not turn left from Kiki Dr. into Valhalla's parking lot. Only school busses are allowed to turn left into the parking lot, due to safety issues such as children crossing the street. You're also cutting in front of families who have been patiently waiting in the car line to pick up their students.
Please do not turn left out of our parking lot. Again, we have children and families using our crosswalk and it can be very dangerous. Our top priority is the safety of our students and families. Please turn right ONLY out of our parking lot.
Please do not park in our staff parking lot (it is for staff only). Please park on the street when you drop off or pick up your child. Every single staff space is assigned to a staff member and used during the school year.
Please do not walk through the parking lot. We have staff cars and busses moving through the parking lot and it is a big safety concern to be walking through our parking lot. Please instead use our walkways.
Please do not park on the Valhalla side of Kiki. That is our pick-up and drop-off line. There are also multiple "No Parking" signs put up by the city. No parking between 7a-5p. Please do not quickly stop to drop off/pick up your student, instead, please drop them off/pick up in the drop-off/pick-up circle.
You can walk your student to their spot on the blacktop in the morning. You are welcome to stay through the pledge of allegiance on the blacktop in the back. Once the pledge is over, we ask that you quickly leave campus so we can get our students focused and ready for the day.
You can come and pick up your child from their classroom after school, however, please do not come onto campus until 2:40pm (M/T/Th/F) and 12:55pm (Wednesday) as to not distract from learning.
We thank you for your cooperation - our students' safety is our top priority!
From MDUSD:
* Covid 19 info
*Breakfast & lunch info & menus
*The MDUSD Friday Letter (guess which school made the top?)!
The Friday Letter from Dr. Clark:
August 12, 2022
Click to view the Friday letter HERE
(OMG we made the top of the Friday letter this week! ππ)
COVID-19 Information:
COVID RESPONSE INFORMATION can be found on our District Website HERE
MDUSD covid student guidelines click here.
Breakfast & lunch info: 2022-2023 MEALS AT NO CHARGE!
At Valhalla, breakfast will be served at morning recess. Lunch is served at lunch!
In order to secure our funding and support our LCFF, the Alternate Income Form needs to be filled out in the Aeries Student Information System, Homelink, under "Notifications and Messages".
Click here for MDUSD's Food and Nutrition Services Department.
Click here to learn more about California Universal Meals: This includes background, policy, provisions, webinars, resources, FAQs, and contacts regarding Californiaβs Universal Meals Program.
Follow us on Twitter
Email: PappasT@mdusd.org
Website: https://ves-mdusd-ca.schoolloop.com/
Location: 530 Kiki Drive, Pleasant Hill, CA, USA
Phone: (925)687-1700
Twitter: @VikingPridePH