SPOKANE VALLEY LEARNING ACADEMY
SVLA Newsletter for November 2023
SVLA is Central Valley's Parent Partnership Learning Options program.
Thank You, PTO!
Fun at the Fall Harvest Event
We wanted to take a moment to thank our PTO volunteers for organizing the Fall Harvest Event. It was a fun activity for our kindergarten through 8th-grade students! From BINGO and Minute-To-Win-It games to delicious crafty treats, our students had fun, connected with their peers, and created great memories.
Thank you for making a positive impact on our school community. We are truly fortunate to have such a dedicated and creative PTO team. We look forward to more wonderful gatherings in the future!
Elementary Safety Lessons
Andi Puzankov, our school counselor, has created a series of Second Step videos to help students stay safe. In the video clips she discusses how to be safe. Because we are a parent partnership program, the videos are geared toward use as a family at home. The aim is to empower our students with the knowledge and skills they need to navigate the world around them safely and confidently. We invite you to click on your student's grade range to access these videos. Please contact Mrs. Puzankov with any questions or concerns. apuzankov@cvsd.org
Elementary Q1 Workshops News
Pumpkins, Bats, & Harvest, Oh My!
Fun with Yarn
Cross Country All Valley Race
SVLA had two runners in the All Valley Cross Country at Ridgeline High School. It was a very cold race and they both did a great job!
Mark Your Calendars
Nov. 6: Last Day of Elementary Q1 Workshops
Looking ahead to Elementary Q2 Workshop signups: with upcoming holidays and several 2nd Quarter "no school" Mondays, our workshops will be held on these dates: Nov. 27th, Dec. 4th, Dec. 11th, and Jan. 8th. Keep an eye out for upcoming details and a registration link for Q2 workshops!
Nov. 9: End of First Quarter Classes
Nov. 15: K-8 On-Site Classes Cancelled due to Elementary Conferences!
- At-home learning for Wednesday, Nov. 15th for grades K-8. Middle School students will have asynchronous assignments to complete instead of meeting in-person.
- Elementary families will arrange to meet with their consulting teachers.
Nov. 16: SVLA Learning Showcase & Middle School Early Release at 10:20AM
Middle School students and parents will have an opportunity to view projects in an "open house" format from 10:20-11:20am on Thursday, Nov. 16th.
All SVLA students are invited to bring in your work samples. You can set up your displays between Nov. 6th-9th. The Learning Showcase is where students select work that shows their best effort. Tabletops will be available for the displays. Any digital displays need to be battery operated. Please remember to charge your Chromebooks. Examples of student work displays include: book reviews, writing samples, artwork, science investigations, and/or social studies projects.
Nov. 9-16: Project Walk
Families are invited to come on campus during school hours to view our students' Learning Showcase displays.
Nov. 22: Early Release. On-site classes for grades K-8 wil run from 8:40-11:10AM
If you are not able to attend on-site classes this week, please remember to contact your consulting teacher.
Nov. 23-24: Thanksgiving Break
Learning Spotlight
Introducing the Van Tassel Family!
Cole is a 5th grader at SVLA. His parents, Ron and Jen Van Tassel, are helping Cole be a successful at-home learner. One key to Cole's success is being organized. Jen has found that having a system in place to get their work done makes a big difference. She adds dates to Cole's pacing guides then writes each assignment on a sticky tab.
Cole is responsible for checking his planner each day to see which assignments he needs to do. Each time Cole finishes an assignment he gets to move the sticky tab from his planner to his reward jar. Nice work! Do you use a system like this to help your family succeed?
Healthy Snack Wednesdays
On Wednesdays, students have the option of bringing a nutritious snack to enjoy during their morning recess. If your student brings a lunch from home, they can grab their snack from their lunch bag.
Students who order school lunches can keep their morning snack in their backpack. Teachers provide a helathy snack for students who don't have one, and parents are welcome to drop off snacks to share at the office. Please ensure that snacks are easy for your child to manage independently.
No Phone Zone
Make Time for Learning by Limiting Screen Time
Are you helping your students regulate their screen time?
Limiting cell phone use can have positive impacts on both learning and sleep! When students reduce their screen time, they are more likely to be engaged, focused learners.
Because we are a parent partnership, our learners have more opportunities for focused learning at home. Creating a "Screen-Free Time" or "No Phone Zone" at home promotes deeper understanding and retention of information. So stay firm and don't take it personally if you receive pushback! Our learners really do want someone to set boundaries.
SVLA PTO Corner
How to contact our principal, Mr. Chisholm:
If you need to contact Mr. Chisholm, be sure to reach out via email or phone.
At SVLA we REACH for success!
PACE Character Trait of the Month
SVLA is a CVSD Learning Options program
Spokane Valley Learning Academy
Email: pward@cvsd356.org
Website: https://svla.cvsd.org/
Location: 1512 North Barker Road, Spokane Valley, WA, USA
Phone: 509 558-5700