September Cougar Trails
Greg Ko, Principal, gko@cv.k12.ca.us
Vannoy Elementary
Email: cheuer@cv.k12.ca.us
Website: https://www.cv.k12.ca.us/vannoy
Location: 5100 Vannoy Avenue, Castro Valley, CA, United States
Phone: 510 537-1832
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Vannoy-Elementary-School-139292102776055/?notif_t=page_user_activity
President - Gary Howard
Vice President/Clerk - Jo A. S. Loss
Trustees - Monica Lee, Dot Theodore, Lavender Lee Whitaker
Superintendent: Parvin Ahmadi
Principal: Greg Ko
Vannoy Parent Club President: Gloria Strasburger, vannoypresident@gmail.com
Welcome Back!
We are off on a Safari Adventure this year at Vannoy. You will see this theme through many of our Cougar Call Assemblies and various other activities. A warm welcome to all of the new families to Vannoy, and it was good to see familiar faces at Back to School Night.
A big thank you to the parent volunteers led by Suzanna and Serena for their help running our Walk-through registration. It was a real example of how we are partners to accomplish all of the things that need to be done at Vannoy.
I had a restful but eventful summer. I finished building our own chicken coop, managed a day trip to Yosemite, and a couple other fun getaways. It's good to be back and ready for the new year.
I’d like to welcome our new Parent Club President Gloria Strasburger. She has an outstanding team of parents on the Executive Board that are dedicated to helping coordinate the many activities, fundraisers, and support in the classrooms. The whole team has been doing an outstanding job already helping to support the school at the beginning. I encourage all of the parents to find an opportunity to get involved whether it is for driving, book orders, reading to students, or volunteering at the many fun events throughout the year. We appreciate the PC Executive Board’s dedication and commitment to meet and serve the greater school as volunteer positions. Gratitude!
Regards,
Greg Ko, Principal
Walk-Through Registration - Thanks to our volunteers!
The team did a great job!
Thanks to Mr. Phillips and Zoe for painting the cabinets!
District Water Testing Q and A / Vannoy has 2 faucets (one for student use)
Questions and Answers on District Water Testing
What is the timeline on replacement impacted faucets?
Parts have been ordered and we expect to have them and to be able to replace them within the next few weeks. Until then we have bottled water available. In accordance with Environmental Protection Agency EPA guidelines, it is a good practice to flush water faucets and fountains by running the water for thirty seconds before use. As an extra precaution, we are sharing this information with our staff and ask that they utilize this practice.
What is the timeline for conducting a full assessment of the entire district?
For the school sites identified in the draft report, we will complete a full water quality assessment as soon as possible. This process may take several months to complete.
What about classrooms that still have water access in the identified fixture ? Is that water okay for students to use?
The full assessment will provide us the necessary information. Until then, we recommend everyone to follow the EPA guideline of running the water thirty seconds before use. Bottled water is available.
What is the normal recommended range?
The normal range is less than fifteen (15) parts per billion (PPB).
How is changing the fixtures going reduce the lead in the water?
Although every attempt is made to reduce contaminants, replacing fixtures and faucets will not eliminate all lead in the water. By installing new faucets and fixtures we will be reducing lead to acceptable ranges.
How do I learn about the East Bay’s water quality?
Refer to East Bay Municipal Water District’s report.
Which sites were identified as having a few faucets and fixtures that need to be addressed?
Random tests were conducted in August 2017. Fountains and faucets were not used all summer, which could have impacted the results, increasing the possibility of higher levels of lead showing up in random tests. All sites were randomly tested and after 300+ samples, the draft report indicated the following locations require corrective action:
Canyon Middle School- none
Castro Valley Adult School- none
Castro Valley Maintenance Yard- none
Castro Valley Pre-school- none
Castro Valley Elementary- 1 fixture
Castro Valley High School- 1 fixture
Chabot Elementary- 4 fixtures
Creekside MIddle School- 4 fixtures
District Office- none
Independent Elementary- none
Jensen Ranch Elementary- 2 fixtures
Marshall Elementary- none
Palomares Elementary- 4 fixtures
Proctor Elementary- none
Stanton Elementary-4 fixtures
Vannoy Elementary- 2 fixtures
Redwood High School- 3 fixtures
Picture Day Thanks!
If you do not like your child's photo or if your child was absent on Picture Day, we will be having a Make Up Picture Day on Wednesday, October 4th. If you have any questions, please contact the office.
Do you want to be a Volunteer?
Independent Study Contracts
A completed Short Term Independent Study Contract must be submitted to the main office to the attendance clerk, signed by a parent/guardian 10 school days prior to the absence (depending upon school site requirements). The contract must include the dates of absences, return to school date, and reason for the request. The absence duration should be as brief as possible, as absences of more than a few days will negatively impact student learning. All requests must be approved by site administration.
Parents should pick up all assigned work on the last day of attendance prior to the trip. Once the student returns to school, all completed work must be turned into the Office before the student returns to class. If the student does not complete all assigned work, future requests may be denied.
Please Be on Time!
Please remember:
School begins promptly at 8:05 a.m. for Kindergarten students and
at 8:10 a.m. for Grade 1-5 students.
Children arriving past this time must go to the office to get a tardy slip - no exceptions. Please make every effort to get your child to school on time. Students who arrive late miss important instructions for the beginning of the day.
Please remember to pick up your child on time.
Please make every effort to pick up your child after school on time - especially on Fridays when we release the students an hour early. We understand that sometimes emergencies arise but there is no structured supervision for your child after school hours. Please call the office at 510-537-1832 x 0 if you will be late picking up your child.
Meet Posey our new Mascot!
Please Sign in at the Office . . .
Parent/Teacher Conferences
- Plan for your conference by talking with your child, write down questions and think about your child's strengths and learning style.
- Have both parents attend, if possible.
- Ask questions and clarify anything that is not clear to you.
- Share information that might help the teacher develop a better understanding of your child.
- Decide with the teacher what needs to be done to support your child's education.
- Be sure to talk with your child about what was discussed at the conference.
Remember, communication throughout the school year is important! Don't wait for conference time orlet conference time be the only time you connect with your child's teacher.
Castro Valley Community Alliance
The Community Alliance is a collaborative group of Castro Valley community and educational leaders, students, and families advocating for compassion, understanding and acceptance. We will leverage all available resources in our community to help ensure Castro Valley community members, including students attending schools in Castro Valley, are valued, welcomed, respected, supported and are provided the best opportunities to succeed academically, socially and emotionally.
Castro Valley Unified School District (CVUSD) serves a diverse community with a rich history and dynamic members from across the globe. Students and families bring with them a variety of cultures, religions, experiences and languages. This diversity strengthens our community. CVUSD works diligently to ensure all students enjoy a safe, inclusive learning environment that encourages healthy academic, social and emotional development. CVUSD’s motto is “ALL means ALL.” ALL means ALL is the philosophy at the core of the Community Alliance and drives the work of the group.
● We partner with members of the broad, diverse Castro Valley community to engage in the shared effort of supporting every student’s success in school and in the community. The Community Alliance and CVUSD will engage in a comprehensive approach to build partnership in our community. CVUSD will host meetings of the Community Alliance to develop and plan activities to support our diverse community. The Community Alliance has planned the following steps to begin its work.
The Community Alliance will:
● Attend middle and elementary school walk-through registrations to connect with parents and inform them of the Community Alliance.
● Attend CVHS’s Back to School Night to connect with parents and inform them of the Community Alliance.
● Visit every school in district the first two months of school to let students know we are here to support them.
● Have a presence at community events, parent meetings and in the media to share our message of ALL means ALL.
● Celebrate diversity with multi-cultural community events.
● Plan community conversations in partnership with the County’s Human Relations Commission.
● Provide a series of parent and community workshops.
● Support the District Student Leadership Alliance. The District Student Leadership Alliance will produce a video and presentation to advocate for compassion, understanding and acceptance.
How can you be a part of this effort?
The Community Alliance is seeking partners to support the work outlined above. Opportunities for participation include:
● Become a Community Alliance member.
● Attend Community Alliance events.
● Attend Community Alliance trainings and workshops.
● Post and share information about the work of the Community Alliance.
● Follow the CVUSD Facebook page & Twitter feed.
● Help us develop a Community Alliance media presence.
For more information, contact Superintendent Parvin Ahmadi at superintendent@cv.k12.ca.us
Parent University
Our children and adolescents are developing right before our eyes, continually changing and feeling their share of growing pains! As parents, we often wonder what’s the best way to handle a situation or if our child’s behavior is normal. A great place to explore these questions with other parents and some really helpful educators is Parent University!
Castro Valley Adult & Career Education invites parents, grandparents, educators, and caregivers to its 6th annual event, scheduled for Saturday, October 21st. Participants will attend an inspiring morning of workshops on a wide selection of topics, such as “Parenting Adventures in the Digital Realm: From Surviving to Thriving,” Growing Readers for the 21st Century,” and “Managing Teen Stress”. Visit https://vimeo.com/189861375 to see a brief video of last year’s event.
See a complete course listing in the Castro Valley Adult & Career Education Fall brochure and also on the website at www.cvadult.org.