News from the Nest
April 16, 2021
The Week Ahead
Monday 4/19 (Day 2)
Tuesday 4/20 (Day 3)
-- 5th to 6th Grade transition - Virtual town hall meeting - 7:00 - 8:30 PM
Wednesday 4/21 (Day 4)
Thursday 4/22 (Day 1)
Friday 4/23 (Day 2)
-- VF Spirit Day - Wear VF Spirit or Blue/Gold
-- Spirit's Grub Club: Parent's Night Out at Blueprint Brewing, 4:00 - 10:00 PM
HSA Meeting Recap
--Fundraising update: Thank you to everyone who has participated in ongoing fundraising efforts this year. Our first Moe's Pop-up earned $580 for the HSA.
--A letter will be sent to parents on Tuesday, April 20th inviting parental input into the class placement process. In-person students will receive a hard copy to take home, and SAOA students will receive an email copy. Responses to this letter are optional and requests for specific teachers will not be honored.
--Kindergarten registration is currently open and parents are being asked to not delay in registering their child, as it can have an impact on staff resourcing for Vernfield.
--If your child participated in the Read-a-thon, and earned a photo with Spirit, or lunch with Dr. Graf, these prizes are scheduled for Thursday, April 15 and the week of April 19, respectively. If you have any questions, please reach out to your child's teacher.
--There are a number of committee positions available and we need more parents to help out, particularly as things get back to normal, and we are able to plan more activities.
Committee Chair Openings 2021-2022
Committees that need chairs:
--Book Fair
--Library Helpers
--Lip Sync
--Pod Parents
--Prime Time
--5th Grade Celebration
--Yearbook
Committees that need shadows (Next year you help the current chair and then take over the following year):
--Earth Day
--Save Around Books (formally Kidstuff)
Descriptions of each committee can be found HERE. If you have any questions or are interested in chairing one of these committees, please contact Meg Dick at meg213@gmail.com. We are looking forward to working with you!
Fifth to Sixth Grade Transition - Virtual Town Hall
Topic: 5th to 6th Grade Parent Course Selection
Meeting Time: Apr 20, 2021 07:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting
https://zoom.us/j/92298808657?pwd=Ykoyc01GQTFrcGhadzlvbTNtcGpZQT09
Meeting ID: 922 9880 8657
Passcode: 492905
Spirit's Grub Club: Parents' Night Out at Blueprint Brewing!
Come join us for a “Parents’ Night Out” at Blueprint Brewing Co., which is right here in Harleysville! If you’ve never been, its more than just a brewery. While they have multiple styles of beer including IPA's, stouts, porters, saisons, pilsners and sours, they also offer two ciders, four varieties of wine, and spirits from Boardroom Spirits.
They are family and dog friendly both inside and outside; with treats, water bowls and a couple of beds for dogs. There are fire pits outside, as well as in the beer garden with seating. You are welcome to bring camping chairs, a football to toss around or anything else to make your night fun. There will be a band playing as evening entertainment.
The brewery is large, at 6400 sq ft with high ceilings. Masks are required when not seated. You can walk up to the bar to order drinks and then sit wherever you would like. The food truck will be outside.
Both Blueprint Brewery Co. and Bad Mother Shuckers have generously agreed to donate 10% of their sales from the night to our Home and School Association! Just mention when you are ordering, that you are there for Vernfield Night.
Our host: Blueprint Brewing Company, 1571 Gehman Rd in Harleysville
Date: Friday, April 23
Time: 4:00 - 10:00 PM
Questions? Email: Diane Meyer at Szish.diane@yahoo.com
Urgent Yearbook Photo Update!
The yearbook committee is urgently requesting that any student from SAOA who did not get their school picture taken reach out to them at vernfieldyb@gmail.com. Unfortunately, there are many students who do not have a photo in the yearbook currently and we'd like to remedy that.
Please note that your child does not need to have a professional photo taken. You can simply take a headshot of your child (from just below the shoulders) in front of a solid background and email this image (.jpg or .png file) to vernfieldyb@gmail.com with their name and teacher. Please send all photos no later than Monday, April 19.
Monday is also the last day to purchase yearbooks via check and also to submit photos of your child from classroom apps (like Seesaw or Schoology), or photos of school activities being done at home.
Help us make this 2020/2021 yearbook a success and send in those photos!
The Arts in SASD featuring Vernfield Artists
If you haven’t seen the two District art shows, please check out this link. It is a condensed version of the two shows that just feature the artists from Vernfield Elementary. Their artwork was displayed in the Youth Art Month Exhibit and The Art and Soul google site. The students did a fantastic job and we at Vernfield are so very proud of their hard work. Enjoy the Show!
-Mrs. Daly
Vernfield Elementary School Art Teacher
Welcome Mrs. Besnard!
Dear Vernfield families,
Beginning on Monday, April 12th, Vernfield Elementary will have a new attendance administrative assistant, Mrs. Besnard. Mrs. Besnard has been at Vernfield Elementary for the past two years as a cafeteria and recess assistant. Please use AttendVF@soudertonsd.org for all attendance related emails.
Sincerely,
Vernfield Elementary Parent Information
PSSA Update from Dr. Graf - April 7, 2021
Dear Parents/Guardians,
In compliance with the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) requires all public school districts in the Commonwealth to administer the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA) in English language arts, mathematics, and science.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the dates of the testing window for the 2020-2021 school year were expanded by PDE to provide schools with more flexibility regarding when to administer the assessment. All testing, including for SAOA students, must occur in-person and schools are expected to make a good faith effort to test all eligible students within the parameters of local health and safety plans.
For additional information regarding Souderton Area School District and PSSA's please visit: https://www.soudertonsd.org/PSSA-2020-2021
Vernfield Elementary will be conducting PSSA testing on the following dates:
Jonathan R. Graf, Ed. D.
Principal
In Case You Missed It
STUDENT DEVICE TECHNICAL SUPPORT:
For any device issues, please contact studenthelpdesk@soudertonsd.org or fill out a ticket directly via the Student Help Desk Ticket form.
Before submitting a support request, please follow the three (3) steps below:
- Restart your device (power off and power back on).
- Check that your device is not in airplane mode.
- Check that the wireless connection is enabled.
Please see the Instructional Technology Learning Hub for more details and support topics.
Save the Date!
**Looking Ahead**
-- Apr. 27 -- SAOA K,1,2 and siblings Red Bag Exchange, 1:00 PM - 2:30 PM
-- Apr. 28 -- SAOA 3,4,5 Red Bag Exchange, 1:00 PM - 2:30 PM
-- Apr. 30 -- VF Spirit Day; Wear VF Spirit or Blue/Gold
-- May 31 -- Memorial Day; Schools & offices closed
-- Jun 11 -- Early dismissal - 1:45 PM; KAM - 10:45 AM; KPM - 1:45 PM
-- Jun 14 -- Last day of school; early dismissal - 10:45 AM (No Kindergarten classes)
District News
***Souderton April Showers***
Souderton Area High School is celebrating Unified Sports by hosting APRIL SHOWERS, a virtual event that raises funds for Special Olympics Pennsylvania. Donations can be made until Friday, April 30 via the following link: https://www.classy.org/team/349273
***Summer Sports Camps***
Souderton Area School District is proud to announce that registration is underway for the Souderton Area High School Summer Sports Camp Program, which is scheduled to begin the week of June 21st.
For more information, please see the Sports Camps Brochure (PDF).
To register online, visit: https://soudertoncommed.revtrak.net/Sports-Camps/
***SACE Summer Programs 2021***
Be sure to check out the details for camp and other SACE summer activities in the Summer Camp brochure. The full-day camp starts on June 21st and runs through August 20th. Don't miss all the fun and register now. Openings are limited and fill on a first come basis. Hope to see your campers this summer!
See the summer programs brochure and registration details!
***IVEF Gift Card Give Back***
The Indian Valley Education Foundation will be purchasing Gift Cards from local businesses as a thank you to our educators and as a commitment to the businesses who support our community each and every day. Our goal is to reach as many teachers and staff as we can between now and the end of the school year.
If you would like to make a donation in any amount, please click the link below:
This past year has been challenging. Again, and again, both personally and professionally our community has shown up for one another. It has not been easy, but we have kept moving forward with hope, with compassion, and with a commitment to the greater good. It is our intent that gift cards will be given to an SASD teacher or staff person to thank them for showing up for the children of this community in ways that no one could have expected. Our hope is that this small gesture will help our local businesses a little bit as well! Together, we thrive!
Easy Ways to Help Fundraise!
Please consider helping to raise funds for Home & School using the following:
- Amazon Smile: earn money for VF while shopping on Amazon! Go to smile.amazon.com/about for instructions.
- Box Tops Bonus App: Download the Box Tops Bonus App for your phone or tablet! Find offers, buy products, scan your receipt and earn even MORE box tops for Vernfield!
- Box Tops for Education: clip the 'Box Tops for Education' from participating boxes and labels! Please HOLD ON TO THESE at home until we begin collecting them at school. We will NOT be collecting physical Box Tops at this time.
- ShopRite for My School: earn Box Tops for VF while shopping at ShopRite! Register your PricePlus club card at: https://www.shopriteformyschool.com/en/Register-my-Card.
- Coca Cola Give: Sign up at https://us.coca-cola.com/give/schools/ then just scan your product or enter your product code and watch the funds grow
- Giant A+ Rewards: ***Unfortunately, the Giant Rewards program has been discontinued.***
Stay in Touch with Vernfield Home & School!
Vernfield Elementary School
Website: https://vernfield.soudertonsd.org/
Location: 960 Long Mill Road, Telford, PA, USA
Phone: (215)721-0606
Twitter: @SASD_Vernfield