September Newsletter 2021
Valley View Elementary School
From Principal Kuhlman
Hopes & Dreams
Talk with your student to see what they are interested in working on. Parents and families can also set a hope and dream for their children. Valley View will be teaching and encouraging students to have a growth mindset as they learn. A growth mindset is one where people believe that their abilities can be developed through dedication and hard work. Growth mindsets are important to have when working towards a goal. Check-in with your students throughout the school year and see how they are progressing towards their hopes and dreams, along with any other goals they have. If they have reached them, help them set new, more challenging goals to work towards!
ENCORE
Columbia Heights Public Schools Trimester 1 ENCORE program runs October 4th-December 16th. ENCORE is an enrichment program that runs from 2:30-4:00pm on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays for students in grades 1-5.
Through ENCORE students have the opportunity to improve their academic achievement by being engaged in learning beyond the school day. ENCORE classes foster learning in literacy, math, arts, wellbeing, technology and environmental studies. The goal of ENCORE is to help students be on track to meet grade level standards. Click on the link below to register your student(s) for Trimester 1! Registration due by September 8th.
Educational Benefits Application
Columbia Heights Public Schools provides a healthy breakfast and lunch to students each day. For the 2021-22 school year the United States Department of Agriculture is allowing schools to provide all meals to all students at no cost to families. No application is required to receive this free meal benefit.
However, families should still complete this application to receive other benefits:
- Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer (P-EBT) (a federal temporary emergency nutrition benefit that is loaded onto electronic cards for families to purchase food)
- Reduced rates for middle and high school activities
- Compensatory funds for the District to reduce class sizes, provide counseling and social work services, and hire media specialists and educational assistants
- Reduced tuition and/or scholarships for early childhood programming
- Reduced AP testing and college application fees
- Title 1 funds for the District for academic support
Physical Education (PE)
It is such a pleasure to welcome all the wonderful families to Valley View this year! I am so excited to continue our PE program back in the gym. My name is Mrs. Ostrander AKA Mrs. O. I look forward to getting to know your child/children and having them in PE this school year. Each classroom K – 5th will have 40 minutes of PE every 3 days.
The goal of Elementary Physical Education at Valley View Elementary is to teach students to develop healthy living habits that will last a lifetime. I accomplish this by having students participate in a wide variety of activities, sports, and challenges that will increase their physical, social, and mental abilities, as well as teamwork and cooperation skills. I hope to provide a safe, fun, and motivating class that will encourage all students to want to participate, have fun and try their best.
Beginning Monday, September 13th through September 23rd, we will be starting our bicycle unit in our Physical Education class (weather permitting). It will take place on our Valley View Playground. We received 50 bicycles and helmets through the SHIP Grant and Free Bikes 4 Kids Organization a few years ago. Recently, we also received 22 Strider bikes donated from MedExpress. We have bicycles of all sizes, some with training wheels, and handful of scooters that the students can experience.
Our curriculum will cover:
- Pre-ride bike inspection
- Proper wearing of helmets
- Stopping and starting safely
We are encouraging students to bring their own helmets to use at school. Students can leave their helmet at school in their locker for the 2 weeks, or bring it to school every day they have PE. Please label your child’s helmet if they choose to bring one. If your child does not bring a helmet from home they will wear a school helmet that we will provide. Students will need to wear a personal hat (baseball hat, skull cap, winter hat, etc.) or a provided hair net under the school helmet.
Students will be allowed to bring their own bicycles and scooters from home for the Bike Unit. If your child chooses to bring their bike or scooter to school, an adult will inspect the bike or scooter for safety of the rider on school property. We recommend students bring a bike lock to attach to their bike or scooter at school. The bike racks are in the front of Valley View for personal bikes and scooters.
Students will not be able to participate in the Bike Unit if they wear sandals or flip flops due to safety. Please help remind your child they need tennis shoes.
Valley View is not responsible for any damage or loss of bikes or helmets while on school property.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me.
Thank you,
Heidi Ostrander
Valley View PE Teacher
763-528-4224
Technology and Internet Use Agreement
Spirit Days
PTO
Welcome! Whether it's your first year with Valley View or your last, I am thrilled to welcome you and your family to the 21-22 Valley View Elementary school year!
As a parent with a child at Valley View Elementary, you are automatically a member of the PTO. The PTO works collaboratively to support the school through many events and volunteer opportunities. We are all parents trying to give our kids the best educational and social experience possible. This could not happen without the donation of time and resources from all of you. We would love for you to show your support by participating in the events and activities planned throughout the year. Your participation might be that of a board or committee member, meeting participant, event volunteer, or an attendee. Whatever level of participation you select, your time and involvement will certainly be appreciated.
Here’s how you can get involved in the PTO this year and what to expect as we kick off this new school year.
1. Mark your calendar! Check out the Important Dates section of the newsletter for upcoming events. We partner with Valley View for many of our school events!
*Orientations are September 2nd, 3rd, and 7th! New uniforms can be ordered from Rapit Press online at https://chpsuniforms.rapit.com/login and they can be shipped directly to school. A limited supply of uniforms with the old logo will be available at the discounted price of $13 while supplies last. Used uniforms will also be available from the PTO while supplies last. The school will be accepting both logos on the uniforms. You can bring uniforms your children have outgrown to orientation to donate to the PTO for resale to other parents.
2. Get involved! There are many ways, large and small, to get involved with Valley View PTO depending on your skills, availability, and desire.
- Sign up for the PTO newsletter by emailing valleyviewmnpto@gmail.com
- Follow us on Facebook at https://m.facebook.com/Valleyviewmnpto/ and like, share and comments on our posts.
- Follow us on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/valleyviewmnpto and like, share and comment on our posts.
- Join our monthly PTO meetings on Zoom (or in person, when we return to that) and catch up by reading meeting notes if you miss a meeting. Meetings are usually the second Thursday of the month at 6pm and are currently being held via Zoom. A Spanish-speaking interpreter is available. All meeting dates (and other important dates) can be found on the district calendar here.
- Run for a board or committee position. Elections for open positions will be held during our meeting on October 14th at 6pm.
- Participate in fundraisers like dinners, book fairs, and product sales. Invite family and friends to do the same.
- Donate used uniforms to the PTO for resale to other parents
- Volunteer for events like Family Picnic, Carnival, Fun Run, and Book Fair. Invite friends and family to attend.
As teachers open their classroom doors for our children on the first day of school next week, I encourage you to also take a brave step - introduce yourself to fellow parents, embrace the school community, and participate whenever and however you can this year. After all … together is our favorite place to be!
Thank you so much for your time and support. We look forward to spending a wonderful year with you and your student(s)!
Sincerely,
Samara Bilyeu-Anderson
2021-2022 PTO President
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