Phoenix Family News
April 30, 2021
Important Dates Ahead...
May 5 - Dress Like a Teacher day
May 31 - No School
June 2 - Last day of school
- June 2 - Device return day for VLA students. More details to follow.
MCA Dates:
- May 3-7: Math MCA for 3rd-5th grade
- May 10-14: Science MCA for 5th grade only
VLA MCA Dates:
- May 7: Math MCA 9:30-12:00
- May 14: Science MCA (5th grade only) 9:30-12:00
Calendar and Schedule Updates
The latest calendar updates are available at sowashco.org/calendar.
A Note from the Principal
Happy May!!! Next week is officially staff appreciation week. We have been celebrating all month long and will have some fun culminating activities next week to show our appreciation to the Valley Crossing Staff. Thanks to everyone who sent in a "Lucky Duck" note for staff - they've loved getting all of your kind words! It has really been a great month! In addition - we have a special dress up day on Wednesday... it's DRESS LIKE YOUR TEACHER DAY!!! We are surprising our staff with this fun dress up day! It can be any of your of our staff, because they are all teachers in some way - homeroom, specialist, special ed, paras, etc. Let’s get creative and show our teachers how much we appreciate them!
VCES Spring Book Fair
It’s time to get excited about our in-person Buy One Get One (BOGO) free Book Fair to be held May 10-17!
Due to current Covid restrictions, all shopping will be done by students during the school day by classroom appointment.
VLA students will have the opportunity to order books from the fair via a Google form. More information on this will be sent to you from your classroom teacher.
eWallet
We are encouraging families to set up an eWallet to make shopping even easier. Visit our website to set it up! Watch this video for more information.
This cashless system works a lot like our current lunch account system. Money is placed in the student’s eWallet and they can shop the fair. You can share the eWallet with friends and family to add funds to the account as well!
Any unused funds will remain in their eWallet for next year’s book fairs OR the money can be spent on the Scholastic website.
eWallet accounts can be set up NOW through the last day of the book fair.
We will accept cash or checks (made out to VCES PTA).
Book Fair Website and Flyer
Visit our book fair website https://www.scholastic.com/bf/valleycrossingelementarysch to get more information about the fair and to set up an eWallet account.
Dial learning mode students will receive a paper copy of the book fair flyer. A digital version is available here
All items at the book fair are buy one get one free! The average price of a book is $8. Reading four books over the summer helps kids retain their reading level. The BOGO book fair is a great opportunity to stock up on books for summer reading! Questions? Contact Susan Vance susankdalton@hotmail.com or 952-334-2572
Staff Appreciation
Student Council Hygiene Drive
Dear Valley Crossing Community-
THANK YOU so much for the generosity you have shown towards the Student Council's Service Learning Hygiene Collection project! The Student Council looks forward to packing your donations into personal kits for donation to Valley Outreach, who will then distribute the kits to people in our local communities!
Many thanks,
The VCES Student Council
Order Battle Books for 2021-22!
Return Library Books by May 14!
Hmong American Day in Minnesota
Greetings! Nyob zoo!
This year, the Hmong Parents Advisory Council (HPAC 833) for South Washington County School District would like to invite you to celebrate Hmong American Day with us. Hmong American Day in Minnesota is celebrated on May 14th and commemorates the service of Hmong allies during the Vietnam War and celebrates the many contributions of Hmong Minnesotans.
We are excited to announce a virtual community presentation entitled, Hmong American Day is Everyday: Honoring our Past, Celebrating our futures, and Recognizing our communities. Our keynote speaker is Dr. Chia Youyee Vang. This virtual event will be on Friday, May 14th at 6 pm. You can register for the event at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/hmong-american-day-is-everyday-tickets-150841508011?aff=ebdssbeac
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us at hpac833@gmail.com or Mee Xiong Yang at myang022@sowashco.org or via phone at (651) 352- 5635
Thank you, and we look forward to celebrating with you!
2021-22 Planning
Are you Moving?
A Note from Dr. Gervais, School Social Worker
VLA families and quarantined students are welcomed to book individual meetings with me. Please view my schedule and availability online at https://calendly.com/drgervais
Resources for Families - District 833 has a website that will link you to a variety of resources from food, mental health, and unemployment and so much more. Bookmark this page for future use: https://www.sowashco.org/about/learning_models/family_resources
Snacks - Thank you to those families that donated snacks for our students over the course of the year. It has been a tough year for families and the need was greater than normal. Your generosity has been greatly appreciated!
Illnesses, Absences and Quarantines
Please be sure to call in to our attendance line to report absences or illness: 651-425-7506
Any sick student who is sent to school, or is determined to be sick during the school day, will immediately be sent home.
- The 14-day quarantine period will remain in place. If staff or students had close contact with an infected person, the Minnesota Department of Health may direct us to keep them out of school for a minimum of 14 days.
- If your student is in quarantine due to a school-related exposure and you received a district quarantine letter, you do not need to call attendance every day.
If a family member has symptoms, please keep your child home from school. You can call the office to report the absence and our school nurse will explain the next steps based on your situation.
If anyone in your household has a pending Covid test due to having symptoms, we ask that everyone stays home until the results come back.
Please do not enter the building if you or anyone in your household is ill or tested positive for Covid. We can provide contactless delivery of materials or walk students out to be picked up, if need be.
We ask that families be prepared for the possibility that their child’s class could move to distance learning at any time due to a potential COVID-19 exposure.
We acknowledge that families may be frustrated, but we ask that our staff be treated with respect. They cannot change a student’s quarantine period.
If you have questions, please call our Health Office at 651-425-7502.
Vacations and Other Extended Absences
VCES Information Links
- Family Technology Support Line: 651.425.HELP (4357) - M-F 7:30-4:00
- VNN Channel Page - Tune in each morning at 9:15 am as your Morning Meeting starts!
- Resources for Families: https://www.sowashco.org/about/fall_2020/family_resources
VCES Contact Information
Connha Classon, Principal: cclasson@sowashco.org / 651.425.7503
Kristine McDonald, Assistant Principal: kmcdonal@sowashco.org / 651.425.7523
Merita LaPlante, Office Coordinator: mlaplant@sowashco.org / 651.425.7501
Jen Gackstetter, Office Assistant: jgackste@sowashco.org / 651.425.7507
Jen Gervais, Social Worker: jgervais2@sowashco.org / 651.425.7542Valley Crossing Elementary
Email: cclasson@sowashco.org
Website: vces.sowashco.org
Location: 9900 Park Crossing, Woodbury, MN, USA
Phone: 651.425.7500