Phoenix Family News
April 1, 2021
Important Dates Ahead...
- April 2: No School
- April 7: Bus Evacuation Drills in the morning
- April 9: VLA Pickup 9:30-11:30 am
- April 16: Battle of the Books
- April 16: VCES Virtual Bingo Night, 6:00 pm
- April 23: No School, K-5 Prep Day
- April 26: No School, K-5 Professional Development Day
- April 27-30: Reading MCA for 3rd-5th grade
- May 3-7: Math MCA for 3rd-5th grade
- May 10-14: Science MCA for 5th grade
VLA MCA Dates:
- April 30: Reading MCA 9:30-12:00
- May 7: Math MCA 9:30-12:00
- May 14: Science MCA 9:30-12:00
Calendar and Schedule Updates
The latest calendar updates are available at sowashco.org/calendar.
A Note from the Principal
Free Breakfast and Lunch for All Students
VCES Virtual Bingo Night
Save the Date for Friday, April 16th! The VCES student council is excited to present virtual family bingo night at 6:00 pm! Interested families will receive bingo boards for each VCES student in their family. Bingo boards will be provided in their homebases. If the student is in VLA, they have the option to pick up bingo boards during VLA supply pickup on April 9th or print bingo cards at home. More information on that to follow. If you are interested, please complete the survey that is linked below by Thursday, April 8th.
Thanks so much! Ms. Lieder & Mrs. Polifka, Student Council Teacher Leaders
Last Month of VLA Book Checkout!
Big thanks to all of our VLA families who have been utilizing our contactless book checkout option! There are 3 remaining opportunities for our VLA families to request library books.
- Students may request up to 3 books the week leading up to the Friday pickup date.
- Books need to be requested by Thursday for pickup on Friday.
- Books will be labeled with the student’s name on a cart outside the front entrance to the building.
- Between the hours of 10:00am and 3:00pm, families can walk up, grab the books, and enjoy at home!
- Books can then be returned at the next Friday pick-up, or dropped off on the black cart in the front entryway at any time.
- Dates of Friday VLA Book Checkout Pickups are below
- April 9, 16, 23
- All books should be returned during the month of May.
- Instructions for how to place books on hold are below!
Destiny Discover Online Catalog
How To Request Books (Written Instructions)
How to Request Books (Video Instructions)
Please contact Ms. Lanners, Media Specialist, (slanners@sowashco.org) if you have further questions.
Battle of the Books Coming Up April 16!
If your child in grades 2-5 is participating in Battle of the Books this year, please help them prepare for the event in the following ways!
- Mark your calendars! The virtual competition will be held April 16 for all students via Zoom.
- 4/5 students will compete from 9:45am-10:45am.
- 2/3 students will compete from 2:15pm-3:15pm.
- In person students will bring their charged device to the school and will participate in the virtual battle from school. VLA students will log in from home. All students must log into the Zoom meeting from their school-issued device.
- Be sure your child has headphones that work, as they will need them for the virtual event.
- Encourage your child to finish reading or re-read any of the books they have taken responsibility for to help their team.
- Have your child log onto their team FlipGrid page to communicate with their team members.
- Review any communications you’ve received from Ms. Lanners or your child’s Battle of the Books coach and share any necessary information with your child.
Please contact Ms. Lanners, Media Specialist, (slanners@sowashco.org) if you have further questions.
A Note from Dr. Gervais, School Social Worker
- 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 have donated snacks for our students. Your generosity is greatly appreciated! Our goal is to ensure no student goes hungry. We welcome healthy, individually wrapped, and nut-free snacks until the end of the school year.
Vacations and Other Extended Absences
Illnesses and Absences
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.
Quarantines
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.
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.
VCES Information Links
- Family Technology Support Line: Fall 2020 website / 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