Dear Virginia Lake Families,

We enjoyed welcoming our students back to school after winter break! Students returned back to the classroom eager to learn.

Last week, students enjoyed playing in the snow during recess. Virginia Lake is in need of gently used snow boots and snow pants. Our need is greater than we anticipated. We are collaborating with local agencies to obtain all of the boots and snow pants requested by our families. If your family has items that your child has grown out of, please consider donating them to our school. We specifically need small and medium boy's snow pants and medium and large girl's snow pants. Donations can be brought to our school office.

Students in Grades K -3 will be participating in our annually vision and hearing screening on Wednesday, January 19th. Families will be notified if their child does not pass the screener. If you do not want your child participating in this screener, please contact me directly.

During the next 3 weeks, some of our students in the English Language Learner (ELL) program will be taking the ACCESS test. ACCESS is an English language proficiency test that measures students' academic English language skills. We have prepared an informational video (in Spanish and in English) with additional information about the ACCESS test. We also sent ACCESS test results from last year home with your child. We are excited for our ELL students to demonstrate all their English language skills during this ACCESS test. If you have any questions about the ACCESS test and the academic implications, please feel free to contact your child's teacher.

ACCESS Information- English

ACESS Information- Spanish

A friendly reminder, there is no school on Monday, January 17th and Tuesday, January 18th.

Let's make it a great week!

With Kindest Regards,

Patti Van Winkle, Principal

SHIELD Consent

Families who participated in Shield Testing prior to December 31, 2021 need to reenroll their child into Shield Testing. The previous consent form expired. If you would like your child to continue to test or are interested in signing your child up for testing for the first time please complete the consent form.

Shield updated the SHIELD consent form. Please use THIS FORM for any new consent. The form needs to be turned in to the school office, so we can scan it to Shield or emailed directly to Shield, shield@ccsd15.net.

We are seeking your input to follow up on our initial survey from the beginning of the year, to gain valuable insights into how things have been going at Virginia Lake this school year. The initial information that families shared was analyzed and several adjustments have been made at our school. We are asking you to complete this brief follow-up survey. Results from this survey will be analyzed by our Family Collaboration Team. We will work together to improve the climate and culture of our school community to create an optimal learning environment for all of our students.

Family Collaboration Committee Survey

Monday, January 17th- No School- Martin Luther King Jr. Day

Tuesday, January 18th- No School- Institute Day

Wednesday, January 19th- ACCESS Testing Window Opens

Monday, January 24th-4:00-6:00 p.m.- Family Collaboration Committee Meeting