Valley Southwoods Newsletter
West Des Moines Community Schools | Dec. 7, 2020
School Closure Waiver Continued Up To Winter Break.
The West Des Moines School District has applied for another two-week extension for online learning to continue through Dec 22, 2020, and it was approved so students at Valley Southwoods will continue to be in the online environment until after the Winter Break.
ATTENDANCE REMINDER:
Parents need to continue to notify the main office whenever your student(s) will be missing any portion of a class. If your student has an appointment, will be logging in late to class or logging out early, please call 633-4500 to report the absence so it will be excused.
We have had many students notifying their teachers that they will be missing class. We LOVE that the students are taking the initiative to contact their teachers but in order to excuse the absence, we must hear from a parent or guardian.
If you are having internet connection issues, a parent or guardian must contact the office to excuse this. Again, we appreciate students communicating with teachers, however, we need to know that the student has communicated with parent or guardian so the problem can be addressed.
Upcoming Events
- Winter Break Dec. 23rd-Jan. 1st
- Professional Development Day Jan. 4th (no school for students)
- Return to school Jan. 5th
- Last day of First Semester Jan. 15th
Media Center Material
**While the Valley Southwoods building will remain CLOSED, library services
will be available through contacting Mrs. Greiner (greinerl@wdmcs.org).**
Masks are required at all times.
Please use proper social distancing in the front entry and office areas.
Chromebook issues: please make sure to contact Tech Support first to see if they can help solve the problem! http://discover.wdmcs.org/Chromebook-tech-request
Only then, if you need to exchange a Chromebook, you may contact the Valley Southwoods office to come into the building.
To access eBooks and Audiobooks online:
Visit MackinVIA and log in with your WDM Google account
For help with MackinVIA and checking out eBooks from Valley Southwoods or the WDM Public Library contact Mrs. Greiner (greinerl@wdmcs.org)
There is a great free way to get online eBooks & Audiobooks called Bridges Overdrive. If you would like a public library card to access this great opportunity please contact Mrs. Greiner.
Book Holds:
Students should place a HOLD on Destiny Discover
Log in with your WDM Google account and go to the Catalog tab to search for a book.
Students will get an email from Destiny/ Mrs. Green- Witmer when books are ready
Please allow a few hours for books to be pulled and ready
Student Tips for placing Holds:
Double check that the item says IN (available) and not OUT (checked out already)
Double check that the item you’re holding is a BOOK (ebooks will say checkout instead of hold; then you open and read those on your chromebook from your checkout list)
Book Pick Up and Returns:
Books are available for pick up and return on ANY SCHOOL DAY 7:45- 3:30
Return any books you’re done with in the book return in the Media Center
Valley Southwoods will be flexible with return times on books and not assessing any extra fines for these days of online learning (through mid- January)
You may also call me at 515-633- 4527 with any questions.
~Laura Greiner~
Valley Southwoods Teacher Librarian
Valley Southwoods Freshman High School
See past newsletters on our website.
Principal: Mitch Kuhnert
Associate Principal: Haley Hockensmith
Website: https://www.wdmcs.org/schools/valley-southwoods/
Location: 625 S. 35th St., West Des Moines, IA
Phone: 515-633-4500
Facebook: www.facebook.com/wdmsouthwoods