Principal Wheeler Update 10-13-23
Hello Viewlands Families!
Today, the staff engaged in district-directed professional development. We started this day with a wonderful breakfast provided by VEPTSA! Thank you to VEPTSA and all families that contributed to the breakfast today! It was a wonderful way to start this day of learning together. We are very grateful for this love and support! It was a day of gifts and learning. The staff were also treated to pizza at our lunch break today. Absher Construction provided pizza for lunch for our staff. This was a generous gift. Absher wanted to thank the staff for our flexibility and patience through this ongoing construction process. We are grateful for their kindness! It is rare when you have a day of learning that has breakfast and lunch provided. This almost never happens in the world of education! Out Viewlands staff are grateful! Thank you again to VEPTSA and Absher Construction!
We are anxiously waiting for the surfacing to arrive for our play structures. It hasn’t come yet, but they are hopeful it will arrive next week so the installation process can occur later next week. Please send all your positive thoughts for a delivery of the surfacing. While we wait for the play structure surfacing though, one piece of good news. The turf for the small field area has arrived. They began the installation for the turf field area today! They are hopeful to have this complete Sunday or Monday! I think students will be very excited, just have something slightly different than asphalt. It also means one step closer to having an actual playground. Hopefully the surfacing for the play structures arrives next week!
Your children are bright, inquisitive, and creative thinkers. We will continue to seek ways to make every student feel known, valued, and empowered through the year.
In Partnership,
Carrie Wheeler | Viewlands Principal
In Partnership,
Carrie Wheeler | Viewlands Principal
Home-School Red Folders
This week two things went home in the red home-school red folders. The picture day flyer came home. Please remember picture day is Tuesday! There is more information about picture day below. The Hunger Intervention Program (HIP) application also came home this week. If your family needs food to support your child/family, please complete this application. The HIP program provides small food bags for the weekend on Fridays. If your family needs support with weekend food, please complete and return.
School Pictures
Viewlands will have school pictures on Tuesday, October 17th. The school pictures will be available for purchase. Every student will take a photo even if the family is not purchasing photos. These photos will be used for the yearbook unless a family opts out on the FERPA form and doesn’t want their child pictured in the yearbook.
There will be a photo retake day for students that were absent on picture day or need a retake for other reasons.
Information About ordering Photos:
If you would like to purchase your student’s portraits, click below to pre-order their portraits today!
You can also purchase by visiting our website at: www.oconnorphotographystudio.com
If you have any questions or need assistance please give our studio a call at 1-800-993-4929
All School Zoo Fieldtrip: Tuesday, October 31st
The all-school Viewlands K-5 Field Trip to the Zoo is on October 31st. At Viewlands we celebrate fall on or around Halloween with an all-school field trip to the zoo. We do this instead of a traditional Halloween celebration. This all-school fieldtrip is a fun way to celebrate fall, our community, and inclusive to all. We do not do Halloween costumes or celebrations at school. We love this annual tradition and are grateful that we can continue to do this with the generous grants through the zoo, family donations, family volunteers, and VEPTSA support! This has been a tradition at Viewlands for many years. We missed it during COVID and were so excited to bring it back last school year.
We need many family volunteers for this all school fieldtrip. Each classroom will need 4-6 family volunteers for this fieldtrip. All volunteers must be pre-approved. Please note volunteers need to be able to help supervise small groups of students exploring the zoo, which means younger siblings can’t come with volunteers. The fieldtrip typically is 8:45/9AM to 1:00/1:15PM. There will be two options for volunteers, ride the bus with students to the zoo (likely not your child’s class necessarily) or to meet us at the zoo. Please reach out to your child’s classroom teacher if you are an approved volunteer and want to chaperone this fun fieldtrip.
Fieldtrip permission slips need to be returned as soon as possible. All students need a permission slip. Please return these as soon as possible.
In addition, any families that can contribute money towards this, we greatly appreciate it. This is not required. In addition, if you family is a member to the zoo, we would love to have a photocopy of your membership, which allows us to bring more chaperones.
If your child typically has school lunch, we will have bagged lunches, typically a sandwich, fruit, and milk, for students that need this. Teachers will be making those requests. If your child typically brings home lunch, they will still bring them home lunch and chaperones will help us bring them to the zoo. All students will be eating at the zoo. If your child does typically do a school lunch, but you are concerned your child won’t eat the bag lunch option, you might want to consider sending something. Let your teacher know if you have questions.
Viewlands Spirit Days
We are excited to share our Viewlands Spirit Day plan! These are optional, not required, but anyone who wants to participate, we encourage it! We hope to build enthusiasm for these spirit days through the year!
- Every Thursday – Viewlands Community Spirit Day – wear Viewlands spirit wear OR Viewlands colors (blue and/or green) OR anything with an Orca on it!
- Every Friday – Community and Me Celebration Day – wear something that is about you (the student) and/or a community the student is a part of, simple things like their favorite color or, a sports team you/your family cheer for, a place or community you or your family love to visit or feel a part of, a college you or your family feel connected to, an organization or cause you support, LGBTQIA+ Pride gear, or just something you love to wear.
- 4-5 Fun Fridays Add-Ons to the Community and Me Celebration Day – these will be spread across the year and easy to participate in but completely optional.
VEPTSA Update:
Message from VEPSTA Partners
AFTERSCHOOL ENRICHMENT PROGRAMS
It’s not too late to sign up for afterschool enrichment programs. More information found here: https://viewlandsptsa.org/enrichment/.
ZOO FIELD TRIP VOLUNTEERS
Are you an SPS approved volunteer? Please consider volunteering to chaperone the upcoming school field trip to the zoo on Tuesday, Oct 31st, 2023. Sign up here: Viewlands Zoo Field Trip Sign Up
GENERAL MEETING
Reminder: our first general meeting will be held on Tuesday Oct 24th, 6:30pm – 8pm in the Viewlands Cafeteria. Childcare is provided. Contact us for more details (veptsa@viewlandsptsa.org).
GRADEBAND PLAYDATES
- Kindergarten: Sunday Oct 22, 10am-12pm, Greenwood Park
- Gr. 1 and Gr. 3: Sunday Oct 15, 10am – 12pm, Greenwood Park
- Gr. 2: Sunday Oct 22, 12pm – 2pm, Greenwood Park
- Gr. 4 & Gr. 5: Sunday Oct 29, 12pm – 3pm, Greenwood Park
INTERESTED IN MORE VEPTSA INFORMATION OR BECOMING A MEMBER?
Check out our website: https://viewlandsptsa.org/
Important School Calendar Dates
- Tuesday, October 17th – School Picture Day
- Tuesday, October 31st – All School Field Trip to the Zoo – volunteers needed
- Friday, November 10th – No School, Veterans Day Observed
- Monday-Wednesday, November 20th-22nd – No School Elementary School, Family Conferences
- Thursday and Friday, November 23rd and 24th – No School, Native American Heritage Day and Thanksgiving