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Originally delivered on 9/13/2024 4:46 pm

SUBJECT: The Valley View Vibe Newsletter - Sept. 16th

Dates to Remember:

October 2nd: Picture Re-Take Day

VVMS in Focus
A letter from our PTO President:

Dear VVMS Community-


Now that the dust has settled after a few weeks of school, I’d like to welcome you to Valley View Middle School on behalf of your PTO.  We are a team of 18 staff and parents who are both passionate and enthusiastic about what is happening at Valley View Middle School!  


Like you, we are thrilled with the changes that have recently been implemented by the current VVMS administration The PTO is honored to work alongside of them to provide the funding, support, volunteers, and resources needed to create the Valley View VIBE!  


But we can’t do it with out YOU!  We are fortunate to have INCREDIBLE parent and family support.  We have heard from so many of you letting us know what a great experience your student is having and asking what you can do to keep the VIBE going for an incredible school year.  


And the good news is…IT’S EASY!  We are so grateful to our families who have had a chance to go in and support the PTO by paying their dues and if you haven’t, there’s still time!  We would prefer to skip all the hassle of selling things, squeezing our volunteers to pull together various fundraisers, etc. so we wanted to just do a one-and-done dues ask.  


Because we have been so passionate about the VIBE, we did increase our dues this year to $75/family so we can help fund NEW things that our teachers and staff and incredibly excited about!  Things such as:


  • Funding the bussing so each grade level can have a fieldtrip each semester

  • A bigger and better all-school party

  • Increased funds so we can appreciation not only our teachers but ALL staff (nurses, admins, custodians) that make Valley View the amazing place it is

  • An advisory budget so your students have fun things to look forward to like Bingo with prizes and Minute to Win It games!

  • And the list goes on!


And for those families that it makes sense for, please consider joining our community of PTO Boosters!  These families have generously donated $500 to help support EVEN MORE VIBES!  Can you join us?  


We are so grateful for this incredible community of families who are willing to get involved at the middle school level!  The PTO is here for YOU so please don’t hesitate to reach out at anytime at ptovvms@gmail.com 


Sincerely,

Erika LaDousa

VVMS Staff Sharing the Vibe

"I wanted to let you know how amazing Jesus was yesterday when helping a new special education para get set-up on her computer and Timeclock Plus."

Jesus’s patience, kindness, and knowledge was exactly what we are all about at VV!

Thank you, Jesus, for your support and kindness!

News from the Health Office

District health staff have been made aware that there are reported cases of lice.  Eliminating the spread of lice takes a concerted community effort.  Please read the following message carefully.

The Health Services Team would like to remind parents and caregivers to check children’s heads regularly for lice. Although lice are not dangerous and do not cause disease, they carry emotional, social, and financial burdens for those involved. EPS, in alignment with MDH and Hennepin County Public Health, do not exclude students from attending school and classroom notifications are not sent out. While lice are a nuisance, they do not cause illness or diseases.

We encourage parents to check their child’s hair regularly, consider using tea tree or mint hair products regularly, pull hair back whenever possible, discourage sharing of hats and other items that would go on the head, and treat any lice immediately while completing the entire course of treatment. Some people have found good results with some over the counter products such as the Lice Treatment Kit by Lice Clinics found on Amazon, or over-the-counter treatments found at drugstores such as Nix or Rid. You can also call your child’s health care provider for medicated treatments.

For more information about head lice, please reference these fact sheets from the Minnesota Department of Health: English/Somali/Spanish/Hmong/Karen or Head Lice - CDC. If you have additional questions, please contact your child’s healthcare provider and your school nurse. 

Health Office Donations

The Health Office is in need of gender neutral sweatpants, preferably black with minimal logos. 

You can drop them off at the front office.

Thank you!

Exciting Journalism Collaboration with EHS!

Our VVTV News production team is in the midst of planning some collaborative work with the EHS Zephyrus staff. Zephyrus is a student-run journalism elective at the high school. We look forward to exciting opportunities for HS leadership and shared learning experiences between MS and HS students!

Valley View Students for Sustainability

Valley View Students for Sustainability - Join a dynamic group of student climate activists looking to make positive and impactful changes toward greater sustainability at Valley View Middle School.  Work as a group to develop the necessary team skills to accomplish a project oriented goal. 

Student activists will have an opportunity to build leadership skills, explore career options, and have fun while living out the Valley View Vibe!  This is a free club, only available to 7th and 8th grade VVMS students.  

The club meets each Tuesday morning from 8:00 - 9:00 beginning Oct 1. 
No meetings on November 5, December 24, and 31, February 18, April 1, and May 27. 

If you are interested in participating, please contact: Alan.Hendrickson@edinaschools.org

Career Exploration Volunteers Wanted

We are looking for professionals who are passionate about their work and would love to share their career with students. We plan to host a variety of career activities throughout the year, so we're collecting contact info of professionals who would love to be a part of the fun! 

There are a variety of ways in which you can support career exploration in our schools. If you are open to being a part of career exploration, please add your name to the PTO Volunteers google spreadsheet. There are tabs for each school. Please click on the school you represent and jot your name there. 

If you have any questions, please reach out to Jessica McClennon at Jessica.Mclennon@edinaschools.org.

7th and 8th Grade Fall Play

All 7th and 8th graders are invited to sign up for the VVMS Fall Play, The Internet is Distract - Oh, Look, a Kitten! (based on the book by Ian McWethy). Interested Students should fill out the Student/Family Form

Auditions (in Valley View Theatre)*
Please Sign up for your Audition Time 

● Mon. Sept. 23, Tue. Sept. 24 & Wed. Sept. 25 4:15-6:30 pm 

● Thurs. Sept. 26 and Fri. Sept. 27 - 4:15-6:30 pm (Callbacks) 

*Students interested in crew or stage management only need to fill out the form; no audition necessary.

Join the VVMS Theatre Group on Schoology for all production information. Access code: QSJTB-SS5SZ 

Questions? Please contact Director, Ashley Drew, at ashley.drew@edinaschools.org

VVMS Thespians Audition Workshop

Thursday, September 19th. 

Open to ALL STUDENTS (6,7,8 grades) are welcome to attend the workshop. Actors and non-actors too!

(2) Audition Workshop sessions (both sessions will be similar content) please feel free to attend either before and/or afterschool.

  • Before School Session: 8:15 to 9:00 AM in the EHS Black Box
  • After School Session: 4:15 to 5:30 PM in the VVMS Auditorium. *Please bring a snack*
Volunteer Opportunities
Lunch and Hall Monitors

Come see what the fuss is all about, our kids are great and you make a difference!

We loved having our VVMS parents volunteer during passing times and at lunch last year! Please, please please, keep coming in and volunteering to supervise. 

We are offering work spaces for those who want to come during our passing time. This allows our parents to supervise halls during transition time but then hop back into an office to work. We're happy to accommodate! 

SIGN UP BELOW

For reference, here is the VV Daily Schedule.

Thank you!!

Button to lunch supervisor sign ups
Button to Hallway Monitor sign up
Button to reserve work space

Working with middle school requires the right temperament. We mostly just need you to be smiley, and cheerful. We avoid practices that involve screaming or yelling. We prefer softer approaches that are kind but firm. Individuals volunteering are able to suspend bias and judgment and can offer support for all students. If you think this is you? Please help us in adding a greater eco-system like approach to how we guide and shepherd our young Hornets.

Parking for Parent Visitors

Parents and caregivers, if you are visiting Valley View please check in at the front desk and a clipboard will be provided for you to enter your vehicle information. This will prevent any boots or ticketing.

Thank You!
Parent volunteer in front of large horizontal banner that reads,
PTO News
A huge thank you to our current PTO Boosters!

1. Brooke and Dominic Allocco - $500

2. Anonymous - $500

3. Anonymous - $500

4. The Drayna Family - $500

5. Anonymous - $500

6. The Sykora Family - $500

7. The Haus Family - $500

8. James & Stephanie Pierce - $500

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Do you love everything that's happening at Valley View but don't have time to volunteer? Your name could be on this list! A PTO Booster is the perfect way to support PTO and school initiatives and help us achieve our goals this year!

We would love to increase student activities and the support we offer our staff, teachers, and specialists, so we are looking for 20 families to donate $500 each to help us BOOST THE VALLEY VIEW VIBE!

BOOST THE VIBE HERE!

WE COULDN'T DO IT WITHOUT YOU, THANK YOU!

Get your Valley View Gear!

Don't miss the chance to get some awesome Valley View gear, our store is still open!

Purchase HERE

Community Shares
GameFace Training

Middle School Families,

GameFace Training has partnered with Edina High School to offer sports performance training to interested teams and programs, as well as proctor their wellness center during allotted hours during the day. GameFace is interested in learning more how we could support our Middle School students for before and after school hours.  

Please take this 1-minute survey to provide feedback to GameFace on what your Middle School son/daughter may be interested in for programming.

We are extremely excited to work with this age group and help to continue fueling Edina Athletics! 

Go Hornets!

Looking Ahead
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