Lisa Leatham, Principal
If it takes a village to raise a child, then it takes an incredible hard working and supportive school staff work
ing together to educate one. We would be lost without the amazing and incredible classified staff we are lucky to work with here at Veneta Elementary School. From our instructional assistants to our custodians to our kitchen helpers to our secretaries- the classified staff at VES rocks. We are lucky to have each and every one of them. Please join our school this week in saying thank you to our classified staff for all that they do each and every day to support our students. Thank you to Ronda, Lorie, Cherri, Kristi, Shannon, Donna, Bonnie, Jessica, Sam, Kim, Missy, Cara, Misti, Delise, Jaime, Cortnie, Kelly, Janet, Laura, Mona, Pete Jr., and Pete Sr. Thank you for making our school a wonderful place to grow and learn.
Families with students who will be five years old before September 1st are invited to Veneta Elementary School’s Kindergarten Information Night on March 31st from 6:30 PM to 7:30 PM. We will share information about kindergarten curriculum and expectations. We will provide ideas and strategies that you can use this spring and summer to prepare your student for the transition to kindergarten. There will be activities that you can take home with you that night and use with your child. Families will also get a chance to visit classrooms and see what Veneta Elementary is like first hand.
We will also share information about our new preschool type program KITS (Kids Into Transition to School) that will start this summer to provide academic/social/emotional skills instruction to help young children prepare for this important transition into school. Continue reading
Raffle Ticket Sales Start March 7th! Help us make this year’s Auction and Raffle the most successful one yet!!!
What: Sell Raffle Tickets for our 13th Annual Auction Raffle. The grant prize for the raffle is a 48 inch Samsung Smart TV valued at $500. We also have lots of other great prizes.
Who: Everyone!
Why: To raise money for our school! Funds raised help to pay for field trips, outdoor school, assemblies, special events, music, field day, and much more!
Plus students can earn prizes! The class that sells the most tickets will get an ice cream party. Students can also earn individual prizes including laser tag or cosmic bowling with the principal. See the below for information about the great prizes.
Science tells us that our children’s first five years are when they develop the foundation for all future learning. Every time we connect with them, we light up the neurons in their brains that open up the pathways to learning. The brain is wired to grow, especially during those first five years where it makes 700 neural connections every single second. We know that interactions between adults and children impact that brain development; even kids that can’t yet talk are looking, listening, and relating to adults every second.
Vroom is a new program available online or in an app that has activities that you can do with children 0 to 5 years old that are designed to fire up the neurons in their brain and start making connections. They are simple activities that families and caretakers can do at home, waiting in line, sitting at the doctor’s office, riding in a car, etc. Vroom activity ideas can be found on their website or if you sign up for the app they will be sent to your phone daily. Vroom is brought to you by the Oregon Department of Education Early Learning Division. There is no charge for Vroom or the Vroom app.
You can find more information at joinvroom.org
Or click here for some sample vroom activity cards
Or click here for a poster showing the brain science behind Vroom
Attention All Readers! Veneta Elementary’s annual Reading Celebration and Contest begins Monday, Febru
ary 29th. Students at all grade levels can participate by reading or being read to each night. Students in grades K-2 should read at least 15 minutes a night and students in 3rd-5th should read at least 25 minutes a night. They can read or share their favorite books or have someone read to them. Students who meet their goals (165 minutes total for K-2 and 275 minutes for 3rd thru 5th will win two tickets to a Eugene Emerald’s baseball game. But we don’t stop there. The student in each classroom who reads the most minutes will receive a gift certificate to the Spring Book Fair. Plus this year we have a basket of books worth over $50 for the student who reads the most minutes in grades K-2 and the student who reads the most books in grades 3-5.
Reading is one of the most important skills young children need to build. Reading opens doors to amazing worlds both real and imagined for children to visit, wonder at, and learn from.
We will be sending home on Monday a tally sheet for students to keep track of the minutes they read. Tally sheets should be returned March 11th.
Fern Ridge School District now has a Family Resource Center! Located at Veneta Elementary School, the Family Resource Center will provide services to all families in the district with a focus on families with children birth to five years old. As it gets going, the center will feature information for families on community resources, parent education workshops, and activities for small children. The goal for the center is to help build literacy skills in small children and help families make the transition to kindergarten. The Family Resource Center is made possible by a grant from Lane Kids.
Our Family Resource Coordinator is Angi Trent. Angi has been on the job for a short time but she already has big plans for the Family Resource Center. She already has planned a play date on March 9th at 1:00. It will feature sensory play with shaving cream and a visit from a local police officer.
For more information on the Fern Ridge Family Resource Center contact Angi at 541-935-8225 ext. 418.
We are excited to announce that Bob Curtis, Science Guru Extr
aordinaire, will be coming to Veneta Elementary School on March 1st from 6:00 to 7:00 PM for an evening of science fun in our new cafeteria/commons. Bob will do some demonstrations and lead hands on experiments for families to take part in. At 7:00 PM there will be a tour of the new classroom spaces. Please plan on joining us and spark your child’s scientific curiosity.
Just a reminder that our Second Annual Valentine Sweetheart Family Dance will be Friday from 6:30 to 8:30. Cost per a per
son is $2. Each child must be accompanied by an adult who must stay with the child. This is not an event where you can drop off students and pick them up later. Cost for adults is also $2. Children 4 and under are free. Tickets will be available at the door but can also be bought in advance before or after school on Friday.
The dance features a kid friendly DJ complete with a state of the art sound/light system. There will also be selfie booths to take pictures and refreshments.
A reminder to all that as a school event, the school dress code is still in effect. This means that students should not wear anything to the dance that they would not wear to school. Please no make up or high heels or inappropriate clothing. If you are not sure, refer to the dress code in our Family Handbook which you can link to from our website.
If you have any questions, please call us at 541-935-8225. We look forward to seeing everyone Friday night for a fun evening of music and movement.
Thank you again to PALS for their hard work in making this event possible. This is just one of the many events that our school auction helps to support. Please plan on joining us for the 13th Annual Veneta Elementary School Auction on April 9th.
Our Second Quarter Award Assemblies will be Friday, February 12th. Kindergarten thru 2nd grade will be at 12:00 and 3rd thru 5th grade will be at 12:45. Awards will be given for citizenship, attendance, track, and classroom achievement. To find out if your child is getting an award, please check with their teacher. We do ask though that, if your child is getting an award, that you please keep it a secret. We like to see the surprise on their faces and the excitement in their eyes when their names are called. Families are definitely welcome to attend our award assemblies.
There will be a special Cougar Recess from 1:45 to 2:10 that afternoon.
Date: February 12
Time: 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM
Where: VES Gym
Cost: $2 each, Children 4 and under free.
Tickets will be presold before and after school Wednesday the 10th thru Friday the 12th. Tickets will also be sold at the door.
Veneta Elementary PALS is proud to announce our first Valentine Sweetheart Family Dance. The event will feature a DJ with a sound/light system, kid friendly music, song dedications, refreshments, fun group dances like the Electric Slide, prizes, and more.
All students must be accompanied by an adult. Adults must stay at the dance. This is not a dance where you can drop off your child and then pick them up.
This year there will be two selfie photo booths in the new cafeteria for fun photo taking.
Aside from parent/child dances, there will be no slow songs and no couple dances. Just an evening of lights, fun, music, and movement!
This event is sponsored, organized, and made possible by our PALS group. If you would like to help with this event or the other great things PALS does for our school please come to their next meeting Tuesday, February 9th at 6:30 in the VES library.