A letter from Valley Catholic Early Learning School Principal Amber Ploussard
Dear VCELS Families,
Our students have been busy learning, exploring, and celebrating the beauty of fall in so many fun and meaningful ways. Recently, our classes enjoyed a visit to our on-campus pumpkin patch, where they carefully selected their pumpkins. Later, they decorated the pumpkins with our high school friends and participated in a Halloween parade across campus. We visited all the buildings around campus to show off our “not-so-spooky” costumes! A big thank you to all the Sisters, students, Maryville residents and staff all across campus who greeted our youngest Valiants — it was a day filled with smiles, laughter, and school spirit all around.
In the classroom, our preschoolers continue to grow through our engaging curriculum focused on hands-on learning, early literacy, social-emotional development, and creativity. Our Pre-K students are working hard to build the independence and foundational skills that will help them transition smoothly to Valley Catholic Kindergarten next year. It’s such a joy to see their confidence bloom as they take on new challenges each day.
Our toddlers have also been busy exploring the changing seasons. They enjoy daily walks around our beautiful campus, especially crunching through the colorful fallen leaves. This month, we will be talking about gratitude, kindness, and helping others as we prepare for Thanksgiving.
We recently hosted a very successful Open House on Sunday, Nov. 2 and we were thrilled to connect with so many families who are interested in beginning their child’s educational journey at Valley Catholic. It was wonderful to see such enthusiasm for our school community and to share more about the engaging, faith-based learning environment that begins right here in the Early Learning School and continues all the way through high school. Our teachers enjoyed showcasing how our program nurtures curiosity, confidence, and a lifelong love of learning — helping each child grow socially, emotionally, and academically.
November also brings our parent-teacher conferences. This is a wonderful opportunity to connect with families, share student progress, and ensure each child is meeting important developmental milestones.
We are excited to share that our school will once again participate in the KGW Toy Drive this Advent. This project fulfills an integral component of the Sisters’ mission – service to the poor – that each campus entity is called to embrace. Our community has always shown such kindness and generosity, and this year our goal is to collect 100 or more toys to help bring joy to children in need.
We are proud to serve as an official KGW drop-site, so please help us spread the word. If you are able, we invite you to bring a new, unwrapped toy to donate. Every contribution, big or small, makes a meaningful difference. The toy drive will run from Monday, November 17 through Thursday, December 11. Thank you in advance for supporting this wonderful cause and for helping brighten the holidays for families in our local community. We deeply appreciate your generosity and giving spirit during this special season.
We are so grateful for our amazing families and the joy your children bring to our school each day. As we head into the holiday season, we look forward to even more laughter, learning, and moments of gratitude together.
We pray that God continues to bless us all with His love, grace, and good health.
Amber Ploussard
