A letter from Valley Catholic Elementary School Principal Dr. Yvonne Ayesiga
Dear VCES Families,
We have had a busy and productive month of October in the Elementary School. Students continue to engage in various activities that challenge, empower and stimulate their learning and development.
Here are some of the VCES highlights from the month of October:
All School Blue Mass
On Oct. 4, our students joined the rest of the students on campus for the annual Blue Mass. At the end of Mass, our students presented the first responders with handmade thank you cards and posters.Â
Rosary Prayer Service
Our third grade students, under the guidance of their teachers, led us in a wonderful rosary service on Oct. 9. It is heartwarming to see our students stand up in front of their colleagues to lead. We are thankful for the families that are able to join us for our prayer services and Masses.
Jog-a-thon
On Oct. 10, we held our annual jog-a-thon. We were blessed with good weather and great student participation. A special thanks to the Valor jog-a-thon parent organizing committee and all the volunteers who helped make this a special day for the students. Here is a link to some of the jog-a-thon photos.
The goal for this year’s jog-a-thon fundraiser was to raise $50,000 for the renovation of our play court. I am happy to report that our students and families raised $51,000 (without adding the matching dollars yet). A celebratory jog-a-thon assembly will be held on Wednesday, Nov. 13 at 9:30 a.m. in the Eagles’ gym.Â
Total raised: $51,230Â
Participation: 79%Â
Total kids who participated: 268
Halloween Pumpkin Decorating Contest
It was wonderful seeing the students bring in their beautifully crafted and designed pumpkins for the pumpkin contest. We had more than 145 pumpkin decorations this year! WOW!!! The categories were: spooky, funny, make an animal or create a character from a movie or TV show. Â
We had three winners from each category and four honorable mentions. The winning students each received a free dress pass for this school year and a small sweet treat from Mrs. Nickless. Thank you to our student council for helping with the competition.Â
Here are the winners in the various categories:
Spooky: Siya 1T, Kaden 4H and Rex 2S
Movie/TV character: Vardaan 2S, Andrea 2 and Francisco 5B
Funny: Audrey 3S, Allison S 5H and Hritika KG
Animal: Lexi 5H, Violet 5H and Eva 4L
Honorable Mentions: Hamza 2S, Willow 1T, Joey 3C and Isabelle 1TÂ
Parent Information Night
The focus of our first parent information night on Oct. 22 was Enhancing Students’ Mental Health and Wellness. We discussed the role of our School Counselor and the VCES Counseling Program, Life Skills, Boosting Brain Resilience and Supporting Good Mental Health and Brain Development.
Here is the slide/summary of the presentation: Parent Information Night Presentation
Science themed School Assembly
We had a school assembly on Wednesday, Oct. 23 featuring Rhys Thomas. Our students had the opportunity to enjoy humor and science through Jugglemania and specifically some science themed juggling activities showcasing science/STEM concepts of gravity, inertia and object rotational mechanics. I hope your child shared this exciting school assembly with you. Here are some photos from the assembly:
Open House
We hosted our annual VCES Admissions Open House on Sunday, Oct. 30 from noon to 2 p.m. Prospective families had the opportunity to tour our school and visit classrooms. Families also heard about what sets our school apart and learned that Valley Catholic Elementary School provides an opportunity for interactive, engaging, supportive, and faith-filled education for students. Here is a link to the Open House photos. Please continue to promote Valley Catholic School to your friends and neighbors.
We are looking forward to a wonderful November and looking ahead to the parent-teacher conferences at the end of the month.
Thank you for your continued partnership in the education of our students.
Valiantly,
Dr. Yvonne Ayesiga
