Venetia Valley TK-8 School

Thank you, Venetia Valley families and community! We had great participation during back-to-school night. We hope you all had a chance to connect and reconnect with our school community.  We will send monthly newsletters to highlight upcoming events, happenings, and updates. Always make sure to read through all the information carefully. PRINCIPAL'S UPDATE Mr. Armando Oseguera Hello VV Families,   It has been a great start to the school year! We have seen some expected hiccups, some unexpected challenges, but most importantly, we have seen happy children walk through our gates everyday!! I want to provide you with some reminders to keep our students, staff, and community members safe while present on campus:   Parking on Campus We understand that parking is very tight on our school campus. There are several areas on campus that are “NO Parking Zones(RED)” at all times. These are areas that are heavily utilized by students & staff, and need to remain clear to keep VV community members out of harm's way. The YELLOW area is a no-parking zone in the morning in order to have a clear drop-off lane for parents who need to get to work on time. Student Drop Off Hours We open our MPR at 8am for students who need to be dropped off early. Our main gates open at 8:30am. If you will be dropping your student off between 8am-8:30am, please ensure that your child goes into the MPR where they can be supervised by school staff. We do not offer any student supervision before 8am. Drop-Off Lane Safety Please ensure that you are alert with your eyes on the road as you pull out of our drop-off lane. There have been several close calls this year due to drivers being distracted, and accidents can easily be avoided if we practice safe driving habits in our drop-off lane.  Jury Duty Parking Lot We continue to urge parents to utilize the Marin County Jury Lot to drop off and pick up your students. This option allows you to avoid the traffic jam within our drop-off/pick-up lane. See the flyer below: Single Point of Entry during School Hours In order to keep our school campus safe and monitored at all times. During instructional Hours (9am-3:45pm), all individuals who enter and exit our campus must utilize the main office door. We do this to keep track of individuals on campus and to reduce the number of open doors, which may lead to undesired guests around our students. Thank you and I look forward to seeing you at our first Coffee with the Principal on Friday, September 12th at 9am in our Family Center. In Partnership, -Mr. O

ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL'S UPDATE Ms. Leah Brosio DLI Community Building Family Night We're so excited to invite all of our Dual Language Immersion (DLI) families to a special Community Building Family Night! This is a great opportunity to meet other DLI families, share experiences, and build connections within our school community. Please join us on September 25 from 5:45 PM to 7:00 PM. We can't wait to see you there! A Friendly Lunchtime Reminder Just a friendly reminder about our no-food-sharing policy at school. This rule helps us ensure that every student eats the food and gets the nutrition they need to fuel their day. It also helps us avoid conflicts over trading food and, most importantly, protects students with allergies or food intolerances from coming into contact with a forbidden food. Thank you for helping us keep all of our students safe and healthy!

DEAN OF STUDENTS' DETAILS

Ms. Alison Zampino

Back to School Reminders Hello families,  It’s been a great first week of school. Your students are all working hard to learn and follow the school rules. When schools and parents work together, students receive consistent messages about expectations, responsibility, and accountability. When families back up school expectations at home, it helps students understand that their actions have consequences.  For those of you with bus riders, please take some time to review these behavior expectations with them. Students who disregard these guidelines and/or engage in unsafe behaviors will lose their bus riding privileges. Bus behavior: Use Good Manners: Greet your bus driver with a "hello" or "good morning" and thank them when you get off the bus.  Find Your Seat Quickly: When you get on the bus, find a seat and sit down right away.  Stay Seated: Once the bus starts moving, remain seated.  Use Inside Voices: Talk to your friends using a quiet voice. Yelling or shouting can distract the bus driver and be annoying to other students. Listen to the Driver: The bus driver is in charge of your safety. Listen carefully and follow their instructions Keep Your Hands to Yourself: Do not touch or bother other students. Pushing, hitting, or roughhousing is not allowed on the bus. Clean Up After Yourself: Take all your trash, papers, and personal belongings with you when you leave. The bus should look just as clean as when you got on it.

COUNSELOR'S CORNER

Ms. Barbra Katz

Hello Venetia Valley Families, 

It has been wonderful to have all our students back on campus, their inquisitive minds, smiles, and laughter bring such joy!  As we start a new school year, I want to take a moment to share a few thoughts on how we can work together to help our students thrive. A strong partnership between home and school is essential for student success, and you play a vital role in this team.

One of the most powerful ways you can support your child is by ensuring they have a solid foundation at home. This includes setting consistent bedtimes to make sure they get enough rest and a good night's sleep, which is crucial for learning and focus. Equally important is a focus on good nutrition, so they start each day with the fuel they need.

When you ask about their day, try to go beyond "yes" or "no" questions. Instead of "Did you have a good day?", try asking questions like, "What was the most interesting thing you learned today?" or "Tell me about a time you laughed with a friend." These types of open-ended questions can lead to more meaningful conversations and a better understanding of their school experience.

Finally, remember that we're all on the same team. Your child's teachers are a fantastic first resource as they spend the day with your student. Please reach out to them with any concerns or questions you have. If something is happening outside of school that might affect your child's social-emotional well-being in the classroom, please don't hesitate to reach out to me via email or ParentSquare. Open communication is key to addressing challenges early and ensuring a smooth and successful year for everyone. Let's work together to make this a wonderful and productive year for your child!

In partnership, 

Ms. Katz

bkatz@srcs.org

Have Good Conversations with Your Kids

A PEAK INSIDE THE ART CLASSROOM, 
with a splash of the garden

Ms. Catherine Sky

INSTRUCTIONAL COACHES' CORNER

Ms. Brianna Padilla & Ms. Alexandra Campos

Hi, we are the Venetia Valley Instructional Coaches!

Both of us have taught at Venetia Valley for many years before becoming Instructional coaches, and we are both English-Spanish bilingual! 

IMPORTANT UPDATES

Medications Info and Forms:

Medication at school - 

If a student requires medication during school hours either daily or as needed, we must have an Authorization for Medication form on file. This includes inhalers, allergy medication, EPIPENS, and over the counter meds like tylenol, ibuprofen, and topical creams. The forms must be completely filled out and signed by both the provider and the parents. These forms are good for only one year from the signed date and must be updated annually.

Student health information - 

The health team needs to be aware of all student health issues so that we can support the student and their family to manage any acute or ongoing health concerns. Please provide us with a copy of all medical letters, medical records, doctor visit notes & hospital notes if/when you receive them.

Hearing and vision screenings- 

We screen all TK, K, 2nd, 5th, and 8th-grade students. These screenings are mandated by the state every year. Hearing and vision screenings are done in the Fall for 2nd, 5th, and 8th grades and in the Spring for TK & K.

Immunizations - 

Immunizations, aside from being important to keep all our students safe and healthy, are required for continued attendance at school. Several students within the district enroll on a conditional basis while they complete all required immunizations. The health team is in constant communication with parents of students with incomplete vaccines to make sure they stay on schedule. If we find that a student is not compliant with immunizations & we are unable to communicate with parents/caregivers, we will need to exclude the student from school until immunizations are completed.

COMMUNITY CLOSET:
Our community closet is back again this year! ​We will have our first one ​of the year on September 25th at 3 pm in the Family Center

• For those who are new to our community, the Community Closet occurs every other month. It is a time when families and students who may need household items or clothes come to "shop" for free. 
• We also have families who donate new or gently used clothes and items. 
  • Please, DO NOT donate used socks or undergarments. We try to go through each donation, but please be mindful of what you donate. Ask yourself, "Would I choose this?" before donating! We greatly appreciate it.

ENRICHMENT ACTIVITIES FOR MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS:
Our collaboration with Allens Sports Club (ASC) is back again this fall! Their first day is September 22nd. ​

• ASC is an after-school sports program for Middle School students only. You can sign your child up through the links below. Programming is scheduled for Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays. They do sports like: swimming, flag football, lacrosse, and much more.
• ENGLISH APPLICATION
• SPANISH APPLICATION

• September 1st -- NO SCHOOL, Labor Day
• September 11th -- PICTURE DAY K-8
• September 12th -- COFFEE WITH THE PRINCIPAL in the Family Center at 9 am
• September 16th -- ELAC PARENT MEETING on Zoom at 6 pm
• September 25th -- COMMUNITY CLOSET in the Family Center at 3 pm
• September 25th -- DLI FAMILY ENGAGEMENT NIGHT in the MPR at 5:45 pm
• October 10th -- COFFEE WITH THE PRINCIPAL #2 in the Family Center at 9 am
• October 13th -- NO SCHOOL, ALL DAY CONFERENCE DAY
• October 13th-17th -- CONFERENCE WEEK

VENETIA VALLEY SCHOOL
September Newsletter

Get Ready Venetia Valley Falcons,

Picture Day is Thursday September 11th!

All students will be taking their school pictures with their class throughout the day. Middle school students will be taking it during their PE class.

You can place your order on lifetouch linkmylifetouch.com using your Picture Day ID: EVTBMQNDS. Order before midnight on Picture Day to get FREE shipping!

Your child can also bring their completed flyer with EXACT cash on Picture Day.

Orders after Picture Day must be placed online only on lifetouch llinkmylifetouch.com.
 

Message from Coach Ana:

Dear Venetia Valley School Parents,