Venetia Valley TK-8 School

Principal’s Message

Hello Falcon Families and Friends,

Attendance Update & Initiatives

We continue to make progress on improving our Average Daily Attendance for all grade levels, with an overall goal to get to 98%. At the elementary level, we are currently sitting at 96.40%, with VV being at 95.96% at this same point during the 24/25 school year. In middle school, we are currently sitting at 96.43%, with VV being at 95.67% at this same point during the 24/25 school year. We are celebrating positive attendance by awarding the highest Elementary and Middle School class with a Weekly trophy and an extra 10 minutes of recess!! Let's continue trending in the right direction!

Food Drive & Falcon Fund

I want to thank everyone who has contributed time, effort, and care to our two drives; The Food Drive and the VV Falcon Fund. Your willingness to step in and support school causes is a testament to the collective good within all of our community members, and I am grateful to be able to serve you and your students every day.

Drop-Off Lane

As we continue to make improvements to our morning drop-off lane in order to expedite the amount of time parents are sitting in traffic, I want to remind everyone that the area marked as “No parking” in white cones is reserved exclusively for drop-off while parents remain in the car. One car parked in this area can create a headache for all other cars trying to get to work or other obligations on time, so please respect the no-parking area from 8:30 am-4 pm.

After School Snack Carts

Starting Monday, December 1st, we will be restricting students from leaving campus to go and buy snacks at one of the various snack or ice-cream carts parked off of school grounds. We are doing this to promote healthier eating habits, reduce trach that makes it back onto campus, and eliminate the number of students who miss their bus due to buying snacks.

Starting Monday, December 1st, we will have staff positioned to restrict access to the carts. If a student does go off-campus to buy a snack, they will not be allowed to return to campus. This may limit their ability to return to campus to ride the school bus home, and their ability to return to LEAP(LEAP will also stop allowing students to go buy snacks as they provide students with healthy snack options). Parents will be notified in these cases so that they can make transportation arrangements for their child to get home safely. Please talk to your students about this in case transportation is an issue after school.

Youth Truth Survey

Venetia Valley Families will receive a Survey through ParentSquare after December 1st. This survey will help Venetia Valley K-8, and San Rafael City Schools, identify areas of strengths and areas of growth. We thank everyone who takes the time to complete the survey as your feedback will go a long way to shape the direction of Venetia Valley in years to come.

Winter Break

A brief reminder that school will be closed December 22nd-January 5th for Winter Break. If your family will be missing time from school outside of this window, please contact our school attendance line today to notify us.

December Words of the Week

Our students have really gotten excited about our Word of the Week! I appreciate everyone helping their child to find unique words every week as it helps them earn Falcon Cards! The words for December are:

Monday, December 1st

• “Struct”

  • Build

  • construct, structure

Monday, December 8th

• “Form”

  • Shape

  • transform, uniform

Monday, December 15th

• “Graph”

  • Write

  • autograph, paragraph

I hope everyone has a lovely Thanksgiving Break.

Mr. O

Queridas familias,

In this season of gratitude, I want to thank you for your trust, your stories, and the love you bring to our school. You remind us of the strength of family, cultura, and dreams.

May your holidays be filled with warmth, laughter, silly moments, and tender memories with your children. Con cariño y gratitud 💙💛

👟 Developing Independent Skills at Every Age

Hello families!

As the school year progresses, I've noticed something interesting in the classroom that I wanted to share with you all: a surprising number of students, even those in the upper elementary grades, regularly come to me requesting help with a very basic task—tying their shoes.

While I'm always happy to assist, it serves as a great reminder of how crucial it is to prioritize the development of independent life skills at home. Mastering skills like tying shoes, zipping a coat, or preparing a simple snack are more than just tasks; they are foundational steps toward a child’s healthy emotional and cognitive development.

Why Independence Matters

Learning to perform tasks independently is vital for a child's development for several reasons:

• Boosts Confidence and Self-Efficacy: When a child successfully masters a new skill, they gain a tangible sense of accomplishment. This builds self-confidence and teaches them that they are capable of overcoming challenges.

• Fosters Problem-Solving: Independent tasks require a child to think through steps, troubleshoot errors, and persist. This strengthens their executive functioning skills.

• Prepares Them for the Future: Basic self-care skills are essential for navigating social situations, managing school life, and eventually, thriving as an adult.

Master the Knot: A Quick Shoe-Tying Tutorial

If your child is still struggling, dedicating just a few minutes a day to practice can make a huge difference. Here is a simple "bunny ears" method:

1. The Starting Knot (The "X"): Cross the laces, tuck one under the other, and pull tight.

2. Make the Ears: Make a loop with each lace (these are the "bunny ears").

3. Cross and Tuck: Cross the two loops (ears) over each other, creating an "X."

4. Finish the Bow: Push the top loop down and under the bottom loop, and pull both loops tight.

As we move into the holiday season, I wanted to take a moment to express my deep and sincere gratitude for the incredibly warm welcome I've received since joining the Venetia Valley community.

Starting at a new school can often be challenging, but I have been so touched by the kindness and support I've experienced every day. Your students are so great to work with- they are funny, kind, smart, and of course, super silly.

Behavioral Reminders

Please talk to your students about these behavioral reminders. As always, when schools and families work together, students receive consistent messages about expectations, responsibility and accountability. When you back up our school expectations at home, it helps students understand that their actions have consequences. 

Using Kind and Inclusive Language

One foundation of kind language is gratitude. Intentionally expressing our thanks helps us shift our focus to the positive things in our lives. 

Ideas for Practicing Kind Words and Gratitude at Home

Please join us in making kind language and appreciation a daily habit. Here are a few simple ways to incorporate this focus into your family routine:

• The "Kind Word Catch": Challenge everyone in your family to "catch" someone using a kind or encouraging word during the day. Share what was said and how it made you feel.

• Gratitude Journal/Jar: Have your student spend five minutes before bed or during dinner writing down or verbally sharing three things you are grateful for that day. Make sure to thank the person who helped make that good thing happen.

• The Magic Words: Make a conscious effort to use "Please," "Thank you," and "I'm sorry" consistently. These simple phrases are the foundation of respect.

Self-regulation

Please continue to practice these techniques with your students:

1. Take a breath.

2. Step back or step out.

3. Use your words.

4. Talk to a trusted adult (on the yard, this is any adult with a yellow vest).

Thank you!

Important Dates