Valle Verde Elementary School

We have truly earned an extra day at Valle Verde this week and I hope that you plan to attend the "Open School Garden and Maker Faire" on Saturday, March 18 from 9am-12pm right here at Valle Verde. This is a fun-filled day with garden tours, volunteer projects including planting, mulching , garden art and nature-based activities. You can't ask for more than that after the week we had. I understand the weather will be cloudy but no rain so let's get out together and support our Garden Education Program and our local vendors.

This week, I had the opportunity to speak with Goli Sadeghi about the Persian New Year, Nowruz. She created a bulletin board outside of the MUR so make sure to check it out. I'm sure that the Diversity Committee (DREAM) has already posted this information on the PTA website and I want to say thank you to them for inspiring us all to embrace each other through sharing about our cultural heritage.

Happy Nowruz- Happy Persian New Year!

The Persian New Year, Nowruz (new day) begins on the first day of spring! The year changes on the Vernal Equinox which is the exact moment when the sun crosses the equator, and day and night are of equal length. This may occur on March 19, 20, or 21. Nowruz has been celebrated around the world for at least 3000 years. A few weeks before the Persian New Year, Iranians do some spring cleaning of their homes, buy some new clothes and make pastries. All Iranians set up a Seven S Table (Haft Seen) in their homes. Friends and family members visit each other. The elders give New Year Gifts (eydi) to younger family members (often money). The New Year Festivities go on for 13 days. On the 13th day, the Iranians will end Nowruz holiday by going on a picnic called Sizdeh Bedar (which means getting rid of the 13th day).

This information was provided by Goli Sadeghi and there is more to learn when you go see the bulletin board. Thank you.

NOWRUZ

Nowruz is coming! On March 20th is the Spring Equinox, which is also the date that people around the world celebrate Nowruz, the Persian/Iranian New Year.

Meaning “New Day,” Nowruz traditions celebrate the rebirth of spring, love, beauty, health, prosperity, abundance, fertility, inspiration, and hope for a better and brighter tomorrow!

We’ve partnered with the arts and cultural non-profit NICArt to share “The Story of Nowruz” with our students and families. This musical stage production is to spring what “The Nutcracker” is to winter! Go to NICArt.org/movie to rent “The Story of Nowruz” to engage, educate, and entertain your kids while sharing the beauty of this holiday and ancient 3,000 year old tradition that celebrates life, family, togetherness, multi-generational understanding and connection. Use promo code “Spring” for 10% off! Preorder today to view between March 20 to March 27, 2023.

INDEPENDENT STUDY CONTRACTS

If you want an Independent Study Contract for the week after Spring Break, it MUST be submitted to Ms. Tracy in the office no later than March 20th! Independent Study Contracts are good for a minimum of 3 and a maximum of 14 days. You are also not allowed more than 14 days for the entire school year. If you would like to request an independent study contract for your child, email Tracy mirandat@mdusd.org at least TWO weeks before your departure date. She will prepare the contracts for the teachers. Contracts requested with less than two weeks notice, may be denied. The last date the district will allow independent study for the 22-23 school year is May 12th. All absences for travel after this date will be unexcused.

KIDS HEART CHALLENGE

Dear Families –

We are halfway through our Kids Heart Challenge, and I am so proud of our students for Moving More and Being Kind! So far, 121 students have registered and taken the challenge, and together our school has raised $9,407 in lifesaving donations and helped to save 188 lives, and 28 families have learned the steps to Hands-Only CPR! Thank you so much for helping our school stay heart-healthy and save lives at the same time!

To do Today:

If you have not yet, Register TODAY at http://www2.heart.org/goto/ValleVerdeCA or on the Kids Hearts Challenge App to complete FINN’S MISSION, learn the steps to Hands-Only CPR as a family and Spread the Word: Send 10 (pre-written) emails from your KHC headquarters

If you have already Registered, thank you! Click on Connect to Facebook Fundraiser in your online headquarters to reach even more family and friends!
Double your Gift! Check to see if your employer will match your donation today! Follow the steps and forward the confirmation to matchinggifts@heart.org to have it added to your fundraising page.

Special School Incentives:

Top 3 fundraising students get to Color Blast the entire office staff!!

AND the top class gets a popcorn party, the special XL Frankie Keychain and the torch!

ANY student who completes Finn’s Mission will earn an XL Finn The Shark Keychain!!

GIRL SCOUTS SPECIAL PERSON DANCE “THE ENCHANTED FOREST”

What: “Special Person” Dance

Who: All young ladies in K-5 with an adult chaperone of their choice

Where: Valle Verde’s MUR

When: April 28th, 6pm-8pm

Tickets: https://go.dojiggy.io/vve2023dance

DATE CHANGE!!

Our Fifth grade promotion has been changed to June 1 at 8:45am . Please mark your calendars.

CHROMEBOOK INSURANCE

We have had a number of Chromebooks come through the office that are damaged or destroyed. Most of these have NOT had insurance on them. A new Chromebook costs $250, making the insurance more than affordable. Please click here for more information and please call our office with any questions.

ATTENDANCE/COMING IN LATE

Just a reminder that absences must be cleared through the office within 72 hours of the absence. You may email the teachers as well, but absences are not cleared by teachers. We have also had many students showing up tardy lately and not checking in at the office. Once the teacher has submitted attendance, they can’t go back and change it, so if your student does not have a tardy slip from Ms. Tracy or Ms. Debi, they will stay marked absent. You may clear an absence by calling the attendance hotline at 925-682-8000 ext 7505, emailing valleverdeattendance@mdusd.org, or calling the office.

SLOAT GARDEN FUNDRAISER

Sloat Garden Center Growing Up Green Fundraiser

Hey Valle Verde Families! Our school is registered with the Growing Up Green program through Sloat Garden Center! If you shop there during one of their Growing Up Green weeks, simply mention Valle Verde to the cashier and we will receive 10% of purchases back in the form of a school gift card. This can help us with school beautification projects, garden updates and maintenance, and classroom activities. The next Growing Up Green Week is:

Mar. 17 - 26

**Thank you to Sloat Garden Center for their generous donation of $250 to the Valle Verde Garden Program**

SISTER SCHOOL FUNDRAISER

Wren Avenue Elementary has an ongoing Krispy Kreme fundraiser going until April 28th. The purchaser can order a dozen donuts for $15, instead of the regular $16.99 AND 50% goes back to the school. A win for everyone!

HEY VIKINGS! DON’T FORGET TO ORDER YOUR 2022-2023 YEARBOOK

•Order link: https://www.treering.com/purchase?PassCode=1016608390001729

•Price: $30 including tax

•We have switched yearbook companies this year to TreeRing; so the online ordering is a little different from previous years. You will be prompted to create a login, and add your student information

•You DO NOT need to order a yearbook for 5th graders, that’s covered by the 5th grade fund

•Not sure if you already purchased a yearbook? Search for TreeRing in your email inbox for an order confirmation

Any questions? Email valleverdeyearbook@gmail.com

INTRADISTRICT TRANSFERS FOR ELEMENTARY

Elementary Grades K-5 (including Dual Immersion Program transfer requests):

February 10, 2023 - April 1, 2023

Bay Point/Pittsburg residents that want a Dual Immersion Program please apply to Shore Acres BL

For a complete list of Dual Immersion schools and more information on the program requirements visit our English Learners webpage .

At some schools there is not enough space available for every student who applies. In order to assign these seats fairly, applications submitted during the transfer window are given "priority", and all applications received during this time period are randomly sorted in order of "priority" placement.

The following is the order of priority for students applying for an intradistrict transfer. The priorities are ranked 1 through 7, with priority 1 receiving the highest placement on the enrollment list.

	Enrollment Priorities Table
Priority	Description
1	Siblings
2	Parent/guardian employed at the site requested
3	Students attending a school where attendance has been established by agreement (such as Monte Gardens Elementary and Sequoia Elementary to Sequoia Middle) Sequoia Middle School is a District-wide school and all enrollments are base on an approved transfer.
4	Cohorts moving from one level to another (see below for the list of cohorts)
5	Academic Programs
6	Parent/guardian employed at a district site within the feeder pattern of the site requested
7	Choice

The following explanations and points are for consideration:

All of these are based on space availability and only resident status is guaranteed.
Siblings: Intradistrict Transfer Requests from siblings of students currently enrolled in a school of request. Siblings must share a year at the same school.
Employees (2): Employees (2) are currently defined in board policy as follows: Students whose parent/guardian is assigned to that school as his/her primary place of employment. Priority criteria will only apply for the duration of the parent/guardian's employment at that site. Employees to be eligible hereunder must have a regular assignment of 10 hours per week or more.
Cohort: A cohort is defined as a group of students moving from one level to another. For example, Riverview to Mt. Diablo High, Valley View to College Park, El Dorado to Concord High, and Foothill to Northgate. It also includes the various feeder patterns traveling from elementary school to middle schools

STEAM Garden Open House/VVE Maker Faire

Save the date for March 18th for the STEAM Garden Open House and our 2nd Annual VVE Maker Faire from 9:00-12:00.

Open House: Mrs. O’Steen will have more information coming soon, but there will be fun things for the kids to do, and volunteer opportunities to make the garden even better. Mrs. Foster will have a rock painting station for the kids as well.

Maker Faire: We are thrilled to be having our 2nd annual Maker Faire. Do you have a side hustle, or just a hobby making arts/crafts etc that you want to sell? Contact Debi or Tracy in the office to secure a spot (spots are limited). Vendor spot will require a fee of $25 to secure your spot. We would also like vendors to consider making a donation to the PTA, or donating an item for auction at the Spring Fling.

TK/KINDERGARTEN REGISTRATION

TK/Kindergarten Registration will look a little different this year. The district is moving to a Centralized location for enrollment of TK/Kindergarten students. For ANY NEW enrollments, go to our website: https://vves-mdusd-ca.schoolloop.com/ and click on the Enroll button. Please note: If your child currently attends Transitional Kindergarten, you do NOT need to enroll them for Kindergarten. Appointments for Registration completion at the Centralized location (1026 Mohr Ln, Concord) will be available March 20 and March 21, 2023 from 8:30-4:00. They will have Drop Ins on March 24 and March 30, 2023.

REGISTRATION FOR GRADES 1-5

We are currently accepting registration for grades 1-5. If you are new to the district, please go to our website: https://vves-mdusd-ca.schoolloop.com/ and click on the enroll button. Once you submit your registration, I will send you a confirmation email with the additional items you will need for registration completion. Your registration will be completed at our school office: 3275 Peachwillow Ln, Walnut Creek. Please call us at 925-939-5700 for an appointment.

VIKING CARES FUND

We wanted to let you know that the Viking Cares fund was able to distribute more gift cards to families in need recently. Please remember that if your family needs anything, they can reach out to Ms. Tracy or Ms. Debi confidentially, and we can use these funds that were donated by the community to help. We are stronger together.

VOLUNTEERING ON CAMPUS

If you plan on volunteering on campus this year, you must be cleared by the district office prior to signing up for any activity. Volunteering Instructions can be found on the VVE website, and the district website. You must have fingerprints and an up to date TB test to be cleared by the district office. There are no exceptions to this rule. If you do not have access to a printer, Fingerprint Clearance packets are in the office. This process can take up to 2-3 weeks so plan accordingly.

DRIVING ON A FIELD TRIP:

If you are volunteering to drive on a field trip, all of the above has to be completed first. We will then need you to complete the “Chaperone Agreement/Transportation of Students in Privately Owned Vehicles” form which is available in the office. This form requests your name, driver’s license number, address, phone number, make and model of vehicle, auto license number AND a copy of your Declarations page of your insurance. (This is not the same as your insurance card. The Declarations page lists the coverages you have on your vehicle.) We MUST have a copy of these forms on file in order for you to drive. To save time, please make sure your coverage has these minimums:

Bodily Injury Liability: Each individual-$100,000, Total Each Accident-$300,00
Property Damage Liability: Total Each Accident-$25,000
Medical Payments Each Individual-$5,000
Uninsured Motorist Coverage: Each Individual-$30,000, Total Each Accident-$60,000

Combined Single Limit: $300,000; Medical Payments Each Individual-$5,000
Uninsured Motorist Coverage: Each Individual-$30,000; Total Each Accident-$60,000.

Medical Payments are often not on current policies but you can add it to your policy for a few extra dollars. This must be on your policy in order to be a volunteer driver. Thank you, in advance, for your understanding and patience.