The Falcon Newsletter, Issue 10

The Falcon
Valley Forge Elementary School's PTO Newsletter

Issue 10

February 4, 2018

Greetings from the PTO President

Hello VFES Parents!

What a whirlwind these last two weeks have been at school! Eagles fever has certainly been spreading through the halls, and culminated this week with a pep rally in the gym for our students. The PTO, with the help of our amazing parent volunteers, also put together our first annual "Souper Bowl" for the faculty and staff of VFES. All in all, it was a great way to celebrate the spirit of sportsmanship and comradery. Not to mention, a showcase of the amazing recipes we use to give strength and comfort to those that mean the most to us.

I want to also thank everyone who donated a pair of socks for our Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Joy of Sox service project. We collected 772 pairs of new socks, and combined with Beaumont Elementary, collected a total of 1444 pairs of new socks, surpassing our combined goal of 1,000 pairs!

Has your first grader come home asking for a pet boa constrictor? Did your second grader come home with an amazing paper cut out by Master Cheng? Did your fourth grader giggle when talking about Kit's Interactive Theater? These are just a sample of the Cultural Arts programs that happened these last two weeks. These great programs do not happen without the generosity of parents like you. To donate directly to the PTO, please click here to continue supporting our strong Cultural Arts programs.

I know it may sound strange to be already thinking of the next school year, but I am a planner at heart. We would love to have you consider joining us on the PTO! We are in need of people who have computer experience, someone who has an interest in being the photographer for our Eyes of a Child Wall in the lobby or photographers for the yearbook and school events, people who have graphic design experience, and most importantly - people who want to meet new people and make friends. We have many chairperson opportunities for many events, including the upcoming Spring Fair. Please come to the next PTO meeting this Friday at 9am, or email me at [email protected] to learn about ways you can get involved.

Lastly, I would like to personally thank Doug Wilson, VP of Clubs, for coordinating and implementing our Winter Clubs! I would also like to thank Adrienne Miller, PTO Treasurer, for getting the PTO tax returns filed in a super timely basis!

Here's to hoping that cranky kids tomorrow morning will have been worth the late bedtime tonight!

Go Birds!

Heather McConnell

School News

The Flu is all around!

Click here to learn more to keep your family healthy.

Mr. Mike from the Academy of Natural Science brought the animals of the Rainforest to the first grade this week. Our kid scientists participated in a question and answer session to learn about the habitat, characteristics, food and prey of the Solomon Island Skink, 9 Banded Armadillo and Boa Constrictor.

Did you know:

An Armadillo can jump 4 feet in the air

A Skink mom takes care of her babies and adopts orphans

Boas have heat sensing vision and only eat once every 2 months

Ask a first grader what else they learned in the assembly! This was made possible by your donations to the PTO- THANK YOU!

The PTO would like to thank everyone who participated in our MLK service project for the Joy of Sox. We collected 772 pairs!

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Don't forget to visit the Gratitude Corner! Click here!

Community News

Class sizes may be increased to meet 2018-2019 TESD budget deficit

Increasing the number of students in core academic classrooms is currently being considered as a cost saving measure to close the gap on the district budget. Please attend the upcoming Education Committee meeting and share your thoughts on increasing class sizes in our schools. If the committee approves increasing class sizes, it will become an option for the Board to consider in budget discussions. Attached image is the current class size target. The School Board has repeatedly requested that parents become actively involved in these discussions.

Education Committee meets Monday, February 5th at 6:30 p.m. Tredyffrin/Easttown School District Administration Offices (TEAO), 940 West Valley Road, Suite 1700, Wayne 19087

District Link to the Meeting and Agenda:

https://www.tesd.net//site/Default.aspx?PageID=243&PageType=17&DomainID=56&ModuleInstanceID=1953&EventDateID=45232&CurrentView=month

Nationally Recognized Expert, Sarah Ward to Speak at Valley Forge Middle School

Thursday, February 15, 2018, 6:30-8:30 p.m.

Does your child struggle with paying attention, organizing, planning, initiating tasks and staying focused on them, regulating emotions, or self-monitoring (keeping track of what they're doing)?

Join us as expert speaker Sarah Ward brings her engaging and informative presentation on Executive Function in February. Sarah will provide parents and teachers with practical information and strategies to help promote the development of EF skills. These strategies will help reduce the amount of supervision and prompts needed - both at home and in the classroom.

Click here for more information!