| Greetings from the PTO President |
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Mother Nature may not be entirely sure what season it is, but here at VFES, we certainly know it's Fall! I feel like a squirrel, running around trying to get all my nuts gathered. My to do list grows by the day because we have so many exciting things happening in the next few weeks!
On my personal list:
- Order Spirit Wear (sale ends on Tuesday! Click here to order)
- Make sure Health Screenings, Book Fair, and Scary Gym have enough volunteers
- Send a thank you to Trek in Gateway Shopping Center for their support of Bike/Walk to School Day
Other items on my to do list...
Directories
Our online directories are almost ready to go! Within the next week, you will receive an email to download the app and to purchase the directory. Please be advised, if you do not purchase the directory, you will have no access to it. I would like to personally thank John Kent, who has been helping me set up the directory. His help and support has been vital!
Water Filtration Fountains
Have you bought your VFES water bottle yet? You may want to, since the School Board Facilities Committee approved our request to have two double water filtration/bottle filling fountains, and two single water filtration/bottle filling fountains! I hope to have them installed by year's end. These units will replace all the existing water fountains in the common areas.
Cultural Arts Programs
The PTO Cultural Arts programs are in full swing - Mother Goose visited Kindergarten, author Gregory Mone visited the entire school, and next week begins our first Fourth Grade Artist in Residency Program with Alex and the Kaleidoscopes! We are grateful to be able to offer such wonderful curriculum additions through your continued support.
Book Fair
The Book Fair is coming up! This has always been one of my favorite events to volunteer at! The kids' love seeing the books, and we encourage parents to come in and shop as well! It's also a great time to add a book to your child's class library, the teachers really appreciate it. Book Fair is Tuesday Oct. 24 - Monday, October 30.
Click here
to volunteer!
Scary Gym
Have your children been discussing their Halloween costumes yet? Halloween is a big holiday in our house, and Scary Gym is one of their fondest memories of the season! But with all great events, we need volunteers! We need people to help build it (Friday night, October 27), the PTO provides pizza, and it's a great night to meet other parents. We will also need help breaking it down on Monday, October 30. More details to follow, but we can't have Scary Gym if we can't get it built.
Click here
to help!
Finally, in the upcoming weeks, you will notice that the Falcon will have a change in format, and I will be sending out a Falcon Flash in the weeks a newsletter isn't sent. For the 40% of you that actually open this and read it, please make note. For the rest, surprise!
Warmly,
Heather "Resigned to be the Falcon Editor until the end of my PTO term" McConnell
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Scary Gym is coming to VFES!
In order to make Scary Gym happen,
we need LOTS of volunteers! Please consider helping to build or breakdown the mazes, help with check-in, donate water bottles, be a startler, volunteer to help with your K or 1st grader's class. More information will be coming soon about 2nd, 3rd and 4th grade visits during the evening of Monday, October 30th. To signup to volunteer,
click here.
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Here's your chance to stock up on VFES t-shirts, sweatshirts, pajama pants and more! Clothes are available in Youth and Adult sizes. We've also added Headwear to our store this year!
TUESDAY IS THE FINAL DAY FOR ORDERS!
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VFES Annual PTO Book Fair
The PTO Book Fair will be held from 10/23-10/30 (come shop during Scary Gym!) in the Large Group Room. Each student will come to the book fair to preview the book selections. We will need lots of volunteers to help the children write down their book wish lists. We will also need lots of hands for set-up and breakdown of the book fair. If you would like to volunteer to assist during the book fair, please click
here to sign-up.
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Click the link to register for the 5th annual Falcon 5K!
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Health Screening Days
VFES will have Health Screening Days with the T/E School District nurses on 10/18 & 10/19. If you would like to volunteer to assist with the height and weight station, please click here to sign-up. Thank you for your help!
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Find your Spark!
Author, Gregory Mone, came to Valley Forge Elementary school on Monday, October 9, 2017. He spoke to each of the grades about how he writes novels. He explained the process of writing a book in 5 simple steps.
1. Find Your Spark (idea)
2. Become an expert on the topic
3. Develop a plan
4. Write it all down
5. Revise, Revise, Revise, Revise
His stories about how he researches different topics captivated his audiences. You may want to ask a fourth grader about the oreo in every story. Many other students may want to move to Antarctica because of the special treat they keep in their parka pockets. Some children may have been inspired to become an author after Mr. Mone shared his very first book with us.
The PTO was very happy that we could partner with several schools in the area to bring Gregory Mone to VFES. I hope that he inspired your child to want to write. It will be exciting to see how the students incorporate these ideas into the books they will create with the help of the publishing center.
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Please turn in all "Box Tops" to the main office by October 20th.
There is an orange box on the counter in the main office.
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Don't forget to like us on Facebook! Search for the Valley Forge Elementary PTO - it's a closed group, so you need to request to join.
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Do You Know a Struggling Reader?
"Dyslexia is an unexpected difficulty with reading. It does not indicate a lack of intelligence or desire to learn." -Sally Shaywitz, Yale Center for Dyslexia
Especially for TESD parents and teachers of children who are struggling readers of any age, BUILD is sponsoring
Experience Dyslexia®, A Simulation
in conjunction with the Pennsylvania Branch of the International Dyslexia Association.
This is a free event where participants will hear a brief discussion of dyslexia, including the neurological basis, the demographics, the warning signs, and the interventions which have been shown, through solid research, to have positive impact. Participants then take part in six simulated activities which mimic the experiences and processing of those with dyslexia. RSVP here.
'Stoga Calvacade Showcase of Sound
- a wonderful and entertaining evening for everyone in the family. It's a competition of marching bands from high schools all over the area. Saturday, November 4, 5-9pm at Teamer Field.
Click here for more information.
The Crucible
by Arthur Miller,
the classic tale of accusations of witchcraft in Salem, Massachusetts, will run November 16
th
through the 18
th
. Tickets and info available at
www.stogatheatre.com
.
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Thank you to all the parents and students who walked or biked to school on Wednesday! We hope you all enjoyed the fresh air and extra time together. Special thanks to Ellen Galka, Shilpa Gupta, Amanda Ivory, Ann Marie Marburg, and Heather McConnell for being our greeters as the children arrived at school!
Thank you to Trek Bicycle in Gateway Shopping Center for supporting our Bike/Walk to School Day with a coupon to use in store!
Research shows that cyclists drastically overestimate the distance at which they are detectable by motorists. Check out the ABCs of Awareness to see the steps you can take to stand out on every ride. Click here for safety tips.
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VFES collected nearly $900 in our Minutes for Maria fundraiser!
Thanks to all who participated!
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VFES water bottles $5!
Available every Friday at the school store (9:45 - 11:15)!
16 oz, BPA free, top rack, dishwasher safe!
The perfect accessory for the incoming water filtration fountains!
All proceeds benefit the 4th grade end of year party!
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Upcoming Events
10/16-10/20 Artist in Residency week
10/18-10/19 Health Screenings
10/20 4th Grade performance 10am
10/24 Book Fair start
SAVE THE DATE!
10/30 Scary Gym
10/31 Halloween Parade, 10am
11/1 Picture retake day
11/5 Falcon 5K, 9AM, Wilson Farm Park
11/7 School CLOSED |
Questions or Comments?
Heather McConnell
Interim Newsletter Editor
Heather McConnell
PTO
President
Rebecca Wills
,
Principal
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