Calendar
| Feb 5-9 |
Student Week of Prayer |
| Feb 7 |
Zoo Field Trip |
| Feb 8 |
Tea Party |
| Feb 9 |
Band A, B and Recorders
Teen Social
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| Feb 12 |
No Strings!
Basketball, Eagles vs. Campion
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| Feb 17 |
7-11 Choir & Chimes @ Boulder Church |
| Feb 19 |
No School |
Hot Lunch
| Feb 7 |
No Hot Lunch |
| Feb 8 |
Baked Potato Bar |
| Feb 12 |
Pizza by the slice |
| Feb 13 |
No Hot Lunch! |
| Feb 14 |
BBQ Chicken |
| Feb 15 |
Grillers |
Classroom News
Kindergarten
Mrs. Tusken
Our school field trip is tomorrow. Please pack your child with a disposable lunch. I will not be going on the field trip; Mrs. Lujan will be filling in for me. So, I hope everyone has a great time and I will see you back on Thursday!
We are having a class Valentines party next Wednesday. I have included a sign up sheet for snacks in your child’s Bear Binder. We will be exchanging Valentine’s Day cards. If you need to check the spelling of students’ names, please look in your child’s Bear Binder under the tab “class roster”.
Lately, we have been going outside more because the weather has been more enjoyable and a lot of students have been getting wet feet and wet pants. So, please make sure your child has a change of clothes at school. Pack extra pairs of socks, they can really come in handy! Thanks!
Grades 1-2
Mrs. Gaines
The 100th Day of school was a wild affair! What an imagination your children displayed. Thanks for all the help. Mrs. Smith saved the day by bringing a cake on which we lit 100 candles. It was the “highlight” of the day.
Next week on Wednesday we’ll exchange Valentines. You will find a list of students attached to the newsletter.
Bring a sack lunch for the Zoo and Imax field trip tomorrow. We will not be visiting the gift shop.
Book reports for 2nd graders are due at the end of next week. Most students have read, Stone Fox or the Mystery of the Yellow House. A written report plus a diorama are due by next Thursday. The diorama is to be made at home.
Grades 3-4
Mrs. Hansen
We are starting to work on our science fair projects. I will soon be sending home more details.
Grades 5-6
Mrs. Hodgson
Tomorrow is our field trip to the zoo and IMAX. Please make sure your child has a sack lunch. There will be no time to purchase food at the zoo or museum. Please wear good walking shoes and a jacket.
There will be a Math test this Friday and an English test on Monday. We are also working on Science Fair projects. If you have any questions about the requirements, please let me know.
Make plans now to attend the Talent Show on Saturday night, February 24!
Grades 7-10
Mr. Wuerfel, Ms. Schneider,
Mr. Force and Mr. Pauls
Mr. Wuerfel
Greetings! Much is going on in the upper classes. The Seventh and Eighth Grades are pushing through poetry and learning how to properly analyze various works. We just completed work on Haikus. Each student found a Japanese word and wrote a poem based on that one word. The results were fabulous!
Nine and ten are beginning their poetry unit with Alfred Lord Tennyson and are finally finishing up with their research essays.
In Bible we have started a new unit working with the disciplines of Christianity based on the title Celebrating the Disciplines. This is a remarkable book that teaches students the importance of a relevant faith.
Mr. Force
February 9: VRA vs. Cedarwood home game
Girls: 12:30 Boys: 1:30
February 12: Eagles vs. Campion home game
Girls: 6:30 Boys: 7:45
February 16: No game scheduled
February 22: VRA vs. Chariot home game (Thurs.)
March 3: All day tournament at VRA
Please note newly scheduled evening game on Feb.12
Flying Eagles will be on the winter schedule until March 6th.They will be meeting from 3:35-4:30 Mon-Thurs. Please pick your students up on time.
Starting Feb. 26, Grade 3&4 Tumblers will be meeting at 3:35 on Monday’s.
Social Studies
7th and 8th grade students are working on a social studies project researching a country of their choice. This will also be presented to the class using their choice of posters or power-point. On April 6th, we will be finishing this project with a special lunch where we would like each student to prepare a food originating from the country they’ve researched to share with the class.
Fine Arts
Mrs. Carlisle & Mrs. Force
Art Class
We will be doing a unit on collage in art class. If you have any items that might be useful that you would like to donate, please bring them to the office. Suggested items are: color/printed paper, material scraps, ribbons, buttons, scrapbooking items, feathers, vellum, etc. We do have several boys that are in the class, so we will need “guy” stuff, too. |
Please Note
Zoo Chaperones – Please arrive at the school by 8:15 am. If we didn’t catch you this afternoon after school, we will have some instructions for you to follow and a list of the students that for whom you will be responsible.
No Band this Wednesday. Recorders will practice at 8:00 AM on Friday in the band room. A & B Bands will also rehearse Friday morning.
Strings! Regular strings group on Wednesday including Madison Floyd and Shalyn Lopez, will meet after the field trip. Please bring your instruments!
Please! Pick your students up by 3:45 M-Thurs and 12:30 on Fridays. Be prompt!
Parents: Please do not park in the fire or bus lane! In order to keep traffic flowing and the bus on schedule, we need to allow room.
Remember! Hoodies are not a part of the VRA dress code! We have been somewhat lenient about this but it is time to tighten up on this!
Please check the monthly calendar online for any changes. We are trying to conserve paper.
Our school would love to have its own video camera! If you are updating your camera equipment this year and would like to donate your old equipment please remember our school!!
Field Trip
Tomorrow we’re off to the zoo and IMAX. After seeing a presentation on the Rain Forest and touring the zoo, we will be seeing the movie, Blue Planet at IMAX. We will be leaving the school at 8:30 and returning at 3:30. All chaperones please arrive by 8:15. Dessert will be provided but each student & chaperone need to bring their own lunch, preferably in a disposable bag as backpacks are not allowed in the zoo or IMAX theatre. Please make sure your children are dressed appropriately for the weather and in school attire.
Teen Social
Fri. Feb 9th @ 7:00 pm--Come to the McLaughlin’s for an evening of fun, food, friends & good conversation. Please call to RSVP: Fran McLaughlin 303 902 9012 or Becky Cline @ 303 430 9626.
Attendance/Sick List
Since the cold and flu season is upon us, please note this reminder: Please call the school office to advise us if your student is sick by 8:30 am. All the teachers are required to put their attendance reports on the computer by that time. If you haven’t called and let us know that Susie or Johnnie is sick, then the teacher has to go back in and change the attendance report. Your calling by 8:30 am helps us be more accurate and efficient. We appreciate your help on this matter. Note: If your student has the sniffles, cough, sneezing, fever, etc., please DO NOT send him/her to school. If medication is needed for fever or other contagious symptoms this is a good indicator your child should stay home.
Mandatory Europe Trip
Meeting
Feb.28 @ 7:00 p.m. for everyone going on the school Europe trip there will be a mandatory meeting. We will be going over all the final trip details including how to pack, student rules, etc.
There will also be time for questions and answers.
Help Wanted!
Note: The Cecil family has come to us from Michigan.
The Cecils are seeking a responsible 15-18 year old female VRA student, or a parent, to provide after-school care to their 8 and 11 year old VRA students. Supervision of homework will be required. The hours are 3:30-6:00 pm Mon-Thurs and noon until 4 pm on Fridays. The pay will be $65 per week plus bonuses for great work done. The hours can be extended during days-off, Spring break, and Summer break. You must provide the kids transportation from the school to our home at Blue Sky condos in Erie, or to your home not too far away. Please contact us via e-mail to set up an interview: emilycecil@mac.com or you can call me at 269-512-2640. This position can begin as soon as I check your references.
Special Education
We would like to welcome Elaine Huot M.Ed. D. Child Study, to our school.
Elaine is working with several students on the VRA campus. Elaine has 28 years of teaching experience as a language/literacy specialist and she is a certified Sped. Teacher in Colorado. She does educational assessments/testing for students from K through 12 who are concerned with any learning issues especially in their language development. All tests are approved by the Colorado Dept. of Education. Elaine has supported teachers with curriculum materials and language support for their students at VRA.
She offers a wide variety of research based, “best practice” language programs and methodologies for Dyslexic, LD and language challenged students of all ages. These multi-sensory programs teach phonological awareness,decoding, encoding, vocabulary reading, writing, research skills and organizational study skills using hands on materials and the most recent "state of the art" assistive technology.
Students receive 1 on 1 teaching that is individualized to meet their own learning style and challenges. Follow-up written work, CD's, games and teaching software is provided to help students master concepts taught. Elaine has many excellent references that are available upon request. Students have access to assistive technology and she offers training on these excellent programs at all levels. If you are interested Elaine can be contacted at: elhuot@mac.com and 303-579-4496.
Box Tops for Education & Campbell's Labels |
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 Save every Box Top for Education and Campbell's Label for our school! The Campbell's "Labels for Education" program is similar -- save the UPC codes of most products (not the front labels as in the past). On most Campbell's products, a tiny inscription beside the "Labels for Education" logo will describe what to save. Vista Ridge Academy benefits from every "Box Tops for Education" and "Campbell's Labels for Education" turned in. Don't throw away these treasures! Our school has received a free huge play parachute from redeeming the Campbell's labels, and we have received over $500 cash from redeeming the Box Tops for Education.
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School Store!
Hours:
Mon. – Thurs. 9 a.m. – 3 p.m.
& Fri. 9 a.m. - noon
We have vegetarian canned and frozen products, and seasonings from several companies. Come browse and help our school. Buy by case or individually.
Albertson’s & King Soopers
Shop at Albertson’s and raise money for our school! If you have a Community Partners card, present it with your Preferred Shopper card at the checkout and they will scan both. After that, you will need only the Preferred Shopper card. If you do not have the Community Partners card, pick up the application in the school office or apply online at www.albertsons.com, click on the “In the Community” link to find the Community Partners logo link. The I.D. # for the school is: 4 90001 7741
Do you shop at King Soopers? If so, you can support your school by purchasing King Soopers' gift cards directly from Vista Ridge Academy. These are the actual gift cards just like you would purchase at the store, and work the same
as cash. They also work great as gifts. You pay the actual value of the gift card. King Soopers donates 5% of these sales back to Vista Ridge. Cards are for sale daily (this is known as the “Scrip” program). |
