A great school year coming to an end at Valley View

As I wrap up my first year as principal of Valley View Elementary School (VVES) I feel incredibly blessed to work with such great staff, students, and parents. The people in Bonners Ferry have received my family with open arms and for that I am thankful.

It has been an exciting year for VVES with an increased enrollment of over 50 students and also some additional staff. VVES has had a few challenges throughout the year, but as a team we always rally together and put our students first in every decision we make. For that I am grateful and appreciative of who we have on our team.

One of new team members this year is Mrs. Petesch, our PE teacher. She has done a fantastic job challenging students and their families alike in the monthly Family Fitness Challenge. With that said, VVES winner this month is 5th grader, Porter Schulte, and he won a new football. If you would like more information on how your family can stay active and participate within this great program please don’t hesitate to contact Mrs. Petesch at the school.

At VVES we are already anticipating next year and there is a lot of organization that must take place when preparing for the upcoming school year. VVES would appreciate parents that plan to enroll their K-5th grade students next year at VVES to please contact our office very soon and let us know your intentions. This will help us plan for staffing, desks in a classroom, and prepare all the academic resources necessary for students to thrive at our school.

Mrs. Stagliano has done a great job creating an Outdoor Education Center this year that encourages students to learn through exploring and using all of their senses to assist with retention, and not to mention some fantastic lifelong memories. The students all year have enjoyed their time immensely and I would like to thank the volunteers who helped make this area happen.

The 1st Annual Plant Sale was a huge success and Mrs. Fuentes would like to thank the many parents for supporting VVES. We look forward to providing more plants and flowers next spring and wish all of you a bountiful harvest this summer.

If you drive by VVES you will see a new “Little Free Library” in front of the kindergarten building. The purpose of this library is to encourage reading by giving away free books to the families of Bonners Ferry. In addition, if you want to donate books please feel free to place them in our “little free library” at your convenience. VVES would like to thank Purcell Pens for their generous donation of time and resources.

With a month left of this year VVES has many events approaching from academic field trips, assemblies and our annual field day, to grade level promotion ceremonies. Please check out our website and plan to attend these great events when you can. I believe deeply that parents should be a part of their child’s education and partnering with the school every step of the way.

Our VVES students have worked hard this year and have made some tremendous academic gains. With summer approaching, my hope is that students maintain what they learned by reading as many books as they can over the break. Therefore, I encourage all parents to make it a priority to visit the library often and find reading material that interests their children. Another great option is to have students participate in the Valley View Summer Reading program every Thursday from June 30th-July 28th. Mrs. Julie Colson will be at VVES from 11am-2pm.

Thank you again for the support, kind words, and the many volunteer hours that so many gave our great school. If you happen to have any questions, comments, or concerns please contact us at Valley View Elementary School or find us at http://vves-bcsd-id.schoolloop.com/