VALLEY CREEK ELEMENTARY
COUGARGRAM

February 12, 2018
IN THIS ISSUE:

  • A Note from Mrs. Richards
  • School Calendar
  • Ms. Paine's Post
  • MISD Cardiovascular testing
  • Celebrate Me Day
  • Yearbook Dedications
  • PTA Winter Dance
  • Love of Reading Week
  • Yearbook info
  • Winter Illness
  • Parent Education Classes
  • Middle School GT
  • Project Graduation
  • Directory Spot
  • Remind Texts
  • Afternoon Dismissal
  • Love and Logic
  • Spirit Wear Fridays
  • Community Folder
  • Parent Communication
  • Tip 411


LINKS:
Valley Creek Parents,

Good Monday morning! We have an exciting week ahead of us at Valley Creek. We have Love of Reading week, Valentine’s Day parties on Wednesday, and our Mom & Popcorn school fundraiser being kicked off Friday morning. We love working with a local business who has a wonderful product and supports our school at the same time. This school fundraiser, which directly impacts your child, provides the opportunity to purchase additional instructional materials and equipment in the classrooms to Specials. As our staff is always wanting to build upon their instructional strategies and innovative ways to reach each learner, we are also able to provide professional development experiences for our entire staff or meet the needs of specific teachers or teacher teams. When our teachers request to begin a new instructional strategy, need equipment or professional development which requires additional funds, I appreciate the ability to help our dedicated teachers in their request. Our staff would appreciate your support in the upcoming Mom & Popcorn Fundraiser. Your child will bring home their order packets and further information this Friday.

Thank you so much,

Mrs. Richards
  • Jan. 30: PTA Coffee at Panera at 8:15am
  • Jan. 31: Talent Show Dress Rehearsal
  • Feb. 1: Deadline for 3rd-5th grade GT Referrals
  • Feb. 1: PTA Meeting before Talent Show
  • Feb. 1: Talent Show at 6:00pm
  • Feb. 2: Jump Rope for Heart
  • Feb. 2: Honor choir sings at Texas Legends game
  • Feb. 5: College Shirt Day
  • Feb. 8: Celebrate Me Day
  • Feb. 9: Cougar Dads Movie Night
  • Feb. 12-16: Love of Reading Week
  • Feb. 14: Valentine's Day Parties at 2:15
  • Feb. 16: Popcorn fundraiser kick-off
  • Feb. 19: No school for students - Teacher work day
  • Feb. 23: PTA Winter Dance
  • Feb. 26: College Shirt Day
  • Mar. 5: College Shirt Day
  • Mar. 5: Popcorn order forms due
  • Mar. 5: Running Club resumes
  • Mar. 6: Open House
  • Mar. 6: PTA Spirit night at Chick Fil A on Eldorado
  • Mar. 8: First Grade Music Program
  • Mar. 12-16: Spring Break
  • Mar. 19: College Shirt Day
  • Mar. 19-23: Fitness Gram in PE
  • Mar. 23: Donuts with Dad
  • Mar: 30: Bad weather make-up day - no school if we don't use
  • Apr. 2: College Shirt Day
  • Apr. 2-6: Camp Write Along
  • Apr. 7: PTA Spring Fling and Auction
  • Apr. 10: 4th Grade Writing STAAR and 5th Grade Math STAAR
  • Apr. 10: Kinder field trip to Aquarium
  • Apr. 11: 5th Grade Reading STAAR
  • Apr. 16: College Shirt Day
  • Apr. 18: Spring Picture Day
  • Apr. 20: Field Day
  • Apr. 23-26: Scholastic Book Fair
  • Apr. 27: Bad weather make-up day - no school if we don't use
  • Apr. 30-May 4: Teacher Appreciation Week
  • Apr. 30: College Shirt Day
  • Apr. 30: PTA Kendra Scott Night
Ms. Paine's Post
Brrrr! ‘Baby, it’s cold outside’! What a great week to grab a cup of warm tea or hot chocolate, wrap up in a blanket, and read with your child. We are celebrating Love of Reading at Valley Creek! Take this opportunity to tell your children what your favorite books/stories were when you were children. Read them together. Some of mine were The Secret Garden by F.H. Burnett, The Velveteen Rabbit by M. W. Bianco, and The Steadfast Tin Soldier by Hans Christian Anderson. We are excited to have special guests on campus this week to read with our students.

Thank you to the PTA for the amazing Celebrate Me Day last Thursday. It was great to see our students engaged in all of the activities.

Have a wonderful week! Stay warm and well. See you soon at Valley Creek!

Ms. Paine
Assistant Principal
McKinney ISD Cardiovascular Testing
Click on document below for details.
Celebrate Me Day
We'd like to give a BIG THANKS to our PTA for putting together Valley Creek's first Celebrate Me Day! It was a huge a success and the Valley Creek staff and students appreciate all the hard work that the PTA put into this for us! Thank you!
5th Grade Yearbook Dedications
Fifth Grade Yearbook Dedication forms went home this week with the students. If you'd like to do a dedication, please fill out the form and return it to school. If you need a form, please click on the link below.

PTA Winter Dance
PTA will be sponsoring the annual winter dance on Friday, February 23 at 6:30pm. It's a sock hop! There will be a selfie station, snacks and sundaes.
Love of Reading Week
Love of Reading week will be February 12-16. Our Valley Creek goal is to build our students’ passion and understanding of the importance of reading. We are looking for volunteers to help promote the value of reading in everyday life. Volunteers are encouraged to read any type of book: poetry, a picture book, or a chapter from your favorite children’s book. You can read to any grade level of which you feel comfortable. We ask that you briefly discuss with the class why reading is important in your life. We would love to have parents, as well as, community members come and share their joy of reading. If you wear a uniform (Military, Law Enforcement, Firefighter, Chef, Doctor, Athlete, Etc.), please consider reading in your uniform. We look forward to a great week of guest readers. Click on the link below for the form you'll need to fill out and turn in.



*All guest readers must be MISD volunteered approved. To be approved go to http://www.mckinneyisd.net/parents/volunteer/

PTA will be sponsoring a spirit week during Love of Reading week as well.
Monday: Cozy up with a Good Book - Wear your pajamas for a PJ reading day.
Tuesday: Read Me Day - wear a school appropriate shirt with words
Wednesday: Valentine Colors - dress in reds and pinks
Thursday: Fox in Socks - Show off your crazy or mismatched socks
Friday: Our School Chooses to Read: wear VC spirit wear.

PTA will also be collection gently used books (Children's Board Books up to 5th Grade) to benefit Communities in Schools and Aberg Center for Literacy. These books will help local children build home libraries adn encourage reading. Drop box will be located at VC near "Father Time". Please consider gifting a book from home. Our goal is 300 books!

YEARBOOK INFORMATION
Yearbooks are only able to be purchased online this year. For information on how to order your yearbook, please see below.
Winter Illnesses 
We would like to remind all parents of the importance of keeping sick children home. When a child comes to school ill, he/she can spread illness by coughing, touching his/her nose/mouth and then touching objects that other students come in contact with.
 
Remember that fever is not the only sign of true illness and that fever is usually a late sign of an illness, or an illness that is progressing.
 
If your child is out sick remember to always send in a note from the Dr or a parent note.
 
MISD Health policies are in place to help insure a healthy school where students can learn and grow. Please take a moment to review the exclusions that are listed below.
 
Guidelines for Returning to School after an Illness
 
In order to minimize the number of children that are ill, we ask you to please consider the following guidelines when making your decision to let your child attend school or return to school after an illness. 
 
A student with any of the following symptoms must be excluded from school until such time as the student is free from symptoms.
  • Temperature of 100.0 degrees or more. Student must be fever free for 24 hours, without   medication, before re-entry (Texas Administrative Code)
  • Vomiting (not related to a single event such as gagging, positioning, mucus, running after eating, or eating spicy food) Student must be symptom free for 24 hours, without medication before reentry.
  • Diarrhea, of two or more loose or watery stools; all studentsmust be diarrhea free for 24 hours without the use of medications before re-entry (Texas Administrative Code).
  • Pain and/or swelling at angle of jaw
  • Undetermined rash over any part of the body accompanied by fever
  • Under diagnosed scaly patches on the body or scalp
  • Red, draining eyes
  • Intense itching with signs and symptoms of secondary infection
  • Open, draining lesions or wounds
  • Jaundice
  • See McKinney ISD Lice guidelines
  • A vaccine preventable illness in question will require a physician's note for re-entry (pertussis, mumps, measles, etc.).
  • For any infection, antibiotics must be taken for a minimum of 24 hours prior to re-entry to school.
These guidelines have been designed to give your child adequate time to recover, as well as keep the majority of the students, faculty and staff as healthy as possible.
 
Hand Washing
   
Hand washing is one of the easiest and best ways to prevent the spread of disease. Direct contamination of your mucus membranes (eyes, nose and/or mouth) is how many infectious diseases enter your body. So let's work together to decrease the risk of contracting and spreading illnesses by following these three simple rules:
  • Wash your hands when they are dirty and before you eat.
  • Do not cough or sneeze into your hands (use your sleeve, elbow or shoulder instead).
  • Never put fingers in your eyes, nose or mouth.
Remember...you are responsible for keeping yourself healthy!! Be as nice to yourself as you are to others.
 
 
Parent Education Classes

On January 9, 2018, McKinney ISD will be hosting a Practical Parent Education Class at Faubion Middle School located at 2000 Rollins St. McKinney, Texas. Rebeka Ecker will be presenting the session topic entitled, “We Can Do It" - (Building and Nurturing Self Esteem in Children and Parents.) The session will begin at 6:00 p.m. Child care will be available free of charge. 

On February 6, 2018, McKinney ISD will be hosting a Practical Parent Education Class at Faubion Middle School located at 2000 Rollins St. McKinney, Texas. Rebeka Ecker will be presenting the session topic entitled, “SOS - My Kids Won’t Mind Me" - (Choosing Effective Discipline Techniques". The session will begin at 6:00 p.m. Child care will be available free of charge.  

On March 6, 2018, McKinney ISD will be hosting a Practical Parent Education Class at Faubion Middle School located at 2000 Rollins St. McKinney, Texas. Rebeka Ecker will be presenting the session topic entitled, "I'm Stressed (Dealing with Stress in the Family.) The session will begin at 6:00 p.m. Child care will be available free of charge

On April 3, 2018, McKinney ISD will be hosting a Practical Parent Education Class at Faubion Middle School located at 2000 Rollins St. McKinney, Texas. Rebeka Ecker will be presenting the session topic entitled, Bridling Resiliency in Children. The session will begin at 6:00 p.m. Child care will be available free of charge

On May 8, 2018, McKinney ISD will be hosting a Practical Parent Education Class at Faubion Middle School located at 2000 Rollins St. McKinney, Texas. Rebeka Ecker will be presenting the session topic entitled, “Building Self Esteem". The session will begin at 6:00 p.m. Child care will be available free of charge

Middle School GT Nights for incoming 6th Graders
Feb. 12: 6:00pm - 7:00pm - Scott Johnson
Feb. 15: 11:30am - 12:30pm - Cockrill
Feb. 15: 6:00pm - 7:00pm - Faubion
Feb. 20: 8:30am - 9:30am - Evans
Feb. 20: 6:00pm - 7:00pm - Dowell
Attention parents of Elementary and Middle School Students . . .
McKinney’s Project Graduation is back . . .and we need YOU !

Why are we asking for your help when you don’t have high school students?  Because in 2017 Project Graduation didn’t take place due to a lack of community support. And we want to make sure that never happens again! We need to keep Project Graduation going strong so it’s there when your students are seniors.  Why? Because Project Graduation keeps graduating seniors (and the community) safe by providing a lock-in style event with fun activities, entertainment, food and prizes (including a FREE CAR!).  It is supported and run ENTIRELY by volunteers, parent groups, booster clubs, and local businesses. 
You have the potential to save lives – please consider supporting this worthwhile event. What can you do to help? It’s simple…we need sponsors, prize donations and volunteers. 
If you are interested in becoming a sponsor, please contact Nancy Nori at (716) 517-5090 or nantz899@yahoo.com

Visit our website at http://www.mckinneys-project-graduation.com/ and click on the buttons to donate or volunteer.

Thank you in advance for your support!!  

DIRECTORY SPOT
Click here for instructions on how to download Directory Spot, the onlne Valley Creek diredtory!
SIGN UP FOR VC REMIND TEXTS
AFTERNOON DISMISSAL
Please make sure to communicate to your child's teacher any changes in their dismissal prior to 1:00pm each day. Teachers will make every effort to check their emails by 1:00pm and reply to let you know they've received your communication.
McKinney ISD is offering free Love and Logic classes for parents. Please click on the following link for more information: http://www.mckinneyisd.net/student-services/love- logic-parent-classes/
SPIRIT WEAR FRIDAYS!
Wear your spirit wear on Fridays and if your name is drawn on announcements, you'll get to pick a treasure out of the treasure box!
Do you have non-school related information you'd like to share with our students and parents such as scouting nights, community events, etc.? If so, please use the Community Folder on the McKinney ISD website.
Parent Communication with VC Administration

Open communication between parents and administration is critical towards the success of our school. Mrs. Richards and Ms. Paine invite parents to contact them if a concern arises, you would like to share ideas, have questions, or want to extend positive feedback anytime throughout the school year. Below are avenues to initiate communication:
  • Email Mrs. Richards (mrichards@mckinneyisd.net) or Ms. Paine (lpaine@mckinneyisd.net) directly to be contacted or set up an appointment
  • Call the Valley Creek office at 469-302-4800 and ask to speak to Mrs. Richards or Ms. Paine. If we are unavailable at that time, please leave a message on our voicemails and we will return your call at our earliest convenience.
  • Send a note to school with your child.

We are looking forward to collaborating with you,

Mrs. Richards and Ms. Paine
Tip 411

Tip 411 is a tool to enhance student safety. It is an internet-based communication system that gives students or any concerned citizen a means to quickly and anonymously report suspicious or criminal behavior at a school. To report a 411 Tip, go to   www.mckinneyisd.net   , Departments, Safety & Security. You will find additional information on this page.