Vision Charter School

Vision Charter School Newsletter

November 3, 2009
DATES TO REMEMBER

Friday, November 6, 2009 Enrichment clubs for 2nd-6th grade start at 1:40!

Fridays…. Jean days for $1. Funds go to art and science supplies.

Thursday, November 12, 2009 3:30-4:30 Art Committee meeting in room H1. All staff and parents are invited to attend. We are looking for new members who are willing to be involved and help support the arts!!!!

Thursday, November 12, 2009 6:30 Board Meeting in room H1

Tuesday, November 17 Picture Retakes

Monday, November 16 and Wednesday, November 18 at 12:10 K/1 program

Thursday, November 19—MS/HS Pirate Play will be performed by the Drama Club at the Caldwell Center of the Arts at 6:00 pm.

Thursday, November 19, 2009 7pm in room C2 -- Title 1 Meeting for all parents of Title 1 students. Please notify Mrs. OldenKamp if you need babysitting to attend.

Friday, November 20, 2009 is DRESS LIKE A PIRATE DAY! Students may dress like a Pirate for $1!

November 23-November 27 NO SCHOOL for Thanksgiving Break!

Tuesday, December 1, 2009 DWA test for 5th, 7th, and 9th graders

Wednesday, December 2, 2009 DMA test for 4th, 6th, and 8th graders

Tuesday, December 15, 2009 ALL SCHOOL Christmas Program 7pm

12/21/09-01/01/10 Christmas Break

Thursday, January 7, 2010 Family Literacy Night at VCS

Thursday, February 5, 2010 is the Cultural Art Fair at VCS!
NEWS- Wednesday we had a power outage that lasted about two hours. The students continued learning with the windows and doors open for natural light. Students used flashlights to find their way around the restroom in each classroom. It was fantastic to observe the students handling the situation in such a mature manner! Students were on task, learning, respectful, and never missed a minute of instruction due to power outage. Idaho Power arrived quickly and fixed the problem which was located on Ward lane and impacted 28 homes. Thank you for sending us such respectful and caring students who are committed to learning! –Mrs. OldenKamp

· All parents are invited to attend the Middle and High School performance of “How to be a Pirate in seven easy songs”. The program will be held at the Caldwell Center of the Arts at 6:00pm.

· Picture Retakes are Tuesday, November 17, 2009. If you would like a form, please send a request with your child.

· You are invited to attend the K/1 program which will be offered in A2 on Monday, November 16 at 12:10pm and Wednesday, November 18 at 12:10pm. Please come to only one performance. Students need to wear fall colored dress code clothes.

· Start saving your canned foods for the annual “Kids that Care” food drive. This activity is organized by our Student Government. All students K-9th grade will be invited to participate in this wonderful Community Service Project. Watch for more details to come.

· November Virtues of the Month include Peacefulness and Determination! Please help us by reviewing the definitions of these virtues and the school wide quotes with your children.

o Determination is focusing your energy and efforts on a task and then sticking with it until it is finished. Determination is using your will power to do something when it isn’t easy. You are determined to meet your goals. Even when it is really hard, or you are being tested, you still keep going.

“Failure will never overtake me if my determination to succeed is strong enough.” –Og Mandino

o Peacefulness is an inner sense of calm. It comes especially in quiet moments of reflection or gratitude. It is getting very quiet and looking at things so you can understand them. Peacefulness is a way of approaching conflict with others so that no one is made wrong. It is being fair to others and yourself. Peace is giving up the love of power for the power of love. With peacefulness, everyone wins.

“Lone eagles, soaring in the clouds, fly with silent, peaceful poise, while turkeys, in their earth-bound crowds, fill the atmosphere with noise.” – William Arthur Ward

From our new Vice Principal—Mr. Banning……

o I would like to thank the staff and students here at Vision for making me feel so welcome since I arrived three weeks ago. I have been very impressed with many things so far: the terrific dedicated staff, the hard working students, and the involved parents. What impresses me most about Vision Charter School is the level of commitment displayed by all the staff and students. I see every day people going above and beyond what is considered a good job. As I work with teachers and students of all grade levels the one thing I notice is that they are all very happy to be here as am I.

From the Mouths of Students:

A Vision Charter School eighth grade girl writes, “Vision Charter School is a small school, but we are like a big family, everybody fits right in. All of us are focused and want to learn. We have a private school environment for a public school price.”

An eighth grade VCS boy writes, “Vision Charter is a school where everything we do is hands on. There is no bullying at all in this school. We have very loving teachers at this school and a very loving principal. This school will create well rounded kids. This school is a safe and caring school. It is a place where kids really want to learn.”

Partners with a Vision:

Thank you to ASAP ELECTRIC LLC and Mike Okamura for donating his time and vehicle to help out the school. Call Mike Okamura for your electrical needs at 880-3540.

Thank you to Stacy Atchley for donating her time to teach the after school dance club for 7-9th graders. You are doing a tremendous job with these kids.

Thank you to Mike Lower for volunteering to teach Debate after school. These kids are learning amazing skills.

Thank you to Erin Walker-White for volunteering to assist with teaching the K-2nd grade dance class with Mrs. Huckins. The kids LOVE to dance with you two leading the way!

Thank you to Corla Legg for hours of donated time.

Thank you to Lee Hannah for donating three reams of paper.

Thank you to David Snow and his family for donating seven boxes of paper.

Thank you to all the PFA parents for the wonderful staff dinner. We want to especially thank Lisa Marshall and Trina Riley for their efforts in putting together the dinner. Thank you to all the staff and parents who volunteer their time on the PFA.

Thank you to White Automotive for donating $50 to the fifth grade classroom!

Thank you to Tracie Wood for donating her time to help Mrs. Ayotte teach Drama after school.

******If you know of a business that would like to have inexpensive advertising, we would gladly put their name and contact information in our newsletter and on our website as a thank you for donating a box of paper! This is a great way to advertise with the VCS community!

· Please view the website at visioncharterschool.net for additional information about VCS.

Golden Eagles Awards are being handed out by the teachers in the K-6th grade classrooms. Students receiving this special honor are chosen based on being safe, kind, respectful, responsible, and doing their best work! Golden Tickets are being handed out in the 7th-9th grade classroom. Congratulations to all of our exceptional students who go the extra mile to care about others and learning every day!

INFLUENZA UPDATE: The spread of Influenza has been fairly moderate at Vision Charter School compared to local school districts. To decrease the risk of spreading influenza, please talk with your child about covering their mouth and nose with a tissue when they cough or sneeze. Remind them to cover coughs or sneezes using their elbow instead of their hand when a tissue is not available.
Students with influenza should stay home until at least 24 hours after they no longer have a fever or signs of a fever (without the use of fever-reducing medicine). Keeping sick students at home means that they keep their viruses to themselves rather than sharing them with others. Students who do not run a fever should stay home until they are free of diarrhea or vomiting for at least twenty four hours.
Coats/Sweatshirts: Please remind your child to wear a coat or heavy sweatshirt. Please mark your child’s name in their outer clothing. Sweatshirts and sweaters need to be solid colored or may be turned inside out to show respect for the dress code. A child’s winter coat may be any color.
Snow Days/School Closures: As we move toward the winter months, parents may locate up to date information about school closures for any reason including snow days by viewing Channel 2, 12, 6, and 7. Parents will also be contacted by mass e-mail and information will be available on our website at visioncharterschool.net.
Parking: Please park in our parking lot if you are dropping off or picking up students after the start of the day or prior to the end of the school day. Please do not park on the side streets. Lolo is reserved for bus traffic and it is a safety concern for any other cars to park or drive on that road during the pick-up and drop off times. Thank you for your consideration of these policies and procedures that are created to ensure the safety of all students.
Parent Pick up and Drop Off: Elementary students are released to the bus and pick up line at 3:05. Middle School and High School students are released at 3:10. When parents begin arriving for pickup, they should park their cars (on the school side of the street only) facing south. The first car should pull up to the corner. Everyone else should be in line turning down Colville. Once all pickup students are gathered in the gravel area, they will be directed to get in “family groups”, which will include all children going home together. Please keep the paper with your family last name in the window so the duties can quickly gather your family and load them in the car. We have purchased a megaphone and it is taking less than ten minutes to get all students loaded and on their way! This system leads to better management of traffic, order, and a safe environment for all children
Please remember to NOT stop or park on any side street. If you must park to speak with a teacher, please pull into the parking lot. Due to limited parking, the parking lot is reserved for parents meeting with teachers, students being picked up early from school, dual enrollment in sports, or medical situations. For those rare and special occasions when you need to pick up your child early from school, please call the school secretary and arrange for your child to be at the office ten to fifteen minutes prior to the release of the school day.
Coats/Sweatshirts: Please remind your child to wear a coat or heavy sweatshirt. Please mark your child’s name in their outer clothing. Sweatshirts and sweaters need to be solid colored or may be turned inside out to show respect for the dress code. A child’s winter coat may be any color.

Wendy OldenKamp
Administrator
Vision Charter School