The Lion Update

Dear Lion Families,

What a week! Though it was short, we accomplished so much—and we're incredibly grateful for the beautiful sunshine that finally made an appearance!

Professional Learning Monday
While students were out on Monday, our teachers engaged in a powerful day of professional learning focused on our School Action Plan. We dove deep into strategies that will directly impact your children's learning, including:

• Using holistic writing rubrics to help students strengthen their written expression
• Creating collaborative learning structures that integrate intentional discourse across all content areas
• Implementing helpful strategies to support positive student behavior
• Being intentional about using math-rich tasks that develop students' modeling and reasoning skills

Our teachers are committed to continuous growth, and Monday's learning will translate into even stronger instruction for your children!

Growing Lion Pride!
We're thrilled to share that VES is growing! We have so many new students registering that we're opening our third PreK classroom on December 1st. A huge shout-out to our PreK team and families for being so supportive and flexible during this transition. We're excited to welcome even more Lion Cubs to our school family!

Honoring Our Veterans
This week, we paused to honor and thank all of our veterans for their service and sacrifice. To our veteran families: We are here for you. Thank you for all you have given to our country.

🎶🎯 Grade Level Spotlight: Music & P.E 

Our specialist classes have been buzzing with creativity and movement this month!

🎵 Music

Students across all grade levels have been exploring rhythm through engaging composition projects. Each class brought their own flair to the final pieces:

• Ms. Gideon's and Ms. Loe's students created visual compositions (look for the ones featuring the classroom carpet!).
• Our dedicated choir students honored our heroes with a moving performance at the Veterans Day concert.

🏃‍♂️ Physical Education

Our P.E. students have been building skills and confidence through active learning:

• Kindergarten has been joyfully experimenting with movement in our manipulative unit, exploring different body levels and spatial awareness.
• 2nd Grade focused on improving their catching and throwing techniques, showing great progress and enthusiasm.
• 5th Grade demonstrated impressive control and teamwork during our soccer unit, mastering ball handling and strategic play.

We’re proud of all our students for their energy, creativity, and growth in Music and P.E. this season!

💡 Parent Tip of the Week: Building Confidence Through Choice

Kids thrive when they feel heard and empowered — even in small ways. Offering choices helps build decision-making skills and boosts self-confidence.

Try this: Give your child two or three options during everyday routines. For example:

• “Would you like to wear the red shirt or the blue one?”
• “Do you want to read before or after bath time?”
• “Should we walk the dog now or after dinner?”

These simple choices help kids feel a sense of control and responsibility, while still keeping boundaries clear.

Bonus tip: Celebrate their decisions! A quick “Great choice!” or “I like how you thought that through” reinforces their confidence and encourages independence.

Have a wonderful weekend, and see you next week!

With Lion Pride,
Dr. Goldsmith