Valley Cottage School

September 2018

Dear VCE Families,

 I hope that you have all enjoyed a wonderful summer and have had the opportunity to relax, have some fun and rejuvenate. As summer draws to a close, we have been preparing for a new school year at VCE.  Our cleaning staff has been hard at work and the building sparkles! Teachers have been returning to set up their classrooms to welcome their new students.  We are all anxious to meet our new kindergarten students and their families as well as to welcome back our returning students and their families. We are also welcoming a number of families who have recently moved into the area.

 School begins on Wednesday, September 5^th. Students in grades 1-5 will report to the cafeteria for Morning Program. Kindergarten students will meet their teachers and teaching assistants in the gym for the first few days. We ask that if you are driving students to school and need to help students carry supplies, that you park your car in the rear of the school so that traffic can move smoothly through the parking lot. If your child is a bus rider, please allow an extra 10 minutes on either side of the scheduled pick up and drop off times for the first few days. The building opens at 8:00 am for students. Additional information regarding safety during drop off and pick up will be shared with you on the first day of school. Please read this information carefully. When everyone works together, we ensure the safety of our entire school community.

 This year you will see a number of new faces at VCE as well as some familiar faces in different places. We welcome Ms. Makeda Farley to our fifth grade team. Ms. Farley joins us after teaching in New York City. Mrs. Christina Roche will be joining our fourth grade team. She has been a substitute teacher in our district for the past two years, most recently filling in for Mrs. Parnther last spring. Laura Nickel will be joining our first grade team. A VCE graduate, Ms. Nickel has been teaching at Upper Nyack Elementary. Mrs. Niero, former second grade teacher will now be part of our kindergarten team. Mrs. Richmond has moved to second grade and Mrs. Walker will be joining the fifth grade team.

 School supply lists by grade can be found on the VCE website at https://vc.nyackschools.org/supply_lists If you are in need of school supplies, please call our main office at (845) 353-7280, and we will be happy to help out.

For information on setting up or managing your child’s meal plan online using MYPAYMENTSPLUS, please visit https://www.nyackschools.org/groups/6171/lunchfood_service/home        On this page you will also find information and forms to apply for free/reduced lunch.

I invite all families to join the Valley Cottage PTA. Our PTA sponsors many events and funds field trips and assemblies for our students. All are welcome and many hands make light work. The first PTA meeting will be held on Wednesday, September 12^th at 7:00 pm.

We are all looking forward to a wonderful school year. Please mark your calendars for Back to School Night on Thursday, September 27^th from 7:00- 8:30 pm. We hope to see you there!

 Sincerely,

Mrs. Gina Cappiello

Principal