Valley Cottage School

Dear VCE Families,

We begin the month of February with DARE graduation, a very special event for our fifth grade students. Thanks to the support of our lawmakers, the Clarkstown police and DARE officer Norm Peters, our fifth grade students participate each year in this wonderful program that builds students’ skills and confidence related to resisting temptation and peer pressure specifically related to alcohol, drugs and other potentially dangerous decisions. Students learn not only about the dangers of these substances, but about the importance of having strategies to make better decisions.

We will be celebrating Valentine’s Day in a big way at VCE this year. Our spirit day this month will fall on February 14^th. Students are encouraged to wear their favorite Valentine’s Day colors to school. Kindergarten students will have their first official concert on Valentine’s Day at 9:30 am. All families of Kindergarten students are invited to attend. VCE siblings will remain in class. Our annual Rockland Read-in will also take place on Valentine’s Day. Teachers will be keeping track of minutes read, and our librarian, Mrs. Travers will be calculating the total minutes spent reading at VCE and that total will be entered into a contest with other schools of similar size. Our day will be filled with guest readers!

On another note, we have an increased number of car riders in colder weather. In order to keep our children and staff safe, and to prevent cars from backing up on Lake Road, the cooperation of our entire VCE family is needed. Please follow the directions of our security guard and pull up as far as you can. He is attempting to safely move a great deal of people as quickly and safely as possible. As students enter the cars, please have them buckle up quickly and move ahead as directed. We have walkers, cars and busses and we will often need to hold up the car line so a bus can leave and we can load the next bus. Your patience is greatly appreciated. Please remember that between 3:00 and 4:00 pm, no left turns are permitted out of the parking lot. This helps us to move the traffic safely and more efficiently. Finally, in the morning, please remember that students may be dropped off after 8:00 am. We are unable to supervise students before that time. When dropping off children in the morning, please pull up to the front of the school. Dropping off children in the parking lot or just outside the lot is very dangerous. With everyone’s help and patience, we can make sure that all students arrive at school and leave school safely.

Thank you for sharing your children with us each day.

Sincerely,

Mrs. Gina Cappiello, Principal