Upcoming Dates
April 1 Snow Make-Up Day April 4-8 Spring Break School Closed April 11-15 No Clubs. McGuffey Tutoring & Leadership Only April 11 PTO Meeting, 5:30pm in the library (childcare provided) Minds in Motion demonstration for parents, 6:30pm April 12 PreK to the Dogwood Festival Walker Open House for rising 5th graders & families, 5:30-7pm April 13 2nd grade to MLK-PAC for concert, 10am-noon April 14 Report Cards go home Harvest of the Month Snack April 15 Final Prospective Parent Tour, 9:15am April 19 2nd grade to Natural Bridge April 21 Kindergarten Registration, 3:00-6:00pm City Schoolyard Garden Root! Celebration, 5:30-7:00pm April 22 1st grade to Richmond Zoo (all day) April 23 ChemFest on the Venable Blacktop April 27 Final McGuffey Tutoring session April 29 Class Pictures (prepaid) 4th grade to McCormick Observatory Want More Dates? Click Here to Access the Venable Parent Calendar at the Charlottesvilleschools.org website with the most up-to-date information about what's going on at Venable. Getting to School On Time...We're All In This Together!
When your child arrives at school on time, he or she has a chance to get mentally and logistically prepared for the day. Did you know that in the morning, each child must do the following before instruction can start:
In the last two months, we have averaged 15 students tardy per day (about 5% of our population). Our low is 5 children and our high is 30 children (the day after Daylight Savings!). As we enter into the final quarter and even busier days getting ready for SOL tests and end of year assessments, now more than ever we need your help getting all our students in the building between 7:40-7:55. All our students will reap the benefits. Thank you for your help! The Venable Gardens Need You... every season of the year by Nancy Newman
The next time you are at Venable, take time to walk around the building to enjoy the beautiful gardens. Every day there is change and activity in the gardens at this time of year! For many years, efforts have been made to help students appreciate the plants and pollinators and observe what is happening right in their own schoolyard and neighborhood. The gardens provide daily field trip opportunities without a fee or bus. Of course, birds are nesting in the boxes, shrubs, and trees near the building. So far song sparrows, chickadees, cardinals, and maybe bluebirds are building nests. Critters are enjoying the blooms, huge trees, and birdbaths. The milkweed and other host plants are waiting for butterflies and numerous other pollinators to return. Early vegetables are growing fast. Huge thanks go out to staff and Venable families that worked very hard at the Family Gardening morning last month. The UVA APO group also worked to repair the greenhouse damaged by winter ice and snow and prepare vegetable beds. Students have been working with Traci Martin and Ashley Crank, our garden coordinator, on a regular basis learning and helping in the gardens. Out at the Annex building, Suzan Roberts feeds birds and reports about activity outside her window. Mrs. Mimms' citizen scientists tend the bird feeding station and Mrs.O'Brien's botanists fill birdbaths and care for plants. Other classes plant seeds in their classrooms to transplant when safe to do so. When you walk around the grounds, notice the green and white tree labels on dozens of Venable's trees. Mr. Ben Foster, owner of HIGHTECH signs and long time Venable cheerleader, donated those labels and Venable families put them up last month. Wahoo! Mr. Murray Buckner has kindly donated a special rising sun redbud to the school and next fall it will be planted and cared for by 4th graders. How can Venable families and staff help? Spring brings fast growing weeds and trash is blown into the gardens. Help keep the gardens tidy and inviting places for everyone! Nancy Newman [email protected] |
Fourth Quarter Has Begun!
It's hard to believe, but the last quarter of the school year is upon us. Third quarter ended on March 25 and report cards will be sent home on Thursday, April 14. We have already completed SOL test simulations for reading and math in 3rd and 4th grades so that we can give students an early chance to get the jitters out and give teachers information about what skills still need shoring up. Official SOL testing will begin in May. Recommendations for summer school have already been sent home; please have summer school and summer camp registrations returned no later than April 15 in order to guarantee a spot for your child. Both programs will take place at Venable this summer. If you have questions about your child's performance, please contact your child's teacher for a conference. Congratulations to Iker!
The Virginia State Reading Association has chosen Iker's artwork to be on the cover of their upcoming journal. Thank you to all students who participated in the art contest. Congratulations to Cindy Cartwright!
Mrs. Cartwright, our Quest teacher, was named Venable's 2016 Golden Apple Award winner. She will be officially recognized at a ceremony in May. Congratulations, Mrs. Cartwright! City Schoolyard Gardens Honors Mrs. Martin
Mrs. Martin has been named the City Schoolyard Gardens (CSG) Golden Trowel Award winner as an Outstanding Teacher who finds creative ways to engage students in the garden and helps CSG strengthen their programming. Mrs. Martin will be presented with her award at the CSG annual Root! Partner and Volunteer Celebration on April 21 from 5:30-7:00. Venable is hosting the celebration this year--please join us to celebrate Mrs. Martin and the wonderful work she does with Venable's garden! RSVPs are encouraged--see the invitation below. March Book Madness Championship Round
After much reading, listening, and voting, Venable students narrowed down their favorites from the VA Reader's Choice Awards. Emmanuel's Dream and Lion vs. Rabbit are our top two favorites. Emmanuel's Dream narrowly edged out a win to become the Venable March Madness Champion of 2016! Stop the by the library to take a look at all the books we've read this past month and ask your child about his or her favorites. Thank you to the Venable PTO for purchasing the books for this fun book bracket event and to Ms. Tatel, Ms. Schrank and Ms. Cartwright for spearheading the Madness! Think Safety: Reminders About Afternoon Pick-Up and Morning Drop-Off Procedures
Our procedures for pick up are intended for your child's safe and efficient exit from the school building. We have staff on duty at each of exit locations to monitor children and make sure they get home to you safely and happily. Quite simply, we don't want to mix buses, cars, and people on foot. Please make note of these reminders:
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