From Principal Fort

Self-Control & Communication

Valley View

Elementary School

800 49th Ave NE

Columbia Heights, MN

55421

763-528-4200

colheights.k12.mn.us/

vves

Principal

Willie Fort

Assistant Principal

John Awsumb

OUR MISSION Columbia Heights

Public Schools create worlds

of opportunity for every

learner in par tnership with

supportive small-town

communities by challenging

all to discover their talents,

unleash their potential and

develop tools for lifelong

success.

V A L L E Y V I E W E L E M E N T A R Y S C H O O L

March 2016

Valley View News

This month students will be learning

ways to show self-control and how to

communicate with others. When stu-

dent’s are able to demonstrate self-

control, they are able to control their

emotions and behavior in different situa-

tions. Students can show self-control by

taking deep breaths, thinking before

speaking, focusing on themselves, not

comparing themselves to others and

moving on if stuck. Students will also

learn different ways to communicate

with others. Some ways include listen-

ing to others, using kind and respectful

language, asking for help when they

don’t understand, taking their time

and following directions. It is really im-

portant students are able to com-

municate with others when they are

starting to feel frustrated so that they

are able to begin calming down and

getting back to their day. Students at

Valley View will read the book When

Sophie Gets Angry to help understand

these life skills.

Dear Parents/Guardians,

Our teachers and staff, as

always, are highly fo-

cused on accelerating

student achievement.

Over the next few months

students will be taking

some very important tests

to measure their learning.

Please stress to your chil-

dren the importance of

doing their best everyday

and coming to school with

a positive attitude. Their

attendance everyday and

being on time is crucial to

their success in school.

Valley View’s Second and

Third graders visited the Co-

lumbia Heights Fire Station

during the month of Febru-

ary. Students and teachers

toured the facility and got

a chance to see the big

trucks and fire equipment

up close and person. Stu-

dents also received fire

safety tips from several of

the firemen. Our kindergar-

ten and first grade students

also were able to learn

about fire safety by

having some of the fire-

men come to Valley

View!

Please join me in wel-

coming Mr. Greg Thom-

linson, our new Media

Arts teacher. Mr. Thom-

linson has an Instruc-

tional Technology de-

gree from the University

of Phoenix and a Bach-

elor’s degree in Ele-

mentary Urban Educa-

tion from Metropolitan

State University. Mr.

Thomlinson started on

February 10th.

Willie Fort

V A L L E Y V I E W E L E M E N T A R Y S C H O O L

Valley View News

Page 2

2nd Grade Student Interviews

4th Grade

Three 2nd Grade students

(Kenneth, Carol and

Dlonte: were interviewed

to discuss some of their

favorite things about 2nd

grade, challenges and

advice they would give

to future 2nd graders.

What are you currently

learning about?

In math, we are learning

about subtraction and

telling time.

What are some of your

favorite things you are

learning as a 2nd grader?

Dlonte: My favorite thing

is that you get to work

and play everyday.

Kenneth: I like to do math

and read.

Carol: My favorite time of

day is LTA. It’s when we

get to do art and right

now we are putting

shapes on our whole pa-

per to cover it. After-

wards, we get to paint!

What are some of the

most challenging things

you’re learning as a 2nd

grader?

Dlonte: Adding and sub-

tracting can be hard. Sci-

ence can be too!

Kenneth: Reading chap-

ter books is challenging.

Carol: The most challeng-

ing thing for me is some

of the tests.

What advice would you

give to future 2nd Grad-

ers?

Dlonte: Say something

nice to people.

Kenneth: If someone’s

talking to you, ignore

them and listen to the

teacher.

Carol: Make notes for stu-

The sound of beating

drums and stomping feet

could be heard emanat-

ing from fourth grade

classrooms in early Febru-

ary. Students weren’t just

taking an extended brain

break; they were prepar-

ing themselves for a field

trip to Orchestra Hall on

February 22nd.

As part of the Vocal Es-

sence program, fourth

grade students attend

the yearly Witness pro-

gram. Each year, the

concert, play, or musical

focuses on an aspect of

African American history

in honor of Black History

Month. This year, the Glee

Club from Morehouse

College will perform a

variety of traditional and

modern songs.

To prepare for the con-

cert, guest artist Marci-

ano Dos Santos and his

accompanying drummer

Taji had students working

up a sweat with an explo-

ration into movement

and dance. Students also

learned about Historically

Black Colleges and Uni-

versities (HBCUs) and im-

portance. The concert

was exciting and keep

practicing our shimmy!

dents taking tests. They

will try to be determined

and then they will be suc-

cessful!

V A L L E Y V I E W E L E M E N T A R Y S C H O O L Page 3

Visual Arts

5th Grade 5th Grade at Valley View

Elementary has gone

through a classroom

make-over! The rooms

have been transformed

by the initiative of the fifth

grade teachers. These

teachers wanted to moti-

vate their students and

decided a classroom

make-over was the best

choice. All fifth grade

classrooms now offer al-

ternative seating options

for their students. These

teachers have changed

their classroom seating to

include standing desks,

bean bag chairs, mid-

level, and floor level seat-

ing. With the help of Do-

nors Choose, an online

fundraising website, Ms.

Hale and Ms. Gartner

were able to reach out to

the community for dona-

tions and supplies. So far

the classrooms have

gained floor cushions,

crates and mini tables. The

alternative seating ar-

rangements offer students

more options for seating,

so they are able to find

the best fit for their learn-

ing.

The reorganized classroom

has been successful for

the students, and has

helped to promote posi-

tive classroom environ-

ment. Students have been

able to try a variety of

seating options including;

sitting on floor cushions,

sitting on crates, standing,

sitting at a bean bag, and

sitting at a traditional desk

and chair. The 5th Grade

students have reacted

enthusiastically to the

classroom changes.

Teachers have observed

that the class is quieter

during independent work

times, and transitions have

become less time con-

In the visual arts room, we

are gearing up for the art

show season. 43 students

had their art work submit-

ted to Banfill-Locke Cen-

ter for the Arts Student

Show. The exhibit will be

up from February 15th

through March 5th. Every-

one is invited to visit the

free show.

Mark your calendar! May

5th will be the Valley View

Arts Showcase. Visual arts

and media arts will have

work on display from all of

the students. There will be

a 4th grade and 5th

grade band concert and

an ice cream social.

Our final show will be Ex-

pressions, the district art

show at Silverwood Park.

The elementary opening

will be May 18th. All of the

3rd graders in the district

will participate in a sing-

along in the amphithea-

ter.

We hope to see you

there!

Valley View News

suming. So far the out-

come has been positive

for both the students and

the teachers! Teachers

hope to add more op-

tions for seating and alter-

native tables to complete

their classroom transfor-

mations!

V A L L E Y V I E W E L E M E N T A R Y S C H O O L Page 4

District News

Reminder: Adverse Weather

Notifications

Even for us Minnesotans winter can be a challenge at

times. Recently, a storm moved through the Twin Cities,

dropping as much as 13.5 inches of snow in some areas

of the metro area. When extreme adverse winter con-

ditions occur, this District implements the emergency

weather plan. The decision to close schools is no simple

matter. The safety and well-being of students and staff

is always our top priority.

All decisions regarding closing schools or canceling

programs and activities are ultimately based on stu-

dent safety. We continually monitor the National

Weather Service, which is the official government au-

thority on weather forecasting and warnings for the

state of Minnesota, so that we can use the most up-t0-

date information in our decision-making. Decisions are

based on the current and forecasted weather in our

school district.

The expectation is that schools will remain open, if at all

possible, for uninterrupted student learning on sched-

uled school days. Unless this School District officially noti-

fies you otherwise (parents and guardians), school will

be in session.

If the decision is made to cancel school, all classes and

activities, including Community Education programs,

are cancelled or closed for that day and evening.

Families will be officially notified by an automated

voice-activated recording. Additionally, the District

Website, Facebook and Twitter sites will be updated,

district and school marquees, as well as the television

and radio news media notified. If none of these are ac-

tivated, school is in session for that day.

We thank you for knowing these procedures as they ap-

ply to adverse weather notification.

School Board Special Election 2 Pri-

mary Unofficial Results Hala Asamarai and Tim Utz received the most votes in

the Feb. 9, 2016 School Board Special Election 2 Primary.

The unofficial alphabetical results, from the Anoka County

Elections and Voting Department , are in the table.

The two candidates will move forward to the Tuesday,

April 5, 2016 School

Board Special Election 2

to fill the vacancy creat-

ed last fall by the resig-

nation of former Director

Grant Nichols. The unoffi-

cial results were verified

by the Secretary of

State’s office and can-

vasses by the School Board, 5:30 pm, Feb. 16, 2016.

For more information about the two Special Elections,

click here . For additional information or questions,

please call District Election Clerk Dawn Hoium at 763-

528-4504.

*Naty Severson was elected to the Columbia Heights

School Board Jan. 26, 2016 to fill the seat vacated by

former Director Lori Meyers. Severson also registered as a

candidate for School Board Special Election B, but did

not withdraw prior to the Dec. 17, 2015 withdrawal

deadline. Because of this her name remained on the

School Board Special Election B ballot.

Valley View News

Important Dates March 3rd 5:30 PM PTA Meeting

March 8th 7-9 PM School Board Meeting

March 11th 5:30-7 PM PTO Game Night

March 21-25 No School—Spring Break

March 31st End of Quarter 3

April 1st No School—Grading Day

STAFF SPOTLIGHT!

Name: Shari Gestson

Position: Secretary

Hometown: Columbia Heights Graduate!

Education: Augsburg College

Family: Husband (Randy), 4 daughters: Sarah

(Mike), Jenna (Adam), Brooke, Brynn

Hobbies: Traveling in my camper, READING!

Candidate Total votes

Hala Asamarai 276

Scott Bardell 93

Naty Severson 58

Tim Utz 12