Valley View Newsletter: Talent Show, Family Field & More

Have you seen the amazing mural? A truly community effort, beautiful, quaint, fitting our lovely campus! Thank you to ALL who participated in this delightful art project so far! The children still have plenty of painting of the bottom portion of the mural. And we'll need plenty of parent help. But we're making terrific headway! 

We have only a few yearbooks left, so hurry while supplies last! Yearbooks will be sold each day after school or you can drop by the office to fill out an order form.

An extremely busy 12 more days of school! Please note the Calendar Highlights below. The school year is almost over! 

So far, we have raised over $5000 with our Victory Drive and Victory Lap. Thank you to everyone who has stepped up to help our school! 

We still need help. Please consider a gift via check or online with your credit card. Money supports the Library, TAs, field trips, and general campus support.

The VICTORY LAP is Thursday, June 7! This is going to be a super fun event for the kids during school hours. Please have your child dress in PE appropriate clothing that day.

Sponsorships are due in the office on Tuesday, June 5 to be eligible for prizes and to have enough time to make your stars. 

We still need a few more volunteers! Thanks to all who have already stepped up - we really appreciate your enthusiasm and willingness to help.

Shifts are 8-10am (5th/6th/Kinders), 10-Noon (2nd/4th grades), or 12:30-2:30 (3rd/1st grades). Email Lucie atfundraising@valleyviewelementary.org with your preferred shift.

(please note, that acknowledgment letters for donations to the Victory Drive will be sent out later this month when fundraising chair can breathe again :) - please email me if you need your receipt sooner)

Calling all Volunteers! We are desperately in need of 22 parent volunteers to work with the children on

Family Field Day  Tuesday June 12th.

PLEASE come to a meeting for Family Field Day volunteers on Thursday 6/7 at 2:30pm in Room 6.

Or email Mr. G at bigdave32@gmail.com.

What is Family Field Day?

Field Day is an all-school activity day, designed to challenge the kids and teach them to support each other to achieve goals. Students are put in groups of all different grade levels and then they work together as they move through the various stations. (CLICK HERE for photos) of last year!)

The stations are designed to be challenging, fun, and to have students build on their teamwork skills. All students who participate in Field Day receive a medal so they can walk away with a feeling of accomplishment. A healthy lunch is provided for our students as we are also trying to promote healthy living. This day cannot happen without YOUR HELP! We need at least 2 parent volunteers for each station to work directly with the kids. It's a unique opportunity to help all the students in the entire school! 

Spring Concert is coming up this Monday 6/4, which will feature performances of Kindergarten through 3rd grades plus the upper grade chorus. 

Performance times are 8:30am for parents, and at 1pm for students (we strongly encourage any parents to attend the morning performance only, as the afternoon performance will have extremely limited seating).

Rehearsals are Monday 6/4, Wednesday 6/6 and Thursday 6/7 in the Auditorium after school 2:30pm to 5pm!!!!!

Wednesday and Thursday will be full dress rehearsals in line-up order, so please plan accordingly.

The Talent Show is Friday, June 8th.

Shows times are 8:30am performance for parents and 1pm for students (we strongly encourage any parents to attend the morning performance only, as the afternoon performance will have extremely limited seating).

ANY adults who are available to help us on the day of performance with hair, make-up, stage handlers and any and all support, please email me, Caroline Pinkey at caropinkey@mac.com   

WE ARE SO EXCITED!  The children have worked very hard, and we are so proud of them!

Thank you!

Caroline Pinkey, Kelly Cole and Carole Cain

If you need some extra help!  
Valley View's former principal, Harold Klein, isn't taking retirement very well. He says he would love to work again with children, and will help with tutoring, special needs issues or assessing your child's needs (see story here). He makes house calls. Contact him at hxk5398@gmail.com or call (310) 277-7220.

Also, you may not know that Mrs. Klein (Renny Darling) is a popular cookbook author. For information about her latest book, and more about her CLICK HERE!

FIVE QUESTIONS

MIKE SZYMANSKI

Hey, I'm Mike Szymanski, and many of you have seen me around school a lot, and some of you think I'm a teacher (of course the cameo as the music teacher in the brilliant "Music is Life" video doesn't help!) 

Anyway, I have been working with the school since my oldest nephew Dante started in 2003 and later had Ms. Kim in third grade. Back then, all I did was putter around in the Kindergarten garden, but later got involved with other school committees. I was able to help establish an ongoing grant that will help supplement Arts Programs at the school through the California Institute of Contemporary Arts and with that will hope to make the school attractive as a public school with innovative art programs-you've seen some of it with our music program, mural and quilt projects. It looks like this Arts Council will keep me at the school long after Donovan graduates next year. I started the school newsletter many years ago and am happy that it has progressed so well, since I now have my own online newsletter through AOL and the  Huffington Post at  StudioCity.Patch.com and of course still cover a lot of the school programs there.

Q1: What do you do with your free time?MS: If I'm not working on a Valley View project or writing something for Studio City Patch, I'm working out some creative "Uncle Mike's education hour" time with the boys, whether it's going to an obscure museum, hiking and looking for weird bugs or surfing the web for video game cheats.   

 Q2: What is your idea of perfect happiness?MS: Game night with the family, or watching a movie with all the Dachshunds around me and a big bowl of buttered popcorn.

Q3: What is your greatest fear?MS: My nephews and their children not having the same opportunities and chances in life that I have been fortunate enough to have.
 

Q4: If you could have dinner with five historical figures, who would you choose?MS: Martin Luther King Jr., Marilyn Monroe, Ernest Hemingway, Peter Paul Reubens and Jesus Christ...but all at the same dinner would be a bit overwhelming.

Q5: What is your favorite word?MS: Sphinx. It sounds naughty, or smelly, and it's a great Scrabble or Hangman word.

Upcoming important dates:                                                                  
Mon June 4th          

 Spring Concert, performance for parents at                                  

 8:30am                             Spring Concert, performance for students at                                

 1pm                             TALENT SHOW Rehearsal

2:30 to 5pm

Tues June 5th          

 ELECTION DAY                                   

CHESS CLUB 2:30pm to 3:30pm                             

Family Field Day VOLUNTEER Meeting 2:30                              Rm 6

Wed June 6th           ROCKET SCIENCE & ASTRONOMY! 2:30pm to 3:30pm                             Talent Show DRESS REHEARSAL 2:30pm to 5:00pm

Thurs June 7th         Victory Lap!                                    

SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE?! 2:30pm to 3:30pm                             Talent Show DRESS REHEARSAL 2:30 to 5pm

Fri June 8th             Talent Show, performance for parents at 8:30am                             Talent Show, performance for students at 1pm