Excited to be back at Valley View Elementary

January 23, 2018

By Principal Nathan Williams Valley View Elementary Rylan Leach and Mrs. Petesch At Valley View Elementary School, we are excited to be back in school after a well-rested Christmas break. Our teachers are doing a great job at challenging students and making the educational process fun. Our students are enjoying art, library, computer lab, music, and physical education throughout the week. VVES is a great place to be with outstanding staff and hard-working, kind, and friendly students. We are lucky to be a Badger! VVES PE teacher Mrs. Petesch is encouraging all families to exercise together and participate in the Family Fitness Challenge. This month’s winner is Rylan Leach, who won a new sled. Congratulations Rylan! If you would like more information regarding this great program please check out Mrs. Petesch’s PE link on our school website. The winners of the VVES Elk Free Throw Shoot had the chance to compete against the winners from the Sandpoint area last month. We had two shooters who won and got the chance to shoot at regionals in Kellogg on Saturday, January 20. Peyton Hinthorn and Brody Rice They are third grader Peyton Hinthorn and fifth grader, Brody Rice. Brody Rice took second place and Peyton took first place and will now compete at the state championship in Blackfoot on Saturday, February 3. Good luck, Peyton! On January 24 we have an author visiting -- Kelly Milner Halls will be at Valley View, highlighting the importance of reading and writing skills! Her goal is to empower kids and celebrate what makes us all unique. Ms. Halls is a nonfiction writer for young readers, and it all began for her in elementary school. "When my third-grade teacher in Friendswood, Texas, told me I was a good writer, I didn’t really understand what she meant -- that I should be a professional writer," she said. "I'd always been the weird kid – the kid who asked too many questions, the kid who couldn’t stop talking to her neighbors, the kid who couldn’t find a book she wanted to read. But the thought of being a writer at first drew a complete blank." Kelly Milner Halls In the years since, she's written more than 1,500 articles for young readers and many books, including six critically acclaimed nonfiction picture books that made being “weird” really cool. She now makes school visits all over the country. "I’m living my dream," she said. "I’m not just writing fun books, I’m helping kids know it’s okay to be whoever they turn out to be!" On Saturday, January 20, the Boundary County School District had its annual Spelling Bee for third through fifth graders, and it is my honor to highlight the following students. In third grade, taking first place was Madilynn Gibbons from VVES. In second place was Charlotte Riverman from Mt. Hall. In fourth grade taking first place was Ocean Blue and second place was Miley Fleck, both from VVES. In fifth grade, taking first place was Elizabeth McCoy from Mt. Hall and second place was Max Callihan-Winkler from VVES. Congratulations to all the finalists in the entire district who competed in this year’s district spelling bee! VVES is a busy place and we have a lot of great things going on within our school. Please check out our website for the most current information at: http://www.vves-bcsd-id.schoolloop.com.