Garden Valley Elementary

We want to bring to your attention some recent concerns raised by members of our school community. The district has received several reports about unsafe driving practices during morning drop-off and afternoon pick-up times. These concerns include speeding in school zones, distracted driving, and double parking, all of which create potentially dangerous situations for our students, staff, and families. To help address these issues and ensure everyone’s safety, we ask for your cooperation with the following safety guidelines during drop-off and pick-up. Please visit our School Safety webpage at www.WillistonSchools.org/school-safety for more information.

One of the best ways to be involved in your child's/children's education is by partnering with the teacher. One way to do this is though parent-teacher conferences. Tonight, Tuesday, November 5th is our first of two parent-teacher conferences from 4-7pm. Your child's teacher should have reach out to you through ParentSquare to set up a time to meet. If you have not scheduled your time yet, please see that post to do so.We look forward to seeing you tonight! Please note that the book fair WILL NOT be open tonight, but will open on November 6th-13th.Tonight at parent -teacher you can do the following: 1. Meet with your child's/children's classroom teacher at your assigned time (please sign in) 2. Attend the ongoing Schoolwide Title 1 Annual Meeting to Inform in Building 1, Room 3. 3. Check out the lost and found in the entry way of building 1 (after parent-teacher conferences these items will be donated to goodwill) 4. Scan the QR code with your cell phone to take the 24-25 family survey 5. Write a thank you note to your child's teachers (they will receive these during the week of Thanksgiving) Thank you for being involved in our Garden Valley School Family!

Book Fair starts tomorrow! Load those e-Wallets now! Garden Valley will be holding our first Book Fair of the year on November 6-13th. The book fair will be open at Parent Teacher Conferences on Thursday, November 7th ONLY due to a scheduling conflict. However, you are able to visit the library after school on the other days of the book fair (November 6, 7, 12, and 13. You can also shop by adding money to your child's/children's e-wallet. This way you do not need to send cash to school with your student. Thank you for supporting our book fair and helping us earn books for our library.

We will be holding our annual Schoolwide Title 1 Meeting to Inform at fall parent-teacher conference nights on Tuesday, November 5th and Thursday, November 7th from 4-7pm at Garden Valley Elementary ​School. Since we are schoolwide Title 1 school we serve all students, not just targeted students, so all families are welcome to join in and stop by Room 3 in Building 1 to ​visit with Mrs. Vickery about our Schoolwide Title 1 program and plans for the school year. See agenda here : https://docs.google.com/document/d/1PvV2szvT58JFO19EHe5FHAgkD5MyVi6LLnsK84ivqgk/edit?usp=sharing

As a ​Schoolwide Title 1 school we need to share our school-family compact that outlines how Garden Valley Elementary School will share the responsibility with families of improving student academic achievement and how the school and families will develop a partnership to help students achieve the state's high standards. See our school-family compact with the link below or by ​viewing the images. https://docs.google.com/document/d/11KxyedLL5-FhnJycosZKn112fbkM96BH9TTUvNqLYHQ/edit?usp=sharing

Another requirement of Schoolwide Title 1 schools is to communicate the level of achievement and academic growth of our students on each state academic assessment. These reports can be review on ND Insights https://insights.nd.gov/Education/School/5300730451 Since the 23-24 school year was the first year Garden Valley was a K-3 school and 3rd grade is the first grade that takes the NDSA, we did not have an ELA and math growth percentage. However, we will have this for the 24-25 school year as we are a K-4 school now. Rest assured, we are making great growth at Garden Valley Elementary School as we were notified that our elementary school had the highest percentage of the accountability pie of all the seven elementary schools in WBSD7. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Gl5zyhdUcdoZ3oj0UB1wikBqyWHPu8cqkncNBrmMI6U/edit?usp=sharing

Staff Qualifications and Parents Right to Know Letter for Schoolwide Title 1 As a schoolwide Title 1 school one of the things we need to do each year is inform our families about the teachers and staff and their qualifications. Please see the link below or the images to access the Garden Valley Elementary School staff qualifications for the 24-25 school year. Since the writing of this letter, paraprofessional, Wendy Perezc, has her certification complete and all other paras are working on it this semester. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1DwEC3q2ejfSUorMhq49rqtQ0JNLGXQ5_oABIm-XkXrc/edit?usp=sharing Also, as a schoolwide Title 1 school we need to inform you if any teacher has not yet completed the process for complying with ESSA requirements. Currently, our longterm substitute teacher in the library, Caylin Gadberry has taught your child for four or more consecutive weeks in library and media arts. She does have her substitute license in North Dakota. https://docs.google.com/document/d/11z8YIV_RAqNeqc8H1QKUYLszDqiu7R9ZSoBEDLVcnlo/edit?usp=sharing

🍂 November District Calendar Reminders 🍂 𝗡𝗢 𝗦𝗖𝗛𝗢𝗢𝗟 𝗙𝗿𝗶𝗱𝗮𝘆, 𝗡𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝟴 Staff Professional Development 𝗠𝗼𝗻𝗱𝗮𝘆, 𝗡𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝟭𝟭 Veterans Day 🇺🇸 𝗪𝗲𝗱𝗻𝗲𝘀𝗱𝗮𝘆-𝗙𝗿𝗶𝗱𝗮𝘆, 𝗡𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝟮𝟳, 𝟮𝟴 & 𝟮𝟵 Thanksgiving Break 🦃 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁-𝗧𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲𝘀 𝗘𝗹𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝗦𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗹𝘀 Tuesday, November 5 Thursday, November 7 WillistonSchools.org

Families, Please note that all end of the day dismissal changes should be made with the office by 2:30pm to ensure we have a smooth transition at the end of the school day. We have 190 students that we need to be sure get home the right way and are not able to accommodate last minute changes due to playdates, sleepovers, etc. Thank you for you understanding and attention to this matter!

Garden Valley will be holding our first Book Fair of the year on November 6-13th. The book fair will be open at Parent Teacher Conferences on Thursday, November 7th ONLY due to a scheduling conflict. However, you are able to visit the library after school on the other days of the book fair (November 6, 7, 12, and 13. You can also shop by adding money to your child's/children's e-wallet. This way you do not need to send cash to school with your student. Thank you for supporting our book fair and helping us earn books for our library.

On Friday, October 4th WBSD#7 held the groundbreaking ceremony for the new elementary school that will open in fall of 2026. We had two students who were able to participate in the groundbreaking ceremony, along with Mrs. Heser. Thank you for representing Garden Valley and the future of Williston.

The Coyote Foundation received a donation in memory of Carl HC Anderson. In following his wishes, 7 music teachers were blessed with extra money to help purchase much needed equipment for their classroom. Thank you to Carl HC Anderson and family for this amazing opportunity to help Williston's youth expand their music education.

The week of September 16-20 was Homecoming Week. The students enjoyed the themed dress ups days like pajama day, Camo day, class color day, Grizzly day, and Coyote day. On Grizzly Day the students were greeted in the carline by a huge inflatable grizzly bear. The students loved seeing Mrs. Heser dressed up as a Grizzly bear. 💚🐻💚🐻 On Thursday the paras and teachers had training in shifts so some classes were able to participate in outdoor stations like extra playground time, sidewalk chalk, a nature scavenger hunt, and a movie in the gym. Lots of snakes were spotted on the nature walk.

Winter is coming! In North Dakota you never know when it will be here! It could be nice one day and freezing the next. Mornings are getting cooler and it is a good idea to start sending your child/children in warmer clothing. We will go outside until it is -10 degrees Fahrenheit (actual temp or windchill). Students need snow pants, winter coat, snow boots, hat and gloves everyday. Not having these items is not a reason to stay inside and students without proper winter gear will have to stay on the basketball court for recess. Blankets and slippers are not safe for school, so please leave those items at home. That being said, if you do not have the means to outfit your child/children in winter gear, we are here to help! Please scan this QR code and let us know your child’s/children’s sizes and we will do our best to help you get what you need.

On Friday, October 4th we had our first full Grizzly Gathering of the year. We celebrated our Noticing Awards for August and September. We noticed members of our school family who had been helping build the school family, those who were Goal Getters and were setting goals and doing their best on the tests, and finally the students who had been Brain Smart by participating in our Brain Smart Start and working hard to regulate themselves.The students also sang their Brain Smart songs that they learned in music that went with our monthly theme. We rounded out the assembly with a video of our first month of school made by Ms. Carvey. We look forward to inviting families to our Grizzly Gatherings in the future. Watch for more information.

Parent-Teacher Conferences at our elementary schools will be held on Tuesday, November 5 and Thursday, November 7 from 4:30 - 7:30 PM. Look for details from your student's school on how to sign up for a conference time. WillistonSchools.org

Parent-Teacher Conferences Elementary Schools November 5 & 7 4:30 - 7:30 PM

🔸 𝗙𝗔𝗠𝗜𝗟𝗬 𝗦𝗨𝗥𝗩𝗘𝗬 🔸 https://eprovesurveys.advanc-ed.org/surveys/#/action/263311/p614 The district values family input and feedback, and your student's school wants to hear from you. This Family Survey is designed to help us better understand the quality of services provided to learners and their families.𝗜𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗿𝗲𝗻 𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝘀𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗹, 𝗽𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘁𝗲 𝗮 𝘀𝗲𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝘀𝘂𝗿𝘃𝗲𝘆 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵 𝘀𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗹. The survey results will be used to support our continuous improvement process. Your responses are completely anonymous, and no individual results are reported. Thank you for your participation in this important part of our yearly accreditation review. The survey is open through Friday, November 8th. 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘀𝘂𝗿𝘃𝗲𝘆 𝗱𝗶𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝘀? While WBSD7 has conducted several "community" surveys this year for other purposes, such as assessing overall district communication and gathering feedback on potential school boundaries, this survey is specifically for parents of students enrolled in WBSD7 during the 2024-2025 school year. The questions focus on your experience within your student's specific school, ensuring a more targeted and relevant assessment. Thank you for your participation. Best Regards, WBSD7 Administration For more Survey Information, Please Visit Our Community Feedback Page: www.willistonschools.org/survey Note: The survey deadline has been extended beyond the original date of October 31st to remain open through elementary school parent-teacher conferences.

𝗖𝗢𝗡𝗢𝗖𝗘𝗥 𝗬 𝗦𝗔𝗟𝗨𝗗𝗔𝗥 𝗮 𝗲𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗱𝗶𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗲𝘀 𝗱𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗹𝗲𝘀 🔸Visita con nuestros maestros y coordinador de EL 🔸Conoce a otras familias de EL 🔸¡Llévate un libro gratis a casa! 𝗝𝘂𝗲𝘃𝗲𝘀, 𝟮𝟰 𝗱𝗲 𝗼𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗯𝗿𝗲 De las 4:00 a 5:00 PM Parque Davidson Delante de la Biblioteca Pública Este ambiente es relajado y acogedor. ¿𝗧𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘀 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗴𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗮𝘀? erin.brurud@willistonschools.org ——————————— 𝗠𝗘𝗘𝗧 & 𝗚𝗥𝗘𝗘𝗧 𝗘𝗻𝗴𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗵 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀 🔸Visit with our EL teachers & coordinator 🔸Meet other EL families 🔸Take home a free book! 𝗧𝗵𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗱𝗮𝘆, 𝗢𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝟮𝟰 4:00 to 5:00 PM Davidson Park Across from the Public Library This setting is casual & family-oriented. 𝗤𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀? erin.brurud@willistonschools.org 𝗣𝗗𝗙 𝗙𝗟𝗬𝗘𝗥𝗦 Español: https://5il.co/2z7jc English: https://5il.co/2z7jd

🔸UPDATE: 10/17/24 @ 5:00 PM 𝗪𝗲’𝘃𝗲 𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗱 𝟮𝟮𝟰 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝘀𝘂𝗿𝘃𝗲𝘆𝘀! Can you 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽 𝗗𝗢𝗨𝗕𝗟𝗘 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗻𝘂𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 by the end of the day tomorrow?! 🔸Original Message: 10/17/24 @ 1;00 PM 𝗦𝘂𝗿𝘃𝗲𝘆 𝗟𝗶𝗻𝗸: https://rsp.mysocialpinpoint.com/WBSD7-boundary-process 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗸 𝘆𝗼𝘂 to everyone who participated in the 𝘀𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗹 𝗯𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝘀𝘂𝗿𝘃𝗲𝘆 following the release of yesterday's Fast Facts video (or prior). 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝘂𝗿𝘃𝗲𝘆 𝗶𝘀 𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝗙𝗿𝗶𝗱𝗮𝘆, 𝗢𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝟭𝟴. 𝗢𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁, 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗻𝘂𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝘀𝘂𝗿𝘃𝗲𝘆𝘀 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝟭𝟮𝟬 𝘁𝗼 𝟭𝟴𝟮! While this is a positive step, it still does not represent a significant portion of the parents/guardians of our 5,300 students and over 800 staff members. We understand that this survey may require more time & focus to complete compared to others, as it involves reviewing the background information and definitions of the Guiding Principles, Boundary Criteria, and understanding the Draft Boundary Concept. The complexity of the boundary process is why we have held 𝘁𝘄𝗼 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗺𝗲𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗼𝗽𝗶𝗰 𝘀𝗼 𝗳𝗮𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿, including the community meeting when this survey was launched. The meeting videos and other related information are available on our Community Meeting page (link below). However, 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗸𝗲𝘆 𝗶𝗻𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘀𝘂𝗿𝘃𝗲𝘆 𝗶𝘀 𝗮𝗹𝘀𝗼 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗱 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝘂𝗿𝘃𝗲𝘆 𝗶𝘁𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳. 𝗡𝗼𝘁𝗲: The next community meeting on this topic, as a follow-up to the survey and to discuss next steps, will be held on January 9, 2025. 𝗗𝗥𝗔𝗙𝗧 𝗕𝗢𝗨𝗡𝗗𝗔𝗥𝗬 𝗖𝗢𝗡𝗖𝗘𝗣𝗧 Please remember that the draft boundaries included in the survey are exactly that—a 𝗱𝗿𝗮𝗳𝘁, awaiting your input. 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗱𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗶𝘀 𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗶𝗻 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗯𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 to reflect the needs and preferences of parents, guardians, staff, and community members. We encourage you to take some time today or tomorrow to review the information and complete the survey. This is a major decision, and your voice matters. You can also watch 𝘆𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗱𝗮𝘆'𝘀 𝗙𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝗙𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘀 𝘃𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗼 for a brief overview of the survey. https://youtube.com/shorts/iI4HBefcYPs?feature=share 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗸 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻! The results of this community survey will guide the Board and Administration in establishing the elementary school boundaries. The survey is being conducted by WBSD7's school planning consultants, RSP & Associates. The survey will remain open through Friday, October 18, 2024. 𝗖𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗸 𝘁𝗼 𝗧𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗦𝘂𝗿𝘃𝗲𝘆: https://rsp.mysocialpinpoint.com/WBSD7-boundary-process 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗙𝗲𝗲𝗱𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗣𝗮𝗴𝗲: www.willistonschools.org/page/community-feedback 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗠𝗲𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝗣𝗮𝗴𝗲: www.willistonschools.org/page/community-meetings ⭐𝗣.𝗦. 𝗚𝗲𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘆 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝗴𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗹𝗲 𝗻𝘂𝗱𝗴𝗲 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘂𝘀 𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗿𝗼𝘄—𝗶𝘁'𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘀𝘂𝗿𝘃𝗲𝘆 𝘀𝘂𝗯𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀! 𝗪𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗶𝘀𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗯𝗲 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗺𝗽𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝘂𝗴 𝘆𝗼𝘂 (𝗮𝘁 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗹 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗻𝗲𝘅𝘁 𝘀𝘂𝗿𝘃𝗲𝘆)! #wbsd7 #schoolboundariessurvey