Hello all! Wow, what a gorgeous Fall day!

We have been very lucky with the amazing weather, especially as we sit outside for lunch...fingers crossed the rain waits until tomorrow evening:)

Tomorrow is SPIRIT Day!  Please encourage your child to wear Vestal gear or anything that supports messages of Social Justice!

This week in Art:
Hello wonderful Vestal families!
Thank you to ALL Vestal students, for making my first week of being an Art teacher amazing!
For those of you who who are new to the Vestal community, I am Ms. Breaux (rhymes with crow,
one of my favorite birds). I have been a Kindergarten Educational Assistant at Vestal for the
past 5 years, and earned a master’s degree in teaching in 2020. I am thrilled to be Amy Steel’s
successor here, and I will do my best to fill her big shoes.I am so happy to get to teach many of
my former Kindergarteners again, and to teach new students, too.
We have had a pretty chill week in Art, starting with a small drawing project for 1st-5th grade
students, about some things that are important to them and goals they have (big and small). It
has given me a chance to get to know each student a bit more. I will be assembling these for
each class, and will have them up in the Art room next week.
In Kindergarten, we read a book about rainbows and students colored their own rainbows, too. I
was informed by a Kindergarten scientist that my rainbow was upside-down (I now know that
purple is at the bottom!); I absolutely LOVE learning things from my students, and I will take that
note and do better next time!

PTA Updates
-We will be doing another Community Clean up Day from 10am-12pm on Saturday, September 25th!  More info on what to bring but mark your calendar.
-A PTA info form is going home this week with kiddos about all things PTA and where/how you can help.  Keep an eye out!  There are lots of ways to get involved!
-Free Vestal yard signs will be available Friday at pick up!  If you can’t be there and want one, please email vestalelementarypta@gmail.com and we will get you one!

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend, I will be away from school tomorrow taking my oldest to his sophomore year at OSU...hard to believe...it really goes by so fast! Enjoy your young ones!

Vestal Peace, Sabrina Flamoe

Hello wonderful Vestal community-

This week feels  like we are in full swing! We have all of out students, Kindergarten through 5th grade here every day all day!

 A few notes-

• Today, we had out first fire drill and the students did an exceptional job! You may want to ask your child about the drill...it can be scary for our youngest students and it is certainly loud!

• SITE Council- Every school in PPS has a SITE council. This is a group of teacher, parents, and admin who meet once/month throughout the year to discuss Vestal's goals and vision. If you are interested in being on our SITE council, please email me. Our first meeting will be Oct. 11th from 2:30- 3:30. We’d LOVE to have you join us!

• YARD SIGNS will be available Friday afternoon! Please come take one from the grassy area by the front door! WE’d love to have them all throughout the neighborhood!

• TECHNOLOGY- After some new information from the district, we are now requesting that all students bring back the technology you used during last school year. Please return the computer and charger to your classroom teacher any day next week!

• We use our Facebook page for great pictures and reminders of big events. Starting NOW the facebook page will be marked private and you will need permission to access. Please request permission!

• Every Friday is Vestal Spirit Day! Wear your Vestal colors, tshirt, hat, or any clothes will social justice messages!

Vestal Peace, Sabrina Flamoe

NOTES from our Specialists!

Each week, a different specialist teacher (PE, ART, MUSIC, and LIBRARY) will have a note  in Community News. This week...it is PE!

This week in Physical Education: 

Hello amazing Vestal Families. This week in physical education we are starting the special superstars awards program where each class can earn a popsicle party for being a safe, kind learner while participating in their special areas classes. Ask your student to fill you in as they have been introduced to the new program. 

In Physical Education we have hit the ground running learning our daily warm up routine and progressing to playing a socially distanced game called extreme rock, paper, scissors.It is so great to see your students back in the gym. This game focuses on getting to know one another while we use different movement patterns to navigate a game board. Hand sanitizer as well as breathing zones and spots for a water break have been safely set up throughout the gym. Keeping your child safe is our number one priority. Be on the lookout for a spotlight each week with a focus on Art next week. Thanks so much! 

Coach C

Hello all! We have had a wonderful first two days back at school!

Each Thursday I will send out a Community News email with updates on the week and upcoming events. Starting next week, PTA will include information AND each week one of our four specialists (PE, MUSIC, LIBRARY and ART) will include information about their classes.

Each FRIDAY is Vestal Spirit Day...this is simply a day to celebrate our pride in our community! Kids and staff are encouraged to wear Vestal hats and t-shirts OR clothing with messages of social justice, hope, peace...and often rainbows!

One big message reminder today- PARKING and pick up time...it is quite crowded at pick up time. We need everyone to follow parking rules and this includes..

* NOT driving onto the playground anytime from 2:00-3:00....NOT AT ALL...please be courteous to staff if they need to remind you.

It simply isn't safe with so many people....mostly children, on the playground...so PLEASE NO moving cars!

* There are clearly marked no parking zones for the buses....please respect these guidelines...DO NOT PARK in bus zones. We had a car parked in an illegal spot that kept a bus from getting through....student shad to wait 40 minutes to get on their bus....it really matters.

* The whole goal is to keep kids safe...are we all need to work together...we are better together!

Thanks so very much!

Vestal Peace! Sabrina Flamoe

Hello all, I am writing on the evening of our last day of the school year.

It has absolutely been a year like none other.

There have been struggles and small victories throughout this past school year and certainly lots of growth.

I am hopeful that at some point in the future I might be able to reflect upon and write something that actually sort of captures the overwhelmingly of this past year.

However, that time is not yet...I can tell!

I'd like to simply say a huge and grateful thank you to everyone that has stuck with the Vestal Community throughout this year.

One goal at the beginning of this pandemic was that we were able to keep our school community a community- through distance, change, more distance, and more change...and so much uncertainty.

We remain a beautiful diverse, unique community and are already looking forward to the fall and re-connecting...putting the pieces back together into ONE WHOLE VESTAL VILLAGE.

For now, though, let's enjoy tomorrow and plan for lots of REST and lots of PLAY this summer!

With hope and in peace,

Sabrina Flamoe

A parent of a graduating 5th grader, Christine Spix, wrote this lovely Ode to Vestal today. It is a beautifully written reflection. I asked Chris if  could share, and thankfully she said YES!

An ode to Vestal ~ Before we knew you, you were just an old building sitting on the ever busy 82nd avenue. You seemed intimidating and mysterious. Yet when we walked your halls and began to explore what lay behind your hard brick exterior, we found something more then an education ~ we found community. Not a community that we personally crafted to fit our lifestyle, but one that truly reflected this eclectic neighborhood we call home  You taught us that learning does not just consist of books and facts to be memorized. Learning is what happens when we discover what is possible when we keep showing up to our community, everyday ~ every week~ every month & every year. The journey with you was not a lovely stroll, it was more of a climb with many switch backs and rocky terrain. Yet after 8 years of building & growing with you I can say the view from the top was worth every single step along the way. The lessons we learned being a part of the Vestal community will stay with us the rest of our lives and onward we will go with the Vestal values etched in our hearts. No longer are you just a building on a busy street ~ you are a constant daily reminder of what is possible when we believe in each other .

#vestalaschoolforsocialjustice 

Dear PPS Families and Students,

We are pleased to share that more than 6,500 PPS staff have reported being fully vaccinated. As the first K-12 school district in the state of Oregon to announce vaccine requirements for all staff, we know the importance of everyone doing their part to end this pandemic by getting vaccinated against COVID-19.

Dear PPS Community,

Thanks to your feedback, we continue to make refinements to our COVID-19 Dashboard, making it even easier for PPS families to see the latest reports of students or staff who have been asked to isolate or quarantine.

Dear PPS Families,

Last week we shared with you a short survey that will help us know how many of our students (ages 12 and older) are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and/or desire to quickly access the vaccine for younger students  (age 5 to 11, once approved). As of Thursday morning (September 23) , more than 23% of students have completed the survey, with 94% reporting that they were fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

Dear PPS families,

As students need to quarantine and/or isolate due to a potential COVID-19 exposure, we want to provide you and your student with clarity on the guidance and the resources we are making available to teachers, schools and your family so that your student can continue learning from home if it is required.