The Viking Horn

Welcome to our first edition of the brand new Viking Horn!!!

We will be sharing our school updates and highlights throughout the year through this fun and exciting newsletter. Each edition will begin with a few words from myself as I share important information and kudos about the school here in the "Bham Buzz!" You may hear your children talk about our school as a "Theme Park" this year. I believe in building a climate and culture that is as welcoming as a major Theme Park that we all love to go to! I have talked with our staff about building this through TRUST, RESPECT and FUN! I have expectations that we all (students and staff) will be focused on showing these attributes to each other and most importantly our parents and guardians. In return we ask that you show the same attributes to your students and school staff. We all are working for the same cause of delivering the best education to our students. We are happy you are part of our Viking Family and Decatur Township!!!

-Jack Birmingham

Principal Valley Mills Elementary School

The Decatur Township Drug-Free Coalition is sponsoring a parent program for all Decatur Township families featuring Matt Bellace. The topic is Teen Substance Use Prevention and Mental Health Awareness, two topics of great importance to our community. The guest speaker will also be presenting to students at DTSE, DMS, and DCHS. Please click the link for more information.

Please check out our Back to School Q and A section for questions that many of you may have had!

Q. Can I visit my child at school for a classroom visit or lunch?

A. Due to our district policy and our ongoing construction project at Valley Mills, we are not permitting visitors to the school for the first two weeks of school. At that time we will reassess the space and safety measures in our school to determine a change in the visitor policy at Valley Mills.

Q. What entrance is the main office with construction underway?

A. Our main entrance is temporarily through DOOR 2 WEST. Please enter on the right side of the entry way and proceed through the vestibule and up the steps to our office.

Q. What should I do if I am running late with my students?

A. ALL students who are arriving late MUST BE WALKED IN AND SIGNED IN before the students are permitted to enter a class.

Q. Can I walk my student into the school at arrival time?

A. Parents are NOT permitted to walk their students into the building and this includes car riders. No car riders are to park in any of the parking lots during the arrival time of 7:55am - 8:25am. If you are a car rider, you will need to stay in your vehicle and proceed through the drop-off line.

Q. What can I do for birthday treats for my child's class?

A. All celebrations in the classroom, due to student allergies, must be food free. Please reach out to Valley Mills Elementary should you have more questions.

Q. Where can I find the school rules and policies?

A. You can find our student handbook on the Decatur Township webpage under Valley Mills Elementary.

Please see the English and Spanish flyers for our elementary soccer signups! For questions reach out to our Elementary Athletic Director, Mr. Sean Winkelseth at swinkelseth@decaturproud.org.

Please see our important upcoming dates here at Valley Mills:

Sept. 4 (Monday) - Labor Day NO SCHOOL

Oct. 4 (Wednesday) -Parent Teacher Conferences NO STUDENTS

Oct. 7 through Oct. 22 - Fall Break NO SCHOOL

Nov. 7 - Election Day - eLearning Student Day

Nov. 22-24 - Thanksgiving Break NO SCHOOL

Dec. 22- Jan 7 - Winter Recess NO SCHOOL