Dear VCS Community,
Time has flown by since spring break. We can’t believe we are headed into the final weeks of the 2023-2024 school year! As culminations are around the corner, we are enjoying all of our last moments with our 5th and 8th graders before they take their next steps.
Before you read on for updates and information specific to Valley Charter, I wanted to point out that May 17th marked the 70th Anniversary of Brown vs. Board of Education, the landmark legislation that declared the “separate but equal” doctrine unconstitutional and launched a new era for public education in America. For the past 70 years, our public education system has been working to bring the promise of Brown vs. Board of Education to life; there is still much work to do. This seminal legislation is the reference point for our “diverse by design” model. It is our goal to be a school that serves a diverse student population where all students and families feel a sense of belonging and where all students progress and achieve. Thank you to the brave students and families who integrated American schools many years ago and to all those who carry on this important work.
Please read below to learn about recent VCS highlights and upcoming events, important information about VCS Board of Directors’ transitions, the SY 24/25 Local Control Accountability Plans (LCAP) for each school, important information about the state education budget, and reminders about important dates to mark for the 2024-2025 school year.
Highlights and upcoming events
VCS Staff Appreciation Week: VCS families and students really let their appreciation shine during the month of May! A huge thank you to all of our families who showered our staff with love and appreciation, with a special thanks to Sandra Arroyo, Tirzah Flores, and Mildred Ramirez for organizing events at VCMS and Alicia Avery, Felicia Collins, Tirzah Flores, and Lori Snyder for organizing events at VCES. We appreciate you right back!
Family volunteerism: Something we wanted to highlight as we near the end of the school year is our gratitude for how our families show up to help our schools so often, in so many different ways. From forming a dad band to volunteering for field trips to decorating the campus for Super Mario Math to facilitating an after-school game club to organizing culminating class gifts, and SO much more, our Valley Charter families support our students and our community every day. Thank you!
VCMS 8th Grade Overnight Trip: On May 8th and 9th, our 8th graders went on their first overnight trip since the pandemic! The 8th grade class went on an overnight trip to Camp E.L.K. in Wrightwood, CA. Archery, rock climbing, a reverse scavenger hunt, s’mores, stargazing, and a faculty v. student volleyball tournament were just some of the fun! Thank you to all of our VCMS and arc staff members who coordinated and chaperoned the trip. Together they brought this experience to life for our 8th grade class!
VCES Laps 4 Learning Fundraising Campaign: On May 2nd, VCES students ran hard, families mingled and cheered, and collectively we raised $85,712, over 10K more than the 75K goal. A huge thank you to Rebecca Avery for spearheading the organization of the campaign, to all of our families and staff members who collected donations and helped to make race day special, to our students for working hard to raise funds and run, and of course to Virginia Wolf, who cheered the students on and whose true identity will remain unknown!
CAASPP testing: Both VCES and VCMS are in the midst of state testing, which includes ELA and math for all 3rd through 8th graders, and the science exam for 5th and 8th graders. While we know this can be a stressful time for students, we have encouraged them to stay focused and use this opportunity to demonstrate their learning. Thank you to all of our families for helping students to eat well, get rest, and show up for the exams with a positive attitude!
VCES Jaxx Performance of Peter Pan: This past weekend, VCES students put on a wonderful and hilarious production of Peter Pan! Congratulations to all of the students who participated!
Mark your calendar for upcoming events!
- VCMS Science Fair on May 23rd. This will be held at our 7th/8th grade site at 5pm.
- VCMS 8th grade grad nite, a trip to Magic Mountain, will be held on May 24th.
- VCMS Color FUNDracer will be held on May 30th! VCMS students- keep up the fundraising!
- VCES 5th grade culmination will be held on Tuesday, June 4th at 3:30. This will be held at the VCES campus in the sanctuary. Please see VCES communications to 5th grade families for more details.
- VCMS 8th grade culmination will be held on Wednesday, June 5th at 4:30. This will be held at the 7th/8th grade campus at 6952 Van Nuys Boulevard in the sanctuary. Please see VCMS communications to 8th grade families for more details.
- VCMS 6th grade field trip to the Wildlife Sanctuary will be held on June 4th.
- VCES annual 5th grade vs. staff kickball game will be held on June 5th.
- The last day of school is June 6th!
- At VCMS, students will celebrate the end of the year with an outdoor grill day for lunch, an obstacle course competition, and school dance!
- At VCES, students will celebrate their year with classroom fun planned by each teacher!
Transition Announcement – Dan Chang, Board Chair
It is with very mixed emotions that I share that Dan Chang will be transitioning out of his role on the Valley Charter Schools’ board of directors to pursue his campaign to run for the District 3 seat of the LAUSD school board. My emotions are mixed because while I support Dan in his next steps, I am very saddened that he will not formally be a part of VCS moving forward, and I will deeply miss his role and guidance in our collective work.
Dan has been involved with the VCS board since 2010 when the school was founded, and has served on the board for the past 14 years, many of them as board chair. He has been a constant and steady voice in advocacy of our schools, and charter schools in general, and a great support to me in these past four years.
I want to thank Dan for his service to Valley Charter Schools; his presence will be greatly missed.
Please read below for a note from Dan:
Dear Valley Charter Community,
Serving on Valley Charter Schools board of directors for the last 14 years (the last 10 as board chair) has been a joy and a privilege. While I will be resigning from the board following May’s meeting, I am excited that Valley Charter has such strong leadership to carry it forward.
I am fortunate to have been able to give back to an organization that has meant so much to me and my family. From number bonds, acorn pancakes, reading goals, and PBLs came wonder and inspiration for my children. I like to think that serving on the board and helping VCS with charter petitions, budgets, hiring, and facilities played a small part in the magic that happens at our schools every day.
Thank you all for being part of VCS’ journey and thank you for allowing me to serve.
Sincerely,
Dan Chang
We will be taking a few steps to ensure stability and a smooth transition for key board roles:
- Angie Saldivar will continue on in her role as board secretary.
- Haleigh Ike’s appointment as board treasurer will be considered at the BOD mtg in May for approval.
- Joni Angel’s appointment as board chair will be considered at the BOD mtg for May for approval.
Provide feedback on the SY 24/25 Local Control and Accountability Plans for each school
At the board meeting on May 23rd, 2024 we will be presenting a draft version of the LCAP for each school for public comment. The final version of the LCAP will be presented on June 27th to the BOD for approval. You can review the drafts here and provide feedback in the LCAP feedback survey link below.
California budget context for SY 2024-2025
If you have been following the state budget conversation, you have likely heard that there is a ~38 billion dollar budget shortfall that is affecting all sectors in our state, including the education sector. Schools and districts across the state will be navigating the implications of the proposed budget; many, including LAUSD, have announced hiring freezes and cuts and several districts, including San Diego and San Francisco unified anticipate layoffs.
VCS has taken a number of on-going steps to support fiscal stability and sustainability, including maintaining a strong reserve, investing our reserve in CDs to leverage savings, strategically pacing out one-time funding allocations, and utilizing grant opportunities through LAUSD.
We do not anticipate layoffs, but we will need to be vigilant about ensuring high daily attendance, which is our main source of revenue, maintaining enrollment, and doubling down on our fundraising efforts. Our biggest priority is maintaining our wonderful program and staff for our students.
Mark your calendars for the 2024-2025 school year!
The first day of school will be Wednesday August 14th, 2024 and this will be a minimum day. VCES’ meet the teachers event will be August 12th and VCMS’ student orientation will be August 13th. A reminder that the 2024-2025 school calendar for next year is available on our website.
We are still accepting applications for the 2024-2025 school
We want more families like yours! If you know someone who is still looking for the right school for their child, please encourage them to apply. Please help us spread the word by sharing the image below and posting it on your social media accounts. Download it or right-click and select ‘Save Image As’ to save it to your device.
Previously shared
VCS Story Collector
Along with 18 other small charter organizations, VCS is a founding member of the LA Public Charter School Collaborative and a key part of our mission is to raise the public’s awareness of what charter schools are and how we serve our communities effectively. To that end, we are collecting stories from our families and staff members about two foundational and impactful elements of VCS: the positive, nurturing relationships between students and staff and the power of our diverse-by-design model. Do you have a personal anecdote that connects to either of these topics? If so, please fill out our VCS Story Collector to share! Our goal is to showcase these stories on our social media platforms and potentially incorporate them into a larger story for a news outlet. Please feel free to reach out to Rebecca Avery or myself if you have any questions.
Best,
Carolyn
Valley Charter Schools 