Book fair is this week!
Nov 10-Nov 12
2:30pm - 6pm

Registration is officially OPEN for the 19th VanderDash 5K & Fun Run, taking place on Saturday, March 20, 2027, at 8:00 AM!

Join us for one of Vanderlyn’s favorite traditions as our students, families, teachers, and community come together for a morning of fitness, fun, and school spirit!

New this year - more fun for the whole family! We're making VanderDash bigger and better than ever with bouncy houses, face painting, fun activities, and food vendors! Whether you're running, walking, or cheering from the sidelines, there will be something for everyone to enjoy!

Best of all, proceeds from VanderDash directly benefit Vanderlyn students, teachers, and staff through programs and improvements funded by our PTO.

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Important Registration Details:

All registrations include an official VanderDash race shirt when registered by February 12, 2027.

1-Mile Fun Run — $25 per person

5K Race — $30 per person (Early Bird Pricing through December 31, 2026!); $35 per person beginning January 1, 2027

Family Sponsorship — $150

Our Family Sponsorship includes:

Five (5) race entries and race shirts
Your family name featured on the VanderDash website and social media
A VanderDash yard sign to proudly display your support for Vanderlyn
A tax-deductible contribution to the extent allowed by law

EARLY BIRD FAMILY SPONSORSHIP GIVEAWAY!

Register as a Family Sponsor by December 31, 2026, and you’ll automatically be entered for a chance to win one of several exciting prizes from our generous local businesses, including Dunwoody Nature Center, Treetop Quest, Nail Lash Salon, The Coder School, and many more!

How to register as a Family Sponsor: Select “Multi-Person Pricing” at the bottom of the Event Registration page and choose “Family Sponsorship.” Then click “Add Another Registrant” to add up to five participants.

REGISTER FOR VANDERDASH HERE!

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Run for Your Class, Win a Popsicle Party!

We’re bringing back a little friendly competition! The class in each grade with the most student registrations will win a POPSICLE PARTY!

IMPORTANT WHEN REGISTERING: Please select your child’s teacher ONLY when registering a current Vanderlyn student. Parents, siblings who are not current Vanderlyn students, and other family members should register as “Parent/Community Member” rather than under a teacher’s name. This helps us accurately track classroom participation!

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Become a VanderDash Sponsor!

Thanks to the generosity of our Dunwoody community, VanderDash has historically raised more than $20,000 annually, helping fund important PTO initiatives such as media center improvements, teacher training, and other resources that directly benefit our school.

We offer several sponsorship levels, including Diamond, Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze, and Friend of VanderDash, with benefits ranging from a booth on race day to recognition on race shirts, our website and social media promotion, and more!

Sponsorship commitments and payments are due by January 31, 2027, to ensure inclusion on printed race materials.

Interested businesses can complete the 2027 Sponsorship Form or contact us at Viking.Vanderdash@gmail.com

Thank you so much for your support!

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To find up to date information on the DCSD Student Assignment Project (SAP) please click here or find the link under parent resources.

Starting August 24th

Vanderlyn Sponsorship Family

If your business is interested in becoming an Annual Sponsor or you would like to learn more, please contact us at vanderlynannualfund@gmail.com

Your help is needed! Please consider volunteering your time and joining one of our PTO Committees (click here for descriptions of each!). To learn more about how you can get involved or for information about chairing a committee, please reach out to vanderlynelempto@gmail.com.

Download the App now! Add a grade level when you scan your receipts. The App will show which grade level has earned the most BoxTops for Vanderlyn.

Connect your BoxTops account to your Walmart account by 8/31/24 and earn and additional 50 points for Vanderlyn.

Curious how Vanderlyn is performing?

Moving to Dunwoody and want to know how schools compare?

Statewide Assessments. Check out Dekalb County’s new Data Dashboard available at https://www.dekalbschoolsga.org/data-dashboards/accountability-reports/. This Dashboard includes information from the Georgia Governor’s Office of Student Achievement (GOSA). The GOSA provides school reports for all public elementary, middle, and high schools in Georgia. These reports include information such as:

performance on statewide assessments,
make-up of the school’s student body, and
graduation rate for high schools.

These reports also include each school’s College and Career Ready Performance Index (CCRPI). CCRPI is a comprehensive school improvement, accountability, and communication platform that measures college and career readiness for all Georgia public school students.

Click here for Vanderlyn’s latest CCRPI. In the area of Content Mastery, Vanderlyn earned a perfect score of 100.

State Level Awards. In 2023, Vanderlyn earned the Literacy Leader distinction from the Georgia Department of Education for outstanding reading achievement, with Vanderlyn students achieving 96% mastery in Reading on the Georgia Milestones assessment. Our school has consistently been recognized by the Georgia Governor’s Office of Student Achievement as a High Performing School, including winning the Platinum Award in the Highest Performing category in both 2011 and 2015. Vanderlyn was named a 2011 Georgia School of Excellence by the State School Superintendent, placing Vanderlyn in the top 10% of schools in the state.

STEM Certification. Vanderlyn is AdvancED STEM and Cognia certified. We have completed this arduous process twice!

Family and Community Involvement. Our families and local community are integral to Vanderlyn's success. Vanderlyn celebrates annual events such as STEM Career Day, National STEM Day, PBL Showcase, Passport to the World, Vocabulary Hat Parade, Art Showcase, as well as musical and dance performances. VanderDash, our largest school-community event, annually raises over $20,000, and has funded teacher training and improvements to the school, including playground updates, mobile computer carts, laptops and grade level tablets, our outdoor Courtyard Classroom, media center & staff lounge upgrades and flexible student seating.

Student Competitions. Our students regularly win accolades in the Helen Ruffin Reading Bowl, state-level Science Olympiad, Econ Games, DCSD Technology Fair, and Math Olympiad.

Safety and Security: The safety and well-being of students is Vanderlyn's top priority. Vanderlyn has received an average score of 100 on our Annual Safe School Audits.

Mobile App Directory and Calendar

PTO members can access the school directory and calendar from the Membership Toolkit App. This App is currently available for free in the Apple and Google stores.
You can toggle between up to 4 organizations you belong to using Membership Toolkit.
Subscribe to the calendar by clicking on the menu bar (top left) > gear icon (settings) > Manage Subscriptions

Website Directory and Calendar

PTO members can access the school directory HERE. To update your family’s account and publishing preferences for the Directory, click HERE.
Add important school dates to your personal calendar (Google or Mac Calendar). To subscribe to the calendar, click HERE > subscribe to “Vanderlyn Elementary PTO - Dekalb County SD, GA Calendars”.

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