Please check out Mr. Clayton's May 3rd Friday Message. It includes important information, including:
- Thank you PTO and Coach Dwyer for successful field days!
- Thank you 1st grade families, PTO, and Kaplan Orthodontics for the teacher luncheon today!
- No ASEDP on the last day of school, May 22nd
- ASEDP lottery info and program
- EIM dance club last class is May 17th
- Kindergarten class parties: May 21st, at 1:00 pm
- 1st grade barnyard musical: May 10th (8:00 - 8:30 am)
- 3rd grade wax museum presentation: May 14 (8:45 - 9:15 am)
- Good luck Science Olympiad students at state!
- Congrats to 3 former VES students participating in the Governor's Honors Program
Thank you, Viking families, for an AMAZING job beautifying our school grounds this Saturday! Thank you to Dunwoody Community Garden for donating plants!
Special shout-out to our awesome Grounds Day Co-Chairs, Darbie Saunders and Taylor Levinson!
THE GREAT CREATIVE Re-use and Recycle ART SCAVENGER HUNT!
This list was CREATED BY: the children of Vanderlyn!
OBJECTIVE:
To hunt for and find interesting items we can reuse and recycle into beautiful art treasures in the Makerspace in the Art Room! No buying, just finding unused items to treasure and re-use!
GOAL:
To Scavenge and search for interesting items in “that drawer/closet/basement corner/box in the garage that hides random, unused objects.” “My house has one!”
“Most every home has one/some”—"We would LOVE those forgotten/hidden found items!”
WHO:
Vanderlyn Students and Families
WHAT:
Found/unused items at home to reuse and recycle
WHEN:
“Today! Tomorrow! Everyday is a GREAT DAY!”
WHY?
“Because We like it—scavenger hunts are fun!”
HOW:
In a clear Ziploc gallon sized bag --“We’ll re-use that as well!
FROM THE KIDS:
“Please: nothing smelly or sticky or biological!”
“We love, love, love to create!”
Click HERE for our Art Scavenger Hunt list!
Parents, it's time to buy your 1st Day School Supplies! It seems early, but before you know it, summer will be here. Order your supplies before it's too late or supplies run out. Start the school year with the exact supplies your teacher requested, and give your child the confidence they need to conquer next year! Get them today before it's too late!
PTO Nominating Committee
The Nominating Committee
Co-President: Marcy Ames
Co-President: Katie Louviere
1st Vice President Community Outreach: Jeanne Walters
1st Vice President Education: Rachel Presby
2nd Vice President Health & Wellbeing: Shannon Dixon
2nd Vice President Ways & Means: Katie Whalen
Secretary: Bailey Dean
Treasurer: Angela Doyle
Assistant Treasurer: Sam Dorfman
Posted by the Nominating Committee:
Kate Koulouris, Kristin Curylo, Laura Wallace, Jeanne Walters, Bailey Dean, Katie Louviere
The PTO will hold an election of officers for the 2024-2025 school year at the PTO General Membership Meeting on April 12th at 2:30 pm. All PTO members are invited to attend!
Thank you, Vikings!!
Thank you again to our wonderful corporate sponsors, family sponsors, participants, volunteers, and AMAZING Vanderlyn community for making the 2024 VANDERDASH a huge success!
Missing something?
Is your child missing a water bottle or a jacket? Please ask them to check Vanderlyn's lost and found. Lost and Found items are located in the cafeteria. Next time you're in the school building, please take a look!
Any items not picked up by the end of the school year will be donated.
Vanderlyn Student Runner-Up in Dekalb County School District Spelling Bee!
Vanderlyn spelling bee winner, Adhvik R., is the runner-up in the DeKalb County School District bee. Adhvik is a fourth grader and competed against students in grades 4 through 8. He will participate in the GAE (Georgia Association of Educators) Region 4 Bee on February 24. We are so proud of Adhvik and wish him well at Regionals.
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.
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performance on statewide assessments,
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make-up of the school’s student body, and
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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.
Thank you for Supporting the Warm Clothes Drive!
The clothing drive was a HUGE success! Thank you to everyone who participated! Please look out for our events as we continue to support our community and school.
Happy holidays!
Vanderlyn Helping Hands Club
Don't Forget to Donate to the Annual Fund!
Thank you, Viking families, for your generous donations so far this school year! We are up to 90% of our Annual Fund goal for the year!
Does your company have a matching gift program? In some cases, companies will double or even triple the portion of a donation that is tax deductible. Please ask your employer! The PTO will provide you the details necessary for completing the matching gift paperwork.
Did you know that your donation is tax deductible? Our PTO is classified as a public charity and has been granted 501(c)(3) non-profit status. Our tax ID number is 46-5137968. 100% of your donation is tax-deductible as provided by law. Just one more reason to help your community school by donating to the Annual Fund!
Email us at vanderlynannualfund@gmail.com if you have any questions!
Click here for Mrs. Crenshaw's final Principal's Post! It includes important information, including:
- Thank you from Mrs. Crenshaw!
- Welcome Dr. Ann Culbreath: Interim Principal
- Superintendent Horton Visits Vanderlyn
- STEM/PBL Showcase: A 3D Approach in Action (with video!)
- In Memoriam of Rose Rubin, former student at Vanderlyn
- Warm Clothes Drive
- Third Grade PBL in Action: Native Americans (with video!)
- Volunteers Needed to help with Carpool
- Student Code of Conduct
- School Safety and Security
- Stay Connected
- School Messenger
- School Meals
- Bus Routes
- Medication Forms
- COVID 19 Quarantine & Isolation Guidance
- Who to Contact with Questions
- 2023-2024 School Calendar
Vanderlyn Featured in DCSD Video
Vanderlyn was featured in DCSD Superintendent Horton's most recent newsletter, "Hitting the Road with Horton". Click here to watch the video!
Dekalb Superintendent Visits Vanderlyn
Vanderlyn welcomed Superintendent Dr. Devon Horton this week for a quick visit! Dr. Horton plans to visit every school in Dekalb County School District by the end of this school year. These visits are designed as an opportunity for the Superintendent to hear from principals, teachers, students, parents and community members their thoughts on what is happening in the school and community and also suggestions for how we can improve as a district. The Vanderlyn team thoroughly enjoyed Dr. Horton's visit!
2023-2024 Principal Advisory Council Elections
Congratulations to the following members on their election to the 2023-2024 Vanderlyn Principal Advisory Council (PAC):
- Demetreia Adderley - Teacher Representative
- Bhagyashree Deshmukhe - Parent Representative
- Tambryn Freund - Parent Representative
- Susan Stebbins - Parent Representative
Elected members of the PAC serve a 2-year term. The following members will complete their second term as members of the PAC for the 2023-2024 school year:
- Tasmiea Zaman - Teacher Representative
- Jennifer Dees - Parent Representative
- Lauren Brown - Parent Representative
Questions about the PAC? Please reach out to: vanderlynes_pacchair@dekalbschoolsga.org
Additional info about the PAC can be found at the following links:
Let's Make the 2024 VanderDash the Best One Yet!
Vanderlyn Families,
Please wear your VanderDash shirts as you patron businesses and ask them to sponsor VanderDash 2024. Feel free to grab a business card and send an intro email to the VanderDash Team to follow up on sponsorship interest. You can also have the business reach out to this email address for more sponsorship information: viking.vanderdash@gmail.com
As we are still recruiting volunteers for this committee for support before the event day, during the event and after the event day, please consider volunteering your time! We have plenty of opportunities to volunteer throughout the planning process and even the day of event facilitation.
Here are some examples of the volunteer tasks we will have available:
- New sponsor outreach
- Preparing marketing materials for social media outreach
- Race bag stuffing (1-2hrs)
- Directing volunteers (for race bag stuffing, packet pick up, shirt sorting, etc.)
- Race packet pick up (1-2 hrs)
- T-shirt sorting
- Race day water stations
- Directing high school volunteers on the course
- Vander the Viking mascot during race
- Teacher luncheon set up and clean up
- Class competition bulletin board and popsicle distribution for top classes
- Distribute and collect family sponsor yard signs
...and many more opportunities to get involved! Have a skill that you want to put to use in volunteering? Reach out to the team at viking.vanderdash@gmail.com and we'll find an opportunity for you to use that skill to support the VanderDash event!
Thank you for supporting Vanderlyn's VanderDash 2024!!!
VanderDash Committee
Congratulations, Vanderlyn!
On Friday, September, 15th, State School Superintendent Richard Woods honored schools across the state that demonstrated high achievement in Reading on the Spring 2023 Georgia Milestones Assessment. This award is presented to administrative literacy leaders who have recognized the importance of building a culture of literacy within a school by offering literacy professional development, instructional resource support, and/or developing specific literacy programs to build capacity and increase student literacy achievement.
Vanderlyn was recognized as the top performing school in the DCSD with 96% achievement rate on the 3rd grade Georgia Milestones in Reading! State Superintendent Woods presented Vanderlyn with the prestigious Literacy Leader Award Banner for outstanding achievement in reading. Kudos to our amazing 3rd grade team, Mrs. Hamilton, Ms. Kaye, and Ms. Garcia (Spring 23) who exceeded the bar in literacy instruction!
Vanderlyn Elementary PTO is proud to offer some very exciting field trips for our students during the 2023-2024 school year!
We are very pleased to announce that for the fall semester, all grade levels will be traveling to the Sloomoo Institute of Atlanta!
This year we are asking for $35 per child to help cover the cost of admission and transportation for all students and staff members for 2 field trips per grade level. This includes the fall trip to the Sloomoo Institute, as well as an additional spring trip for each grade level. More information about spring field trips is forthcoming.
Here are the step-by-step instructions on how to pay for your child's 2023-24 Field Trips:
1. Click HERE and log-in to your account.
2. Under "New Forms", click on "2023-2024 Field Trip Fees" for EACH child.
3. Pay the fees and get excited about some awesome field trips!
Thanks,
Vanderlyn PTO
New to Vanderlyn?
Know a family who's considering our school?
Click HERE to sign up for available dates to tour our school. Tours are led by a parent volunteer. All tours begin at 10:00AM and should last about an hour.
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 Whitney Gaines and Marcy Ames at vanderlynelempto@gmail.com.
Parents: Don't Miss Out on Important Info!
Make sure your PTO registration is up-to-date TODAY!
Go to Vanderlyn’s MEMBERSHIP TOOLKIT at www.vanderlynpto.org to:
- create or reactivate your online account,
- update your directory information, and
- subscribe to Viking Views weekly communications.
Click on“My Account” and “My Account and Online Forms” to:
- fill out the OPEN FORMS (Annual Fund Donation, Student Fees, and PTO Membership) and
- pay for your student’s items with a credit card.
Questions? Contact Whitney Gaines or Marcy Ames at vanderlynelemPTO@gmail.com.
Don't forget to follow us on social media!
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/vanderlynelementary
- Instagram: @VanderlynPTO
Outdoor Classroom Dedication
On May 16, 2023, the Vanderlyn PTO, on behalf of our families and staff, dedicated the Outdoor Classroom to Mrs. Crenshaw as a special recognition and appreciation for her 15 years of service, dedication and leadership as Vanderlyn’s principal.
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.
First grade is currently in the LEAD! Will they keep that lead in September?
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”.
Weekly Newsletter
- To subscribe to our weekly newsletter, click HERE > subscribe to “Newsletters and Communications”.
School Messenger
- Opt-in to School Messenger to ensure that you are receiving direct notifications from the school and from the district!
Social Media
- Follow us on Social Media!
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/vanderlynelementary
Instagram: @VanderlynPTO