Mountain Valley School Principal’s Corner Number 5 by Kathy Hill

Can you believe it is already the month of March? 2021 is zooming by and so is our school year. We only have 11 weeks of school left, which does not seem possible. The beginning of the year was so scattered with Covid, but we got into a rhythm the first of November by bringing all students back to in-person learning, and we have not looked back! Consistent vigilance on the part of everyone at MVS has kept us in our amazing school building. There is no doubt in my mind that kids being present in a classroom with a good teacher and connection to other kids is the best way to learn! I love seeing our students everyday reading, learning, laughing and excited to be with their friends and in a place where so many care about them. Thank you to all of the team at MVS (custodial, nutrition services, transportation, Americorps volunteers, paraprofessionals, office staff and the teaching staff) for the great work you are doing each day to keep everyone safe and on track for learning!

Academically, this year has been challenging. It has almost been one full year since the start of this pandemic and the shutdown of schools. Our teaching staff did the best they could to reach out to children at home and provide activities and learning opportunities last spring. But those of you who have young children know how difficult that can be and most kids are not geared to learn in front of a computer screen. I appreciate all the hard work the teachers continue to do to catch kids up as every child across the nation and the world lost ground during the pandemic shut down. First and foremost we want to make sure our students continue to stay virus-free and healthy. At MVS, we are prioritizing emotional health right alongside academic health realizing that the two go hand in hand. Children feel the stress that all of this has brought on and the “normal” things and activities of school have been put on hold. Assemblies, guest speakers, class parties, parent visits, field trips, some sports schedules, and academic competitions have been diminished or canceled completely. I know it will return to the normal hustle and bustle soon, and I hope everyone will not take for granted the opportunities provided to children. Be more involved and engaged with events and activities that take place at our school. Your children deserve it!

Finally, many of you have probably already heard that I will be retiring at the end of this school year. I have spent my entire career here at MVS and feel extremely blessed by the goodness of this community. I have learned so much from all of the students, teachers, staff, and families that I have encountered throughout these years. I am proud to say that I am a lifetime educator and very thankful that I was given this opportunity! We still have 3 full months of school to go and lots of learning to do! I’ll keep everyone posted as the district searches for a new principal and we finish the year strong with another group of MVS graduates! Stay healthy and safe, everyone!

Here’s What’s Happening at MVS.

  • Thursday, 03/04: MS Field Trip/STEAM day to Buffalo Pass Campground
  • Thursday, 03/04: HS basketball (Home in Moffat) vs. Cotopaxi, MS basketball @ Alamosa
  • Friday and Saturday, 03/05-03/06: Hunter Safety Classes 8:00-4:30 pm.
  • Saturday, 03/06: HS Basketball @ Creede 4:00 p.m.
  • Monday, 03/08: Middle and high school volleyball practice begins
  • Thursday, 03/011: End of the 3rd quarter

03/15-03/21: Spring Break. NO SCHOOL

Mountain Valley School Principal’s Corner Number 4 by Kathy Hill

Happy New Year and Welcome to 2021! I am excited to put the past year behind and move forward. It is a brand new calendar year, and we are almost halfway through our school year! Seventeen weeks are now complete, and Mountain Valley School is gearing up to make the last half of this school year positive, successful, and extremely productive!

Our December finished up strong and it was amazing to see the outpouring of generosity from the community and our families to make this Christmas extra special for each of our children. Our MVS Giving Tree was a huge success! We had many folks donate special gifts for children and monetary donations were overwhelming! A special thank you goes out to counselor Lisa Powers for being the brainchild and getting everything going for us! Thank you to school secretary Patty Williams who handled all the logistics, kept everything organized, and spent many extra hours to make sure everything went smoothly! Patty is certainly one of the most vital and important members of our school staff! Staff, kids and families love Patty and we are so appreciative of all her areas of expertise and ability to bring us all together! Thank you to every individual and organization that donated gifts and money so that every child went home with something special! It was wonderful to see the excitement on each child’s face!

New Years always bring the promise of resolutions and a time to start again. As we venture into 2021, we will still be wearing masks, physically distancing, and washing our hands multiple times a day! We will also be caring for our students and families and diligently working to meet every learner’s needs! I am so proud of our students and the way they have stepped up to be safe and stay healthy as we will still be struggling to prevent this virus from attacking our school! Thank you to teachers, staff, and parents for being ever so vigilant to stay home when sick and protect themselves when out in the community. We want to finish the school year with no outbreaks and no times of quarantine! We still have lots of learning time until the end of May, and my hope is that all of us can resolve to move past these temporary inconveniences, stay mentally healthy and strong, take care of our physical being, and work to provide the best education for every child at MVS. I also hope and pray that each family in our community will continue to keep themselves healthy and virus free! Resolve to be kind to yourself and each other this year!

Here’s What’s Happening at MVS:

  • Thursday, 01/07: End of first semester.
  • Monday, 01/11: Start of 2nd semester and 3rd quarter
  • Mon. - Thur., 01/11- 01/14: NWEA Testing Grades 1-11
  • Tuesday, 01/12: Grades Due
  • Tuesday, 01/19: Board of Education regular meeting @6:00 p.m., Upstairs Media Room