Eagle Scout "Elf" Visits Victoria

I remember a fairytale story from my childhood with the title The Elves and the Shoemaker. As you may recall from this story, while the shoemaker was fast asleep in bed at night, little elves visited his shop and sewed beautiful shoes and slippers for him. When the shoemaker awoke the next morning, he was surprised and pleased at this nice surprise!

Well, Victoria had a similar experience this weekend. While all of the teachers and students were away for the weekend, Victoria was visited by some "elves" who completed a surprise for us! Andrew Pettit, a former Victoria student (class of 2009), completed his Eagle Scout project at Victoria. Andrew has spent the last year planning and raising money to fund his project – reading benches for us!

With cement, screwdrivers, and shovels in hand, Andrew and his crew of "elves" met here early Saturday morning to begin working their magic! Together they assembled, mounted, and cemented in six sturdy benches – two each under the shady trees in front of rooms 3, 7, and 9.

Students for many years to come will be able to enjoy sitting on these benches while reading in the shade or working outside the classroom while still being under the watchful supervision of their teachers. A huge THANK YOU to Andrew for selecting Victoria to be the recipient of his Eagle Scout Project and to his family and crew of "elves" who helped him!

Congratulation to our Employees of the Year

Mr. Arturo Juario, Jr. - 6th Grade Teacher

It is with great pleasure that I announce Mr. Arturo Juario as Victoria’s Teacher-of-the-Year for 2009-2010. As part of the Professional Learning Community at Victoria School, Mr. Juario meets with his team during grade level meetings to plan lessons and interventions that target the needs of each student in our sixth grade. He is valued by his colleagues, his students, and their parents.

Mr. Juario is a skilled, professional teacher. He quickly gains the confidence of the parents and students by making it a point to get to know each of them. They view him as a valuable resource and solid educator. He is an outstanding math teacher – often yielding some of the highest scores in the district. In his classroom, he brings his experience and intuition about children together by focusing on each child. Core curriculum is enriched with activities such as the Probability Carnival, the PI Scavenger Hunt, the Dragon Parade, mummifying Cornish game hens, etc. In a very natural and caring fashion, he sets about finding the natural balance of reassurance and challenge each of them need … and they respond. He doesn’t give up nor does he let the students give up on their quest for academic success. For years, he has voluntarily tutored struggling students in math twice a week before school (7-7:30 am). Students leave his classroom well-prepared to meet the challenges and rigor of middle school.

Besides his ability to supply high quality meaningful instruction to students, Mr. Juario’s expertise has allowed us to rely on him in a variety of ways. He is often the “go-to” person for questions relating to math, science, and technology. Art has taken on the challenge of publishing the school’s yearbook the past seven year; it is second to none!

Mr. Juario spends numerous hours working with students and parents in extra activities. He works tirelessly with our Outdoor Ed. Booster Club to raise money for our annual sixth grade science camp, attends all the monthly meetings, and supervises car washes, spaghetti dinners, pancake breakfasts, etc.

Mr. Juario devotes extra effort to working directly with the parents of the students he serves. He effectively communicates with parents and helps them understand how to best help their children within the context of the school environment and at home. He has invited parents into his room and takes the time to explain each child’s varying needs and the strategies that will best assist him/her. His knowledge and expertise have been invaluable in supporting his students and their parents.

Mrs. Jeri Read - Library Media Assistant

The staff at Victoria School has selected Mrs. Read as our Classified Employee-of-the-Year for 2010. Comments from the staff include the following:

“Mrs. Read helped to orchestrate our Target Library Makeover last fall. Rather than taking the easy route and closing down the library during the renovation, Mrs. Read communicated the importance of reading to our students by setting up a ‘mobile library’ so students could continue to check out books every week. Mrs. Read worked alongside the volunteers to make the transition from the old library to the new library as seamless as possible.”

“Mrs. Read goes above and beyond her duties as library media assistant to instill in students a love of learning and a passion for reading. As part of the Victoria staff, Mrs. Read assumes responsibility in increasing student achievement by working with students before and after school. She oversees our AR program – inventing fun incentives. In addition to the library, she oversees the computer lab. Mrs. Read is one of our go-to people for questions regarding technology. We love Mrs. Read!”

“Mrs. Read is amazing! She is a kind, personable, efficient staff member. She shows caring for not only the students, but parents and staff. Students love to come to the library to read with Mrs. Read.”

“Recognizing the overwhelming tasks of the teachers, Mrs. Read has volunteered to input all assessment data in to DataDirector for all grade levels. Thank you Mrs. Read.”

“Mrs. Read always has a cheerful attitude! She is well-organized in her work and great with students. She is seen around campus spreading cheer and enthusiasm for being at school to learn.”

“Mrs. Read is a very kind person who always wears a smile regardless of what is going on around her (bad day, busy day, etc.) She is helpful to the staff, parents, and students.”

Victoria Loves Our Volunteers

On Tuesday, May 25th we held our annual Volunteer Tea. Staff spruced up the Multi-purpose room with tablecothes and freshly-cut roses from our gardens displayed in china tea cups to create an atmosphere appropriate for such a special event. Staff also prepared fancy "tea-party" refreshments to accompany iced-tea and lemonade.

This year, we recognized a total of sixty-six volunteers who gave of their time to help make our school a better place. These volunteers have been seen throughout the school year helping in the classrooms, assisting students in the library or computer lab, chaparoning field trips, making copies, reading with students, organizing activities, working out (exercising/playing) with students before school and at recess (RoadRunners), and in manyother ways.

Mrs. Tammy Schipske (pictured in below, sitting on the right) was selected as Victoria's Volunteer of the Year. This is what one teacher said about Mrs. Schipske:

Tammy Schipske is an awesome volunteer who goes above and beyond the call of duty. She is seen working around Victoria 24/7 (or at least 7.5/5) doing everything and anything needed by any student or any staff members. Her volunteer 'duties' are endless - helping in classrooms and the library, actively participating in P.T.A., laminating for teachers, and doing whatever else is needed. She helps in every way possible and always with a big smile on her face.

We LOVE you Victoria Volunteers! Thank you all for helping us have another successful school year!