Vandalia Elementary School

Dear Vandalia #203 Staff and Families, We are so excited to start the 21-22 school year! I know there is a lot of noise around COVID mandates, recommendations, and mitigation measures. My request is that we focus on having an excellent start to the school year. I believe this is the best thing we can do for the mental health of our children. Going to school five days a week on a normal schedule will be my priority. We believe in local control and that is why I signed on as a leader of #MakeItLocalIL. My recommendations regarding how to start the school year have not changed. There is not a one size fits all model in IL as each community is different. My ask is that we figure this out in Vandalia together as a community. #VandalStrong is not something we hang our hats on only when times are easy, but we do the same and come together during difficult times as well. We can do this for our children. If we start school and see a spike of COVID cases being spread inside our walls and into our community, we will adjust to the specific situation. To our staff and students getting vaccinated so you do not have to wear a mask or quarantine, I hear you. To the families of children in grades PreK-6 who are not eligible for the vaccine and have concerns over the variants, I hear you. To the parents who oppose masks, quarantines, or vaccines, I hear you. Every single voice is important. The vaccine is available for those 12 and above now so families have choices that we did not have in August of 2020. We may not all get exactly what we want each day of the school year but please help me in coming together to do this as ONE Town, ONE School, and ONE family. I will end by emphasizing once again that my priority is going to school five days a week on a normal schedule. The rest will fall into place. Yes there will probably be some bumps in the road but I am ready for the buses to roll and welcome our students to the 21-22 school year! #VandalStrong Jennifer Garrison

Online registration is now active! For Previously enrolled students please login to teacherease with your parent account. For new registrations please use this link. https://www.teacherease.com/NewFamilyRegistration.aspx?refid=00d6c98b-e4a6-45cb-bea7-3e4011ffac68

Vandalia CUSD #203 is hiring a 2nd shift custodian for VCHS. This is a 12 month position with benefits. Please email jgarrison@vandals203.org for an application or fill one out at the district office located at VCHS Door 9. Deadline for applying is July 29th.

"DATE CHANGE": VCUSD#203 Online Registration will begin "Friday, July 23, 2021". Registration will take place online using our school management system, Teacherease. To complete registration items, please sign in to the Parent Portal at https://www.teacherease.com/. If you do not have a Parent Portal Account, please contact your child's school. You may also register in-person at the following buildings and times: VES In-Person Registration Times ● 8/4/21 - 8am-3pm ● 8/5/21 - 10am-6pm VJHS In-Person Registration: ●8/4/21 - 8am-3pm ●8/5/21 - 10am-6pm VCHS In-Person Registration: ●8/4/21 - 8am-3pm ●8/5/21 - 10am-6pm Overflow day for all buildings 8/6/21 8am-12pm. Registration Information and School Supply lists can be found on our school website: www.vandals203.org : Click the 2021 VCUSD REGISTRATION INFORMATION link

Vandalia CUSD #203 is hiring a bus mechanic! This is a 12 month position with benefits. Applicants must be 21 and able to obtain a CDL with bus endorsement. For more information on how to apply and job duties, please contact Mrs. Smith, Transportation Director, via email at wsmith@vandals203.org or call (618) 283-8110.

VCUSD#203 Online Registration will begin Wednesday, July 21, 2021. Registration will take place online using our school management system, Teacherease. To complete registration items, please sign in to the Parent Portal at https://www.teacherease.com/. If you do not have a Parent Portal Account, please contact your child's school. You may also register in-person at the following buildings and times: VES In-Person Registration Times ● 8/4/21 - 8am-3pm ● 8/5/21 - 10am-6pm VJHS In-Person Registration: ●8/4/21 - 8am-3pm ●8/5/21 - 10am-6pm VCHS In-Person Registration: ●8/4/21 - 8am-3pm ●8/5/21 - 10am-6pm Overflow day for all buildings 8/6/21 8am-12pm. Registration Information and School Supply lists can be found on our school website: www.vandals203.org : Click the 2021 VCUSD REGISTRATION INFORMATION link

The district's phone lines are back up and running.

Our phone lines have been down since noon today we have contacted our service provider and appears to be an area outage. We are waiting for the issue be resolved by our provider. Sorry for the inconvenience we will message out when our phone lines are active again.

Good evening. I am pleased to announce that CDC/IDPH/ISBE recognizes local control during Phase 5 as stated in the following paragraph. "Together with local public health officials, school administrators should consider multiple factors when they make decisions about implementing layered prevention strategies against COVI-19. Since schools typically serve their surrounding communities, decisions should be based on the school population, families, and students served, as well as their communities". The 21-22 school year will begin with a mask optional policy based on our current conditions. We removed layers of mitigations one at a time during the 20-21 school year as we returned to in person learning 5 days a week during the second semester. We are in an excellent place to take this next step. We will continue to monitor the health of our students and staff and adjust accordingly if needed. Enjoy the rest of your summer and see you in August! #VandalStrong

Vandalia CUSD #203 is hiring for the position of VJHS Secretary. This is a 12 month position with benefits. Please submit a cover letter, resume, and 3 references to Mr. Kern, VJHS Principal, at bkern@vandals203.org or reach out to him via email for more information.

https://forms.gle/ephtBSLjcXsRMgxe7 Fall Transportation Form to fill out for the 2021/2022 School Year. Please fill out the form by August 1, 2021. Just a reminder that if you live within 1.5 miles without an approved hazardous area you are not eligible for transportation.

Vandalia #203 is hiring! Special Education Teacher's Aide positions available for the 21-22 school year.  Please contact Dana Bivens at dbivens@vandals203.org or (618) 283-5166 to apply.

This month we are offering 20% off on your Sideline Store purchase of $85 or more! The below promotion is good for the entire month of June. This will end on 6/30/21. http://sideline.bsnsports.com/schools/illinois/vandalia/vandalia-high-school

The Class of 2021 Graduation Ceremony will be live streamed on our district YouTube channel 5/22/21 at 7:00pm. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rPdrT98abC0

SUMMER BASKETBALL CAMP & LEAGUE INFORMATION: *See the attached information for the Vandal Summer Basketball Camp and League: K-3rd Grade Camp: https://5il.co/smpk 4th - 7th Grade Camp: https://5il.co/smpl 2nd - 12th Grade League: https://5il.co/smpj

Mrs. Abendroth and Mrs. Eckard’s 3rd grade classes enjoyed launching rockets this morning at VES. Check out our Facebook Post for a live action video: https://fb.watch/5l7sE5bGGd/

Students can now receive free admission to the Abraham Lincoln Museum through May 31st! See below for details!

It's true! Gaming can be a great tool for children to build teamwork and communication skills and socialize with friends, so long as they are being safe! Read more on our Community Hub. https://vandals203.familyzone.com/ @FamilyZoneUSA on Facebook @FamilyZoneUS on Twitter

REMINDER: Drive-Up Kindergarten Pre-Registration for the 2021-2022 school year will be held Tomorrow, Thursday, April 15 from 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. at the Vandalia Elementary School circle drive. Please see document attached for more information.

Attention VCHS Vandal Football Fans! We are excited to be hosting our first varsity football game this Friday April 16th at 7pm. We will not require advance tickets for home spectators. We will allow home spectators up to capacity and require a mask to be worn for entry. All VJHS and VES students must be accompanied by an adult. No admission will be charged at the gate. No concessions will be sold and social distancing is encouraged. Thank you and GO VANDALS!