29   District Spelling Bee

31   Second Grade Performance "The Nutcracker", 6 p.m. 

February  

5     Kindergarten Information Meeting, 6 p.m.

6     DCPC Meeting at Peachtree Charter Middle School, 9:15 a.m.

7     Chick-fil-A Spirit Night 

Greetings Parents,

International Night was a huge success! Students, parents, area guests and staff members filled the cafeteria to celebrate our school's many cultures and enjoyed music, food, dance and fashion from around the world. The celebration brought us together through the theme of Unity and Diversity.  

During the performance program, audience members enjoyed multicultural refreshments such as Indian-made samosas, kugel, Thai chicken, latkes, peas and rice, cheese grits, Korean BBQ pork and spanakopita, just to name a few. The students were absolutely stunning in their native attire and some proudly displayed hand-painted henna tattoos, called mehndi. In addition, Mrs. Hendrickson's kindergarten class serenaded the audience with a special rendition of Let There Be Peace on Earth.  

The International Committee, led by Sabrina Rahim and co-chair, Sangeeta Nainwal, organized a host of eager parent volunteers and masterfully created performances with nearly 130 student performers. Parent volunteer, Jaymeeni Patel, also played a pivotal role as the Mistress of Ceremony. Students participated in an International Poster Competition where they creatively showcased their native countries. There were over 50 submissions and a winner was selected from each grade level.  

International Night was a wonderful experience for our students, parents and staff to fellowship and embraces the cultural variety that makes Vanderlyn unique. We are proud to boast of our diverse student population that represents many countries and even more languages. THANKS to all the student performers, parent volunteers and staff (especially Mrs. Hendrickson, Dr. Hayes and Mr. Beckenbaugh) for your help and support in putting together this great event.

Leading Today and Changing Tomorrow,

Mrs. Crenshaw

Congratulations to Ms. Denise Saltman and Ms. Andrea Gillett! Ms. Saltman (4th Grade) is Vanderlyn's Teacher of the Year and Ms. Gillett (Registrar) is Vanderlyn's Auxiliary Person of the Year! These ladies were chosen by their peers at Vanderlyn. Be sure to thank them for their service to our school! Ms. Saltman's and Ms. Gillett's influence in our school unquestionably contributes to our tradition of excellence.

It was overwhelming to see the number of kids interested in the Science Olympiad. Due to the extremely high number of applications we received, the Academic Competitions Committee will be holding a Try Out on Thursday, January 31, 2013 to select the final Science Olympiad team representing Vanderlyn Elementary in the 2012 -2013 DCSS Elementary Science Olympiad. Please stay tuned for a separate email communication from the Academic Competitions Committee Chair Mitra Saha for the details on the Try Outs to be held on January 31, 2013.

For any questions and/or clarifications, please feel free to reach out to Kimberly Sims at kimcolin@bellsouth.net.

We are pleased to add to our Vanderlyn family Mrs. Gail Pansini as our new Media Specialist. Mrs. Pansini is a seasoned DeKalb employee who has a wealth of media and technology experience from all levels such as elementary, middle and high school. She is enjoying getting to know our students and welcomes the opportunity to get to know you, too. Please stop by and welcome her as a part of our staff.

Kindergarten Information Night will be held at Vanderlyn on February 5 at 6:00 p.m. We welcome all parents who are considering registration for a Kindergarten student for the 2013-2014 school year. Please help us by notifying any of your friends or neighbors who may be interested.

Prices are dropping with the weather! Bring your checkbook or cash this Thursday to the 2nd Grade Performance! Cozy Viking Sweatshirts are now only $15 and ALL short sleeve T-shirts are only $5!!

Please plan to attend the next DCPC meeting on Wednesday, February 6, 2013 at Peachtree Charter Middle School. The meeting will begin at 9:15 a.m. and conclude by 10:30 a.m. Light Refreshments will be offered at 8:45 a.m.

Dr. John Barge, Georgia State School Superintendent, is the scheduled speaker.

PCMS Informational Coffee   

for Rising 6th Grade Parents

Peachtree Charter Middle School invites all parents of 5th graders to an informational coffee to learn more about PCMS and what you need to know to prepare a rising 6th grader who might attend PCMS.

The informational coffee will be at PCMS, on Sunday, February 3 at 2:00 p.m.

The coffee will be 1 hour, including a school tour.  Meet in the PCMS Media Center.

You will receive information about the summer bridge program offered to 6th graders to transition to PCMS, typical 6th grade schedules, band/orchestra/choral offerings, daily PE, and the accelerated math program.  You will have the opportunity to ask questions to the school's principal and teachers.

Tours of PCMS are offered to parents by appointment if you are not able to attend one of the coffees.

Did your New Year resolutions include clipping more Box Tops?

We are gearing up for our final Box Tops blitz for the 2012-2013 school year! We will be collecting Box Tops, Campbell Labels, and Tyson Labels. The collection dates will run February 8-15, 2013. Keep a watch for collection instructions coming in your child's VIP soon.

Merchant Partners Committee-  vanderlynmerchantrebateprogram@gmail.com.

Congratulations to the students representing Vanderlyn as the Dunwoody Dragons at the Lego League competition on Saturday, January 12.  Forty teams were present and 10 advanced, including the Dunwoody Dragons. In addition to advancing, they won the Presentation Award which is one of the most coveted of the day. The Presentation Award is based on the presentation of their creative solution to the Senior Challenge as well as answering a series questions from the judges.  

They will next compete in the State Championship January 26 at Georgia Tech. The Dunwoody Dragons are four children from Vanderlyn and two from DES.  The four Vanderlyn students are as follows: 

Riley Mied

Kendall Doody

Gavin Fincher

Eric Mied