The International Committee hosted Passport to the World on Friday evening, and it was a wild success! If you didn't attend the event this year, you will definitely want to be there next year! Students and their families were guided to stations that offered facts, tastes and visual delights about countries around the globe. A DJ was playing music from various cultures, and the weather was perfect.

Thank you to our International Committee co-chairs Jennifer Cohen and Claudia Suarez-Barrios for their efforts in orchestrating such a terrific event for our school! An additional "thank you" goes to all the families that organized a table.

Passport to the World was funded by the Vanderlyn PTA Annual Fund. Presently, the fund is almost $20,000 short of our budgeted goal of $80,000. This budget enables PTA to run events, provide continuing education for our teachers, purchase innovative classroom materials and more. Please make a gift to the Annual Fund today if you have not yet done so. Your support is needed, and every Vanderlyn student is benefited through the Annual Fund. Go to vanderlynpta.com to donate on-line, or you can send a check payable to Vanderlyn PTA with your student.

Have a great week!

Julia LeDoyen and Christine Kelemen 

Bus Driver Appreciation Day is Friday, October 25.  Take a moment to honor our bus drivers for safely delivering our children to and from school.  Every student is served by a bus driver at some point throughout the year!  Bus drivers are our unsung heroes!

Ms. Carroll's third grade discovery students have recently planted radishes in the small raised beds near carpool.

During Health class with Coach Dwyer, the 5th grade students have planted lettuce, spinach, radishes, broccoli, and kohlrabi in the large raised beds near the gym. They will celebrate their harvest with a salad party.

As part of the STEM initiative in the garden, some 4th grade students planted a bed of sugar snap peas.  They calculated elapsed time for soaking the seeds, and then they measured row and seed spacing and seed planting depth.

• "Put a Cap on Drugs" - Students/Staff wear the craziest hat you have
• Finish door decorating
• Teachers will go over the list of activities that will take place this week

• "Band against Drugs" - Students/Staff wear headbands, wristbands or silicone bands

• "Sock It to Drugs" - Students/Staff wear crazy socks

• "Tie Down Drugs" - Students/Staff wear your craziest, funniest, colorful tie
  • The winner of Door Decorating Contest will be announced

October 25, 2013

• "Team Up Against Drugs" -Students/Staff wear their favorite team shirt
  • Students will participate in a slam dunk challenge during PE

Note: During morning announcements, there will be an affirmation to remain drug and bully free.  

The Reflections Committee would like to congratulate every Vanderlyn student who submitted an entry for this year's theme "Believe, Dream, Inspire".  The scope of talent and creativity among the students was amazing!  We are proud to announce the following winners in their respective categories.  Please note that, while we recognize and celebrate all 1st, 2nd and 3rd place winners, only the 1st and 2nd place winners will advance to the Dekalb County level competition. Winners at the county level will be announced in December and will advance to competition at the state level.  

FILM PRODUCTION:

1st Place:  Ashvij Hosdurg (4th Grade)

DANCE CHOREOGRAPHY:

1st Place for all participants:  Ashwika Anil Nair (Kindergarten), Adinay Khatri (3rd Grade), Jeet Arora (5th Grade)

MUSIC COMPOSITION:

1st Place:  Sarah Nurpeisov (2nd Grade), Marily Minton (3rd Grade), Jacob Strasberg (4th Grade), Rose Lubin (5th Grade)

2nd Place:  Andres Urtusastegui (2nd Grade), Vishaal Ram (5th Grade)

3rd Place:  Renee Urtusastegui (5th Grade)

LITERATURE:

1st Place:  Campbell Caldwell (Kindergarten), Shruti Nainwal (2nd Grade), Arnav Hande (3rd Grade, for "Team"), Ashvij Hosdurg (4th Grade)

2nd Place:  Chip Fahlbusch (Kindergarten), Arnav Hande (3rd Grade, for "Dollar Tree")

3rd Place:  Zoe Wesolowski (Kindergarten), Arnav Hande (3rd Grade, for "Mother Earth")

VISUAL ARTS:

1st Place:  Chip Fahlbusch (Kindergarten),Joey Guggenheim (1st Grade), Kelsey Roehl, (2nd Grade), Nandita Bipin (3rd Grade), Nitya Yamjala (4th Grade), Bipasha Bipin (5th Grade)

2nd Place: Campbell Caldwell (Kindergarten), Shreya Golambade (1st Grade), Urvi Golambade (2nd Grade), Elena Vega (3rd Grade), Ansley Gavlak (4th Grade), Ana Skrinjar (5th Grade)

3rd Place:  Christian Lee (Kindergarten), Cora Webster (1st Grade), Mia Lasner (2nd Grade), Brianna Harris (3rd Grade), Gauri Danganakal (4th Grade), Madison Wise (5th Grade)

PHOTOGRAPHY:

1st Place:  Campbell Caldwell (Kindergarten), Graham Forgey (1st Grade), Layla McSorley (2nd Grade), Marily Minton (3rd Grade), Madison Wise (5th Grade)

2nd Place:  Rishabh Mishra (Kindergarten), Ayla Miller (1st Grade), Risshi Naavaal (2nd Grade), Elena Vega (3rd Grade), Renee Urtusastegui (5th Grade)

3rd Place:  Darcy Gaynor (Kindergarten)

And now it's time for students to once again submit their ideas for the Reflections Program Theme Search.  The grand prize winner will receive $100 and will have his or her winning theme presented at the National PTA Convention in Austin, Texas next June.  Next year's theme, "The World Would Be A Better Place If. . ." has already been chosen, but we invite students to come up with their own award-winning ideas for the 2015-2016 Reflections Contest.  More information can be found on the  Vanderlyn PTA website. 

Deadline for entries is Friday, November 1 at 8 a.m. and entries can be submitted into the drop box marked "Reflections Theme Search" in the front hallway of the school.

Be sure to check out Vanderlynpta.com website to discover opportunities in the area. You find fun family activities, fundraisers and sports activities! These items are posted regularly to our website as we reserve Viking Views for school-specific news.

Click here to find out how to submit your photos to be the Yearbook Committee.

You MUST use your camera, as pictures from phones do not enlarge well.  

We are looking for shots with groups of kids!