Cougar Chat
Educating Lifelong Learners
March 7, 2024
Upcoming
Wednesday, March 13
STEM Event with BHS Robotics 6:30-8:00pm (see flyer)
Saturday, March 16
PTO's Mother / Son Event 6:30-8:30pm
Monday, March 18
Kindergarten Registration for the 2024-25 School Year Opens
Battle of the Books Competition at MVES 6:30pm
Tuesday, March 19
MVES Parent Advisory Council Meeting at 4:30pm (see PAC section)
Thursday, March 21
PTO's Brick Sale Begins (see PTO section for details)
Friday, March 22
March Manners Matters Celebration
Monday, March 25 - Friday, March 29
Spring Break - PWCS Schools and Offices Closed
All County Chorus
On Saturday, February 24th, Mountain View had 3 fifth graders participate in PWCS' All-County Chorus event! There were 65 elementary schools represented with just under 200 students participating. Representing MVES were Mia Leal, Reagan Ratcliff, and Riley Roberts. They spent the day learning and rehearsing with guest conductor Dr. Newlin, and then put on an outstanding concert in the afternoon! Way to go Cougars!
Manners Matter
We have started our "Manners Matter in March" challenge. MVES staff have special "manners matter" coupons to pass out to students who use good manners! This is a class competition and we will announce the classes in first, second, and third place on our Friday Cougar Connections broadcast. At the end of the month the winning class in grades K-2 and the winning class in grades 3-5 will watch a movie and eat popsicles with Ms. Lynn on March 22!
Ms. Lynn and Ms. Potts
MVES School Counselors
Journalism Club
Fergus, Our Therapy Dog
Fergus is our school’s therapy dog. He loves coming to Mountain View Elementary School to make students and staff feel more calm, happy, and less stressed.
Get to Know Fergus
Fergus is nine and a half years old, and his birthday is May 26th. He is a yellow labrador retriever. Fergus comes to MVES every Friday morning. Some other places Fergus has visited are Battlefield High School, NOVA Community College, hospitals, libraries, and nursing homes. His favorite group of people to work with are kids, particularly reading with students in the classroom of our reading specialist, Mrs. McRoberts.
Who is Fergus’s Owner?
Fergus’s owner is Erika Johnson, who loves animals and works as a veterinary technician. Her family has raised guide dogs for over ten years! Mrs. Johnson has three sons, all of whom attended Mountain View. She believes that dogs are therapeutic and make their owners happy, and she wants to share that experience with others.
Fergus’s Special Skills
Fergus really enjoys being around people and he gets to excited from all the attention students give him at Mountain View! Originally, Fergus was training to be a guide dog, but it was discovered that he was a better fit as a therapy dog. During his training, Fergus learned basic obedience and manners. He has been working at MVES for six years and is now a regular part of our school family.
We all love Fergus and are so happy Mrs. Johnsons brings him to Mountain View to make everyone smile!
Journalism Club Members: Ariana, Sophie, Kat, Ansley, Maryam, Aubrey
SCA Chat
Dogs, Cats, Birds, Fish Reptiles, Rabbits, Mice, Hamsters . . . We love them all!!
The SCA at MVES will be collecting items for local pet and animal rescues from now until March 15th.
Please consider donating new pet food or snacks for any kind of pet! New or gently used items like toys, equipment like leashes, collars, cages, and pet beds would be appreciated!
All County Art Show
The Prince William County Schools Elementary Fine Arts Festival was held on March 2 at the Kelly Leadership Center. This festival includes artwork from every elementary school in the county. Mountain View was represented by over 80 student works. The festival was busy all day and Mountain View had a great turn out of parents and students to see the artwork. The display is kept in the school lobby until March 8 for all students to enjoy. Gavin Cecere was our school's White Ribbon winner as selected by judges at the festival. Congratulations to Gavin and all the students selected!
Rick Skelton, Art teacher
Watch D.O.G.S.
We continue to need volunteers during the school days! We have several students who need someone to listen while they practice their reading skills, help with math, a mentor to go on a walk around the building, and of course, a father-figure to help on the playground. Please have participated in a volunteer training and sign-up here:
Garden Club
Join the Garden Club and fill our Mountain View Garden with fruits, vegetables and flowers!
Who: Grades 3-5
When: Wednesdays from 4:00 pm - 5:00 pm
Dates: April 3, April 17, April 24, May 1, May 8, May 15, May 22, May 29
Interested students will receive a permission form in class this week. Space is limited, so we ask that forms be returned to classroom teachers by Friday, March 15th. Contact Julie Grace at graceje@pwcs.edu with any questions.
Battle of the Books Competition
Mountain View is excited to host the regional semi-final of Battle of the Books on March 18th. The team is made up of our 4th and 5th graders who have read 10 books. There are 12 students on the Mountain View team. They will compete against 8 other elementary schools in our area. Each team will be asked to correctly answer questions about those books.
Everyone is welcome to come and cheer on our team.
PTO Chat
Mother Son Glow Party!
March 16th at 6:30 - 8:30 at the MVES Gym
Cost: $30 per couple or $40 for 2 or more sons (Century Members are Free)
Boys are welcome to invite their mothers, aunts, grandmothers and any other special female guest. Tickets are on sale now on the PTO website and please remember that Century Members are FREE. Tickets include: food, games, DJ, & raffles. Remember to wear white or neon and bring a canned good(s) to enter the raffle for your chance to win a gift card. Mom's - this is going to be a night to remember with your sons!
Running Club
Calling all 3rd - 5th graders! Join the Run Club to get ready for the MVES 5K. Sign up at the PTO Store Today. Registration is now open until March 1st and late registration is open until March 8th.
Running Club Instructor: Ms. McCampbell and Ms. McClish
Who: Grades 3-5 (co-ed)
When: Tuesdays & Thursdays, 4:00pm-5:00pm
March 12th, 14th, 19th, 21st April 2nd, 4th, 11th, 16th, 18th, 23rd, and 25th Where: Room: Gym & Outside (weather permitting)
Cost: $35 until March 1st & $40 Mar 2-8
Parents, you will receive a code to register your student for the 5K Race on April 27th for free as a member of the Run Club!
Brick Sales:
We are holding a brick sale through March 31st. The goal is to sale 50 bricks to start replacing the blank ones. The bricks are a great way to honor your son or daughter, or someone who has made his or her learning experience special, by purchasing one or more commemorative bricks. The plan is to have the bricks installed by the end of the school year! To purchase a brink, please go to the PTO store HERE
PTO Officers 2023-24
President - Mike Emerson & Alicia Riccardella
Vice President - Shannon Koval
Treasurer - Mary Wise
Secretary - Katy Stone
PTO Website: https://mvespto.ch2v.com
Email the PTO at: gomvespto@gmail.com
PTO Facebook Page: MVESPTOHAYMARKETVA
BHS STEM Event
Parent Advisory Council Chat
Our next meeting will be Tuesday, March 19th at 4:30pm via Zoom.
MVES Parent Advisory Council Meeting
Meeting ID: 895 8813 1796
Passcode: 046216
Council Officers 2022-24
Chair - Tabatha Walton
Vice Chair - Kari Nieto
Secretary - Natalie Lint
Superintendents Advisory Council Rep - Tiffany Brown
Email PAC at mvespac@gmail.com
MVES Webpage
Lunch Visitors
Please remember to sign up if you are planning to have lunch with your child(ren) in the cafeteria. It is important that we have enough seats for visitors. All visitors over the age of 18 must have a photo ID to enter the building. Lunch times and the link to sign up are on the MVES webpage. Navigate to Family Engagement (button at top) and Families at Lunch for details. You can also use this handy link to sign up: MVES Families at Lunch
Cafeteria Chat
A La Carte Foods Available for Purchase to Complement School Meals
There have been many requests across the Division for PWCS to bring back a la carte food for purchase such as bottled water and cookies. In response to these requests, the Food and Nutrition Department will resume offering additional foods for purchase to complement school meals starting in March. These additional items include bottled water, freshly baked cookies, and packaged snacks such as baked chips, crackers, pretzels, and more. These new items all meet Smart Snack Guidelines (https://www.fns.usda.gov/tn/guide-smart-snacks-school) and meet our Division’s Clean Label Policy to not include any artificial colors, preservatives, sweeteners, and partially hydrogenated fat in our menu items. Students also have the opportunity to purchase second entrées, sides, and milk in addition to their first school breakfast and lunch.
The new a la carte options can be purchased using cash or can be charged to a school meal account if there are sufficient funds available in this account. Prices for these new a la carte items and information about setting up and managing school meal accounts can be found on the PWCS Nutrition website: https://pwcsnutrition.com/index.php?sid=0408101731444083&page=prepaidacct
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Mountain View
Cougars are:
Creative, Optimistic, and Understanding.
As we Grow, we are Accountable for what we do and are Respectful to all in order to be Successful.
Email: harrisay@pwcs.edu
Website: https://mountainviewes.pwcs.edu/
Location: 5600 McLeod Way, Haymarket, VA, USA
Phone: 703-754-4161
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Mountain-View-Elementary-School-1547227678881810/
Twitter: @mvesroars
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Webpage https://mountainviewes.pwcs.edu