6-12 Olympics Week

12 100th Day of School

13 Staff Development - No Students

16 VDV Closed - President's Day

25 School Spirit Day

26-March 6 Scholastic Book Fair

March 2-6 Read Across America celebration

March 5 Literacy Night

I would like to share a gentle reminder about being 'Good Neighbors' during drop-off and pick-up. Our surrounding residents are our biggest supporters, and we want to ensure we are respecting their driveways and peace of mind. A little extra patience goes a long way in keeping our neighborhood happy and our students safe!  Please remember to park only in designated areas and avoid blocking residential driveways—even for a moment.  We truly appreciate you taking that extra minute to park safely and model kindness for our students.

Celebrate VDV Olympics Week with us!

Friday, 2/6 Wear your grade level color.  PS & K (Blue), Grades 1 & 2 (Yellow), Grade 3 (Black), Grade 4 (Green), Grade 5 (Red).

Monday, 2/9 Wear something gold, silver or bronze.

Tuesday, 2/10 Wear something cozy - sweater, PJs, etc.

Wednesday, 2/11 Wear school colors (black & gold)

Thursday, 2/12 100th day of school!!  Wear 100 themed clothing or dress like a 100-year old.

VDV will be CLOSED 2/13 for Staff Development

VDV will be CLOSED 2/16 for President's Day

2026-2027 Preschool / Kindergarten

Registration Opens January 15th

Preschool Registration Closes March 13th at 2 PM.

STEP RIGHT UP TO A WEEK OF SCHOOL SPIRIT!

Join us for a Read Across America Spirit Week

March 2nd through March 6th, 2026

Monday 3/2 Wear a hat

Tuesday 3/3 Wear comfy clothes or pajamas

Wednesday 3/4 Wear Van DerGEAR or black & gold

Thursday 3/5 Wear your favorite team jersey

Friday 3/6 Wear a shirt with words

The Scholastic Book Fair will be held March 2nd through March 6th.  The late night for parents to attend will be Thursday, March 5th during Family Learning Night.

Attention VDV Junior Scientists : Save the date: April 16, 2026

The Helen Doherty Science Fair Location: VDV Gymnasium

Get ready to be creative and start planning your science fair project. Students will be invited to complete a science project at home and bring it in to display during our science fair on April 16, 2026. 

**Parent Scientists:  If you work in the science or engineering industry and would like to volunteer on April 16th to speak with our junior scientists, please reach out to Amanda or Nancy at aduckworth@somervilleschools.org or nkishbaugh@somervilleschools.org.

https://shop.yearbookmarket.com/vanderveerelementaryschool

Just a friendly reminder...

Attention students who ride bikes, scooters, etc. to school...when crossing the street, please get off the bike/scooter and walk it across the street.  Please be sure to pay attention to all crossing guard signals. 

In January, students in grades K-5 completed i-Ready Literacy Tasks and the i-Ready Diagnostic assessments for Math and Reading. Your child’s teacher will be sending home the For Families Report for the i-Ready Math and Reading Diagnostic and the Student Literacy Profile. These reports will also be uploaded to Realtime in the coming weeks. While the For Families i-Ready Reading Diagnostic and Student Literacy Profile reports contain some of the same information, the Student Literacy Profile also includes information related to your child’s universal screening results. 

For more information about i-Ready and how to understand the For Families report, please see the documents linked here in English or Spanish. For more information on the Student Literacy Profile, please see the letter linked here in both English and Spanish.

As Mr. Lubisco shared in his November newsletter, we are so excited to announce that the preschool playground is now up and running for our students to use during the school day!

Given the continual construction occurring on the grounds, we request that the preschool playground be used exclusively during the school day and only with staff supervision. The playground is currently not open for use outside of these hours.

Thank you for your understanding and cooperation during this time.

Please keep in mind when visiting Van Derveer or picking up a student for early dismissal...

A valid form of ID will be REQUIRED EVERY TIME you need to enter the building. Visitors are required to wear a visitor's tag at all time while at VDV. NO exceptions will be made.

A valid form of ID will also be REQUIRED EVERY TIME a parent/guardian needs to pick up a child early for any reason. NO exceptions will be made.

Click here

Click the link above for a message from Nurse Jen & Nurse Cynthia.

Visit myschoolbucks.com to set up or add money to a lunch account for your student(s).

Book Fair Volunteers Needed!
The Book Fair is coming & needs volunteers! Sign up now for an hour shift (or more!) to help us make this event a success! The fair will run Monday, March 2nd through Friday March 6th from 8:45am to 4pm with a late night on Thursday. Sign up to volunteer at https://bit.ly/2026bookfair 

Wednesday 2/18: Chipotle Dine to Donate
Dine in or take-out your dinner at Chipotle in Chimney Rock Crossing on Wednesday 2/18 from 5-9pm. Order online for pickup using code  7A764GZ or show the flyer in the restaurant and the PTO will receive 25% of your purchase. Download the flyer at https://bit.ly/pto-chipotle-26 

VDV Spirit Wear On Sale!
Keep warm this winter and show off your school spirit with VDV Spirit Wear! Online store is open at bit.ly/villepk8spiritwear.

Book Fair Classroom Coin Drive Feb 17-23: Help Ensure Everyone Gets a Book!

The PTO will be running a classroom coin drive for Scholastic’s “Share the Fair” fundraiser from February 17-23. Money collected during the drive will be used to fulfill books for students in need at VDV, as well as classroom and VDV libraries. Prizes will be awarded to the top fundraising class in each grade! Have your students bring in their coins - or donations can also be made online at https://bit.ly/vdvcoindrive2026 

Community News

This March, Coach Nevolo will be running a Spring Training Basketball Program!  This program will feature skill development and live game play and has been created to help male and female players of all ages and abilities play the game better and enjoy the game more.  Attached you will find the program format, gym location, and training dates and times!

Click HERE to register and see the program details!

2026 Spring Baseball & Softball Registration is OPEN!

Scan the QR Code above to Register.

The last day to register is March 6th, 2026.

SAVE the Date - SEF Handbag Bingo.

Saturday, March 21st.

More Information will be available soon!

The Jr. Pioneers Lacrosse Club is looking for girls and boys in grades 3-8 for the 2026 Spring season.  If you are interested or have any questions please contact us at jrpioneerslax@gmail.com.