| | Van Derveer Elementary School |
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"We are Safe, We are Respectful, We are Responsible" |
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3 Food Drive begins 5 GEOY nominations due
6-7 - School Closed NJEA Convention 12 Ruby Bridges Walk to School Day 19 PTO Meeting, 7PM 26 1/2 Day - PS 12:15PM, K-5 12:55PM 26 VDV Museum Day 27-28 School Closed, Happy Thanksgiving! Dec 4 End of Trimester 1 Dec 4 Coffee w/ the Principal, 9:15AM Dec 4 Grades 4/5 Winter Concert, SHS @ 7PM Dec 6 PTO Holiday Shop, 9AM to 1PM |
| Coffee with the Principal, 12/4 at 9:15AM. Join us! |
Stop in and check the Lost & Found! |
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Please nominate (1) VDV Teacher of the Year & (1) VDV Educational Services Professional of the Year. Nominations are due to Susanne Alessio, VDV Secretary, by 11/5. Please bring your completed nomination form to the Main Office or email your nomination form to salessio@somervilleschools.org.
Click here for information.
Click here for a nomination form. |
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| The AAA Ruby Bridges Walk to School Day will be held on Wednesday, November 12th.
Please meet at 8AM at the pickleball courts on Veterans Memorial Drive. Along with our Walking School Bus, we will be walking to school to honor Ruby Bridges and her first day walking to her new newly integrated school in Louisiana. |
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Inspired by this month’s school read aloud, Milo’s Museum, we will have our very own VDV Museum. This will help us celebrate our diversity. Bring an item to school which represents who you are. It can be an object from an event, experience, or tradition. A flyer will be sent home. |
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| | As the leaves turn and the weather cools, we want to take a moment to express our sincere gratitude for our wonderful school community.
This Thanksgiving, we are thankful for you—our supportive parents, guardians, and amazing students. Thank you for partnering with us every day to make VDV a place where children feel safe, loved, and excited to learn. We hope you have a relaxing, joyful, and healthy holiday break filled with laughter, good food, and precious time with loved ones.
Wishing you all a very Happy Thanksgiving! |
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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. | |
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Wear your Scout uniform to school on November 11th & help us raise the American flag (outside the main entrance) in honor of Veterans Day. |
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| | In October, students in grades K-5, completed the i-Ready Literacy Tasks for early reading universal screening.
In the coming weeks, you'll receive a parent/family letter with details about your child's performance on these assessments. |
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Students should not play on any playground equipment, supervised or not, before the start of the school day. Students who use the playground equipment at the end of the day must be supervised and follow school expectations for being safe, respectful, and responsible. Students should be dropped off around 8:30 and should be reminded to walk straight to their entrance. Students are not permitted on the fields or to be running around prior to the start of the school day. Please reinforce these expectations with your child(ren).
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| 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. |
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Thanksgiving is a time for sharing and caring about others. For forty years the Van Derveer Elementary School students have collected and donated food to families in our community in an effort to make their Thanksgiving feasts more bountiful. Our donations will be supporting the Food Bank Network of Somerset County and local organizations that distribute donations to families here in Somerville.
This year our food drive theme is:Together We “CAN” Make A Difference! We are all unique in how we can participate. We will be collecting food during the month of November, starting on November 3, 2025 and ending on November 26, 2025.
Let’s lend a helping hand to make this year’s annual food drive a success! You may send in canned food, non-perishable packaged food, household items, or personal care products. Your child will bring the donations to school and then place the items in their grade level boxes located in the main lobby. Below is a list of items that are suggested donations.
Ready-To-Eat Meals that are non-perishable, canned meats, canned vegetables, fruit juice (plastic bottles, juice boxes), cereal, tuna (cans & ready-made pouches), microwave oatmeal, soups, peanut butter & jelly, rice (regular, instant & mixes), pancake mix “complete” & syrup, canned fruit, cranberry sauce, turkey or chicken gravy, instant mashed potatoes, stuffing mix, canned pastas (Ravioli, Beefaroni, Spaghettios, etc.), spaghetti sauce, dry spaghetti and pasta, boxed shelf stable milk (Parmalat, Borden, Naturel, etc), macaroni & cheese microwave cups), Ramen Noodles (microwave cups), beans (cans or dry), snack items (fruit cups, granola bars, Gold Fish snacks, etc.
***EXPIRED FOODS AND OPEN PACKAGES CANNOT BE ACCEPTED.*** Personal Care Items toothbrush/toothpaste, deodorant, feminine products, shampoo, conditioner, bar soap, body wash, baby diapers and wipes, laundry soap, dish soap, household cleaners, paper towels, toilet paper |
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The school nurses and counselors are asking for help to stock the VDV & SMS Comfort Closets with new or gently used clothing and snack items. The full donation list can be found at: https://bit.ly/pto-comfortcloset2025 |
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Visit myschoolbucks.com to set up or add money to a lunch account for your student(s).
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| Meet VDV staff members at the pickleball court on Veterans Memorial at 8am every Wednesday (weather permitting) and walk to VDV with other students and staff! |
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Is it Bullying? Not everything that is mean is actually bullying. The chart above can help you understand the difference between a mean moment, conflict & bullying. |
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Missed sending in your paper order? Online orders are due on Saturday 11/8 for in person delivery - or you can ship to home through 12/7. In person orders are to be picked up at the VDV Holiday Shop on Saturday 12/6. See the flyer for details at https://bit.ly/2025-gertrudehawk |
Join us Wednesday 11/19 at 7pm at the VDV media center for our November meeting. Help plan the holiday shop, teacher grants and spring events! Virtual option available - see our site at www.somervillenjpto.com for link. |
| Tuesday 11/18: PTO Dine to Donate at Shake Shack from 11;30am-10pm
Grab your lunch or dinner from Shake Shack in Bridgewater on Tuesday 11/18 to help support the PTO. Simply mention Donation Day at the register or use the promo code DONATE at the kiosk, on your web order or in the Shake app and 25% of proceeds will go to the PTO! See the flyer for details at https://bit.ly/shakeshack-pto |
The VDV Holiday Shop will be held on Saturday 12/6 but we need volunteers to make the event a success. Sign up for the bake sale or help with setup on Friday night or as an elf on Saturday. Details and sign up at https://bit.ly/2025-holidayshop |
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The Recreation Department is currently accepting registrations for the following programs: |
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IMPORTANT UPDATE: November SNAP Food Assistance Benefits |
SNAP benefits loaded on your Families First EBT card prior to October 31, 2025 will be available for you to use after November 1, 2025. Before going to the grocery store after November 1, we encourage SNAP food assistance recipients to check their account at NJFamiliesFirst.com or by calling 800-997-3333. If there are SNAP benefits in your NJ FamiliesFirst account, they are available for you to use.
Please note, you may receive eligibility notices and your MyNJHelps case summary may show that you are eligible for November benefits. Even though you may receive an eligibility notice and the benefits show in your case summary, if the federal shutdown continues, November 2025 SNAP benefits will not be posted to your Families First EBT card on time.
Because November SNAP benefits are not available as a result of a federal shutdown, fair hearings will not be scheduled for this issue. SNAP applications and recertifications will be processed. Continue to submit requested information to ensure you get your benefits when federal SNAP funding becomes available.
For the most current information, visit https://link.edgepilot.com/s/c20d8ada/PPXtJlxyOk_IgnGPDH3LVw?u=http://www.njsnap.gov/ or follow the Department on social media. Together, we can help support our students and their families. |
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Somerville High School Genesis and Interact Club members will be hosting our Fall Family Community Movie Night on Friday, November 21, 2025, at 7:00 pm in the Somerville Middle School Auditorium. |
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EVA Tote Sale - Somerville Baseball Inc. |
Carry it all in style! These tote bags are your go-to for the beach, the game and everywhere in between! Scan the QR Code below to order! |
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Pack 80 had a spooky time this October. October Pack Meeting: We celebrated Halloween a little early on Friday October 24th with fun games, Halloween trivia, and a spooky trail of oddities hosted by our Arrow of Light scouts. Our new scouts were in attendance and we had a good time getting to know them! Looking Ahead
Scouting for Food: In the first week of November, Pack 80 will join Troops 83 and 84 to participate in the annual food drive. Scouts will collect non-perishable food for local food banks, teaching empathy, responsibility, and the importance of helping the community. Bags will be dropped off on November 1st, and we will return for pick up on November 8th.
Den Meetings: Regular, grade-level meetings where scouts work on "adventures" to earn badges, learn, and advance ranks, building teamwork and problem-solving skills. November Pack Meeting: November 21st at 7:00PM, in Good Shepherd Lutheran Church. We will have members of the Somerville fire department, police department, and rescue squad to teach us about safety and see their vehicles up close! Caroling: We will continue our tradition of caroling at the Senior Center this December, details to follow.
Come discover Cub Scout Pack 80, where fun, friendship, and adventure await your child! Contact CubScoutPack80@gmail.com for more info! |
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