March, 2013
Dear Families and Friends of The Villages Elementary,
Spring is upon us and the weather is beautiful! This time of year brings with it FCAT Testing. Our 4th grade students have just completed the FCAT Writes! The students and teachers all felt that we were well prepared going in to that test and the feelings afterward were all very positive. We will know how our students did sometime near the end of the school year, and will report that to you as soon as we can.
FCAT Reading, Math, and Science all come next month, starting on April 15th and concluding on April 26th. One of the highlights with this year’s FCAT is that the 5th grade math test will be administered on-line across the state rather than on paper. We have given our 5th graders several opportunities to practice with the computers they will test on so that they are comfortable with the technology platform when testing. Results for the Reading, Math, and Science tests will be reported during the summer and the school grade will follow in late summer.
Another exciting development for VELL is that we will be receiving a new telephone system school-wide very soon. Our current system was installed back in 1999 when the school was built and is out-dated. We have had some problems recently as our phones are just worn out so the new system will be a welcome improvement. There is a lot happening at The Villages Elementary of Lady Lake so stay in touch!
See you at School,
Dave Bordenkircher, Principal
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January 22, 2013
Dear Families and Friends of The Villages Elementary,
Happy New Year! With half of the school year behind us and half yet to come, we have a lot to be proud of and much to look forward to in the future. As a school community, we have successfully navigated through Open House, Fall Festival, and multiple holiday programs and celebrations. Our students have recently completed the mid-year Benchmark Assessments demonstrating significant academic growth since the beginning of the year. We have had a great first half and anticipate even more fun and successful teaching and learning as we progress through to the end of the year.
In the wake of the tragic events that transpired in Newtown, Connecticut, last month, I want to assure everyone that The Villages Elementary of Lady Lake is a safe learning environment for our students and staff. After the Sandy Hook incident our school and district took a close look at our procedures related to safety and security. We have made changes in some policies that you may notice when you are on campus. We ask you to keep in mind that, while some of the policy changes may be inconvenient for our visitors, our intent is simply to be sure that our students and staff are safe. Please be patient with our security expectations.
Finally, we are less than one month from the Florida Writes 2.0! test for our 4th graders, and about 9 weeks away from the FCAT Reading, Math, and Science tests. Please keep working with your children on reading and completing homework, and encourage them to work hard in the classroom. Feel free to contact the school if you need any assistance. Remember, we all have the same goal for our students to reach high levels of achievement. Together we can!
See you at school,
Dave Bordenkircher, Principal
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November 2012
Dear Students and Parents,
It seems like we just started the year and we are already into the second grading period. Time sure flies when you are having fun. We have had a great start to the school year and certainly have high expectations as we settle into our routines and move forward. I would personally like to thank everyone in our school community for the caring and support that made the start of this year so successful. We truly need staff, students, families, and community to work together in order to open a school and here at The Villages Elementary we are fortunate to have so much support from all segments of our school family.
Lake County Schools has adopted a new motto this year – “RU C2 Ready?” C2 stands for Common Core – are we ready to change our instructional approach in our classrooms to accommodate the new, more rigorous standards? At VELL we are ready. C2 also stands for College and Career Ready – are we, as an academic institution, doing everything we can to be sure our students are prepared for success in college or a career? The Villages Elementary of Lady Lake is C2 ready!
Our children are working very hard in the classroom. The Kindergarten classes implemented the new Common Core Standards last year and continue to teach those standards this year. Additionally, our first grade classrooms are implementing the Common Core this year for the first time. Second grade will implement those standards next year, and grades 3-12 the following year. Common Core brings with it many exciting instructional opportunities all focused on preparing students to be College and Career Ready when they graduate high school.
So far this year our students have enjoyed visits from Mentors, Grandparents, Veterans, and even the Gingerbread man. We have celebrated our colors and honored those lost on September 11th. We have many more events to come this year and we invite parents, guardians, and our extended school family members to come and enjoy those events with us. Just watch the school website or contact the school if you would like to know more.
See you at School,
Dave Bordenkircher, Principal
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Dear Students and Parents,
Welcome back to a great new school year! I hope that everyone had a wonderful summer. I am very excited to be the new Principal here at The Villages Elementary of Lady Lake and cannot wait to meet everyone during the school year as we pursue some great learning and fun activities.
We kicked-off the new year with Orientation on August 16th and had a wonderful turnout. School opened Monday the 20th and we welcomed over 800 smiling children into our classrooms. Our teachers and staff have done a wonderful job helping all of our students get acquainted with their new surroundings and new friends. We invite everyone to join us for our next big event which will be Open House, held on Thursday evening, September 20th from 5:30 – 7:00 PM. We look forward to seeing everyone there.
The Villages Elementary is proud to be an “A” school once again! We are all so excited about our most recent school grade. It is proof positive of the hard work and dedication of our students and staff, as well as the incredible support of our parents and community. It is exciting to see what can happen when an entire community surrounds a school with such love and attention. The Villages Elementary of Lady Lake is great place to be!
Parents are encouraged to complete Free and Reduced lunch applications. Federal funds are distributed to schools based on percentages of students qualifying. These Title I funds we receive provide us with three teachers and one teacher assistant to help our students. We have approximately 75% of our student population participating in the Free and Reduced lunch program.
Please remember to check in at the office for a visitors badge before going to the classrooms or lunchroom. This assists us in providing a safe and secure campus for your children.
Here at The Villages Elementary of Lady Lake we are looking forward to a great school year.
Sincerely,
Dave Bordenkircher, Principal
The Villages Elementary of Lady Lake 
