School Begins on Tuesday - Important Updates

Dear parents,

It was so wonderful to see so many of our students at Visit Day last week. The anticipation, excitement and joy for the start of school were evident from even the quietest students! 

We look forward to a great start to the year on Tuesday, August 31. Our year begins again with strong safety protocols in place. The Back to School page on Villa’s website will feature Villa’s most current COVID protocols and Seattle King County Public Health’s requirements regarding illness, testing and quarantine. Please bookmark and use this page throughout the year.

Safety Protocol Reminders:

• Parents will continue to drop children off outside the building. Parent entrance to the building is limited to lunch volunteers and brief deliveries to the Main Office. If you need to visit the Uniform Exchange, please schedule that visit for afterschool, following student dismissal.
  
• Masks are required for all students (age two and older) and all adults. Well-fitted, double or triple-layered masks are strongly suggested.
  
• Multiple top and bottom sashes on our double-hung sash windows will remain open throughout the school day to ensure strong airflow and ventilation in each classroom. 

Curriculum Night Change:

In response to the increasing number of cases in King County and ensuring access to information for all families, our Curriculum Nights are moving to a virtual format. Specific information regarding your child’s Curriculum Night will come from Ms. May, Ms. Sullivan and/or Ms. Goldsmith prior to your scheduled date. All calendar events for Villa are updated on VikingNet, our parent and family resource page. Scroll down for the calendar.

Traffic Safety & Student Drop Off:

Each year, student and neighborhood safety is critical at the beginning and end of each day. Every family is asked to follow our Student Drop Off and Pick Up Procedures. These procedures and schedules outline where students can be dropped off and how they will enter the building each morning. Please be mindful of the increased volume of neighborhood and parking lot traffic during drop off and pick up. We encourage driving with extra precaution, especially on 51st Street. 

• Villa families should avoid parking on 51st Street to drop off or pick up students. 
  
• Please use the St. Bridget Church parking lot as a temporary or short-term parking location before or after school. 
  
• Additionally, when you exit campus onto N.E. 50th Street, please turn left. 
  

Thank you for your attention to the safety of our students and neighbors!

New Faculty Member:

We are honored to welcome Mr. Jake Conroy to the Villa faculty. Mr. Conroy is our new fourth-grade teacher and is an experienced educator who has taught in International Baccalaureate schools in Myanmar, South Korea and China. Mr. Conroy’s background includes supporting students with a wide variety of learning styles, integrating the intermediate level International Baccalaureate Programme across all curricular areas, teaching dual language learners and collaborating on curriculum and assessment initiatives at his previous schools. Mr. Conroy is thrilled to be a part of Villa’s learning community.

We look forward to a wonderful year of partnership together and look forward to seeing your child(ren) at school on Tuesday, August 31!

All the best,
Julie Thenell Grasseschi, Interim Head of School