August 1, 2023
Greetings VBFS Community,
As hard as it is to believe – August is upon us! Fear not, we still have some time to enjoy the carefree days of summer, but it is time to start thinking about the start of our school year! This is going to be a fantastic year at VB Friends School. We’ve been working hard this summer to improve our campus and to acclimate some new professionals to our community. Please join me in welcoming:
- Dr. John Bain – Assistant Head of School / Academic Affairs
- Cara Copeland – School Counselor
- Carley Allison – Music Director
- Kasey Curtis – Middle School Humanities
- Kate Leon – Garden Director
- Kristal Tracey-Robinson – Pre-K Lead Teacher
- Stan Walkiewicz – Facility Director
These amazing human beings will soon make a huge impact on our community. Individually, they are kind, bright, and engaged educators who are authentically excited to be part of the VBFS community. I feel incredibly fortunate to bring each of these folks into the community and can’t wait to see our amazing students interact with them on a daily basis.
The combination of new faces and energy coupled with the institutional knowledge of our returning faculty and staff has created a fantastic environment for my first few weeks. I am surrounded by dedicated individuals who have one common goal – to ensure that every student on this campus has an amazing experience. While I will enjoy a few more hours with my toes in the sand, I am so excited to welcome you all to campus in a few weeks.
In order to best prepare you for the upcoming school year, we’ve created a bulleted list of reminders below. Please remember – there are no silly questions when it comes to your child’s education! Do not hesitate to reach out to us with any questions or concerns. We’ve included a “who to contact” section below to help guide any potential questions to the right people.
- SCHOOL SUPPLIES
- Cottage & Pre-K
- Backpack, pencil case, water bottle, and a nap mat.
- Early K – 8th Grade
- Backpack, pencil case, and a water bottle.
- Cottage & Pre-K
- New Student / All Student Visit Day
- August 22 is our New Student and All Student Visit Day. Newly enrolled students and families will have small group time with teachers and in classrooms from 3:00-4:00 and returning students and families will be visiting from 4:00-5:00. We encourage our new students and their families to stay after the initial time slot to meet all of their fellow classmates and parents!
- When you arrive at your scheduled time, please come and check in at the tables on the breezeway! We will direct you to your classrooms and provide you with additional information that you might need for the first day of school, to include car placards and popsicles for the kids!
- Required Forms / Documentation
- By August 19th, all parents must log in to the PCR System(click here) and complete the required documentation under the “Annual Forms” tab which includes immunization records, physicals, emergency contact info, etc. Once you have completed the forms, you will be issued a “GO” pass on your portal. Please print this out and bring it with you on Family Visit Day or on the first day of school, August 23.
- If you are having any issues logging in, please contact us immediately for assistance.
- We MUST have these forms completed and on file in your PCR account in order for your student(s) to start school on August 23rd.
- School Lunch
- We are partnering with School Eatery to provide a lunch option for our students. There is no requirement to use them as families are certainly welcome to provide lunch for their students. Families who are interested should follow this link – https://schooleatery.ahotlun
ch.com/login to create an account and be able to review menus and select lunch options. Our unique code is VBFS. You will be asked this when registering. We expect menus to be posted in the next week and service will begin 8/28. - Reminder- VBFS is a nut-free campus. We have several students with life-threatening allergies.
- We are partnering with School Eatery to provide a lunch option for our students. There is no requirement to use them as families are certainly welcome to provide lunch for their students. Families who are interested should follow this link – https://schooleatery.ahotlun
- Early Care / After Care
- For all families who have not yet registered in our “Extended Day” program but wish to do so, please log in to your parent portal and click on the Extended Day tab. You will be able to register for programming under that link.
- Early Care
- Our Early Care program runs from 7:00 am- 8:00 am when the school day begins.
- After Care
- Our After Care program runs from the end of the school day until 6:00 p.m. Classes are separated by age and you will be provided with a breakdown and teacher information once you have registered.
- Co-Curriculars – We offer some fantastic after-school opportunities to engage our students in fun, educational activities! Teacher Gabby will be sending out our 1st Quarter offerings later this week! Get ready for FUN!
- Reminders about First Day – Drop off
- Unfortunately, Laskin Road construction continues. Rather than making a left-hand turn onto school property at our traffic light, all westbound traffic on Laskin Road will need to proceed to make a u-turn at the traffic light at Taylor’s Do-It Center.
- Cottage families are encouraged to park and walk their children into the Cottage.
- Early K – 8th grade – Drop off and pick up in the circle.
If you have questions, use this as a guide:
Greg Angilly – [email protected] – Security / Family Concerns / General questions
Dr. John Bain – [email protected] – Testing / Placement / Curriculum
Sarah Combs – [email protected] – Admissions / Documentation / PCR / Financial Aid
Anna Facemire – [email protected]
There is a great deal of excitement about the start of the 2023 – 2024 school year. As you review this document, I invite you to reach out with any questions you may have. I want to remind you that we do have some space in several of our grades and we are happy to offer a tuition incentive should you refer a family that enters our community. Please reach out to Greg or Sarah directly for more information.
Lastly, while the majority of this letter is focused on your child, please know we have some awesome events in the upcoming weeks to bring our adult community closer together. We’re about to become a family for the next 9 months and I look forward to getting to know every student and all of our amazing parents and guardians. Here’s to a fantastic school year! Let’s partner to create some lasting memories for your spectacular children and let’s have some FUN doing it!
All the Best,
Greg Angilly
Head of School
Virginia Beach Friends School
