Dear Valley View Families,

Please see the message below from Dr. Britton:

Good Morning Portland,

 

Thank you to everyone who joined us this past Monday for our community forum on the consolidation plan. For those who were unable to attend, Portland Middle School Principal Mike Searson reviewed our plans to relocate sixth grade to the middle school, and I discussed the financial implications for the Town and our local property taxpayers.

 

You can view a recording of the presentation here: Consolidation Forum – March 23, 2026.

You can also access the Google Slides from the presentation here: Community Forum – March 23, 2026 Slide Deck.

 

This week, we also launched a website that provides extensive information about the consolidation proposal. I encourage you to visit the site to learn more and review the materials available – Consolidation Plan Website.

 

Next Tuesday, March 31, 2026, we will host another community forum in the Portland Middle School auditorium at 6:00 p.m. This forum will focus on the transition plan and will include ample time for questions and answers.

 

I hope you all enjoy a restful weekend.

 

Best,

 

Charles Britton, Ed.D.

Superintendent, Portland Public Schools

Have a wonderful weekend!

Ryan Walstrom

Principal

Valley View School

Please make sure to email vvattendance@portlandct.us if your child will be absent or if there is a change of dismissal/transportation plans. Please do NOT send messages directly through ParentSquare to the office. The email should include your child’s first and last name, name of teacher, reason for absence, and the date or dates of absence. Please make sure the email is sent the night before or the morning of the absence to ensure the office staff, nurse and teacher are aware. Please make sure the office is aware of all transportation updates regarding your child.

Valley View held it's annual PK Role Model Screening for the upcoming 2026-27 school year in March. For those with summer birthdays or who missed the March screening dates there will be a May 15th screening.

 

Requirements for Peer Model:

 

Busing in the Portland Public Schools is provided by M&J Bus. Bus route lists are posted here: https://www.portlandctschools.org/transportation. The bus lists identify each stop's pick-up/drop-off time and location.

 

On a typical day, when all drivers are present and there are no abnormal road conditions, we expect that the routes will pick up and drop off students at times identified on the bus lists, give or take ten minutes.

 

If parents/guardians need real-time information about the whereabouts of a bus, please call M&J Bus at (860) 342-2217. The dispatcher at M&J Bus has real-time access via radio to all bus drivers.

Your child’s school works with Community Health Center, Inc. School Based Health Center program to provide health services (behavioral/mental health) services to your child during the school day. This means they won’t miss as much class and you don’t need to miss work to support their health care needs. 

Lean more about the services offered at your child’s school and enroll today at SBHC1.com! Interested families can also seek this service through the link or through our school website.

 

Happy Friday!

It is almost April and April is Stress Awareness Month. Stress can come at us from many angles. Stress can wreak havoc on our bodies and leave us feeling exhausted. It is important to recognize what stresses us and how our bodies respond to that stress. Stress can cause physical symptoms from headaches to stomach issues and can even make it hard to remember things.

Sudden, acute stress tends to affect memory for the short-term, but chronic, ongoing stress actually changes the brain in more permanent ways to make you more forgetful, which then causes you to be more stressed since you are forgetting important things! One way to help prevent the long-term effects of stress on the brain and memory is adding some more magnesium to your diet.

Magnesium is an essential mineral that we need to eat in our diets. While true deficiency is rare, insufficient intake is quite common. It helps to regulate fluid balance; neurotransmitters, muscle & bone function, and has a role in over 300 metabolic processes including making DNA! There is evidence that adding magnesium helps brain function in people with headaches & migraines, depression, Alzheimer’s, asthma, pre-menstrual syndrome, and insomnia. Anyone who has surgery or other sudden stress can benefit by adding magnesium to the diet.

There are many quality supplements. To minimize the GI side effects & boost energy - choose a supplement with magnesium malate, magnesium bisglycinate, or magnesium taurate. To maximize relaxation try magnesium citrate like Natural Calm (in powder or gummies form but do not exceed recommended doses!), magnesium oxide, or magnesium bisglycinate. It’s not recommended to add more than 350-400mg/day initially as the side effect of taking more than that is loose stools. 

Spinach is a great food source. Try this recipe: https://nutrivore.com/recipes/veggie-frittata/

Always consult your doctor before starting supplements, especially if you are on any daily medications. 

Have a great weekend!

Mrs. Karen Rettich

Valley View School Nurse

Phone 860 342 3226

We are finishing our digital citizenship unit during library classes. Kindergarteners are working on strategies to have a balance between screen time and other activities and first graders are focusing on finding "just right" websites for them and how to make good choices online. I am sending home worksheets we have been working on and they have helpful information for parents on them so check them out! 

Our March and April birthday book club was a huge success! We have 17 beautiful new books for our library. Thank you to everyone who participated. Our next book club for May and June birthdays will be April 22nd. Please be on the lookout for an email soon. If your child missed their birthday month and would still like to participate in another book club, let me know.  

Finally, we are so excited to announce that we will be having Alyssa Satin Capucilli, who wrote the Biscuit series, come to Valley View to share her new book, My Sister, Goose on 4/23. This week, order forms came home to purchase signed copies of her books. You can also order online at https://rjjulia.com/valley-view-school.  Paper orders will be due back by 4/2. Please see the attached forms to order one today!

 

Thanks everyone for your support of the Valley View Library!

Melissa Thorpe

Library Media Specialist

The 2026 Portland School District Art Show will be held at the Portland Middle School, grand opening April 30th. Valley View artists began step one of their collaborative projects for the show. More on step two next week!

Mrs. French

Meeting Dates:

Snacks will be offered in the cafeteria on Thursdays. Snacks include things like cookies, rice crispy treats, chips and even ice cream. The cost for these items range from $1 to $1.50. Students will only be allowed to choose one item each week. In order to purchase a snack, children will need to bring in cash on Thursdays or have a positive balance established within their MySchoolBucks account. Please reach out if you need any further information.

Thank you for your help,

Ms. Denise