Most of us take for granted that the bus route will run smoothly every day. But in the background, there's someone that's coordinating routes each day, scheduling buses, vans and other vehicles for the many activities students and staff attend during the year, while providing leadership to our team of excellent bus drivers. That person, Dalton VanHoutan, is newer to our staff, having started in April. He is our Transportation Director and Groundskeeper, so he has a varied list of responsibilities each day. He has enjoyed meeting new people, becoming more familiar with the community and learning new skills.
Mr. VanHoutan graduated from Oskaloosa High School and was their Head HS Golf Coach for three years. Baseball has always been a big part of his life. He played college baseball at McPherson College, and after his playing career spent four years coaching a pre-collegiate baseball program with the Midwest Bruins in Topeka while also conducting hundreds of pitching lessons at Smith Baseball Academy. He currently shares (with his younger brother Trenten) the Kansas State HS record for most no-hitters in a single season with four. He previously worked for an IT firm in Topeka as an account executive.
When he's not at work, he loves to spend time with his wife, Rachel (a new teacher at VF), and their daughter. He is also an avid golfer and loves to coach and work one-on-one with student athletes. Welcome to the Dragon Team!
She is married to Luke Burns and they have two children. When she has free time she enjoys hanging out with family and friends, which may include golfing, movie nights or hanging out at the pool or lake. Her favorite food is tacos and fav dessert is ice cream! We welcome her to the Dragon Team!
Support the VFHS Volleyball team and get some new gear. Proceeds donated to the team after sales are fulfilled. Order are due by midnight 9/2/26. Click the link below to order tshirts and sweatshirts with a few different designs.
VFHS Volleyball Order
Ms. Gough grew up on her grandparents farm in Natoma, KS. When she has free time, she enjoys crocheting, cross stitch and spending time with her two-year-old niece. Her favorite foods are steak, potatoes and cookies. Welcome to the Dragon Team!
Her family includes Dalton, a newer staff member, their daughter, Mazie, and two pets, Tad and Ruby. She enjoys spending time with her family and friends, baking treats, reading books, and going on walks. You might also catch her enjoying her favorite foods, butter chicken and pad thai, followed by chocolate ice cream. Interesting trivia is that her birthday is the last completely odd date (all odd digits) until January 1st of 3111. We welcome her to the Dragon Team!
1. Monday 8/24 we will finish posters immediately after practice.
2. Tuesday 8/25 is the Father/Daughter Scrimmage with Taco Bar after
3. Thursday 8/27 is the Jamboree, at JCN starting at 5:00 pm. Departure time 4:30pm
4. Friday 8/29 the practice theme is "Halloween"
As part of our school health screenings, vision and dental screenings will be performed at school for our students.
If you do not want your child to participate in either of these screenings, an opt-out form must be completed and returned to the school nurse.
DENTAL SCREENING FORM: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1PGL3s_9kFOVtzBp-q8azAW5QcbWgdnyC/view?usp=sharing
VISION SCREENING FORM: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1EYQLdePHTPXG8x3knqV3U69wiCOljXJx/view?usp=sharing
The deadline to return opt-out forms is September 7th.
If you have any questions regarding the screenings or the opt-out process, please feel free to contact Emily Esser at emily.esser@vfalls338.com
Thank you for helping us keep our students healthy and well!
High School Volleyball Announcements and Reminders:
Tomorrow, Monday, 8/17 is the first day of practice, all forms and physicals are due before your daughter can practice. We will watch concussion and heat illness training videos to start. Practices will dismiss at 5:30 each night.
Wednesday, 8/19 athletes will have time to start on their class posters after practice as we will not have any Saturday practices this year.
Looking forward to next week we will have the father/daughter scrimmage on Tuesday 8/25 starting at 6:30pm and we will kick off the season on Thursday 8/27 with our jamboree at JCN with McLouth starting at 5:00pm.
To ensure compliance with the law, official district and school/building social media accounts will continue to provide information, announcements, celebrations, and other updates, but they will no longer respond to direct messages or participate in conversations with individuals through comments.
This change is necessary because district employees are prohibited from engaging in social media communication with students, and it is not always possible to determine whether a particular social media account belongs to a current student.
We value the opportunity to communicate with our families and community and want to make sure questions and concerns continue to receive a timely response. If you need assistance, please contact the district office at 785-945-3214 or your child’s school (PK-8 at 785-945-3221 or HS at 785-945-3229) or use the email addresses provided on the Valley Falls Schools website.
Thank you for your understanding as we implement these new requirements and continue working to provide clear and effective communication with our school community.
The energy level was high this morning with students arriving and our first day activities. HS Football players & teachers greeted our Elementary students. Once in the gym, ES & MS staff were introduced before heading off to classrooms with students to prep for the morning parade. Meanwhile, Freshman Orientation included a silent maze activity in the weight room. Go Dragons!
