Knightly News

April 25th, 2025

Reminder: State of the School - Bosque Square Update, May 5th!

Parents, Grandparents, and Rhetoric School students are cordially invited to join us for the State of the School: Our Journey to Bosque Square — a special time to share vision and important updates about the future of Valor.

Due to limited seating, we kindly ask that younger students remain at home. We look forward to a great evening together.

Date: Monday, May 5th, 2025

Time: 6:00 pm - 7:30 pm

Location: Highland Baptist Church Chapel

This will be more than just an update—it will be a meaningful moment in the life of our school.

We’ll be sharing important details—the vision, the floorplan for Phase #1, the anticipated timeline, and the budget—and even more than that, we’ll be inviting you to see how each of us can play a part in financially supporting this work.

Together, we’ll pause to reflect on God’s incredible faithfulness throughout our journey, and look forward with hope and anticipation for the work that He is leading us to. We look forward to seeing at least one representative from every family there!!!

Campus-Wide

Valor Theatre Presents: Godspell Jr.

Tickets are now on sale for Valor Theatre's first ever spring musical! There will be three performances beginning May 9th at Grace Church Waco. This will be a performance that you will not want to miss! Please invite your family, friends and neighbors as we share the good news of the gospel!

THIS YEAR: you can also purchase ad space in our program to promote your business or give a shout out to your favorite crew or cast member! Please use the link below for more information. All proceeds from this show help support theatre initiatives and the purchase of equipment and supplies for our growing department.

Friday, May 9 @ 7pm

Saturday, May 10 @ 2pm & 6pm

Buy your Godspell tickets here!

Family Ministries

Last Call! Teacher Appreciation Week begins Monday!

Beginning this Monday, April 28, we'll be spending an entire celebrating Valor's incredible teachers and staff throughout the week! We'll be providing meals, t-shirts, school supplies (and more!) to our staff and would love your help in big or small ways!

Click here! Contribute to the cost of a t-shirt, meal, supplies, or coffee during Teacher Appreciation Week!

We love our Valor staff! We invite you to take time to pray for admin, teachers and staff this week! If you have any encouragements or scriptures to share with them, let them know!

Questions? Email traditions@valorprep.com.

Be a Mentor for
New Families at Valor!

We'd love for any current family at Valor to consider being a Mentor Family for a new family joining Valor this upcoming school year! This partnership with families is vital to the heart and culture of our school and we would love for you to prayerfully consider serving in this capacity for this next school year!

We are in special need of current Valor families who have an incoming Pre-K or Kindergartner to pair with many incoming, new Valor families with children this age!

*Fill this form out! Mentor Interest Form

Questions? Please email sherrae.cornett@valorprep.com

Grammar School (Prek-5th)

Summer Opportunities

3rd-5th Grade Testing

Valor is proud to partner with the Classical Learning Test to gauge and track student growth in grades 3-8. Grammar School testing will take place this year on April 30th. One of the things we love about the CLT is that it only takes a few hours of their school day to complete. There's no unnecessary pressure or need to prepare, but please make sure your student:

Gets plenty of sleep the night before
Eats a healthy, hearty breakfast
Is encouraged to relax and do their best!
Brings a book to read if they finish early.

Living History Museum

Have you always wanted to meet the famous and influential people who made history? You CAN next Friday, May 2nd, in the Valor Grammar School chapel! Students will be dressed up and ready to share with you all that they've learned this quarter. Please come and visit!

1:15 5th grade
1:45 3rd grade
2:15 4th grade
2:45 2nd grade

*please send your child in uniform and bring your costume in a bag. Students will be able to put their costumes on OVER their uniform directly before their museum time.

Playground Dreaming

Excitement is building for our new Grammar School location @Bosque Square. Although our littlest students might be a year or two away from moving, its still fun to dream! Swings, slides, gardens, and teepee houses were just some of the ideas that Mrs. Downey's Kindergarten art class imagined. We love picturing in our minds a new Grammar School playground.

Upcoming in Grammar

April 30 - Classical Learning Test (3rd-5th grades)
May 2 - Living History Museum (Chapel)
May 7th - Kindergarten Field Trip & Upper Grammar (3rd-5th) Showcase in chapel
May 8th - Parent/Teacher Conferences (Check your teacher email for sign-ups!)
May 9 - 1st Grade Field Trip
May 16th-23rd Balloon Week (Valor's end-of-the-year class day buddy traditions)
May 23 - Dia del Knights (Noon dismissal and last day of school)

Logic School (6th-8th)

Logic School (LS):

Parent-Teacher Conferences are on Thursday, May 8. Please sign up!
Don't forget that next week is Valor Teacher Appreciation Week. We (the administration) invite you to join us in finding ways to bless Valor's committed and sacrificial faculty with kindness. It could be as simple as sending an encouraging email to give them the boost they need in the last few weeks of school.
Current 8th graders: If you would like to sign up your child for the Summer Writing Intensive (July 21-24), it is available to rising 9th-11th graders. See the graphic beneath the Rhetoric School section for more information.

Beyond Next Week in LS:

April 26-May 1 - 8th Grade trip to Washington, D.C.
April 28-May 2 - Teacher Appreciation Week
May 8 - Parent/Teacher Conferences
May 22 - End of Q4
May 23 - Last Day of LS/Dia Del Knights
May 26 - Memorial Day/Valor offices closed

2024-25 Valor Calendar

If you have questions related to LS, please contact krista.weathers@valorprep.com.

Rhetoric School (9th-12th)

2025 Senior Thesis Presentations

The 2025 Senior Thesis presentation were a joyful success. Congratulations to all of the Valor seniors for a successful presentation and defense of their theses! We could not be more proud of them and all the quality of mind, heart, and soul they have developed in their education.

Rhetoric School (RS):

Don't forget that next week is Valor Teacher Appreciation Week. We (the administration) invite you to join us in finding ways to bless Valor's committed and sacrificial faculty with kindness. It could be as simple as sending an encouraging email to give them the boost they need in the last few weeks of school.
9th-11th: Remind your students to return a signed copy of their class schedule to Dr. Escobar in the Upper-School office.

Beyond Next Week in RS:

April 28-May 2 - Teacher Appreciaton Week
May 6-8 - Senior Final Exams
May 9 - Senior Walk-Out/Honor Ceremony
May 9 & 10 - Spring Theater Production (Godspell)
May 16,19, 20 - Junior Semester Exams (pre-Europe trip)
May 17 - Valor Graduation Ceremony
May 20-22 - Final Exams, 9th and 10th
May 22 - End of Q4/Last day of RS
May 26 - Memorial Day/Valor offices closed

2024-25 Valor Calendar

2024-25 RS Non-Uniform Dress Code Days

If you have questions related to RS, please contact charlie.mooney@valorprep.com.

SUMMER ENRICHMENT OPPORTUNITIES

RS Summer Writing Intensive!

Combining classroom instruction with small-group and individual coaching, the Summer Writing Intensive offers new and returning Valor Rhetoric School students an opportunity to keep writing skills sharp, address common and individual challenges, and increase students’ confidence in composition.

Parents can register their students here.

Please see the infographic for more details and email julie.engebretson@valorprep.com with questions. Thank you!

Valor Athletics

Valor Athletics Website

Click Here for the Week at a Glance

Summer Camps 2025

Spring & Summer camp registrations are live! Check with your parents to make sure they register. Register Here

**All students will need to bring water bottles to camps and complete the emergency contact information on the summer camp registration form.**

**All Valor students are allowed to bring friends from outside of Valor using the same registration form**

Boys and Girls Strength and Conditioning- All incoming LS and RS athletes are highly encouraged to participate in strength and conditioning. Training will take place Monday-Thursday. Girls will lift from 7:45a-8:45a; boys will lift from 7:15a-8:30a at Train Waco and drive to V alor for skills from 8:45a-10:00a.

2025 RS/LS Football Spring Football- All incoming LS and RS football athletes are highly encouraged to participate in spring football practice. Practices will take place at Woodway Family Center 5/12-5/15; 5/20, 5/21 time TBD (will be after school). We will be in helmet, shirt, shorts, and girdles. Coach Byrd and his staff will work through skills, drills, and offensive/defensive install

LS (7th-8th) Basketball Camp- All incoming 7th and 8th graders are invited to participate 5/27-5/30 from 11:00a-1:00p. Players will work with Coach Foy and his staff on skills, drills, and offensive/defensive install.

Competitors Edge Camp- All incoming K-5th graders are invited to participate in a variety of PE style games and competitions. The camp will take place 6/2-6/4 from 11:30a-1:00p at Woodway Family Center. Students will have a daily devotion. Valor Rhetoric School athletes will be in attendance! Invite your friends and come enjoy fun, competitive games

Basketball Instructional Camp (6/16-6/19)- All incoming K-2nd (10-12p), 3rd-4th (12-2p), and 5th-6th (2-4p) graders are invited to participate in our summer basketball instructional camp with Coach Foy. Bring your friends and learn basic fundamentals and compete with the HS counselors in small sided games.

Tennis Camp (6/22-6/24)- All incoming 6th-12th graders are invited to join Coach Nicole at Waco Regional Tennis Center from 8a-10:30a for tennis camp. Learn basic fundamentals of the game and enjoy competitive games!

Track Camp (7/7-7/10)- All incoming 3rd-8th grade students are invited to participate in our track camp at Woodway Park I from 8a-10a. Athletes will work on fun and competitive games with Coach Turner and Coach Cowan. Additionally, they will teach fundamentals of running and proper technique.

Cheer Camp (7/7-7/10)- All incoming K-6th students are invited to participate in a cheer camp at the Valor gym. Coach Sherwood and Coach Chaney, with the assistances of our rhetoric school cheerleaders, will teach the fundamentals of cheer, stunts, and some fun games. Invite your friends and come be a part of the fun!

Volleyball Instructional Camp (7/14-7/17)- All incoming 3rd-6th (11-1p) and 7th-8th (1-3p) students are invited to participate in our volleyball instructional camp at the Valor gym. Coach Pozgai and Coach Elms will lead our students in fundamental drills, skills, and technique! Invite friends and come enjoy a great time!

Golf Camp (7/21-7/23)- All incoming 7th-12th graders are invited to join Coach Naz at Bear Ridge from 2p-5p for golf camp. Learn basic fundamentals of the game, enjoy some time on the range, and putting greens.

2nd League Track Meet

We will have our 2nd track meet on April 29th at St. Mary's West

We are looking forward to our 4th-6th grade athletes getting another opportunity to race against the clock!

Cheerleader Evaluations and Pre-Registration

Rhetoric Cheer Stunt Clinic at Texas Dynasty starting Tuesday April 22nd at 7:30p. Stunt clinic will run into May.

Track Upcoming:

Monday: Speed training 2:45-3:30p; HS Practice 3:45-6p

Tuesday: Speed training 2:45-3:30p; HS Practice 3:45p-6p

Wednesday: Speed training 2:45-3:30p; HS Practice 3:45p-6p

Thursday: At Home Workout

Friday: At Home Workout

May 2nd & 3rd at Midway High School (Panther Stadium)

800 North Hewitt Drive Hewitt, Texas 76643

Knight Cards 2025

Knight cards have been distributed to the 4th-12th graders.

4th-6th graders can turn in their money/knight cards to their teacher.

7th-12th can turn their money into Coach Byrd, Coach Foy, or Coach Elkins during athletic period.

We’ve designed this fundraiser so that 100% of the funds go directly to our athletic department—

helping us offset costs and keep athletic fees as low as possible for our families.

Your partnership makes all the difference. Without adequate funding, we face difficult decisions regarding staffing and team offerings.

But with your continued support, we are confident we can keep building something special—together.

If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to Coach Byrd or Coach Foy.

High School Volleyball Team Camp

Who: All incoming 9th-12th graders

When: July 22nd-24th

Where: Valor Gym

Hosted and run by the University of Mary Hardin Baylor coaching staff, this camp will be HIGHLY encouraged for all incoming high school volleyball players. This is a competitive camp. All athletes will be ranked by position and given skills sheets.

Rhonda Ackley Swenson Memorial Extracurricular Scholarship Application

This scholarship is created in memory of Rhonda Ackley Swenson, a devoted single mother, teacher, and follower of Christ, whose life was marked by unwavering sacrifice, selflessness, and love. Rhonda passed away earlier this year, leaving behind a legacy of faith, service, and commitment to her family and community. She loved watching her grandchildren play sports at Valor Preparatory Academy and found joy in supporting their endeavors.

The Rhonda Ackley Swenson Memorial Extracurricular Scholarship seeks to honor her memory by ensuring that financial burdens do not prevent Valor families from fully participating in extracurricular activities and sports. This scholarship is administered by Valor Athletics and awarded by the Valor Finance Committee. Please stay tuned for the release of this application.

ALL PARENT MEETING

(TIME CHANGE)

*We will be merging our athletic meeting with the State of the School Meeting*

MAY 5th, 5:30 PM, Location: Highland Baptist Chapel

Meet the coaches, order new gear, register for sports next year, and hear the vision for where we are going as an athletic department next year. By God's grace, we have grown a lot the last two years. With that, we hope to continue to navigate new heights together and share challenges that we envision in hopes of traversing these waters together.

Letterman Jacket

MAY 6th, 11:00a-11:30a

During lunch, all athletes and fine arts students will have the opportunity to get their letterman jacket and new patches.

Forms will be available in the cafeteria.

Physical Day

May 10th, 8:00-10:00 AM, Location: Valor Gymnasium

This is highly recommended for Valor athletes. $10 for a physical checkup.

Boys that wish to get their physical at Valor will waive the hernia check.

All boys and girls that get their physical completed at Valor will be eligible the entire

upcoming school year regarding medical history & physical evaluation due to the timing of examination.

Rhetoric Athletic Banquet*

The banquet was a great celebration of our athletes for all of their hard work this past year!

Thank you to the numerous parents, students, coaches, and faculty that made it happen.

We are so thankful to our seniors for their dedication to Valor Athletics the past 4 years.

Thank you for being the torchbearers!

Coach Foy, Maddox Meline (10th Grade) & Coach Byrd

Athlete of the Year

Awarded to the athlete recognized by their peers & coaches for excellence in competition across multiple sports.

Coach Turner & Ellie Buck (11th Grade)

Coach Elkins & Elyse Mason (10th Grade)

Heart of the Knight

Awarded to the athlete recognized by their peers for exemplary character & attitude on and off the court.

Coach Brough, Coach Huber & Coulter Braswell (9th Grade)

Clara Gibson (9th Grade) & Family

Iron Knight

Awarded to the athletes that show true grit and resilience in competition.

Coach Cowan, Ethan Locke (11th Grade) & Family

Football

Bear Griesemer (Offensive MVP)

Duke Gaines (MVP)

Connor McFarling (Defensive MVP)

Cross Country

Clara Gibson (Female Runner)

Ethan Locke (Male Runner)

Volleyball

Elyse Mason (Team MVP)

Pria Deleenheer (Valor Knight)

Madi Goss (Most Improved)

Cheer

Maci McKown (Peak Performer)

Abigail Edwards (Breakthrough)

Boys Basketball

Maddox Meline (Hard Hat)

Connor McFarling (Player of the Year)

Luke Curtice & James Hoagland (Most Improved)

Girls Basketball

Ellie Buck (Player of the Year)

Pria Deleenheer (Heart and Hustle)

Mary Grace Orosco (Most Improved)

Swim

Korban Cortes & Ella Locke

Boys Golf

Samuel Griesemer (Golfer of the Year)

Mason Meline (Most Improved)

Girls Golf

Anna Kate McFarling (Team MVP)

Lainey Bowles (Rookie of the Year)

Tennis

Coulter Braswell & Wyatt Bowles (Sportsmanship Award)

Marvel Harris (Most Improved)

Baseball

Maddox Meline & Duke Gaines (Team MVP)

Matthew Schlappe (Most Improved)

James Hoagland (Heart & Hustle)

Track & Field

James Stimson (Male Runner)

Ellie Buck (Female Runner)

Mason Meline (Grittiest Performance / ESPY Moment)

Athletic Trainer: Tammy Marton

Tammy has already been a huge help for our athletic department and we are so thankful to have her in our community. Her office hours for all JH/HS athletes are:

Monday/Wednesday: 2:45pm-4pm

Tuesday/Thursday: 10:30am-12:30pm

Friday: 2:45pm-4pm

Human Resources

Now Hiring!

We have some additional positions available for the 2025-2026 school year! If you, or anyone you know is interested, please visit https://valorprep.com/careers/ to learn more or to apply!

Rhetoric School Math Teacher (Full time)
Rhetoric School Science Teacher
Grammar School Classroom Teachers
Grammar school Classroom Teacher Aides

We also have several coaching positions available that can be attached to a faculty/staff position, if needed (or not!). Those are:

Assistant Varsity Football Coach
Assistant Junior High Football Coach
Assistant High School Girls Basketball Coach
Assistant High School Boys Basketball Coach

As always, we are also welcoming applications for substitutes as well :) Please feel free to share any of these with your friends and family!!

Upcoming Faculty/Staff Birthdays

Patterson, Terry- PreK Aide...4/8
Amaitsa, Delila- RS Science Teacher... 4/11
Hollinger, Alan- US Music Teacher... 4/25

To access the folder of Faculty & Staff favorites for all Faculty & Staff members, please click here. Thank you!

Reference Material

Free MinistrySafe Sexual Abuse Awareness Training in April...

In light of National Child Abuse Prevention Month, we wanted to make you aware of some resources that Valor, and many other organizations, use to equip their employees and make them aware of ways to prevent child abuse.

All of our Faculty, Staff, Subs, Coaches and Volunteers are required to take the Sexual Abuse Awareness training with the Educational setting emphasis, and we wanted to make these free resources available to you as well. It's not an easy subject to talk or hear about, but the more we are armed with this information, the more likely we will be to safeguard and protect our children.

For more information, please visit www.MinistrySafe.com/April. Thank you!

Facts Family App: Free Download!

Our new app through Renweb/Facts Family Portal is now available for a free download from the Apple store or Google Play store! It includes quick and easy access to all this and more!

Weekly Newsletter
Full School Calendar
Athletics Hub
Hot lunch ordering
Grades, Report Cards & Attendance
Student Schedules, Behavior and Service Hours
Financial information

Please visit the mobile device store of your choice, search "Valor Preparatory Academy," download the app and then log in with your Facts Family portal account information (the district code is VPA-TX)!!

24-25 Yearbook Orders

Hello Valor Family! With the year starting some changes have been put into place. One of the changes is that the yearbook will be run by students taking the new journalism class this year. Some important information to note about the new yearbook this year:

Pre-order at www.treering.com. The passcode to buy the yearbook through Treering is: 1015196645893006.
As always, every family gets two free custom pages with the option to add additional spreads at 99 cents each. This is a great way to document home days and other activities.

Samuel Shores

Rhetoric Journalism

Paying for School Pictures

School Picture time is wrapping up!!! Dust in the Wind Photography has been taking them again for us this year.

If you've already ordered pictures, please do not forget to send payment via cash, check to "Dust in the Wind Photography" or Venmo to @Karla-Ruiz-00593. If you'd still like to order pictures, please fill out this form by the end of the day on Sunday, 3/30.

If you have any questions, please reach out to Bethany at Admin@ValorPrep.com. Thank you!

Free Dress Fundraiser

Hey Valor family, in an attempt to raise some money for our Junior trip to Europe this spring, we are bringing back the ever-popular "free dress punch card" for a few dates in the spring. If your student would like to come in free dress (not in their uniform) on Valentine's Day, St. Patrick's Day, and senior's last day on campus -- buy a free dress card TODAY! We had our first day on the 14th, but if you'd like to participate in the next two days, cards are $15 each and all the money goes towards our student trips.

School Calendar for 2025-2026

The School Calendar for the 2025-2026 school year has been approved and is ready for you! Please click here to view it.

Please pay special attention to the parent training dates in early August. More information will come later this semester on the timing for those!

Thank you!

Absences, Tardies, Leaving Early & Sickness Notifications...

Just a quick reminder! If your student needs to leave early, arrive late, is sick, or they are going home with someone who is not on your pickup list, please call or email Sarah Worthington at the front desk to let her know! She is handling all those requests from here on out. Thank you!!!!!!

Deliveries to Students During School Day...

If you order DoorDash, or something similar, to be delivered to your student(s) during the school day, please be sure to add a note in the delivery instructions to leave the order on the box outside the front door and then also let the Front Office know it is coming (call 254-235-0575 or email Sarah.Worthington@ValorPrep.com). This will help get the items to your students faster!

If you have any questions, please reach out to Sarah at Sarah.Worthington@ValorPrep.com. Thank you!

Considering a Change to the Student Cell Phone Policy...

Currently our Rhetoric Student cell phone policy states that cell phones can be in our students backpacks but can never be out during school. Logic and Grammar students can not have phones on campus at all. These same policies apply to smart watches.

We are considering altering this policy and requiring that Rhetoric students turn in cell phones at the start of the day, then receive them back at the end of the school day.

Our admin team recently read this article and wanted to share it with all of our parents, inviting your thoughts and questions.

1. Would you please take a few minutes to read this article and then,
2. then fill out this Google form to share any thoughts or questions that you have regarding this potential updated cell phone policy?

Please let Bethany know if you have any questions at Admin@ValorPrep.com. Thank you!!

Pictures Needed for the Yearbook!

Help the yearbook fill in some gaps in pictures! We are looking for a few more great shots from the following activities:

Senior Trip

High School Golf

High School Swim

High School Tennis

High School Track and Field

High School Baseball

JV Volleyball

ALL League Sports

Rhetoric House Events

If you can share photos from this list, please email them to yearbook@valorprep.com. Thank you!

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