11/16/25 VCP Lower School (9/10) Principal’s Update

UPCOMING EVENTS:

November 24th: No school for scholars

November 25th – 28th: Thanksgiving Break

UPCOMING Athletic EVENTS:

WHOLE-CAMPUS ANNOUNCEMENTS:

Follow up from Lockdown – Note from CEO

Dear Valor Families,

Our leadership team had a stepback on the lockdown last week to continue to analyze the event in order to ensure that we are continuing to learn and improve upon our safety procedures. Thank you so much for the many of you who submitted really thoughtful and helpful feedback. We read every word from both parents and staff and it was invaluable in helping us see both our bright spots and areas to continue to refine.

Lockdowns are very frightening for all of us. As a Valor parent, my heart sank along with everyone else’s when the lockdown procedure was initiated. It is a terrible feeling to be far from your children when something like this happens. We know the impact that it has on everyone involved and therefore do not take initiating a lockdown lightly. This reflection is somewhat lengthy, but we felt it would be beneficial in this case to be really transparent in our processing of the event so that we can all continue the conversation about the best ways to keep our community safe.

Details of Event

On Wednesday, Valor leadership was alerted to a potential shooting incident near Plaza Mariachi, located a few blocks from our campuses. The initial information came from one of our school leaders, followed shortly by a notification from our Head of Security indicating that there was an active shooter at Plaza Mariachi who had not yet been apprehended.

Before taking action, we contacted our point of contact at MNPS Security to determine the appropriate response level—whether to implement a Secure or a Lockdown. In our adopted safety training program, I Love You Guys, Secure means ‘secure the exterior of building / no entry or exit’ while Lockdown means ‘secure the exterior building AND classrooms within the building’. Generally, the major difference between the two is whether an intruder is known to be in or very near the building. MNPS Security confirmed that the assailant’s location was unknown at that time and advised that a lockdown would be the safest course of action, as the individual could be anywhere in the vicinity. Similarly, MNPD (Metro Nashville Police Department) advised us to do a lockdown.

Although there was no direct evidence that the threat was inside or very near a Valor building, we decided to go with the advice of MNPS and the MNPD to initiate a lockdown at 10:15am.

As our Head Safety Officer monitored MNPD radio traffic and received ongoing updates, we learned that the suspect was in a vehicle and had moved farther away from our location. Based on this information, we shifted from Lockdown to Secure at 10:29am.

Throughout the event, communication was ongoing with MNPD, MNPS Security, our internal safety team, and school leadership. Once MNPD and our Safety Officers confirmed that the suspect had been apprehended, we lifted the Secure status and returned campuses to normal operations.

Given the uncertainty at the onset of the incident, particularly around the location of the suspect, the decision to move quickly to a lockdown was made. While the situation ultimately posed no direct threat to our campuses, our actions reflected a cautious, safety-first approach based on guidance from authorities. We also recognize that the cost of lockdowns is also the trauma impact on families, staff, and students – it is a difficult calculus to weigh in the moment.

Feedback and Next Steps

We analyzed every piece of feedback from staff and families. Thank you for both the support and goodwill from so many of you, and thank you for the very helpful feedback as well. We compiled the following bullet points for the high-level trends, but please know that we also heard and are thinking about each piece of feedback that was given.

Here’s what we heard most clearly from our families:

Appreciation for leadership and communication in general and during the event
The delay between the alarm and the first communication (staff, students, and families) was the most stressful part of the experience.
Desire to better understand the difference between a Lockdown and a Secure (Lockout).
Following procedures in unstructured areas (gym, lunch, bathrooms) was challenging.
We should continue to support student and staff emotional recovery after high-stress events.
Appreciation for our continuous learning approach / gathering feedback.

Here’s what we’re doing next:

Improve speed and clarity of initial communications. We will work to improve a faster initial communication with more details/context to both families, students, and staff. Note: we will not be able to communicate to families faster than students who are texting their parents – we should expect that is normal in a crisis event. Sometimes communication can take much longer depending on the incident.
Clarify Lockdown and Secure terminology with families.
Continue training staff and students on what to do in unstructured spaces during Lockdowns.
Build structured post-lockdown debrief practices .

We have a safety training day scheduled for early January and plan to use these learnings to ensure that we improve our safety plan, especially around re-training staff and leaders, re-nomring on language, and updating communication protocols. While going through events like this are stressful for all involved, they also provide the types of learning that you just cannot get in a drill. We plan to use the experience to make us safer. Thank you again for sharing your communicated support and very helpful feedback. As always, feel free to reach out to me if you would like to discuss further.

With much love,

Todd

Quarter 2 Benchmark Schedules

Quarter 2 Benchmark schedules were sent to students (with you cc’d) earlier this week. Please review your student’s schedule to ensure that you are aware of arrival and dismissal times for the dates 12/10, 12/11, and 12/12. Please also review the important benchmark policies below.

Academic Integrity Policy

We take academic integrity very seriously at VCP, especially on benchmark exams. Our full academic integrity policy and consequence matrix are available here in English and Spanish.

Make-up Exams

Students should plan to be in attendance for all of their exams on the primary day of testing as listed in the unique schedule sent to them earlier this week. In rare and extenuating circumstances, a student may need to be absent. Make-up exams will be hosted the following week according to the schedule below.

Make-ups for exams originally scheduled on 12/10 will take place on 12/15.
Make-ups for exams originally scheduled on 12/11 will take place on 12/16.
Make-ups for exams originally scheduled on 12/12 will take place on 12/17.

Students that miss their benchmark on both the primary day of testing as well as the make-up day will have a 50% recorded in the gradebook for their exam.

Practice ACT Results from 10/30

Scores from the Practice ACT on 10/30 (for 9th – 11th grades) have been shared with student email addresses. Please check in with your student about their progress!

Valor Givings Week 2 Update

After 2 weeks of Valor Givings, our first ever family fund drive, we have raised an incredible $9,750 to support our existing Valor programming that makes our community so special – thank you to our amazing families and supporters! There is still time to participate in Valor Givings – you can click here to make a donation and here for more information and updates about our fund drive.

VALOR FAMILY GROUP: FAMILY ENGAGEMENT ANNOUNCEMENTS:

Thank You for Making Our 1st Multicultural Festival a Success!

Thank you to all the participants, volunteers, performers, and families who joined us in celebrating our first Multicultural Festival! Because of you, we had over 22 countries represented, filling the day with incredible food, rich history, meaningful activities, and beautiful performances.

Your energy, pride, and willingness to share your culture made this event truly special. We are so grateful for your support and can’t wait to continue building this tradition together.

Thank you for making our community shine!

Looking for Support? We’re Here to Help.

At Valor, we are committed to ensuring every member of our community feels supported—especially during challenging times. This resource guide features organizations and community partners that offer food assistance, financial support, housing services, and more. If you or someone you know is in need, please use and share these resources. Together, we can make sure no family is left behind.

FACE: FINE ARTS, CLUBS & ENRICHMENTS ANNOUNCEMENTS:

2nd Semester Club Registration is Open!

After-School Clubs Information

Check out the VCP Club Listings & Schedules.

Volunteer After School!

Students in 10th-12th Grade, make a difference by volunteering with our Afterschool Programs! Click here to sign up and start making an impact!

After School & Partner Contacts

Have questions, contact the After School Team at 615-200-7647, email us at face@valorcollegiate.org, or the FACE website.

Have questions, contact the Boys & Girls Club Team at 615-753-8451 or email boysandgirlsclub@valorcollegiate.org. Please review the BGC Member & Parent Handbook

ATHLETIC ANNOUNCEMENTS:

HS Boys Soccer Tryout Dates Changed

Please note that Boys soccer tryouts have been updated to new dates to accommodate our new coaching hire:

12/1/25 (@International Soccer Complex) *Returning JV & Varsity athletes only* (4p-6p)

12/2/25 (@International Soccer Complex) *9th graders only* (3:30p-5:30p)

12/3 (@International Soccer Complex) *10th graders only* (3:30p-5:30p)

12/4 (@International Soccer Complex) *11th graders only* (3:30p-5:30p)

12/5 (@International Soccer Complex) *12th graders only* (3:30p-5:30p)

12/8 (@ Nashville Collegiate Prep) *Final Day, Invite back only* (3:30p-5:30p)

New Head VCP Boys Soccer Coach

Join us in welcoming new VCP Boys soccer head coach Cole Eppstein. Coach is getting situated currently but can be reached via email at: ceppstein@valorcollegiate.org

Back-to-Back State Champions VCP Volleyball team hosting “PARENTS NIGHT OUT”