Viking View

Please note that we will be providing more information to families once face-to-face (F2F) and Virtual Academy (VA) instruction begins on September 3. The first three weeks of school will be facilitated in a virtual learning environment for ALL students in Frisco ISD.

elearning

Tuesday, August 25

eLearning

Wednesday, August 26

eLearning

Thursday, August 27

eLearning

Friday, August 28

Student Holiday

Staff Professional Learning Day

Yearbook Distribution (See Information Below)

Where: Collin County

Date: Saturday, August 22nd

Time: 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

Click the link for more details! Free Food Giveaway

For questions/concerns related to athletics, please reach out to the appropriate athletic coordinator. More information regarding expectations for athletics is forthcoming.

Girls' Athletics

Coach Jaime Siess @ SiessJ@friscoisd.org

Boys' Athletics

Coach Andrew Casares @ Casaresa@friscoisd.org

Students participating in F2F instruction will receive their school agenda, textbooks and other consumable resources when they report to school on September 3rd.

Virtual Academy students will have an opportunity to receive their school agenda and hard copies of textbooks according to the schedule below:

Friday, September 4th

6th Grade 8:30 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.

7th Grade 11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.

8th Grade 1:30 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.

Virtual Academy students must complete this textbook request form prior to the scheduled distribution date/time. Pick-up location and procedures will be provided to families closer to the date of distribution.

Students and parents will be able to access teacher lesson plans via our campus website by clicking this Vandeventer Website link. Once you have accessed the website, please follow these instructions:

• Find the news section on our campus website
• Click on the eLearning 2.0 button
• Find the teachers and click their name
• Follow the teacher's instructions for synchronous and asynchronous learning

If you have trouble locating the teacher lesson plans, please reach out to your teacher. Teacher emails can be located on the Vandeventer Staff Page.

There will be safety protocols in place for sanitizing classroom materials that MUST be provided by the school in order to facilitate instruction (i.e. science lab materials, Chromebooks, desks, etc.). Students who are participating in F2F instruction must bring their individual school supplies as sharing individual supplies will be discouraged.

Regular school attendance is essential for a student to make the most of his or her education, to benefit from teacher-led and school activities, to build each day’s learning on the previous day’s, and to grow as an individual. Absences from class may result in serious disruption of a student’s mastery of the instructional materials; therefore, the student and parent should make every effort to avoid unnecessary absences.

Reporting an Absence:

If your child is going to be absent from school for any part of or the entire day, please provide our data clerk with a parent note/email or doctor’s note within three school days of your child returning to school. Only 8 parent notes are allowed per year for absences.

Missed Work Due To Absences:

It is a good idea to email your child’s teachers if they are out multiple days to get any work that can be done at home if possible. Students are responsible for collecting make-up work the first day they return to the class(es) that were missed. After receiving their make-up work, students will turn in their work as follows: one day of absence, one day (next class period) to make up work; two days absence, two days (class periods) to make up work; three days or more absent, three days (class periods) to make up work.

Truancy Prevention:

When a student between ages 6 and 19 incurs unexcused absences:

• On the 3rd unexcused absence: The school administrators will notify a student’s parent (including a letter), as required by law, to remind the parent that it is the parent’s duty to monitor the student’s attendance and to require the student to come to school. A student attendance behavior intervention plan will be initiated.

• On the 5th unexcused absence: The school administrators will notify a student’s parent (including a letter), as required by law, to remind the parent that it is the parent’s duty to monitor the student’s attendance and to require the student to come to school. The student attendance behavior intervention plan will be updated.

• On the 7th unexcused absence: The school administrators will meet with both the student and parents to review attendance concerns and update the student attendance behavior intervention plan. The district Truancy Prevention Facilitator will be notified and students and parents will be referred to the Frisco ISD Truancy Tribunal with Judge Payton. Parent notes will no longer be accepted to excuse absences.

• On the 10th unexcused absence: A referral to truancy court will be made if the student is absent without excuse from school on ten or more days or parts of days within a six-month period in the same school year. Missing one class period and tardies count as parts of days.

90% Attendance:

The state requires 90% attendance. Students who are in attendance less than 90% of the school year are at risk of losing credit. Students will be expected to make up instructional time outside of the regular school day through tutorials, Thursday Night Reflections, etc.

See the FISD Student Handbook for more information on attendance, including excused/unexcused absences, truancy, exemptions, and family vacations.

Grade Categories:

Major

● weighted 60% of 9-weeks grade

● includes tests, major projects, essays, etc.

Minor

● weighted 40% of 9-weeks grade

● includes quizzes, short term projects, practice, daily work. etc.

Reassessment/Retest Guidelines:

Grades reflect a student‘s relative mastery of the curriculum and should provide feedback on

student progress. Students will be able to receive credit for evidence of increased mastery for

major grades 84 and below for a maximum score of an 85. Students scoring an 85 or above on the original major grade will not have an opportunity to reassess for a higher grade.

1. Students will have a window of five school days after the grade is returned to re-assess.(Remediation and reassessment must be completed by the end of the five-day window.)
2. Reassessment may be targeted to areas not mastered on the original assessment.
3. Requirements to reassess, such as attending tutoring sessions and/or completing remedial assignments, will be determined by campus guidelines.

This retest policy would not include major assessments classified as Projects which follow

Project Guidelines. Projects can include but are not limited to presentations, physical or

electronic products, speeches, and lab reports.

FISD librarians believe that reading is the foundation for all learning and contributes greatly to student success in school. Recent research suggests that print remains the preferred medium for reading. As such, we believe that getting books into the hands of FISD students is critical to increase opportunities for independent reading and academic success.

In order to support literacy development, Frisco ISD librarians will provide opportunities for students enrolled in the Virtual Academy to checkout print books from their home campus library and pick them up on designated days and times. More information forthcoming regarding when this will be available to VA students.

To minimize the traffic flow, and to adhere to social distancing guidelines, students will NOT be assigned lockers this school year. Students participating in F2F instruction will be required to carry a backpack with their individual school supplies for class. Sharing classroom supplies will not be allowed.

*Rolling backpacks will be permitted.

To avoid cross-contamination, students will NOT be allowed to use microwaves in the cafeteria. To avoid contamination in the serving line, scanners have been installed so that students will no longer be required to punch in their ID number to receive breakfast/lunch. Students will be provided a laminated ID card on the first day of F2F instruction, which may be utilized in the cafeteria serving line. Additional lunchroom procedures will be provided to students when F2F instruction begins.

To minimize campus traffic inside the building, we have relocated the lunch drop-off location. Parents/guardians may drop-off lunches for their student(s) via the grade level coolers/buckets placed outdoors in front of the cafeteria entrance. Please have your student's lunch (NO DRINKS) labeled before placing inside the grade level cooler/bucket.

• Parents will be allowed to eat lunch with their student(s) during the fall semester; however, we are asking parents to notify the administration as least 24 hours in advance. Families will receive more information about how to request a lunch reservation before F2F instruction begins. Stay tuned!
  
• Parents/guardians are NOT allowed to bring food and/or eat lunch with students other than their own.
• Social-distancing guidelines will be strictly enforced in the cafeteria.
• There will be tables designated for parents eating lunch with their students(s).
• Parents/guardians MUST check-in at the front office to receive a visitor badge.
• Parents/guardians must comply with campus expectations regarding face coverings and social-distancing.
• Students may still receive lunch drop-offs via the grade level coolers/buckets placed outdoors in front of the cafeteria entrance.

This year's school portraits will take place at the end of October for both Virtual Academy and Face-to-Face learners. Student IDs will be handed out in November. More information about group portraits is forthcoming.

To capture Vandeventer Middle School related activties and to ensure that all students are included in this year's yearbook, we need your help. Parents/guardians, students and faculty may drop any school related pictures here. Adding a photograph to this link does not necessarily guarantee publication. We appreciate your assistance!

Students who did not pick-up their yearbook during the material's exchange process facilitated in May, will have a few additional opportunities to pick-up their items. We will use the same procedures implemented during materials exchange. The pick-up location will be on the north side of the building at the cafe entrance/driveway.

Prior to arrival:

• post the following information on a piece of paper and display on the passenger side window of your vehicle:
  

1. student's name
   
2. grade level
3. ID number

Upon arrival:

• stay in vehicle
• staff will assist families

Please schedule a time to pick-up the yearbook via this link.

Friday, August 28

11:45 a.m. - 12:45 p.m.

4:00 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.

If you did not purchase a yearbook last year, extras are available here while supplies last.

• Disease activity levels
• Screening and isolation
• Protective measures, including face coverings
• Hand washing/sanitizing
• Cleaning and disinfecting
• Transitions (hallway, restroom, class change)
• Arrival/dismissal
• Cafeteria (breakfast/lunch)
• Library usage
• PE class (dressing out, locker room usage)
• Extra-curricular activities

When possible, campuses will utilize virtual meeting options to limit campus visitors. All visitors who enter the building will be required to wear a face covering during substantial and moderate transmission levels. Individuals who proceed beyond the reception area will follow specific guidelines for visitors.

Vandeventer Middle School has a new security doorbell/camera installed at the main entrance as an additional safety measure to protect our students and staff. Visitors must ring the doorbell and wait for assistance from office staff when requesting entry into the building. Office staff will ask visitors to show their ID to the camera before granting access. So, please have your identification ready. Access to the building will NOT be granted without proper identification. Upon clearance, the office staff will grant access to the building.

FISD is providing instructional continuity with online learning through synchronous and asynchronous learning. District device availability is limited, so we ask that if each of your students already has a device that can be used for online learning, please do not request additional devices. We need your help to ensure every child in our community has access!

If your child needs a device in order to participate in online learning, please complete this form. You will need to complete one form for each student in your family who will need a device. Here is the link to the Student Device Request Form.

If you have NOT completed the registration process (POR/immunizations/infosnap) you will not be eligible for a device. Please note that we will only distribute Chromebooks for students enrolled at Vandeventer MS.

If you missed the pick-up date/time, please reach out to Emily Waltz, VMS Receptionist at waltze@friscoisd.org to schedule a date/time to pick up a device.

Students may click the link below if experiencing technology issues (Canvas, FISD login, Student Portal, Zoom). From the main FISD homepage, students must click on the word Virtual under the Instruction button, then choose Technology Resources from the menu on the left side of the screen.

The calculator used in HS and 8th grade is the TI-84 Graphing Calculator. If a student is 8th grade, or planning on studying in any STEM related field after HS, it would be best if they purchased their own calculator to use all through HS and college.

If this is not not an option for your family at this time, there are a couple of apps that can be used. See below. Also students may access an online graphing calculator at Desmos.com. It is very user friendly.

TI-84 Calculator Emulators (for phones)

Wabbitemu

Calculate84

Desmos Graphing Calculator

Website: https://www.desmos.com/calculator

Chrome extension: Desmos Graphing Calculator

Please be advised that the Home Access Passwords are no longer stored. As of this Friday evening, August 7th, the district has replaced the old HAC credentials on STUDENT ACCOUNTS with the student's "portal/network" log-in credentials that are used to gain access to many programs in FISD and their lunch account.

• Username: Student ID

• Password: Date of Birth mmddyyyy (default) or other Password if "reset by the student" (Parent should ask the student the password) Those parents with a GID (Gateway) will not be impacted.

The district is working with Technology and Communications to send a District- Wide School Messenger to families with a general "template" providing access requirements to district programs. This is the Technology Applications Template being sent through School Messenger to parents and students. When schedules are released next week, parents and students will need to use the above log in credentials to access the class schedule in HAC.

Greetings Parents!

PTA online store is open. Please visit http://vandevikings.my-pta.org/content.asp?PageID=6 to purchase Spirit Wear, Yard Signs, and Car Decals.

As stated online, for items ordered now through the first 3 weeks of virtual school, delivery date will be set for 9/8. Delivery for Virtual Academy students is pending.

For students who need still PE Uniforms, they can be purchased directly with Frisco Sports Center. Please check their website at https://friscosportstx.com for store address, hours and other relevant details.

Support Vandeventer & VMS PTA by signing up for membership here:

http://vandevikings.my-pta.org/content.asp?PageID=8

Like our Vandeventer PTA Facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/vandeventerpta/

We are looking to add members to our PTA Board. The following positions are open:

Council Delegate/Legislative

VP of Fundraising

Programs

Community Liaison

Environmental

Please contact president.vmspta@gmail if you are interested on being on the PTA Board. All are welcome and no experience necessary!

Frisco, Texas 75035

Email: vandeventer@friscoisd.org
Website: http://schools.friscoisd.org/campus/middle-school/vandeventer/home
Phone: 469-633-4350
Facebook: facebook.com/VandeventerMiddleSchool
Twitter: @VandeventerMS