Viking View

Regular 8 Period Day Schedule

Advisory Schedule

8 Football VMS vs. Cobb CANCELLED

Tuesday, November 3

Regular 8 Period Day Schedule

Viking Time Schedule: Week 2/5th Period

Election Day

• VMS is Designated Election Site
• Auxiliary Gym
• 7:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m.

7 Football VMS vs. Cobb @ Wakeland HS

• 6:00 p.m. (One Game ONLY)

Wednesday, November 4th

Modified Block Schedule

• Period 1, 3, 5, 7

Viking Time Schedule: Week 2/6th Period

8 Volleyball Wester vs. VMS @ VMS

• 5:30 p.m./6:30 p.m./7:30 p.m.

• 6:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. (Details Below)

Thursday, November 5th

Modified Block Schedule

• Period 2, 4, 6, 8

Viking Time Schedule: Week 2/7th Period

TNS/C-Hall

• 3:45 p.m. - 5:54 p.m.

• 5:30 p.m./6:30 p.m./7:30 p.m.

Friday, November 6th

Regular 8 Period Day Schedule

Viking Time Schedule: Week 2/8th Period

Q2 3 Week IPR

November 9

Q3 Intent to Change Learning Environment (Window Opens)

November 11

Veteran's Day

November 12

IPR in HAC

November 13

UIL Eligibility Date

November 17

Chi-fil-a Fundraiser

November 19-22

PTA Silent Auction

November 23-27

Thanksgiving Break

What started at the turn of the century as an effort to gain a day of recognition for the significant contributions the first Americans made to the establishment and growth of the U.S., has resulted in a whole month being designated for that purpose.

One of the very proponents of an American Indian Day was Dr. Arthur C. Parker, a Seneca Indian, who was the director of the Museum of Arts and Science in Rochester, N.Y. He persuaded the Boy Scouts of America to set aside a day for the “First Americans” and for three years they adopted such a day. In 1915, the annual Congress of the American Indian Association meeting in Lawrence, Kans., formally approved a plan concerning American Indian Day. It directed its president, Rev. Sherman Coolidge, an Arapahoe, to call upon the country to observe such a day. Coolidge issued a proclamation on Sept. 28, 1915, which declared the second Saturday of each May as an American Indian Day and contained the first formal appeal for recognition of Indians as citizens.

The year before this proclamation was issued, Red Fox James, a Blackfoot Indian, rode horseback from state to state seeking approval for a day to honor Indians. On December 14, 1915, he presented the endorsements of 24 state governments at the White House. There is no record, however, of such a national day being proclaimed.

The first American Indian Day in a state was declared on the second Saturday in May 1916 by the governor of New York. Several states celebrate the fourth Friday in September. In Illinois, for example, legislators enacted such a day in 1919. Presently, several states have designated Columbus Day as Native American Day, but it continues to be a day we observe without any recognition as a national legal holiday.

In 1990 President George H. W. Bush approved a joint resolution designating November 1990 “National American Indian Heritage Month.” Similar proclamations, under variants on the name (including “Native American Heritage Month” and “National American Indian and Alaska Native Heritage Month”) have been issued each year since 1994.

Contributions: https://nativeamericanheritagemonth.gov/about/

Let’s show our teachers and staff how much we appreciate them! In lieu of teacher gifts, parents and students are encouraged to donate gift cards in $5 to $20 denominations that will be distributed to the entire staff. Donations can be dropped off at the front office. We ask that all donations are submitted by Wednesday, December 16th. Please write the $ amount and the name of the family who donated in a permanent marker on each gift card/sleeve so the teacher/staff member can extend their appreciation once they receive it. We truly appreciate the support of our community! Happy Holidays!

This past Saturday, many of our Vandeventer Orchestra students participated in All-Region Orchestra auditions. This is a highly competitive process in which students prepare advanced music and compete against students from Frisco, McKinney, and Prosper ISD to earn a coveted ranking in a Cross-District Orchestra, or All-Region Orchestra.

Students prepare for this audition through many avenues of practice: weeks of campus-based assessments, mock auditions by playing for both us and their peers, before and after school tutoring, master classes, and additional music instruction with their private lesson teachers.

We are ecstatic to announce that 44 Vandeventer Orchestra students were awarded placements across the three orchestras. This is the largest number of students that have ever placed from the Vandeventer Orchestra! We are thankful to have such talented and dedicated musicians on our campus!

The 44 students’ names are placed on the VMS Orchestra website "All-Region" page to commemorate their success. This can be found by scrolling towards the bottom of the page linked here: https://www.vandeventerorchestra.com/all-region-orchestra

Congratulations to the following students that placed into an All-Region Orchestra (listed alphabetically by first name):

Abiodun Dare

Anirdesh Mandavilli

Annaliese Burkle

Arush Gopalakrishnan

Avery Stevens

Callie Yim

Christine Wu

Cindy Trinh

Diya Ramesh

Ethan Liu

Grace Fei

Grace Jeong

Harini Sundar

Hayoon Jin

John Fu

Justin Yamashita

Krish Kumar

Laura Huang

Mackenzie Raymond

Mathias Wong

Minseok Kim

Mudi Zhang

Namya Sripati

Nolan Sow

Owen Ryu

Phil Jeon

Pritika Bhasin

Ram Bonthala

Rithvik Pandey

Ryan Lee

Sahana Narasimhan

Sahana Sethuraman

Saimanasaa Viswanathan

Samyuktha Shanthakumar

Sarayu Bongale

Seunghyun Jung

Shriya Satish

Sonja Mo

Sriram Mupparapu

Tanvi Desai

Tarun Tornala

Vikshar Rajesh

Yasaman Soleimani

Yejin Choi

For questions/concerns related to athletics, please reach out to the appropriate athletic coordinator.

Girls' Athletics

Coach Jaime Siess @ SiessJ@friscoisd.org

Boys' Athletics

Coach Andrew Casares @ Casaresa@friscoisd.org

1. Spectators are not allowed to bring food or drink into either of the gyms. To minimize gatherings and to ensure social distancing protocols, concession sales will not be permitted this year. Bottles of water are allowed in the gym.
   
2. Gate workers will ensure compliance to social distancing guidelines and face covering requirements for spectators.
3. There will be 100% online ticket sales through Ticket Spicket. There will be no cash sales at the gate. Gate workers will verify virtual ticket purchases.
4. Protocols for identifying family members are being developed and will be in place before the first game so that family members may sit together in the stands.
5. Seats will be marked and appropriately distanced 6 feet apart for spectators to ensure adherence to social distancing guidelines.
6. There are NO STUDENT SECTIONS at any middle school games this season.
7. Athletes' conduct should promote sportsmanship and reflect their team in a positive and respectful manner. Conversations should be appropriate and profanity is prohibited.
8. Athletes will leave with their parent immediately following their game. Coaches will wait with athletes after the last game of the night.
9. Games will not start earlier than scheduled time, so that parents won’t feel the need to arrive too early. The expectation for parents is to arrive shortly before the game and leave immediately after the game.
10. Announcements will be made at the end of each game asking parents to leave the gym to allow space for other parents.
11. There will be a separate entrance and exit in gyms for event spectators to minimize contact between spectators.

1. Administrators on duty will ensure compliance to social distancing guidelines and face covering requirements for spectators.
2. There will be 100% online ticket sales through Ticket Spicket. There will be no cash sales at the gate. Gate workers will verify virtual ticket purchases.
3. There are NO STUDENT SECTIONS at any middle school games this season.
   
4. Athletes' conduct should promote sportsmanship and reflect their team in a positive and respectful manner. Conversations should be appropriate and profanity is prohibited.
5. Athletes will be able to ride the bus back to school or leave with their parent immediately following their game. Coaches will wait with athletes at campus until the last athlete is picked up.
6. Games will not start earlier than scheduled time, so that parents won’t feel the need to arrive too early. The expectation is for parents to arrive shortly before the game and leave immediately after the game.

Students in Grades 5-7 and their parents are invited to learn more about Advanced courses, Advanced Placement (AP), International Baccalaureate (IB), Dual Credit, and Career and Technical Education (CTE) offerings in Frisco ISD. These events will be in a Webinar format and will start at 6:00 PM. Please register for one of the two evenings through the links below.

Thursday November 12th from 6:00-7:30

It’s time to start thinking about Academic Pentathlon. Academic Pentathlon will allow you, as a middle school student, a chance to start experiencing the benefits of Academic Decathlon before entering high school. Pentathlon is open to 7th and 8th grade students, and our topic this year is The Cold War. You will attend weekly virtual meetings and compete against other are schools in April. An interest form link is included in this week’s Viking View. If you are interested, please sing up on the form or see Mrs. Roberts in B105 or Ms. Buzan in B104 if you have any questions.

Pentathlon Interest Form

Thank you,

Mrs. Roberts and Mrs. Buzan

This year the VMS school spelling bee will utilize the Scripps online spelling bee platform. Students will be required to come to VMS on December 10th at 4:00 to participate where they will use a FISD Chromebook to access the spelling test. Only the participant will be able to enter the building.

Students may sign up by filling out the google form on the VMS Library Canvas course under announcements. The window for signing up ends Tuesday, November 3rd. At that time, the list of spelling words will be emailed to Virtual Academy students. Face to Face students will pick up their lists in the library. Please contact Mrs. Hon, Librarian, with any questions. hona@friscoisd.org

Curricular Clubs:

Reach out to the sponsors for virtual meeting dates/times.

National Junior Honor Society - Sponsor Kim Shea

Art Club - Sponsor Leanne Rainey

Academic Pentathlon - Sponsors Kristen Roberts & Jamie Buzan

STUCO - Allison Hillman

Vikings Read Book Club - Amy Hon

Non-Curricular Clubs:

Students may provide information related to their non-curricular club to their peers via student created posters, word-of-mouth, and student announcements.

Frisco ISD will provide school meals at no-cost now through December 18th, thanks to a waiver and reimbursement from the federal government. The District has been approved to offer breakfast and lunch at no cost to all students, both on-campus and virtual learners, as well as to children age 18 and younger who are not enrolled in FISD. To receive a free meal, on-campus students must select a complete meal with a fruit or vegetable. No sign up is required.

Parents of virtual learners, as well as non-FISD students, who are interested in picking up free to-go meals should complete the sign-up form for the remainder of the first nine weeks. There will be a separate, additional sign-up form for the second nine weeks (Oct. 19 - Dec. 18) because of the opportunity for students to switch instructional environments. In order for the District to qualify to provide free meals, Frisco ISD had to modify the pick-up locations for families participating in virtual instruction.

Sign Up Form

Learn More

An informational webinar regarding the Navy National Defense Cadet Corps (NNDCC) program will be held on Wednesday, November 4th from 6:00-7:00 PM. This webinar is for all parents of students and students who are interested in joining the program for its inaugural year at Lebanon Trail High School in 2021-22. The presentation will include an overview of the program which will address course details, requirements for admission, logistics of transportation, costs to students and families, academic implications, and future benefits for military and college bound students.

Incoming 9th grade students who are admitted into the program will become full time Lebanon Trail High School students for all of the years that they choose to be in the program. For the 21-22 school year, students in 10th-12th grade will have the option to travel to Lebanon Trail for the course during the school day while taking the rest of their courses at their home campus or they may transition to Lebanon Trail High School as full time students. Parents will have an opportunity to ask questions during the webinar via a moderator.

The NNDCC has similar curriculum and student learning experiences as the Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (JROTC). The mission of the NNDCC is to motivate young people to be better citizens and the program and encompasses a myriad of teaching goals focused on leadership, teamwork, character education, personal responsibility, a sense of accomplishment, and service to the nation.

To register for the webinar please click here.

The Academic Partnership and Community Partnership teams are working on gathering information about virtual service opportunities for students. Click here to view a list of cooperating agencies willing to provide virtual service opportunities.

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

Lesson plans will be posted on our campus website by 8:00 a.m. every Monday morning during 5-day work weeks. During holiday/professional development weeks availability to lesson plans dates/times may vary.

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.

We would like to reiterate the importance and expectation of attendance for our virtual academy students. Please make sure your student is adhering to the following expectations:

• Follow the campus bell schedule
• Attend all classes virtually (i.e. Zoom or Google Meets)
• Participate in virtual classes by keeping the CAMERA ON (the teacher needs to see the student's face)
• Stay on the required virtual session until the teacher dismisses the class for asynchronous assignments
• Complete all assignments as directed by the teacher

Virtual students are expected to adhere to all compulsory attendance laws, district policy and campus expectations. Failure to follow these attendance guidelines will be considered a violation of law, and students will be subject to disciplinary action.

STUDENTS WHO DO NOT TURN THEIR CAMERA ON WILL BE MARKED ABSENT. If you are experiencing camera issues with your device, please reach out to our receptionist, Emily Waltz @ waltze@friscoisd.org, to schedule a time to pick-up a Chromebook from the school.

For more information related to attendance, please visit the district's webpage @ https://www.friscoisd.org/about/resources-and-information/school-attendance

If your child is going to be absent from school for any part of or the entire day, please submit the attendance information before 8:30 a.m. via the REPORT AN ABSENCE form by clicking the REPORT AN ABSENCE tab on the top right corner of our campus homepage.

Phone calls are a courtesy, but this form (as outlined below) is the only means for official absence reporting. Parents will be expected to complete the following information by clicking the form from the REPORT AN ABSENCE tab on the top right corner of our campus homepage:

REPORT AN ABSENCE

STUDENT ID - OPTIONAL

STUDENT LEGAL NAME - REQUIRED

DATE OF ABSENCE - REQUIRED

(If absent more than one day, include all days of absence in the explanation on the next field.)

REASON FOR ABSENCE - REQUIRED

(Please include specific information or symptoms; "sick" is not sufficient for our records.)

COVID-19 - REQUIRED
Is this absence related to Covid-19? Yes No

Please provide an email (required) or phone number (optional) where you may be reached.

EMAIL - REQUIRED

PHONE - OPTIONAL

DOCTOR NOTE - OPTIONAL: Upload a doctor's note explaining the reason for your child's absence.

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 has created 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.

Please review this presentation for specific guidelines for Vandeventer Middle School. Reach out to Mrs. Hon for questions at hona@friscoisd.org.

Please use this link to schedule your lunch visitation. Due to social distancing guidelines, there is a two family minimum for each lunch time.

• 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.
  
• 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.

Beginning on Monday, November 2nd, COVID-19 testing will be moving to The Toyota Stadium's Red Corolla lot, located at 9200 World Cup Way. Operating hours will remain 8a.m.-4 p.m. ,Monday-Saturday. As a reminder, you do not need to be a Frisco resident. No insurance required, but you must schedule an appointment online at Texas.curative.com. The self-administered test takes about ten minutes and you should receive results within 48-96 hours.

A friendly reminder, please continue to pay attention to how you are wearing your mask!

To capture Vandeventer Middle School related activities and to ensure that all students are included in this year's yearbook, we need your help. Faculty, students, and staff can upload pictures here (password: 415464688). Students who are not allowed to be photographed will be edited if the submission is selected for publication. Adding a photograph to this link does not necessarily guarantee publication. We appreciate your assistance!

To order a 2019-2020 yearbook, please click here.

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.

Vandeventer Spirit Night @ Chi-fil-a on Custer @ 121: Tuesday, November 17th from 5-8 p.m.

World Wear Project: Continue to donate your unused/unwanted clothing, shoes, backpacks, toys, etc. Proceeds will help the VMS PTA to provide programs that benefit Vandeventer students, staff, and parents. Help support this great cause while cleaning out your closets. More details above.

Healthy Lifestyle: November is Healthy Lifestyle, more details for healthy habits on and off campus coming soon.

Please stop by the Front Office to pick up your student’s pre-purchased school supplies and/or PE uniform. We still have a handful of each waiting to be picked up. Thank you for remembering.

Join PTA: Parents, teachers, and students, If you have not had the chance to join VMS PTA this year, please use this link to join. https://www.joinpta.org/ Texas PTA is having a contest in which PTA can have the most members join this week. Contest ends Sunday, November 1st at 11:59pm. The winning PTA for this week will snag one standard hotel room at The Gaylord Texan for LAUNCH 2021, plus access to LAUNCH 2020 recordings (60+ workshops and six special events) for 10 new registered users.

Visit http://vandevikings.my-pta.org/content.asp?PageID=6 to purchase Spirit Wear / Yard Signs / Car Decals.

Like VMS PTA Facebook page to see the latest updates: https://www.facebook.com/vandeventerpta/

For questions regarding VMA PTA , please contact president.vmspta@gmail.com

Melani Smith, MS, LPC, NCC

Virtual Counseling Office

Student Support Coordinator

smithmela@friscoisd.org

Virtual Counseling Office

Virtual Appointment Request Form

6075 Independence Parkway

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