The Viking View

Join PTA: Parents, teachers, and students, please join our VMS PTA either through the PTA website at http://vandevikings.my-pta.org/content.asp?PageID=8 or directly at https://www.joinpta.org/.

We have NEW Viking spirit wear available online! Click this link for information: http://shoprowdyrags.com/shop/#!/Vandeventer-Spirit-Wear/c/117388262

Visit our 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

Monday, September 6th

Labor Day

Student/Staff Holiday

Tuesday, September 7th

PTA Stock the Fridge - Donations

• 7:45 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.

STUCO Officer Campaigns Begin

8 Period Day

• Viking Time
• ILA Priority Class

HB4545 Interim Testing (Reading)

• 6th & 7th Grades
• Library
• 8:30 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.
  

Football vs. Scoggins @ Emerson

• 8th Grade
• 6 p.m. (One Game)

Wednesday, September 8th

STUCO Officer Campaigns Continue

Block Schedule Periods 1, 3, 5, 7

• Viking Time
• History Priority Class

HB4545 Interim Testing (Math)

• 6th & 7th Grades
• Library
• 8:30 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.

Band Rehearsal

• 4 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.

Football vs. Scoggins @ Emerson

• 7th Grade
• 6 p.m. (One Game)

Volleyball vs. Scoggins @ Scoggins

• 8th Grade
• 5:30 p.m./6:30/7:30 p.m.

Thursday, September 9th

STUCO Officer Campaigns Continue

Block Schedule Periods 2, 4, 6, 8

• Viking Time
• Math Priority Class

HB4545 Interim Testing (Reading)

• 8th Grade
• Library
• 8:30 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.

Fall Play Rehearsal

• 4 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.

Volleyball vs. Scoggins @ VMS

• 7th Grade
• 5:30 p.m./6:30/7:30 p.m.

Rising Redhawk Event/MS Band Night

• Liberty HS vs. Prosper Rockhill
• Memorial Stadium
• 6:30 p.m.

Friday, September 10th

STUCO Officer Campaigns Continue

8 Period Day

• Viking Time
• Science Priority Class

HB4545 Interim Testing (Math)

• 8th Grade
• Library
• 8:30 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.

IMPROV Troupe Auditions

• 4 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.

September

13 PTA Board Meeting

13 IMPROV Meeting

13 8FB Trent vs. VMS @ LHS

14 Fall Play Rehearsal

14 7FB Trent vs. VMS @ LHS

15 Hispanic Heritage Month Begins

15 HB4545 Parent Meetings (6th Grade)

15 8VB VMS vs. Hunt @ Hunt

16 Fall Play Rehearsal

16 Orchestra Movie Night

16 7VB VMS vs. Hunt @ VMS

20 PTA General Meeting

20 Fall Play Rehearsal

20 8FB VMS vs. CObb @ Wakeland

21 National IT Professional Day

21 Fall Play Rehearsal

21 7FB VMS vs. Cobb @ Wakeland

22 8VB VMS vs. Pearson @ Pearson

23 Fall Play Rehearsal

23 7VB VMS vs. Pearson @ Pearson

24 Band Party @ Strikz

25 All Region Boot Camp

27 Fall Play Rehearsal

27 8FB BYE WEEK

28 Fall Play Rehearsal

29 8VB Griffin vs. VMS @ VMS

30 7VB Griffin vs. VMS @ Griffin

Please help show appreciation for our teachers by donating food and drinks for our "Stock the Fridge" event. This is an annual event facilitated by our Vandeventer PTA that takes place at the beginning of each school year. Members of our PTA will be onsite to take donations from our community on Tuesday, September 7th between 7:45 a.m. - 10:00 a.m. We appreciate your continued support! Feel free to reach out if you have any questions. Please use the link below to sign-up for your donation.

Sign-Up Link: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20F0549A5A722A20-stock2

Please help ease the carpool congestion by following the guidelines provided in the diagrams below. Your cooperation is appreciated.

Additional suggestions:

1. Alter pick-up time later when there are less vehicles in the carpool lane

2. Rideshare with a friend or neighbor

Starting Monday, August 23, Frisco ISD will notify middle and high school parents if an individual who tested positive for COVID-19 was in the same classroom, extracurricular activity or after-school program as their student during the time period that the individual was infectious. These student-specific email notifications will be sent daily as positive cases are reported and will replace the more general campuswide notifications. We hope this change will provide families with more pertinent information to guide decisions affecting student health. Total campus case counts will continue to be reported weekly on the District website.

In the second episode of The Frisco ISD Podcast, Board President René Archambault and Vice President John Classe join us to discuss the joys and challenges of being a member of the Frisco ISD Board of Trustees. Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or Google Podcasts.

As Frisco ISD continues working towards whole-child development, we identify and foster character strengths that will build resilient, life-long learners. In the same manner, families are encouraged to identify strengths and show a willingness to grow in areas such as self-control, curiosity, social intelligence and purpose - the focus of September!

Finding purpose is not a single event in a student’s life, it’s a process, but the benefit can be living a happy, joyful life with passion, promoting kindness, building confidence and self-awareness, enhancing sleep quality and self-motivation, and showing the world uniqueness. Access the Social-Emotional Learning Lessons.

The federal government is offering additional support to families with children. Advance payments of the Child Tax Credit began in July and will run through December. Each payment is up to $300 per month for each child under age 6 and up to $250 per month for each child ages 6 through 17. Most eligible families automatically began receiving monthly payments, but you may still be able to benefit from the credit even if you aren’t working now or weren’t required to file a federal tax return for 2020. Register through the Non-filer Sign-up Tool. You can also use the Child Tax Credit Update Portal to check the status of your payments, update your bank account information or opt-out of receiving monthly payments. See more details from the IRS.

You can support the Frisco Education Foundation by shopping on smile.amazon.com. Choose the Frisco Education Foundation as the recipient and .5% of the purchase price will go straight to the FEF. The Frisco Education Foundation is the 501(c)3 not-for-profit that exists solely to benefit the students and staff of Frisco ISD. Click here to learn more about the FEF.

Frisco ISD is looking for parents and community members interested in volunteering their time on several District-level committees. The committees provide critical stakeholder input on a variety of topics. Committee openings are filled throughout the year, though those interested in the School Health Advisory Council (SHAC), Long-Range Planning Committee (LRPC) and Legislative Leadership Committee (LLC) should apply now. The deadline to be considered for the SHAC is August 27, and the deadline is Sept. 1 for the LRPC and LLC.

Frisco ISD teachers are now offering weekly online tutorials in the evenings, saving parents time and money that might otherwise be spent on outside tutors. The tutorials are facilitated by District teachers who have worked with the Teaching and Learning Department to ensure alignment between what happens in the classroom and what is covered in online tutorials. Tutorials are at 6 p.m.:

• Mondays - Math

• Tuesdays. - Social Studies

• Wednesdays - ILA

• Thursdays - Science

Learn more about how to access the tutorials here.

All Frisco ISD students will be able to receive free breakfast and lunch on campus each school day for the duration of the 2021-22 school year. Typically, a student’s household must meet income eligibility requirements to qualify for free or reduced-price meals. However, the United States Department of Agriculture issued a nationwide waiver that allows schools to continue to provide meals to all students at no cost. Learn more about this opportunity.

If your child plans on eating in the cafeteria this year and has a special dietary need or account restriction, please fill out the appropriate form:

• Frisco ISD Child Nutrition SPECIAL DIET ACCOMMODATION FORM – If your student requires a “special diet” due to a disability, please fill this form out which has a section for the student’s treating physician to complete and sign.
• Account Restrictions Form – If you have restrictions for your student’s use of account, spending limits, a la carte restrictions, or dietary restrictions (not requiring a special diet) fill out this form.

Send completed form to specialdiets@friscoisd.org

Vandeventer Middle School is a designated East side location for our online learners to pick up meals from Frisco ISD. The pick-up will be once per week on Thursdays from 9:00 a.m. - 9:30 a.m. Families will receive five days worth of meals during the once per week pick-up. Any online family may pick-up meals through our drive-through service during this time on the north side of the building by the cafeteria entrance.

​​Please note that while the District is excusing absences for self-quarantining students, all absences count toward the “90 Percent Rule” found in Board policy FEC(LEGAL) and FEC(LOCAL). Parents may access the policies by clicking the following links: FEC (Legal)/FEC (Local).

You can now view all district-created lessons implemented to support social-emotional learning (SEL). Our district SEL consists of:

1. State required educational focuses

• Positive Character Education: Texas Education Code (TEC) §29.906
• Mental Health Promotion and Intervention: Texas Education Code (TEC) Sec. 38.351

2. Written curriculum with evidence-based standards/objectives for academic success

Any additional guidance lessons created at the campus level will be included in our weekly newsletter BEFORE the lessons occur. In the meantime, feel free to look through our PK-12 lessons on the Parent Portal. If you are new to this process, here are some tips:

1. Joining the Gateway and accessing the Parent Portal

2. One you are in, you can search for a tile called, “SEL.” It will look like the picture on the right

If you have any questions about the lessons found here, you can contact someone based on your student’s age. For elementary (PK5) concerns, you can contact Angie Williams at williama@friscoisd.org. For secondary (6-12) concerns, you can contact Heather Mayfield at mayfieldhe@friscoisd.org.

Frisco ISD requires background checks for all volunteers. If you plan to volunteer, please access the AppGarden Volunteer Tracker to set up a profile.

How To Buy Tickets (all sports other than varsity football)

• NO TICKET SALES AT THE GATE -- ONLINE ONLY
• Tickets for middle school and high school games are available at events.ticketspicket.com or on the free TicketSpicket app in the Apple Store or Google Play
• IMPORTANT: The TicketSpicket app must be installed on your device to enter an event.

• All sales open on Monday at 10 a.m. on the week of the event. (Middle school football tickets will be available a week in advance to accommodate scheduled games on Mondays)

Admission Cost for 2021-22 Events (excluding varsity football)

• High School Sports: Adult Ticket $5, Student Ticket $3, plus a small transaction fee
• Middle School Sports: Adult Ticket $5, Student Ticket $2, plus a small transaction fee (FISD Middle School students may use their student ID for free admission to their campus athletic event)
• FISD employees can present ID badge for free entry, plus that of three guests (ID badge can get a total of four people in the event)

Sports Passes

• Passes that can be redeemed at any regularly scheduled sporting event, excluding tournaments and playoffs, are District 9-5A, THSCA, TGCA. Gold Card and TABC (basketball only)

Gold Card for Senior Citizens

• The purpose of the Gold Card is to honor senior citizens for being dedicated supporters of our community. It enables them to attend most school district activities free of charge. These school activities include home athletic games and fine arts events. Find more information here

Ms. Taylor began her career in education in 1997 with Irving ISD after receiving her bachelor’s degree from the University of Texas at Dallas. After several years as a teacher and coach, she obtained her master’s degree in Educational Administration from the University of North Texas and continued in Irving as a middle school assistant principal. In 2006, she transitioned to Dallas ISD where she worked for the next twelve years in various leadership roles. This is Ms. Taylor's third year as the Viking principal, and she looks forward to another great school year!

Marla Smith got her start in marketing and public relations, but found her true calling in education with the Dallas ISD in 2002. She taught RLA for 10 years and was a master teacher before transitioning to Central Office and School Leadership for another 7 years. Mrs. Smith earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Communications from Howard Payne University and her Masters degree in Education Technology from Lamar University. She has a husband and two teenagers. Mrs. Smith is excited to begin her third year at Vandeventer MIddle School.

Mrs. Brotherson grew up in Grapevine, Texas, and earned a Bachelor's Degree in Interdisciplinary Studies from the University of North Texas. She began her teaching career at Spears Elementary as a 5th grade teacher in a self-contained classroom. After five years, she made the jump to middle school, teaching GT ILA at Cobb Middle School and serving as the Lead GT Teacher. Mrs. Brotherson obtained her Master's Degree in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies from the University of Texas at Arlington. This is Mrs. Brotherson's fourth year at Vandeventer Middle School.

Email: vandeventer@friscoisd.org
Website: https://schools.friscoisd.org/campus/middle-school/vandeventer
Location: 6075 Independence Parkway, Frisco, TX, USA
Phone: 469-633-4350
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/VandeventerMiddleSchool
Twitter: @VandeventerMS