Viking View

Regular 8 Period Day Schedule

Advisory Schedule

Q3 Intent to Change Learning Environment Window Opens

School Psychologist Appreciation Week Begins

8 Football Wester vs. VMS @ Liberty HS

• 6:00 p.m. (CANCELLED)

Tuesday, November 10

Regular 8 Period Day Schedule

Viking Time Schedule: Week 1/1st Period

MS Transition 4-Year Planning Meeting (Virtual)

• Details Below
• 6:00 p.m.

7 Football Wester vs. VMS @ Liberty HS

• 6:00 p.m. (One 1 Game)

Wednesday, November 11th

Modified Block Schedule

• Period 1, 3, 5, 7

Viking Time Schedule: Week 1/2nd Period

Veteran's Day - FNA Virtual Tribute

Support the Fight Against Diabetes - Wear Blue

8 Volleyball VMS vs. Fowler @ Fowler MS

• 5:30 p.m./6:30 p.m./7:30 p.m.

Thursday, November 12th

Modified Block Schedule

• Period 2, 4, 6, 8

Viking Time Schedule: Week 1/3rd Period

IPR in HAC

TNS/C-Hall

• 3:45 p.m. - 5:54 p.m.

Advanced Academic Information Night (Virtual)

• Details Below
• 6:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.

7 Volleyball Fowler vs. VMS @ VMS

• 5:30 p.m./6:30 p.m./7:30 p.m.

Friday, November 13th

Regular 8 Period Day Schedule

Viking Time Schedule: Week 1/4th Period

Q3 Intent to Change Learning Environment Window Closes

School Psychologist Appreciation Week Ends

Regain Eligibility

November 17

Chi-fil-A Fundraiser

Career & Technical Education (CTE) Information Night

November 19-22

PTA Silent Auction

November 23-27

Thanksgiving Break

Parents and guardians who want to change their child’s learning environment can update their selection November 9-13. Families will continue to have two choices for learning in Frisco ISD: on-campus or virtual instruction. No action is required by parents who wish to maintain the same learning environment.

New selections will go into effect for the third nine weeks of school, which begins January 5. Although the change window may seem early, two extended school breaks fall between the change window and the start of the second semester. The selected time frame will provide staff with sufficient work days to make the necessary changes to student and teacher schedules. Please keep in mind, the instructional environment change period may potentially impact your child whether or not you request a change.

Changes will be accepted via the Student Portal through 11:59 p.m. on Friday, November 13. Click here for more information, including instructions for how to request a change.

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!

We need your help! In order to improve Vandeventer's Virtual Academy, we would like your feedback regarding the facilitation of our virtual instruction. Please complete the survey via the link below by Friday, November 20th. We value your time and appreciate your input.

Survey: https://forms.gle/yBHgyvYiLpXiUebg7

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

Career and Technical Education (CTE) will host three webinars that will give an overview of Frisco ISD CTE programs, new Health Science dual credit courses, and Collin Technical Campus dual credit opportunities. Please register for the webinar and see our FISD CTE website for additional information.

November 17th @ 6:30

December 15th @6:30

January 12th @ 6:30

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

The admissions form link for the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme at Frisco HS is now available on the FISD IB school of choice website:

Any interested 8th grader needs to submit an interest form before the November 18th deadline to be included in the admissions process for the IB Class of 2025 cohort. Please email any questions to Jenna Gates, IB Coordinator at FHS, at GatesJ@friscoisd.org.

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.

What is diabetes?

Diabetes is an epidemic in the United States. According to the CDC, over 34 million Americans have diabetes and face it's devastating consequences. What's true nationwide is also true in Texas.

• 2,333,000 people in Texas, or 11.2 % of the adult population have diagnosed diabetes.
• An additional 621,000 people in the Texas have diabetes, but don't know it, increasing their health risk.
• There are 7,142,000 people in Texas, 34% of the adult population have prediabetes with blood glucose levels that are higher than normal but not yet high enough to be diagnosed as diabetes.

Diabetes is EXPENSIVE!

• People with diabetes have medical expenses 2.3 times higher than those who do not have diabetes
• Total direct medical expenses for diagnosed diabetes in Texas were estimated at $18.9 billion in 2017.
• In addition, another $6.7 billion was spend on indirect costs from lost productivity due to diabetes
• Insulin, is a medication that is critical to the health and well-being of those with Type 1 diabetes and for some individuals with Type 2 diabetes where necessary.
• One vial of Humalog, a rapid acting insulin also known as Lispro, used to cost $21 in 1999, was at a cost of $332 in 2019, reflecting a price increase of more than 1000%! The first vial of insulin was patented in 1923 and sold for $3 at that time!!!

What can we do to help?

• As a society, we need to collectively ADVOCATE for lower prescription insulin prices and policies that can achieve that goal with state and federal lawmakers, similar to the effort by oncologists to highlight the problem of high cancer drug prices.

We are beginning to see an increase in the amount of close contact and illness here on campus. Please continue to be vigilant with regards to hand hygiene, mask wearing, and social distancing, as well as monitoring your student BEFORE they come to school each day. Pandemic fatigue has set in, but we must stay the course to stay together!!!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 with Chick-fil-A: Come out and support VMS on November 17th from 5:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. at the Chic-fil-a at 121 and Custer.

World Wear Project: Please continue to donate your unused and unwanted clothing, shoes, backpacks, and toys.

P.E. Uniforms/School Supplies: 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.

Healthy Lifestyle: Wash Your Hands! It’s so easy for students to spread germs to one another, and not washing hands makes it even easier to do so! Students, remember to wash your hands often throughout the day. For example, wash your hands before and after you eat, after using the restroom, and after school. Keeping our hands clean is one of the most important steps to take to avoid getting sick and spreading germs to others. It's best to wash hands with soap and clean running water for 20 seconds.

Healthy Snack Food Contest: Sweet, salty, or savory, everyone has a weakness for snacks. Parents, have your student send their favorite healthy snack to the following link: HealthyLifestyle.vmspta@gmail.com. The PTA board will choose a submission once a month to be posted in this weekly newsletter and the PTA Facebook group.

Congratulations to Mananya Gupta for winning the October Healthy Snack Contest. Please see attached Roasted Chickpeas recipe.

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, and/or Car Decals.

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

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

Recipe by: Mananya Gupta

Ingredients:

1 can chickpeas

1.5 tbsp oil

1/2 teaspoon garlic salt or 1 teaspoon salt

Optional Ingredients:

1/2 teaspoon garlic salt

1 or 2 pinches paprika

1 pinch cayenne pepper

Other preferred spices

Steps:

1. Toss [completely rinsed and dried] chickpeas with olive oil to coating the chickpeas.

2. Add salt and toss until chickpeas are coated with salt.

3. Roast in a preheated oven at 350 degrees for 35 to 45 minutes or until crispy.

4. Stir chickpeas every 10 to 20 minutes for even cooking.

5. Once golden brown and crispy, take out of the oven and toss with optional spices.

6. Serve hot. When cooled, chickpeas become chewy instead of being crispy.

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