Viking View

There has been a recent increase District-wide in the number of COVID-19 cases as evidenced by the COVID-19 dashboard. While we do not see evidence of significant disease spread at the campus, we must all do our part to stop the spread of COVID-19 both at school and in the community.

Keep in mind these east tips on ways we can stop the spread as a community:

• Maintain 6 feet of distance when possible and wear a mask that covers the nose and mouth
• Wash your hands often or use hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol
• Screen your student daily prior to school for signs and symptoms of illness
• Keep your student home if an undiagnosed symptom or illness is noticed
• Be wise with social activity and follow recommendations from the CDC and local health service authorities

The Frisco ISD COVID-19 Frequently Asked Questions is an excellent resource as you have questions about how this pandemic has impacted our District.

Regular 8 Period Day Schedule

Advisory Schedule

Tuesday, December 1

Regular 8 Period Day Schedule

Viking Time Schedule: Week 1/1st Period

Wednesday, December 2

Modified Block Schedule

• Period 1, 3, 5, 7

Viking Time Schedule: Week 1/2nd Period

Thursday, December 3

Modified Block Schedule

• Period 2, 4, 6, 8

Viking Time Schedule: Week 1/3rd Period

TNS/C-Hall

• 3:45 p.m. - 5:54 p.m.

Aim for Success: Parent Meeting (Virtual)

Friday, December 4

Regular 8 Period Day Schedule

Viking Time Schedule: Week 1/4th Period

2nd IPR

December

8 SBDM/CIT Meeting

8 Advanced Academic Information Night

10 IPR in HAC

10 Aim for Success Student Program

11 UIL Regain Eligibility

15 Virtual Band Concert

15 Career & Technical Education (CTE) Programs & Dual Credit Information Night

18 Deadline for 2020-2021 Club Applications

18 Spelling Bee Participant List Deadline to FISD

21-1 Winter Break

January

4 Campus Professional Learning Day/Student Holiday

5 Q3 Begins/Students Return

• Students must come to school with a charged device. We have depleted our inventory and no longer have chargers available for checkout on daily basis.
• Students should take a picture of their ID card so that they can easily access it at breakfast and lunch. The cafeteria staff can still scan the barcode from a digital picture.

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!

The Vandeventer faculty, staff and students would like to thank the PTA for their generous donation of the Neptune GameTime Voyager system. Schools, colleges, and universities. utilize this program across the country. This program allows us to play music, which is content and lyric safe, prerecorded messages, and announcements during athletic and other school related events. We have already began using the system, and we love it! Again, thank you for your generosity!

We would also like to thank the PTA for providing this new and vibrant fence sign. With the help of our parents, students and staff we we were able to complete the Viking portion of the sign. Hopefully, we will be able to add the VMS to the sign soon! Thank you so much!

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

This past weekend our Viking Band members competed in the Middle School All-Region Band process against 1022 students from Prosper ISD, Little Elm ISD, McKinney ISD in addition to the rest of Frisco ISD. The students have worked hard the past 12 weeks attending virtual sectionals and help sessions, recording numerous playing tests, and playing for peers, private teachers, band directors and family.

Vandeventer Middle School had 17 students claim spots in each of the four All-Region bands. Please help me congratulate these students for their accomplishment.

Students are listed by band and chair.

Matthew Hung Wind Ensemble Clarinet

Subina Baiju Wind Ensemble Clarinet

Evan Bullitt Wind Ensemble Tenor Saxophone

Rohan Jannu Wind Ensemble Trumpet

Shaunak Misra Wind Ensemble Euphonium

Angie Fei Honors Band Flute

Harish Napa Honors Band Clarinet

Dermot Chester Honors Band Trombone

Mananya Gupta Symphonic Band Flute

Ahaan Sinha Symphonic Band Clarinet

Advay Singh Symphonic Band Bassoon

Sneha Sathish Symphonic Band Percussion

Medha Anasuri Concert Band Clarinet

Max Dowd Concert Band French Horn

Roland Nguyen Concert Band Tuba

Om Joshi Concert Band Percussion

Bella Oushaulkas Concert Band Percussion

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.

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

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.

Frisco ISD is currently accepting admission forms through December 2nd for all students interested in being part of the NNDCC’s inaugural year at Lebanon Trail High School. The program will kick off beginning the fall semester of 2021. 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.

All interested students are invited to visit the NNDCC webpage for information on the program and how to apply for admission.

Get Steppin’! The VMS Health & Wellness Committee will be rolling out a Steps Challenge open to ALL VMS students and staff! Here are the details:

What: VMS Steps Challenge!

When: November 30, 2020 through midnight December 18, 2020

Who: All VMS Students and Staff

How: It’s easy! Submit your weekly steps through a link in Canvas (provided by your Math teachers) to log your activity!

Why: To get off that device and move to help your circulation and clear your mind! Moving does a BODY GOOD!!!

The grade level winner will be announced upon returning from Winter Break! Up for grabs is your choice of a courtyard lunch OR free homework pass!

Got questions??? See Nurse Teeling

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.

In order to provide the safest and most orderly environment possible at VMS sporting events, please adhere to the following rules:

• Parents should only purchase their allotted number of tickets (up to 3). Attendance at games should be limited to families of participants only. Sharing codes or purchasing more than what is allowed may hinder other families from attending games and could result in a loss of privilege of attending games.

• Family groups should sit together, but 6 feet from other family groups.

• Masks are required at indoor events and encouraged at outdoor events, especially if unable to stay 6 feet apart.

• Families, including younger siblings, should not have the following items or similar items with them: football, soccer ball, tennis ball, volleyball, skateboard, scooter, etc. The items may be confiscated until the end of the event and individuals will be asked to return to their seats.

• Families, including younger siblings, should remain in the stands to watch the games.

• Food and drinks are not permitted in the gym. Bottles of water are allowed.

• Family conduct should promote sportsmanship and reflect our team in a positive and respectful manner. Conversations should be appropriate and profanity is prohibited.

We ask for your continued support in creating a safe environment for our athletes during the pandemic. Potential risks for your family are also a risk for the VMS community. Please consider the following:

• Keep your student home if symptoms are noticed.

• Be forthcoming regarding exposure, potential exposure, or illness with your student and/or family member.

• Be wise with social activity and follow recommendations from the CDC and Health Department. Social activities away from school continue to impact the campus.

Thank you for your support of our FISD athletes, families and spectators – we’ll see you at the games!

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.

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

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.

Join PTA: Parents, teachers, and students, if you have not had the chance to join VMS PTA this year, please join either through the PTA website http://vandevikings.my-pta.org/content.asp?PageID=8 or directly at https://www.joinpta.org/. Texas PTA is having another contest for the PTA with the most joining in one week. The contest ends Sunday, November 15th at 11:59 p.m.. It is a BIG prize! A Texas PTA past State President will deliver VIP training to our executive board.

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

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