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 8

Regular 8 Period Day Schedule

Viking Time Schedule: Week 2/5th Period

Tech Ed Appreciation Day

SBDM/CIT Committee Meeting (Designated Members)

• 4 p.m. - 5 p.m. (Virtual)
  

Advanced Academic Information Night (Virtual)

• 6 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.

Wednesday, December 9

Modified Block Schedule

• Period 1, 3, 5, 7

Viking Time Schedule: Week 2/6th Period

• 5:30 p.m./6:30 p.m./7:30 p.m.

• 5:30 p.m./6:30 p.m./7:30 p.m.

Thursday, December 10

Modified Block Schedule

• Period 2, 4, 6, 8

Viking Time Schedule: Week 2/7th Period

IPR in HAC

6th Grade Aim for Success Student Program

• 8:25 a.m. (2nd Period)
  

TNS/C-Hall

• 3:45 p.m. - 5:54 p.m.

• 4 p.m. - 5 p.m.

7G BB Scoggins vs. VMS @ Scoggins

• 5:30 p.m./6:30 p.m./7:30 p.m.

• 5:30 p.m./6:30 p.m./7:30 p.m.

Friday, December 11

Regular 8 Period Day Schedule

Viking Time Schedule: Week 2/8th Period

UIL Regain Eligibility

December

15 Virtual Band Concert

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

18 Deadline for 2020-2021 Club Applications

21-1 Winter Break

January

4 Campus Professional Learning Day/Student Holiday

5 Q3 Begins/Students Return

Kwanzaa is an African-American celebration of life from December 26th to January 1st.

Dr. Maulana Karenga introduced the festival in 1966 to the United States as a ritual to welcome the first harvests to the home. Dr. Karenga created this festival for Afro-Americans as a response to the commercialism of Christmas. In fact one might say that Kwanzaa has similarities with Thanksgiving in the United States or the Yam Festival in Ghana and Nigeria. The word "kwanzaa" is a KiSwahili (Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania) word meaning "first."

Five common sets of values are central to the activities of the week: ingathering, reverence, commemoration, recommitment, and celebration. The seven principles (nguzo saba) of Kwanzaa utilize Kiswahili words: unity (umoja), self-determination (kujichagulia), collective work and responsibility (ujima), cooperative economics (ujamaa), purpose (nia), creativity (kuumba), and faith (imani). Each of the seven candles signify the principles. Like the Jewish Hannakah, candles are used to represent concepts of the holiday.

The symbols of Kwanzaa include crops (mzao) which represents the historical roots of African-Americans in agriculture and also the reward for collective labor. The mat (mkeka) lays the foundation for self-actualization. The candle holder (kinara) reminds believers of their ancestral origins in one of 55 African countries. Corn/maize (muhindi) signifies children and the hope associated in the younger generation. Gifts (Zawadi) represent commitments of the parents for the children. The unity cup (Kkimbe cha Umoja) is used to pour libations to the ancestors. Finally, the seven candles (mishumaa saba) remind participants of the several principles and the colors in flags of African liberation movements -- 3 red, 1 black, and 3 green.

Gifts are exchanged, and on December 31st participants celebrate with a banquet of food with cuisine from various African countries. Participants also greet one another with "Habari gani,'' which is Kiswahili for "how are you/ how's the news with you?"

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!

With the holiday season fast approaching, we would like to provide a dessert table for our wonderful teachers and staff on Monday, December 14th. Please consider bringing a store bought dessert for them to enjoy. Desserts can be dropped off between 7:45 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. at the front entrance. Families may sign-up to bring a dessert via this link:https://m.signupgenius.com/#!/showSignUp/8050c4dadab29a7fc1-holiday1

We appreciate your sweet donation! Happy Holidays!

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. The event will be in a Webinar format and will start at 6:00 PM. Please register for the December meeting though the link below.

Tuesday December 8th 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

Please help me congratulate the following students who have achieved "High Artistic Achievement!" The students listed below have artwork selected to show in the FISD Vertical Art Show! You can enjoy the full 2020-21 Liberty/Vandeventer/Isbell/Anderson Vertical Art Show in its entirety via this link: VERTICAL SHOW -OR- you can view an abbreviated version of Vandeventer only students by clicking on this link: VMS VERTICAL SHOW WINNERS. This year's group of Viking Artists is AMAZING-- I promise, you will be impressed! Mrs. Rainey

Art 1

Waka O

Preston M

Jacob R

Raghav C

Adithri R

Soham P

Yul S

Ayushi S

Lilian J

Rory A

Laura H

Pranavi P

Suchay V

Art 2

Navya B

Joaquin P

Maclane M

Kristen Y

Kayleigh C

Maitreyi M

Hossein M

Zoe S

Aditi S

Bryan Z

MaryKatherine S

Grant M

Art 3

Adriana S

Ava K

Morgan C

Nathan R

Adeline G

Sophia B

Sara M

Abigail B

Ally G

Reid S

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

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.

Get Steppin’! The VMS Health & Wellness Committee rolled 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.

• Click here for misplaced picture day codes for viewing and/or purchasing.

• The upload instructions for missed student individual portraits are here. Deadline to submit a DIY portrait for the yearbook is 12/18/2020.

• Click here for group photos schedule for Athletics, Cheer, & Fine Arts.

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! Deadline is 01/31/2021.

To order a 2019-2020 yearbook, please click here. Deadline is 01/31/2021.

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.

Volunteer Opportunity: Our district has reached out to ask for parent volunteers who would be interested in helping out in the school cafeteria. The volunteers would need to take a 2-hour Food Handlers class. The district will provide this class via zoom, and they will find a day and time that works for everyone. Please register using this link if you are interested and can help out: https://forms.gle/cPymCheWhN77o3o86. Thank you!!!

Attention Parents: Our next PTA General Meeting will be Wednesday January 27, 2021; starting 8:45 a.m. Following the meeting, PTA will be viewing the LIKE movie by IndieFlix production for parents who are in attendance with discussion questions. Your students will be viewing this film during their science class on Wednesday 1/27/21 or Thursday 1/28/21. This is a good opportunity to discuss the implications of social media with your students.

Please RSVP to the general meeting via the link below. The virtual meeting information will be sent out prior to the meeting to everyone who completes the form.

RSVP General PTA Meeting

LIKE, a Film-Based Education Program on Digital Wellness & Social Media: LIKE is an IndieFlix Original documentary that explores the impact of social media on our lives and the effects of technology on the brain. The goal of the film is to inform, educate, and inspire people of all ages to self-regulate. Social media is a tool and social platforms are a place to connect, share, and care… but is that what's really happening?

2020 Conserve Frisco Holiday Video Contest: Play Frisco’s Natural Resources Division invites students in Frisco to participate in the Conserve Frisco Holiday Video Contest! The contest runs through December 20th. To enter, students must create a video (minimum of 30 seconds; maximum of 1 minute) that portrays positive ways the community can help conserve water, properly dispose of FOG (Fats, Oils & Grease) or reduce waste (Recycling Basics). There will be a total of six contest winners who will each win Frisco Swag Bags! Some videos will be featured on the Play Frisco Facebook page and City of Frisco website. All who participate and follow the contests directions will earn four (4) hours of community service! Please go to Conserve Frisco Holiday Video Contest for information and resources on how to make the video. Click Coserve Frisco Holiday Contest for contest rules and instructions.

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/.

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