Viking View

4/15 to 4/19

Mission: Positively impact and advance each student every day.

Vision: Foster one's greatest potential.

Campus Map

School Supply List

VMS Chromebook Policy

FISD Chromebook Handbook

VMS - Cell Phone Policy

Teacher Shout-Outs

Arrival & Dismissal Procedures/Map

FISD Student Calendar

VMS Bell Schedule

Athletic Seasons Schedule

Week At-A-Glance:

Monday, April 15th (8 Period Day)

College Day - Wear your favorite college shirt!

UIL Eligibility (regain)

Beginner Band Pinstack Field Trip @ 1 p.m. - 5 p.m.

Advisory @ 1:31 p.m. - 2:13 p.m.

8th Grade Chromebook Drop Off @ 3:30 p.m. (testing rooms)

Musical Rehearsal @ 4 p.m. - 6 p.m. (café)

8th Grade Band Music Camp @ 4:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. (LHS)

Soccer Fowler MS vs. VMS @ Lebanon Trail HS

7th grade girls @ 5:30 p.m.
7th grade boys @ 6:45 p.m.

Tuesday, April 16th (8 Period Day)

STAAR Science (8th grade)

Viking Time @ 1:31 p.m. (ILA priority)

Wednesday, April 17th (8 Period Day)

STAAR Social Studies (8th grade)

Viking Time @ 1:31 p.m. (science priority)

Musical Rehearsal @ 4 p.m. - 6 p.m. (choir room)

6th Grade STEAM Night @ 4:30 p.m. - 6 p.m. (café)

Thursday, April 18th (8 Period Day)

Viking Time @ 1:31 p.m. (math priority)

TNS/TNR @ 3:50 p.m. - 5:50 p.m. (E112)

Musical Rehearsal @ 4 p.m. - 6 p.m. (café)

Soccer VMS vs. Fowler MS @ Liberty HS

8th grade girls @ 5:30 p.m.
8th grade boys @ 6:45 p.m.

Friday, April 19th (8 Period Day)

Spirit Day - Wear VMS or LHS spirit wear!

IC Meeting @ 8:25 a.m. - 9:05 a.m. (C106)

Administrative Meeting @ 9:15 a.m. - 11:15 a.m.

Musical Rehearsal @ 4 p.m. - 6 p.m. (café)

Percussion Ensemble Concert @ 6 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. (LHS)

Saturday, April 20th

FISD Solo & Ensemble Competition @ Cobb MS

Mandatory Advanced Tennis Tryouts @ 8:30 a.m. - 11 a.m. (LHS)

Action Items:

Keeping students safe on their journey to and from school takes all members of the community working together. Please watch this video with your students and talk about the important role of both the driver and the pedestrian in ensuring all students travel through the community safely.

The last day of the 2023-2024 school year is Friday, May 17th. Students leaving school prior to the last day of school without adequate parent notes are at risk for retention. For more information click HERE.

April

22 Musical Rehearsal

22 Soccer VMS vs. Wester

23 STAAR Math 8/Algebra EOC

23 Rising 5th Grade GT Night

24 STAAR Math 6/7

24 Musical Rehearsal

24 Soccer Wester vs. VMS

25 Musical Rehearsal

26 Bad Weather Day

27 Region Choir Clinic & Concert

29 Assignment Cut Off (2nd 3-Week IPR)

29 Beginner Band Solo Festival

29 Musical Rehearsal

29 Soccer Roach MS vs. VMS

30 Musical Dress Rehearsal

May

1 Office Aide Luncheon

1 Band Spring Concert

2 Soccer VMS vs. Roach MS

2 PTA Board Meeting

2 Musical Performance

3 Q4 PRIDE Party

3 Musical Performance

Celebrate Differences this April, and beyond.

April is Autism Acceptance Month. Autism spectrum disorder is a neurological and developmental disorder that develops in early childhood but progresses throughout a person’s lifetime. Autism presents itself with a wide range of symptoms, which is why it is considered a spectrum and widely varies from one person to another, according to National Today.

Athletic Information

Physicals MUST be dated after May 1, 2024 for the 24-25 school year.

Character Lesson

2Words is a video-based, character development curriculum. It's designed for coaches and written for secondary athletes across all sports. Boys and Girls athletics will provide character lessons once a week during the athletic class period.

This Week's Focus: "Your character defines who you are by the actions you take." Catherine Pulsifer

Eligibility

Click here for the 23-24 eligibilty calendar.

Ticketing

Visit tickets.friscoisd.org to purchase season passes and individual tickets.

Students MUST have their physical ID badge or a picture of their ID in their cellphone to get into athletic events for free. Using HAC for entrance into athletic events for free is not permissible. If a student does not have their ID badge, they will be required to purchase a ticket.

Counseling Updates

Families moving to Frisco ISD, registering incoming kindergartners or re-enrolling former students can start enrolling for the 2024-25 school year now on the 2024-25 New Enrollment webpage. (flyer in Spanish)

Parents of current students will receive an email invitation to indicate enrollment intentions for the 2024-25 school year beginning April 2, 2024. Complete the 2024-25 annual student registration form if your family is returning to the same campus or moving to another campus or out of Frisco ISD. More info.
Also starting in April, Frisco ISD will begin registering qualifying 4-year-olds for pre-K.

Summer School Webpage: Click HERE or fill out this FORM for more information.

Summer School for Advancement

High School

Asynchronous learning with synchronous tutorials held in the morning and evening hours
Starting with the class of 2024, all summer school course will be factored in to the students' GPA

Summer School Session

May 21 - 1st Day of summer school
June 18th - Last Day of summer school

Secondary Summer School Information Webinars

For more details about Secondary Summer School, please register for one of the Secondary Summer School webinars below:

High School Summer School - Credit Recovery or Advancement Informational Webinar
April 9, 2024 at 6 p.m. - Register
May 8, 2024 at 6 p.m. - Register

Click HERE for the summer school webpage.

End-of-Year Event Information

Important Information - 6th Grade

On Tuesday, May 14th, all 6th grade students will start their day with the 6th Grade Vandeventer Award Ceremony. Parents/guardians of students receiving an award will be contacted in advance so that they may attend the ceremony, which will begin at 9:30 a.m. Due to limited space, only parents/guardians of students receiving an award will be invited to attend the award ceremony. In the afternoon, students will be watching a G rated film of the teacher’s choice from 2:17 p.m.- 3:45 p.m. If you would prefer for your child to NOT participate in the movie celebration, reply on this Google Form by May 1ST to allow the 6th grade team leaders to plan accordingly. Students whose parents/guardians wish for their student not to view the movie with their grade level will have an alternative location to work on classwork or read a book of their choice.

Important Information - 7th Grade

On the afternoon of Tuesday, May 14th, all 7th grade students will attend the 7th Grade Vandeventer Award Ceremony. Parents/guardians of students receiving an award will be contacted in advance so that they may attend the ceremony, which will begin at 2:15 p.m. Due to limited space, only parents/guardian of students receiving an award will be invited to attend the award ceremony. In the morning, students will be watching a G rated film of the teacher’s choice with a snack to enjoy from 10 a.m. – 11:25 a.m. If you would prefer for your child to NOT participate in the movie and snack celebration, please reply on this Google Form by May 1st to allow the 7th grade team leaders to plan accordingly. Students whose parents/guardians wish for their student not to view the movie with their grade level will have an alternative location to work on classwork or read a book of their choice.

Library Updates

PTA News

PTA Lifetime Membership Award

Congratulations to Barb Gardner for receiving the PTA Lifetime Membership Award for 2023-2024. Barb Gardner is a valuable member of our school community. With a commitment that surpasses expectations, she fosters an inclusive learning environment, employing innovative teaching methods tailored to the diverse needs of her students. Barb's collaborative spirit and willingness to share her expertise have significantly enhanced educational programs, while her active involvement in campus events and committees showcases her passion for serving others. Her twenty-year commitment to supporting PTA initiatives further underscores her unwavering dedication to the school community. Barb's infectious enthusiasm and selfless contributions make her a true standout educator, leaving a lasting positive impact on all she encounters.

STAAR Information

We will follow an 8 period day schedule during the 3-weeks of STAAR testing. There will be no block scheduling on April 10-11, April 17-18, and April 24-25. We will resume our regular schedule the week of April 29.

There are several things you can do to help your child have a positive testing experience:

Please do not schedule appointments on testing days.
Make certain your child gets plenty of rest, eats a good breakfast, and arrives at school on time.
Students are required to be in their testing room promptly by 8:15 AM. We will begin releasing students from their designated morning location shortly after 8 a.m.
Students will eat lunch in the cafeteria following their STAAR assessments. Lunch deliveries or other drop offs will NOT be permitted on STAAR testing days.
Students will need to bring their FISD issued Chromebook, fully charged and their charger the day before testing. Students will leave their Chromebook and charger in their testing room each Monday of testing week to ensure technology is ready and available for testing. Grade levels not testing will not have access to their Chromebook.
Students who receive oral administration will receive wired headphones for use. AirPods or other wireless headphones are not allowed during state testing.
Students may bring pencils, a lunch, a water bottle and a book to read after testing. Students may also bring a dry snack in a sandwich-sized plastic bag (Individual items must be unwrapped; no messy foods are allowed, like Cheetos).
The campus will be closed to visitors on testing days.

Technology Information

Replacement Information

If a student has lost or broken their Chromebook charger, per the Chromebook Take Home Handbook they will need to replace it before STAAR testing begins April 9th and before returning their Chromebook during the week of May 13th. There are two options for replacing a Chromebook charger:
- Option 1 – A parent can purchase a charger through Online School Fees. Please let the Administration know before the student returns their Chromebook.
- Option 2 – A parent can purchase an approved charger through Amazon and return the replacement charger with their Chromebook.
  - Approved Charger
If a student has lost their Chromebook, per the Chromebook Take Home Handbook they will be responsible for paying the replacement cost for the device. For lost device replacement fees, please refer to the estimated replacement costs.

Students must have their Chromebook and charger before STAAR testing begins on Tuesday, April 9th.

What's Happening

Academic

UIL Celebration

Spring Carnival

Total Eclipse April 8, 2024

Orchestra UIL Recognitions

This past week, many VMS orchestra students participated in the Vandeventer Beginner Solo Contest and the Frisco ISD Solo and Ensemble Contest. Students performed pieces for professional musicians and were evaluated on aspects of their technical and musical proficiency. We are ecstatic to announce that the Vandeventer Orchestra students were widely successful, earning a total of One Hundred and Fifteen 1st Division Medals! This is a new record for the Vandeventer Orchestra!

Frisco ISD Solo and Ensemble

79 Non-Beginner 1st Division Medals
10 ¨Honorable Mention¨ Certificates (Top 10% - Students receive a medal and a certificate)
3 ¨Best in Room¨ Trophies (Top 2% - Students receive a medal, certificate, and a trophy)

Vandeventer Beginner Solo Contest

36 Beginner 1st Division Medals
6 ¨Outstanding Performer¨ Medals
2 ¨Best in Room¨ Medallions

We are so proud of our dedicated Viking Orchestra students, how hard they work, and how well they represent Vandeventer Middle School. A big thank you to the families, teachers, directors, piano accompanists, and private lesson teachers who help support our young musicians! VMS Orchestra

Top 10 HERO Points

6th Grade

Dheekshitha Reddy Konda

Ritthin Ramesh

Tanushree Kumar

Ryan Cheng

Cecelia McCully

Leah Narendran

Sankalp Gautham

Ahaana Thakur

Dhanvitha Karumanchi

Nandini Garg

7th Grade

Vibhodh Nangunuri

Jahnavi Muppala

Aadhavan Arun

Matthew Quach

Zynah Budhwani

Subhadra Rakesh

Izhan Ahmad

Ryo Amemiya

Krishna Velvaluri

Dhanyasri Chowdary Narisetty

Prateesh Kakumani

8th Grade

Akshara Rajesh

Abe Ilo

Akshitha Aravind

Grant Paulsen

Grace Garrison

Ryan Nguyen

Eric Pratt

Gokul Suriyan Jagadish Chandrabose

Tejas Nath

Evan Santoso

Who's Who at Vandeventer

Stephanie Taylor, Principal

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 in various leadership roles until moving to the Frisco area. The 2023-2024 school-year marks Ms. Taylor's fifth year as the Vandeventer Middle School principal.

taylorste@friscoisd.org

469-633-4350