Viking View

3/2 to 3/6

Mission: Positively impact and advance each student every day.

Vision: Foster one's greatest potential.

The Week-At-A-Glance

Monday, March 2 (8 Period Day)

Wear your favorite college shirt/sweatshirt with jeans every Monday!

Read Across America Day

Teaming (1,2,7, 8)

6th Grade MTSS (3,5)

Tribe Meetings @ 1:31 p.m. - 2:13 p.m.

Compassion and Loyalty House Meetings (Gym)

UIL Eligibility @ 3:45 p.m. (Regain)

Theatre Art Spring Show Rehearsal @ 4 p.m. - 6 p.m. (Café)

Invitational Track Meet @ 4:30 p.m. - 9 p.m. (FHS)

Tuesday, March 3 (8 Period Day)

Staff may wear the dry fit black shirt with jeans every Tuesday!

6th Grade HERO Redemption Day @ 7:55 a.m. - 8:15 a.m. (Café)

N2 Learning Teacher Leadership Institute 8 a.m. - 4 p.m. (Administration)

Choir UIL @ 9:40 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. (See Weekly Absence List)

Viking Time @ 1:31 p.m. - 2:13 p.m. (ILA Priority)

Theatre Art Spring Show Rehearsals @ 4 p.m. - 6 p.m. (Café)

Citizen Bee @ 4:15 a.m. - TBD (Library)

Wednesday, March 4 (Block Day 1,3,5,7)

Spring Jingle Jeans - Free dress for staff with sticker!

FISD Athletic Coordinator Meeting @ 7:15 a.m. (AD Office)

6th Grade HERO Redemption Day @ 7:55 a.m. - 8:15 a.m. (Café)

FISD Focus Group @ 8:30 a.m. - 9:15 a.m. (Large Conference Room)

Choir UIL @ 11:35 a.m. - 3:45 p.m. (See Weekly Absence List)

Viking Time @ 1:31 p.m. - 2:13 p.m. (Science Priority)

BLT Meeting @ 4 p.m. - 5 p.m. (Café)

NJHS Induction Ceremony @ 5:30 p.m. (Café)

Thursday, March 5 (Block Day 2,4,6,8)

Professional dress or wear RED in support of American Heart Health Month!

7th Grade HERO Redemption Day @ 7:55 a.m. - 8:15 a.m. (Gym)

Viking Time @ 1:31 p.m. - 2:13 p.m. (Math Priority)

Q3 PRIDE Party (Gym)

Band Non-Varsity UIL @ 1:20 p.m. - 2:55 p.m. (See Weekly Absence List)

Orchestra Game Night @ 3:45 p.m. - 5:15 p.m. (FNA)

Theatre Art Spring Show Rehearsal @ 4 p.m. - 6 p.m. (Café)

Friday, March 6 (8 Period Day)

Wear Viking or LHS spirit wear every Friday!

8th Grade HERO Redemption Day @ 7:55 a.m. - 8:15 a.m. (Gym)

IC Meeting @ 8:25 a.m. - 9:05 a.m. (E112)

Administrative Meeting @ 9:15 a.m. - 11 a.m. (D101)

Fire Drill @ 10 a.m.

CISF STAAR Q&A Training @ 10 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. (Administration)

Viking Time @ 1:31 p.m. - 2:13 p.m. (Social Studies Priority)

Q3 RC Assignment Cutoff @ 3:45 p.m.

Cheer Tryout Forms Due @ 4 p.m.

Band Social "Movie Night" @ 4 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. (FNA)

6th Grade TA Showcase @ 6 p.m. (Café)

Saturday, March 7

Academic UIL @ 8 a.m. - TBD (Vandeventer)

FISD Job Fair @ 8 a.m. - 11 a.m. (LTHS)

All City Choir Clinic & Concert (PCHS)

Action Items:

Review the Weekly Absence List for upcoming UIL events!

Coming Soon

March

9 Q4 Begins

9 TA Show Rehearsal

9 PTA Board Meeting

9 Orchestra UIL

10 Secondary Counselor Meeting

10 Orchestra UIL

10 Q3 RC Grading Deadline

10 Band Extended Skills Party

10 Multicultural Night

11 Leaders' Meeting

11 Basketball Special Olympics

11 Secondary IC Meeting

11 MS Content Lead Meeting

11 Orchestra UIL

11 Zone Qualifier Track Meet

11 Teacher of the Year Banquet

12 Q3 RC Posted (HAC)

12 Lockdown Drill @ Lunch

12 Managing Director Campus Visit

12 Cheer Tryout Clinic

12 TA Show Rehearsal

13 Spring Walk & Talk

13 IC Meeting

13 Administrative Meeting

13 Q3 RC UIL Eligibility Date

Athletic Information

Track & Soccer Schedules (Click Here)

Boys Athletics (Track)

Track - Coach Howe | Coach Henderson | Coach Swanberg |Coach Williams

Boys Athletics (Soccer)

7th Grade - Coach Swanberg | Coach Henderson

8th Grade - Coach Swanberg | Coach Henderson

Track & Soccer Schedules (Click Here)

Girls Athletics (Track)

Track - Coach Park | Coach Near | Coach Oberst | Coach Garcia

Girls Athletics (Soccer)

7th Grade - Coach Garcia

8th Grade - Coach Near

THE FRISCO WAY
A character-building lesson designed to grow our athletes into leaders.

Motto: CHAMPS LEAD THE WAY

With respect for others, control of self, and the spirit of competition

Building character. Growing leaders. That’s the goal.

Our Focus:

Set clear expectations rooted in The Texas Way
Create consistency across all FISD campuses
Use a standardized form to simplify documentation

This week's focus for our athletes is attitude: Attitude is a settled way of thinking or feeling about someone or something, typically one that is reflected in a person's behavior.

Our inspirational quote for the week: “Attitude is a choice. What you think you can do, whether positive or negative, confident or scared, will most likely happen.” Pat Summit

Campus Committee News

This Week's Instructional Showcase

As part of our Campus Improvement Team and Professional Learning Committee efforts, each week we will shine a spotlight on the amazing instructional work happening across our campus. We will highlight the engaging learning experiences our teachers create and celebrate the accomplishments of our students and staff.

To ensure every content area has an opportunity to be showcased, each month will focus on a different department:

February – ILA
March – Social Studies
April – Electives & Fine Arts

We look forward to sharing the incredible teaching and learning taking place at Vandeventer each and every day!

Our 8th grade students recently completed their Early Republic End-of-Unit Summative in an engaging and innovative way! Using AI as a planning tool, teachers designed a differentiated project that allowed students to choose how they demonstrated their learning based on their skills and interests.

Students selected from three creative options: engineering a “museum box” highlighting one of the first five U.S. presidents, producing a podcast discussing the challenges and achievements of one of the first five presidents, or constructing an annotated timeline of the Early Republic era. AI was also used to help design a common rubric to ensure clear expectations and consistency across all project formats.

Working collaboratively in groups, students divided responsibilities evenly and completed a one-page reflection outlining their planning process and product design. This project supported future-ready skills such as communication, collaboration, critical thinking, and innovation.

Our students were highly engaged as they designed, created, and showcased their learning in meaningful and personalized ways. It was exciting to see them bring history to life through a variety of creative formats!

Minute-It-To-Win-It House Competitions

Digital Learning Updates

FISD Approved Application and Student Data Privacy Information
- Make sure you are checking the list for updates.
DLC Website
Where is Matt? Check his schedule here.

Library News

Recognitions

February

Amna Warach 2/4

Lorri Lillegard 2/10

Malcolm Williams 2/11

Amber Sharp 2/14

Diana Park 2/17

Paul Schmaus 2/23

Heidi Teeling 2/28

January Teacher of the Month

Kayla Madler

Janaury Staff Member of the Month

Marla Smith

Staff Shout Outs (Administrartion)

This shout-out goes to Mrs. Roberts and Ms. Buzan: "Thank you for knocking out GT testing. It was seamless." Marla Smith

This shout-out goes to Sujatha Bakkiyaraj and Mano Nakinna: "They truly exemplify dedication and heart in action every single day. They consistently show up ready to work, support students with patience and care, and tackle the challenges of their SLC classroom with professionalism and positivity. We are grateful to have them on our team!" Brad Helenberger

This shout-out goes to Taylor Colvin: "Thank you for organizing the Minute-It-To-Win-It games at lunch. The kids LOVED it and were excited to participate!" Lauren Wagner

This shout-out goes to Coach Henderson: "He is always so positive and has a smile on his face every day!" Dennis Thorpe

This shout-out goes to Laura Llamas-Crouch and Stephanie Crider: "Telpas testing was a success and it's all thanks to your awesome plan and coordination." Stephanie Taylor

Staff Shout Outs (Staff)

This shout-out goes to Zach Howe: "I am constantly impressed by the insightful input you share on your teacher input forms! Being a first-year teacher while coaching is no small feat, but you still take the time to get to know your students, and it shows. :)" Amber Sharp

This shout-out goes to Stephanie Crider: "Stephanie, you've been a wonderful help and thinking partner during this testing season. I appreciate all you've done to support me during this busy testing season." Laura Llamas-Crouch

This shout-out goes to Arun Bose-Kar, Julie Enderle, Micki Friedman, and Emily Seidl: "Thank you for supporting EB students during the TELPAS season. You all devoting your time to this helps complete testing quickly and efficiently, so students miss less time in class. I appreciate you all so much!" Laura Llamas-Crouch

This shout-out goes to Holly. Franks, Jill Leal, Jessica Ranspot, Coach Near, Coach Garcia, Umama Suriya, Pam Entzminger, Debbie Keen, Ashley Garcia, and Natalie Jones: 'Thank you all for giving up a little of your time to support TELPAS testing these last two weeks! Your help made the testing process so seamless. Thankful I get to work with each of you." Laura Llamas-Crouch

This shout-out goes to Emily Shelton: "My friend you have been so great to work with for the past 4+ years!!! I am excited for your new adventure, and very sad we will be losing your positive presence!! Thank you for doing 2 jobs for 3 months and having a fantastic attitude!! Thank you for all your encouragement and help and patience with me!! Thank you for your kindness and great advice and your laughter!!! We will all miss you very much!! ❤️❤️❤️" Nancy Pontius

This shout-out goes to Arun Bose-Kar: "Thank you for your help on Wednesday for trying to cover my Viking time." Piyal Bhadra

This shout-out goes to Courtney Lillie: "Mrs. Lillie is my teaming hero! She's done so much organizing and planning for our field trip and makes it look easy. Thank you for everything you do! I appreciate it!" Pam Entzminger

This shout-out goes to Lorri Lillegard, Kristy Garcia, and anyone else who helped: "Thank you for pulling my sub plans together and making sure my substitute had everything they needed while I was out taking care of my sick child. Your teamwork and support mean more than you know—thank you for having my back! 🙌" Katie Lee

This shout-out goes to Lindsay Muse: "Thank you for always accepting my broadcast requests - even when I submit them at the last minute! You're awesome!" Barb Gardner

This shout-out goes to Kristy Garcia: "Thank you for stepping in to cover lunch detention so I could pull the assigned teacher for an ARD meeting. I really appreciate your flexibility! :)" Barb Gardner

This shout-out goes to Marla Smith: "Thank you for popping into my 8th period and helping get my crew ready for class. Amazing how quickly everyone remembered expectations 😅 The behavior stayed on point the rest of the period too… which is extra impressive for a Friday. Appreciate the backup!" Katie Lee

VMS Campus Calender

Staff Calendar 22-23.docx

What's Happening?

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 2024-2025 school-year marks Ms. Taylor's sixth year as the Vandeventer Middle School principal.

taylorste@friscoisd.org

469-633-4350