Greetings Viper Families,

COME TO THE PARENT RIASEC WORKSHOP THIS WEEK! This will be a great opportunity for you to learn about the RIASEC, a tool that can engage your students in talking about their FUTURE. See information below.

RIASEC introduces students to six broad areas of interest: Realistic, Investigative, Artistic, Social, Enterprising, and Conventional. During Advisory, our Vipers identified areas that connect with their individual strengths, preferences, and interests.

Ask your Viper what is their RIASEC Code? (The Top 3 Letters that they identify with).

For middle school students, this is not about choosing a career right now! Instead, it is an opportunity for students to build self-awareness, explore possibilities, and begin making connections between their interests, goals, learning, and future.

Our Advisory teachers will use these results to learn more about each Viper and help students reflect on questions such as: What am I interested in? What are my strengths? What motivates me? What possibilities might I want to explore?

At VMMS, we believe that understanding yourself is an important part of becoming an IB lifelong learner. We are excited to help every Viper continue discovering their unique identity and the possibilities ahead!

Please see all the latest updates for our Viper community below. If you need assistance, please contact our front office at (760) 726-5766.

Thank you!

Vista Magnet Middle School

*To view this newsletter in another language other than English, please utilize the translation feature found at the top of the screen.

*Para ver este boletín en otro idioma que no sea inglés, utilice la función de traducción que se encuentra en la parte superior de la pantalla.

We want all our students to be safe before and after school, especially during drop off and dismissal.

Last week the City of Vista, completed a WALK AUDIT during our dismissal time. They were looking for how students were leaving school and determined areas in which there should be improvement for safety. Here are their findings:

The STAFF PARKING LOT (by the pool), should not be used for drop off/pick up of students. Students are walking across the parking lot where there is traffic, having to weave through moving cars.
Cars are exiting the lot, blocking the sidewalk where students should be walking safely. In some cases, cars were cutting off walking students and students had to walk around the cars blocking the driveway sidewalk.
In some cases, cars are double parking or making illegal turns out of the lot, creating more traffic congestion in the already busy street.

***Next week, staff will be in the front lot, passing out flyers to remind families of this expectation. There will be cones and a safety bar blocking the Civic Center Dr. exit turn to prevent cars from blocking the sidewalk so our students can safety walk to and from school

The supervised pick up and drop off area off Eucalyptus (the pick up line with the corral and bus lane) moved quickly. At the dismissal bell there were approximately 10 cars lined up.
Our Campus Security, moved students safely through the crosswalk and managed the traffic so there was a constant flow.

***We cannot stress enough how important it is that the supervised pick up and drop off should be utilized. The City Walk Audit reps stated that this is the safer entrance and exit pattern if everyone follows the traffic expectations.

Families, please continue to remind your students to take designated crosswalks and not "jay walk" through traffic. In addition, students should not be walking while looking on their phones as they are not alert to see their surroundings and potential dangers.

Thank you Viper Community for helping our Vipers to be SAFE!

At VMMS, we believe in High Expectations, High Support, and High Belief! Our Intervention Learning Labs provide additional academic support for Vipers who may need extra time, guidance, or practice.

An important part of middle school is learning to self-advocate. We encourage Vipers to recognize when they need help and take the initiative to seek it. Students can always ask questions during class or reach out to their teachers by email, but sometimes dedicated support time before or after school can make a big difference.

Intervention Learning Labs are offered before and after school based on teacher availability. Please review the current opportunities and permission forms below:

English Intervention Learning Lab

Spanish Intervention Learning Lab

ALL Vipers Are Welcome at the Viper Study Lounge!

The Viper Study Lounge is a great place for students to get homework help, organizational support, and extra guidance with projects and assignments. We want our Vipers to know that asking for help is a strength and that support is always available at VMMS.

**Parents and guardians, if your Viper is having difficulty keeping up with assignments, managing their workload, getting organized, or simply needs a little extra support, the Viper Study Lounge is a great place to start!

***The Quarter 1 Progress reporting period closes on October 16th. Vipers should turn in all missing assignments.

Enrichment Learning Labs Are Coming!

Beginning next week, permission forms for our Enrichment Learning Labs will be available in the front office.

Enrichment Learning Labs are teacher-led learning experiences offered before or after school. Our teachers design these opportunities around unique skills, interests, and hobbies, giving Vipers another way to discover something new and develop their talents.

Because space is limited, consistent attendance is required, and waitlists will be created when interest exceeds available spots. Labs are offered in different sessions throughout the year, allowing students and families to choose opportunities that best fit their schedules.

Enrichment Labs (ENG)

Enrichment Labs (SPAN)

Enrichment Labs Permission Form (ENG/SPAN)

**There is still LOTS of space for our Steel Drums and STEM Maker Lab. Please take advantage of these awesome opportunities.

***Please also REMIND your VIPERS. They cannot arrive to the learning labs LATE. Going off campus and attending the labs late will not be permitted.

The VUSD Tech Time Review Family Survey is now open. This is an important opportunity for families to share their experiences, questions, concerns, and recommendations about student technology use during the school day. Survey responses will be considered alongside student and staff input, the district’s technology-use audit, research, and community forum discussions.

The survey will remain open through Sunday, October 11, and the findings will be reviewed during the Tuesday, October 20, community forum. It should take about 10 minutes to complete. The findings become more useful when we hear from a broad range of families, so please complete the survey and encourage other VUSD families to take it as well.

Please CLICK HERE to take the Tech Time Review Family Survey (English)

Hagan clic aquí para participar en la encuesta para las familias sobre la revisión del tiempo dedicado a la tecnología en español

At VMMS, we hold high expectations and high belief in every Viper. Middle school is an important time for students to build responsibility, maturity, and ownership. We want every Viper to “show up” and “lock in” as a responsible, engaged member of our school community.

Please help us reinforce these expectations:

School-Appropriate Items Only
Students should only bring items that are needed for school. Toys and non-educational items are not allowed, including NeeDohs, squishies, stuffed animals, noise makers, and sports equipment brought from home. Please review our Student Handbook for the complete list of prohibited items.

Beginning next week, confiscated items will require parent/guardian pickup from the front office.

Lanyard & ID Every Day
Students must wear their lanyard and ID daily. IDs are used for check-ins and earning Viper Way Points. Students received one free set at the beginning of the year. Replacements are available in the front office for $5 each.

Dress Code Every Day
Students are expected to arrive in VMMS dress code each day. Plain-colored T-shirts, non-VMMS spirit shirts, tank tops, and non-collared shirts are not dress code. Students who arrive out of dress code will change in the Health Office rather than cover the shirt with a sweatshirt.

Students who develop a pattern of missing IDs/lanyards or dress code violations will be assigned to a Viper 101 class before or after school. Notifications will begin next week.

Catching Vipers Being EPIC!

As a PBIS Gold School, we believe positive recognition matters! Through MINGA, students are earning Viper Way Points for demonstrating EPIC behavior inside and outside the classroom.

Families receive an email when recognition is given, but your Viper can see the details in their MINGA account, including who recognized them, when, and often a personalized note. Ask your Viper what they did to earn their latest recognition!

Even better, Vipers can save their points and redeem them at our first-ever Viper Way Store!

Stay tuned and check out the teaser flyer below!

On behalf of our 2026-2027 VMMS PTA Association we want to invite all the parents, students and other supporters to join our VMMS PTA!

This is a great way for student members to learn more about the association and vote on various subjects that impact our school! Anyone can join and there is no obligation to attend any meetings or participate (though we would love it if you would). The membership dues collected go towards supporting various programs, events and other needs for our students and staff.

CLICK HERE

We look forward to an amazing year at VMMS with your partnership! Please contact Vicky Henry, VMMS PTA President for any questions vistamagnetpta@gmail.com

CLICK HERE for the VMMS Counseling website. Please see who supports your Viper below:

Ms. Ward

Click HERE for an Appointment

Supporting students with the last names [A-Go]

(760) 726-5766 ext. 61041

laurenward@vistausd.org

Ms. Andrade -Hablo Español

Click HERE for an Appointment

Supporting students with the last names [P-Z]

(760) 726-5766 ext. 61040

krystinaandrade@vistausd.org

*Mr. Xander has accepted another counseling position in VUSD working with our Extended Learning Opportunity Programs. Mr. Xander will still be visiting VMMS for counseling clubs and groups during lunch and after school. We thank Mr. Xander for all his hardwork and dedication to VMMS.

Please fill out this FORM if you feel you need support from the PBIS (Positive Behavior Intervention & Support) team regarding a students academics, behaviors, and/or social-emotional well being.

Our PBIS (Positive Behavior Intervention & Supports) team is made up of our School Counselors, administrators, school psychologist and Student Support Team Lead. This centralized request system will allow for a "whole team approach" in ensuring that we are analyzing needs and collectively combining efforts. We are happy to help. Please reach out!