VAMS Panther Paws Newsletter

• Friday, April 19 - NO SCHOOL
  
• Tuesday, April 23 - Spring Choir Concert at VAHS at 7:00 p.m.
• Tuesday, April 23 - 5th Grade Field Trip to Collin Country Adventure Camp
• Thursday, April 25 - Spring Band Concert at VAHS at 7:00 p.m.
• Friday, April 26 - VAMS Student Council Applications Due (more information below)
• Friday, April 26 - Student Council Field Trip to Six Flags
• Friday, April 26 - Star Card Treat After School
• April 29 - May 3 - Break the Dress Code Week to Support Donte Kehler
• Tuesday, April 30 - Special Olympics Track in Gunter
• Wednesday, May 1 - VAMS Community Service Hour Logs Due (more information below)
• Thursday, May 2 - Progress Reports Go Home
• Thursday, May 2 - Kona Ice Day for 5th & 6th Grade
• Thursday, May 2 - VAISD Fine Arts Night from 6:30 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. at VAHS
• Friday, May 3 - Star Card Hat Day
• Friday, May 3 - Kona Ice Day for 7th & 8th Grade
• Friday, May 3 - Girls Night Out for VAMS Girls 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. at VAMS Gym (more information below)
• Saturday, May 4 - Little Big Town Fun Run (more information below)
• Monday, May 6 - National Nurse Day - Show Nurse Wilson some love!
• May 6 - 10 - Buy One Get One Free Book Fair in VAMS Library
• May 6 -10 - Teacher Appreciation Week
• Tuesday, May 7 - Algebra End of Course Exam (STAAR Test)
• Thursday, May 9 - VAMS Student Basketball Tournament - 5th & 6th grade 5:30 - 7:00 and 7th & 8th grade 7:30 - 9:00
• Friday, May 10 - Special Olympics Soccer at VAHS
• Friday, May 10 - 8th Grade Dance 7:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m. in VAMS Cafeteria
• Saturday, May 11 - 7th & 8th Grade Band Six Flags Trip
• Monday, May 13 - 6th & 7th Math STAAR Test and 5th & 8th STAAR Math Retest - Closed Campus
• Tuesday, May 14 - 6th & 7th Reading STAAR Test and 5th & 8th Reading STAAR Retest - Closed Campus
• Wednesday, May 15 - MS/HS athletic girls physicals at ATC @ 5:00 p.m. (more information below)
  
• Wednesday, May 15 - 5th & 8th Grade Science STAAR Test - Closed Campus
• Wednesday, May 15 - 7th Grade Field Trip to Collin County Adventure Camp
• Thursday, May 16 - 8th Grade Social Studies STAAR Test - Closed Campus
• Friday, May 17 - 6th Grade Band Field Trip to Pinstack
• Friday, May 17 - Star Card Treat After School
• Friday, May 17 - Begin Collecting Library Books for end of year inventory
• Friday, May 17 - End of Year Student Dance - 5/6 dance 5:30-7:00 & 7/8 dance 7:30 - 9:30 - Admission $5.00
• Monday, May 20 - 8th Grade Chromebooks will be collected
• Monday, May 20 - 5th Grade Awards Ceremony at 9:00 a.m. in the VAMS Cafeteria
• Monday, May 20 - 6th Grade Awards Ceremony at 2:00 p.m. in the VAMS Cafeteria
• Tuesday, May 21 - 7th Grade Awards Ceremony at 9:00 a.m. in the VAMS Cafeteria
• Tuesday, May 21 - Star Card Fun Day for students who earned 3 out of 4 Star Cards this year. 5th & 6th grade in the morning and 7th & 8th grade in the afternoon
• Tuesday, May 21 - 8th Grade Awards Ceremony at 6:30 p.m. in the VAMS Cafeteria - ALL 8th grade students will be recognized during this ceremony
• Wednesday, May 22 - MS/HS athletic boys physicals at ATC @ 5:00 p.m. (more information below)
  
• Wednesday, May 22 - Teach Like A Pirate Day
• Thursday, May 23 - Kids vs. Coaches Basketball Game 12:00 - 1:00 in VAMS Gym
• Thursday, May 23 - Last Day of School - Report Cards Go Home and Early Release at 1:35 p.m. (Buses will run 2 hours early.)
• Friday, May 24 - VAISD Graduation at 7:30 p.m. at Panther Stadium

Parents/Guardians,

Please take the time to give us your feedback. You provide a valuable perspective for helping us improve. In addition to each rating, please leave a suggestion or a positive comment so we know what is working well, or a possible solution. The parent survey will be open until Sunday, April 21.

Any incoming 6th, 7th, or 8th grader interested in being part of VAMS Student Council needs to fill out an application. Applications can be downloaded by clicking the button below picked up from the office at VAMS. Applications are due Friday, April 26.

The 8th Grade Dance is scheduled for Friday, May 10th from 7:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m. in the VAMS cafeteria. Please know that this event is completely funded by 8th grade parents so that ALL VAMS 8th graders are welcome to attend the dance for FREE. There will also be free refreshments provided.

If you would like to volunteer in any way or provide a cash donation for food and decorations, please contact Veronica Westmoreland at 903-819-8403.

Physicals will be held at the ATC on the following dates for $10 each:

MS/HS athletic girls on Wednesday, May 15, 2019 at 5:00 pm
MS/HS athletic boys on Wednesday, May 22, 2019 at 5:00 pm

Performance Course (PC) is an opportunity for summer strength and conditioning courses that will be taking place at Van Alstyne High School this summer. This program was developed by PC in partnership with Van Alstyne ISD Athletics to offer athletes the opportunity to develop both physically and mentally.

PC takes a goal-oriented approach to develop speed, agility, mobility, functional strength and power. Performance nutrition, character development, mental preparation, and goal setting techniques are also included in the curriculum to develop the whole athlete. See the flyers below for more information on specific times, dates, prices, and locations.

The courses will take place four days a week for 6 weeks and will begin in June.

We want to ensure all athletes have the opportunity to participate. To receive more information from PC, please fill out this link: www.tinyurl.com/vanalstynePC

Online registration & course details also available at https://www.performancecourse.com/school-district/van-alstyne-isd

For more information about Performance Course please visit www.performancecourse.com

If you have any questions or need help with registration, please contact jclark@performancecourse.com and we will be glad to assist you. We hope your child has the opportunity to participate!

Please know that beginning May 1st, money must be in your's child's cafeteria account for a meal to be purchased. Meals cannot be sold on accounts with insufficient funds. You can check the balance of your child's account and make deposits through the My School Bucks system. Please click HERE to access My School Bucks.

Promoting community service is a goal of VAMS this year! Make sure your child is completing their community service hour log. In order to promote and foster serving our community and others, students can earn a community service award at the end of the year awards assemblies to recognize students who give their time, talents, and hearts.

VAMS Community Service Hour Logs are due on Wednesday, May 1st.

Click on the link below "VAMS Community Service Flyer" for more information.

As our district grows, our goal is to allow parents to be as connected as they can be. Parent Portal is one a wonderful resource for parents. Click the link below to access a Parent Portal assistance page. It has videos and a pdf overview of Parent Portal.

http://bit.ly/vaisdconnect

Parents,

If your child is absent, please send a doctor's note to school within 3 days of the absence. Notes sent after the 3-day window may not be accepted, therefore, your child's absence will be documented as unexcused. If you have questions or concerns about attendance, please contact Glynn Smith at 903-482-8804 or gsmirth@vanalstyneisd.org.

All volunteers, including parents, have to fill out a Volunteer Approval Form to have a background check before volunteering (ex: attend field trips, volunteer on campus, help with testing, etc.). This form must be filled out EVERY school year. The entire process, from submitting the form to receiving approval, can take as long as two weeks. This process must be completed before being approved to volunteer. If you have students at multiple schools, only one application is required.

Click the button below to access the Volunteer Approval Form. We appreciate our volunteers!

Website: www.ms.vanalstyneisd.org
Location: 1314 N. Waco Van Alstyne, TX
Phone: 903-482-8804
Facebook: facebook.com/pages/VanAlstyneMiddleSchool
Twitter: @vamiddleschool