Valley View Junior High
February 2015 Parent Newsletter
Power of the Pen
The Power of the Pen District Tournament was held on Saturday, January 31st at St. Charles Borromeo. Valley View sent six seventh-grade students and six eighth-grade students to compete which is the most we are allowed to enter. We also sent two alternate writers for each grade. All writing is scored based upon originality of thought, showing a strong voice, using descriptive detail, as well as mechanics that are adequate enough to not detract from the total effectiveness of the piece. We have a great team of twenty seventh and eighth grade students who attend regularly. The kids are excited about writing. Placing for Valley View-7th grade-12th place-Lyndsey Erbaugh, 8th grade-9th place Cosette Gunter, 8th place Anna Roach. Congrats to all of the participants.
IXL is Here!
Students are working on a new program in math called IXL. This gives students the opportunity to continue constant review on skills through multiple types of questions. Each week your child is assigned 3 skill areas. The average student in the junior high have completed well over 700 problems in the month of January. Logging on is easy. Go to www.ixl.com then type in the first initial of first name and the entire last name followed by @valleyviewjh. Each student has their own unique password. Ask your child what they are practicing in IXL!
School Fees are Due
School fees for the 2014-2015 school year are $42.00. Please take care of this as soon as possible if you haven't already done so. Checks can be made out to Valley View Board of Education (VVBOE).
Order Your Yearbook!
Yearbooks are still available to order. We will continue to take orders through March. I will send a separate email with the order form. We also have them in the school office. Please contact Beth Genslinger with questions.
Summer Camp Opportunity
Wright State University is offering summer camps during the month of June 2015. The camps are called Exploring STEMM -- Enriching Minds Through Science 2015. Students selected will participate in a variety of STEMM disciplines over a two day period. Students will spend one night on campus under the supervision of Residential Assistants. Exploring STEMM is for rising 7-9 students only. Students who have attended before are not eligible to attend in the summer 2015 program. Exploring STEMM is sponsored by Wright State at no cost to students. Early registration is encouraged as enrollment is limited. If you are interested, go to http://www.wright.edu/pre-college-programs. Click on the Exploring STEMM link to register online. Students must have a nomination letter completed in order for the application to be processed. Other summer camps are also available at Wright State University. All information can be found at www.wright.edu/precollege.
February Lunch Menus
The February lunch menu was sent home with students last week.
Career Day is Coming!
Career Day for the Junior High is scheduled for Thursday, March 26th from 8 - 10:40. Each year, we have approximately 13 speakers come in and talk to the students about their career (job responsibilities/education/training/etc) . If any parents would be interested in coming in and speaking to our students about their career, please contact Mrs. Carmack at 696-2591 or via email at vvscarmack@mdeca.org.
8th Grade Electives
Letters will be going home with all 7th grade students the week of February 9th regarding scheduling of music classes for their 8th grade year. In 8th grade, students can choose to sign up for Choir, Band, a choir/band combination, or study hall. Music is NOT a requirement in 8th grade. Papers must be signed by a parent/guardian and returned to the guidance office.
Box Tops
The last collection of Box Tops for Education will be sent in for redemption on March 1st. If you have any, please send them in to the office by the end of February. We have collected over $300 this year. The money is used for various classroom purchases and school-wide needs.
PARCC Testing
New PARCC and AIR tests replace the OAA's from the past. They do require students to spend multiple sessions on the computer during our testing window to compete the testing. Information on specific February testing times will be sent home with your child when it has been finalized. For more information on the new assessments, you can visit http://education.ohio.gov/
Grant Awarded
Science teacher, Jill Weaver just received word that she will receive a $4000 grant for a class set of Sea Perch kits (underwater rovs) supported by SeaPerch.org and the USNA.
Here is a link to a video showing her in action at the workshop over a weekend in January. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gBqPF9fP2p0
Here is a link to a video showing her in action at the workshop over a weekend in January. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gBqPF9fP2p0
Valley View Junior High
Email: vvnthomas@mdeca.org
Website: valleyview.k12.oh.us
Location: 202 Jackson Street, Farmersville, OH, United States
Phone: 937-696-2591