Valley Middle School
March Newsletter
FROM THE OFFICE OF THE TITLE I COORDINATOR
Greetings Valley Families,
The month of March is upon us, and that white stuff outside is slowly disappearing. With spring being right around the comer, I want to share some exciting things that have been going on here at Valley. We recently held our Semester One "Personal Best" breakfast, and it was a HUGE success. Eighteen students were selected by their teachers as the Personal Best Award Winners. These students were selected for demonstrating academic excellence, displaying outstanding character, exhibiting exceptional work ethic, and having a positive and enthusiastic attitude at school. Congratulations to those students, and I also want to thank the students and families for attending the event.
We also just celebrated our A & B Honor Roll recipients, gathering students from each grade in the gym for a celebratory picture. Congratulations to those students and thank you for dedicating yourselves each and every day to your academics. Our 3rd quarter wraps up on March 24th, and we look forward to celebrating our honor roll students again very soon.
One program that I am personally proud of is our "WhyTry" program. Mr. Asmundson and myself have selected a small number of students to participate in the program, which focuses on character building, making positive choices, and creating a sense of self-worth and self-confidence. We are hoping to introduce the program to more students in the upcoming months and the 2020-21 school year.
Another exciting event that will be taking place at the end of this month is the 7th grade trip to Wolf Ridge Environmental Learning Center. This is an excellent opportunity for our 7th graders to experience the outdoors, learn new and exciting things about animals, habitat and ecosystems, and even conquer some of their own fears. I was lucky enough to be involved with this trip last year, and I am looking forward to doing it again.
I hope the month of March treats all of you well, and sunshine and warmer temperatures are in abundance. So many positive things continue to happen here at Valley everyday, and I look forward to what the last few months will hold. Have a great start to your spring season.
Sincerely,
Josh Cichy
Title I Coordinator/Dean of Students
Wolf Pack Report
As we are just about to enter our last quarter of the year, we have a few things to update you on, inform you of, and celebrate. The Wolf Pack has been going strong all year and we are hoping our students stay successful through the end of the year!
As many of you probably know, Wolf Ridge is just around the corner! Our trip is from March 30th - April 2nd. An electronic liability waiver was sent out to everyone mid-way through February and at this point, we are sending home a packet of information and forms to be read through and signed. Thank you to those who have returned them already!
A reminder on a few things Wolf Ridge:
1. Considering the nature of the trip and the activities involved, we need students to be on their best behavior at all times when we are there. To help students be accountable, we are tracking their citizenship grades. We have just completed the third out of six rounds. If your student has been ineligible twice, contact will be made home. If they are ineligible three times, they are no longer able to attend Wolf Ridge.
2. Payment is due March 16th. Please contact Kacey Rogne ( krogne300@mygfschools.org ) if you have any questions regarding payments.
Another upcoming event is our North Dakota State Assessment, a yearly standardized test that all students across the district will be participating in. The dates for this are April 8th (Math), April 15th (Reading/Language Arts), and April 16th (Writing). This can be a stressful time for some students, so we are starting to build in some prep into our classes. Some of the best things students can do to help set them up to succeed are get a good night’s rest the night before and make sure to eat a good breakfast!
The students in Mrs. Puhl's RT have an exciting art project planned to help brighten up the 7th Upper A Hallway! This project will aim to showcase an achievement award given to past 7th grade classes while at Wolf Ridge, called the Conservationist Award. By picking up litter, limiting the use of electric energy and water use, this award is given only to those groups of kids who earn it! Valley has always received this award each time we have gone to Wolf Ridge over the years, and we plan to do the same this year!
Hopefully this project will help spark some continued due diligence and encourage those participants to look forward to this amazing trip! Be sure to take a look in Upper A at the beginning of April to see this RT's creative work!
Student Leadership
SOS
We recognize that sometimes family members are people we are related to by blood. But sometimes family are the people we choose to be in our lives. Sources of Strength strives to help every student know that they are supported by the Valley Royal family!
Here’s a run-down of our family-focused activities for the month:
Famous Families Trivia
During morning announcements students will hear the names of family members who are part of a famous family. These families will be from a variety of categories (TV shows, books, movies, and sports). Students can write down the name of the family and place their guess in the “family bucket” in the library. The more days they play, the more entries they will get in a lottery. One lucky student will win a pizza party with 3 friends of their choosing during lunch time!
Royal Time Lessons
This month our Royal Time teachers will lead students through two SEL (social and emotional learning) lessons on managing emotions when family is frustrating!
The first lesson focuses on the brain, and physical and mental warning signs that a person is headed towards stress and anger. The second lesson focuses on practical calm-down strategies family members can use when they are in conflict.
If you would like to discuss the lesson at home, with your student, a link to each lesson is below:
Family Photos: Teacher Babies Edition
BUNCO Family Bonding
Please Join Us!!
6th Grade Block 4 Intramurals
March 9, 11, 16, 17, 23, 25, 30 and April 1
Basketball Dates:
March 10, 12, 17, 24, 26, 31, April 2 and 7
Orchestra Concert Dates
March 16th Valley and Central High School Concert 7:00pm
May 8th (Friday) M.S Orchestra Solo and Ensemble Festival 9:00 - 12:30 UND Lunch at Italian Moon
May 14th (Thursday) VMS Spring Orchestra Concert Grades 6-8 VMS Gym
VMS Musical
Dates to Remember
- March 10 - Parent/Teacher Conferences
- March 18-20 - NO SCHOOL - Spring Break
- March 24 - Family Resource Rally / End of Quarter 3
- March 26-27 - Valley Musical
- March 30 - Block 4 Sports Begins (Track)
- March 30 - April 3 - 7th Grade at Wolfridge
- April 6 - Block 4 Sports Begins (Girls Soccer)
Attachments
- Middle Years