Vaughan Viking Voice
January 15, 2020
Upcoming Events
Jan. 20: No School, Student Holiday
Jan. 23: PIzzingo, 6pm
Jan. 27: Chick-Fil-A Spirit Night, Stacy Road
Jan. 28: STAAR Simulation, 4th Writing/5th Math, closed campus
Jan. 29: STAAR Simulation, 5th Math, closed campus
Jan. 30: Third Grade Musical, 6 pm
Feb. 4: PTA meeting, 7 pm
Feb. 6: Spirit Night at Play Live Nation, 6-9 pm
Please see articles below with more details!
For a complete calendar of PTA events, please visit:
https://vaughanpta.membershiptoolkit.com/Calendar

College & Career Week: 1/21 - 1/24
The week of January 21 – 24 is Generation Texas: College and Career Week at Vaughan Elementary. During that week, students will be thinking, talking, writing and drawing about their future plans and how they will work toward creating the future they want.
Our focus will be on college and career readiness, so there will be classroom activities and all-school themed days that week. Vaughan Vikings’ futures are bright!
Tuesday, 1/21- Students can wear sweats for Don't Sweat the Future Day!
Wednesday, 1/22 - Students can dress for their future career with clothes or a hat that show that career for Three Cheers for Careers Day!
Thursday, 1/23 - Students can wear a college jersey or t-shirt for This College and Career Suits Me To a “T” Day!
Friday, 1/24 – Students can wear a Vaughan or AHS t-shirt for Your Future Starts Here Day!
AISD Gifted & Talented Meeting: 1/22
This year’s gifted/talented informational meeting is on Wednesday, January 22, 2020 at 6:30 pm in the Lowery Freshman Center auditorium. Meeting attendance is open, so there is no need to register.
Registration for Phase I Testing for students currently in 1st ‐ 11th grade opens up January 23, 2020 and closes February 13, 2020. Phase I Testing takes place on Saturday, February 29, 2020.
For more information, please visit https://www.allenisd.org/Page/291.
Show a Little L❤VE!!! Feb 10-14
Please show some support to the Kirby Family by participating in AISD LOVE Week.
See details on the flyer belowfor this worthy cause!

Allen Eagle Run: Feb 29
The 12th Annual Allen Eagle Run will be held on Saturday, February 29th at Eagle Stadium. Hosted by the Foundation For Allen Schools and the Allen Council of PTA's, the event will feature a one mile Fun Run, a certified 5K Run and a sleep-in option.
Details about registration, fees and deadlines or information about becoming a sponsor are available here. Price is $25 per runner when you register by February 7th. Our campus goal is 100 registrants!
Proceeds from the Allen Eagle Run directly benefit Allen teachers and students through scholarships, teacher tuition reimbursements and classroom grants. Many of our Vaughan teachers have been beneficiaries of these grants which in turn benefits our students.
Thank you for your support!
Congratulations Vaughan Students!
Vaughan has been busy with UIL, the Science Fair and the Spelling Bee! Check below for student participation results.
In addition, Siddharth Kulkarni was selected to move on to the State PTA Reflections competition and Cara Kless was selected for AISD's all-district honors choir!
Way to go Vikings!
Vaughan Science Fair
Thank you to all the students who participated in this year's science fair. There were so many terrific and creative projects.
The following Grand Prize Winners will represent Vaughan at the Regional Science Fair:
- 1st - 3rd Grand Prize Winner: Juliana Surprise - Sherlock “Homes” Household Detective
- 4th - 5th Grand Prize Winner: Lainey Kim - The Breaking Point
- 6th Grand Prize Winner: Ramiz Nackvi - Electrolyte Champ
Also, please recognize these following students for their outstanding work:
1st Grade
2nd Place - Myrna Sims - Sprouting Seeds
1st Place - Haven Young - Wind vs. Weather
2nd Grade
3rd Place - Varnika Sharma - Biodegradable or Not?
2nd Place - Mia Shaikh and Sam Stone - Power of the Produce
1st Place - Juliana Surprise - Sherlock “Homes” Household Detective
3rd Grade
2nd Place - Aiza Nackvi - Light ‘Em Up
1st Place - Anwesha Kulkarni - To Dissolve or Not to Dissolve?
1st -3rd Judges Special Choice Award
Juliana Surprise - Sherlock “Homes” Household Detective
4th Grade
3rd Place - Surabhi Gupta - Shadows
2nd Place - Nirmik Modi - Parachute Drop
1st Place - Mihika Bhat - Chip Away
5th Grade
3rd Place - Olivia Covarrubias - Which Tape is the Stickiest
2nd Place - TIE Paul Nguyen - Slip It and Sabrina Saki Curry - Ultimate Ultraviolet Protection
1st Place - Lainey Kim - The Breaking Point
4th - 5th Judges Special Choice Award
Chloe Soong - Sneaky Beet
Mihika Bhat - Chip Away
Jenna Li - Wheat Love Food!
Carson Zuther - Finding the Best Battery
6th Grade
1st Place - Ramiz Nackvi - Electrolyte Champ
Spelling Bee Results
Results for the 4th - 6th grade competition:
1st Place - Ramiz Nackvi - 6th Grade/Mrs. Galyon's class
2nd Place - Ayaan Roy - 5th Grade/Mrs. Dreher's class
3rd Place - Aanya Chawla - 4th Grade/Mrs. Lambert's class
The 4th - 6th grade bee went 16 rounds. The winning word was 'volatile'.
Results for the 1st - 3rd grade competition:
1st Place - Advait Ramachandran - 2nd Grade/Mrs. Monsen's Class
2nd Place - Anwesha Kulkarni - 3rd Grade - Mrs. Wilkinson's Class
3rd Place - Ethan Ye - 3rd Grade/Mrs. Relle's Class
The 1st - 3rd grade Bee went 44 rounds! The winning word was 'union'.
Ramiz Nackvi will be representing Vaughan at the district Spelling Bee. Congratulations to all our Spelling Bee winners and participants!
UIL Competition Winners
3rd Grade Ready Writing
Kaylee Zhao -1st Place
5th Grade Ready Writing
Sophia Lagos - 2nd Place
Trinity Tandon - 5th Place
6th Grade Ready Writing
Nithya Prabhala - 5th Place
2nd Grade Storytelling
Harper Vencill - 1st Place
4th Grade Number Sense
Aryan Padarthi - 1st Place
Anthony Kim - 3rd Place
Raghav Srinivasan - 4th Place
Music Memory
**Noah Lin - Perfect Score
Oral Reading
Grace Hughes - 3rd Place
Eden Ganze - 4th Place
3rd Grade Spelling
Ayat Rahman - 6th Place
4th Grade Spelling
Arnesh Jayaram - 5th Place
5th Grade Spelling
Ethan Wei - 1st Place
Anushka Mande - 6th Place
4th Grade Art Team - 1st Place
Katya Soogoor
Melina Bleris
Weston Dreher
Tam Luu
Limei Zeng
6th Grade Art Team - 5th Place
Andrew Endres
Sammie Pham
Sophia Li
Ruofei Li (5th grade)
**Bella Jeong (5th grade)
**Perfect Score
Congratulations to all students who participated!
ABSENCE NOTIFICATION PROCEDURE
Absence notifications to the school and excuse notes can now be entered via Family Access in lieu of calling the school and/or sending a handwritten note!
Please report your students' absence to Stacy Spears by 10:00 am using one of the following methods:
- Family Access - best method! It notifies the school AND provides the excuse note!
(This feature cannot be used in lieu of a medical note to excuse students who leave school for a medical appointment or come in late from a medical appointment.)
- Email stacy.spears@allenisd.org (follow up with a handwritten note, a medical note or enter the "absence request" into Family Access)
- Call 972-236- 0948 (follow up with handwritten note, medical note or enter into Family Access)
In addition, those who will be traveling or gone for more than three consecutive school days will need to contact Stacy Spears before the dates of the absences.
All notes must be received within 3 school days of the absence to be considered excused.
Late Arrival & Safety Reminders
Cars dropping off at the front of the school will be able to turn RIGHT ONLY during the peak drop off and pick up times to help with traffic congestion. In addition, please be mindful that parking on the wrong side of the road may result in a ticket.
Making a U-turn in the middle of the road is a huge safety concern as well. If you are dropping students off at the front of the school, please pull through the car line and drop them off at the curb in front of the school.
Students may enter the building at 7:25 am. All students needing breakfast should arrive no later than 7:40 am.
Thank you for helping us, and your students, start the day off on a positive note!
ALLEN COUNCIL OF PTA CITIZENSHIP RECIPIENTS
These awards are given out to our teachers, staff, and parent volunteers that give their time and effort to support our schools. If there is a staff member or parent who you would like to nominate, you can CLICK HERE and login to your toolkit account to submit. Thank you!
Melissa Dreher
Melissa is a terrific teacher at Vaughan. She coordinates our 5th grade Sky Ranch trip, which is always a highlight for our students. Additionally, she is coordinating UIL this year. Melissa is a team player who always has a positive attitude and goes above and beyond for Vaughan. Thank you, Melissa!
Alison Smithwick
Alison is our wonderful librarian at Vaughan. In addition to keeping the library in tip-top shape, she has taken on coordinating UIL. She has done a great job integrating maker space themes with stories for the classes, she always has a great book recommendation for our students, and is she has brought lots of new ideas to our library. Thank you, Alison!
Josh & Renee Uberta
Josh & Renee Uberta have done a wonderful job supporting our staff this year. Each month they plan a wonderful treat for the Vaughan staff. The annual cookie exchange in December is one of Vaughan's favorites and they made it very festive and fun. Thank you to Josh and Renee for spoiling our staff!
Nera Van Ark
Nera did an amazing job on Vaughan’s 20th annual Veterans Day celebration. Her attention to detail and passion for our school were evident. She did a great job organizing and overseeing all of the aspects of this event. She was able to include numerous groups on campus, so everyone felt a part of this very special day. Thank you, Nera, for such a reverent and patriotic event!
January Vaughan & AISD Staff VIP's!
Eric Frichette
Mr. Frichette is a team player and is always willing to help students and teachers at school. He is always smiling and sets high expectations for his students. Mr. Frichette is great at building relationships and working to find solutions to meet his students needs. He is a huge support on our campus, and we are so thankful to have him here at Vaughan. Thank you, Mr. Frichette!
Shawn Glover
In addition to being a great PE teacher, Coach Glover has been a huge help with discipline this year. He is encouraging to students and staff, and his upbeat attitude is contagious to those around him! Mr. Glover goes above and beyond his line of duty to help change behavior. We are blessed to have his support, guidance, and expertise here at Vaughan! Thank you, Coach "G"!
Gwynn Loftin
Congratulations to Gwynn Loftin who has been named AISD District Employee of the Month! We are so proud of her! Mrs. Loftin's professionalism and positive attitude shine through in all that she does. We are so appreciative of her support for our staff and our students! You are a rock star, Mrs. Loftin! Awesome job!
PTA Nominating Committee - Volunteers Needed
Please note, you may not serve on the committee two consecutive years.
Library Volunteers Needed
Our librarian could use some weekly help with shelving books and special projects! If you are interested in helping, please click here. Thank you for your consideration!
Birthday Book Club
The Birthday Book Club is promoted by the Vaughan Library to honor students during his/her birthday month. With a $20 donation to the library, a book is purchased that becomes part of the permanent library collection. The book will include a bookplate featuring the student's name, picture, and current school year inside the front cover. By participating in the Birthday Book Club program, you are helping our library grow and honoring your child at the same time!
To join the Birthday Book Club, please pay $20 on School Pay and complete this form or complete the form and send a check (payable to Vaughan) or cash to the Library.
Does your student have a summer birthday? Consider honoring your child on their "half-birthday!"
Student members of the Birthday Book Club will have the following opportunities
- Choose a book that will be a permanent part of the Vaughan Library collection.
- Have a picture made in the library for the bookplate that will also feature student name and current school year.
- Appear on morning announcements to share the book that has been chosen.
- Have an extended lending time with the BBC book as a bonus on top of total allowable checkouts.
Please contact Mrs. Smithwick if you have any questions!
Helping AISD Students Thrive
With feedback from campus counselors and nurses, AISD Council PTA has compiled a list of items that are needed at many of our AISD campuses.
Please consider donating and supporting students throughout AISD. These donations will be distributed to the campuses in the district that are in need.
Save a trip to the store and donate by ordering the district approved items via the Amazon wish lists below:
Thank you for helping students in Allen!
Volunteer Opportunities
PTA has a few current volunteer needs. If you can help, it would be greatly appreciated. Please click the link to sign up for a shift that works for you. Thank you for your help!
- Popcorn Club distribution, monthly dates available. CLICK HERE
- Weekly Wednesday folder flyer sorting. CLICK HERE
Easy Ways to Support Vaughan PTA
Amazon Smile
Shop the same great prices, selection and convenience you are used to with Amazon!
Click here for more info and to link your account.
Kroger Community Rewards
Kroger gives back on most purchases. For more info on how to link your shopper's reward card, click here.
Box Tops
Box Tops are a great way to earn funds for our school! They are phasing out the clipping and moving to solely scanning your receipts. Click here for more info.
Watch D.O.G.S. Sign Up
CLICK HERE for more information about the program to access the online calendar.