VLI News: Back-to-School Edition
July 30, 2023
Dear Panther Families,
We hope everyone is having a great summer. Welcome to all of our new and returning Panther students and families! Pretty soon, the hallways will be filled with the spirit and life of the school, our amazing students! We are excited for the upcoming school year and the possibilities and experiences that lie ahead! Each school year brings about new opportunities, promise, and hope for our students. The Victory Lakes Faculty and Staff have already been working hard to make preparations for another great school year.
On Monday, August 21, 2023, we will welcome our 6th grade students back to school. On Tuesday, August 22, 2023, we will welcome back our 7th and 8th grade students. With excitement and anticipation, we can hardly wait for this day to come!
This school year, we ask each family to make a commitment to ensure that the students attend school each day, as much as possible. Learning is not the same without your children! Each child greatly contributes to the classroom learning environment and every day counts. Missing just two days of school a month can significantly impact a student’s learning progress, and over time, chronic absences can put them behind grade level. For more information about student attendance, please click the following link: https://www.ccisd.net/attendance. While we certainly understand that life does happen and that students sometimes have to miss school, we are asking for your help to ensure that students are present at school as much as possible so that they may reach their full potential academically, get involved in school activities to build relationships, and develop a sense of belonging and connectivity to VLI. This helps to promote an overall positive school experience for students. As a VLI faculty and staff, we are committed to creating a safe and nurturing school environment where students want to be and can excel academically, socially, and emotionally.
During the first week of school, our staff will be in the hallways assisting students to find classes, get laptops, ID badges, lockers, and anything else that they may still need. Students may enter the building beginning at 8:20 a.m., when faculty and staff report to morning duty. Beginning with the first day of school, we are practicing independence and self-advocacy by asking that students enter the building on their own, without parents and guardians. However, please feel free to take pictures and walk your child to the doors of the school to wish him/her well if you would like to do so.
We look forward to watching our students learn and grow throughout the school year, as we learn and grow together. Parents and Guardians, we thank you for your continued support and for partnering with us to provide the best learning experiences and opportunities for our beloved children.
Enjoy the rest of summer break! We will see you soon!
Sincerely,
Leatrice Sanders
Principal
Back-to-School Requirements
Back-to-School Online Forms:
On Friday, August 4, 2023, at 2:00 p.m., the 2023 – 2024 Back-to-School forms for returning families will become available online on the district’s website at: https://www.ccisd.net/. All parents will need to complete the forms, even though you were at a CCISD school in the district last school year. These forms are required to be completed by parents each school year. You may also upload the annual required proof-of-residency documents and immunization records while completing the online Back-to-School forms. To access the online Back-to-School forms, you would need to log in to Skyward Family Access and locate the forms on the left side.
Proof of Residency is required for each student:
All students, including students who attended any school in Clear Creek ISD school last school year, will need to submit a document for proof-of-residency. A proof-of-residency document is required to be submitted each year.
The name of the student's parent/guardian on the proof-of-residency document must match and be the same name of the parent or guardian that we have on file in Skyward, along with the student's address as it is listed in Skyward.
Acceptable Proof-of-Residency documents must be recent (for the month of July or August 2023) and may be ONE of the following:
- A copy of a current deed to a house
- A copy of a current mortgage statement or payment book
- An apartment leasing contract
- An electric utility bill
- A gas utility bill
- A water utility bill
Please be sure to write the student's first and last name on the proof-of-residency document, along with the student's ID number, which may be found in Skyward Family Access (the number usually starts with 000… or 1000…). Students may also bring copies of the proof-of-residency documents to the student center once school starts or parents may email them to our campus data specialist, Maegan Young, at MaYoung@ccisd.net
Immunizations/Vaccinations:
If your student is a 7th grader for the upcoming school year, please be sure that your child gets the required immunizations before school starts. Students are required to have two additional immunizations prior to starting 7th grade (one dose of Tdap and one dose of Meningococcal (MCV)). Please click on the following link for more information: https://www.ccisd.net/student-health. You may email a copy of your child's updated immunization record to our school nurse, Amber McIntyre, at: amcintyre@ccisd.net
PTA Sponsored Teacher Supply Drive
PTA Sponsored Teacher Supply Drive:
Our awesome PTA is hosting a Back-to-School Supply Drive for our teachers. Please view the flyer for more information or click the following link: 23-24 VLI Teacher Supply Drive. We would love for our families to be a part of this drive to support our amazing teachers. Thank you for your help and support!
Back-to-School Important Information
Student School Supplies Lists:
Please click the following link to view the VLI School Supply List for students: 2023-2024 School Supply Lists. Some teachers may require additional supplies that will be communicated on their class syllabus once school starts.
VLI Back-to-School flyer:
To view the Back-to-School flyer with important information and dates for the upcoming school year, please click the following link: 23-24 VLI Back-to-School Flyer
Before the first day of school tips:
- On Sunday, August 20, 2023, from the SSO Portal, please have your child log in to Skyward to view their class schedule. Students may login to the SSO Portal (using their student ID and pin number) by clicking the following link: CCISD Single Sign On (SSO) Portal. You may print your child’s schedule from Skyward and put it in a place that he/she will remember so that it is accessible for the first days of school. However, this is optional. We will provide hard copies of student schedules on the first day of school. After a few days of school, students generally will memorize their class schedule.
- Students who do not see a class schedule in Skyward may report to the Student Center on their first day of school, beginning at 8:40 a.m.
Incoming 6th Grade Students Transition Letter for Grading:
Please click the following link for the district’s transition letter for incoming 6th grade families: Incoming 6th Grade Transition Letter
Student Meals:
To view student menus, review and add funds to your student’s meal account through SchoolCafe’, please click the following link: https://www.ccisd.net/studentmeals.
While completing the online Back-to-School forms, please complete the Free & Reduced Meals application, if you qualify to receive this benefit. The link for the Free & Reduced Meals application and to learn more about student meals, please click the following link: https://www.ccisd.net/studentmeals.
Morning Arrival Routines:
- School doors open at 8:20 a.m. When students arrive to school before 8:40 a.m., 6th & 7th graders will report to the big gym and 8th graders will report to the commons. Students of all grade levels may eat breakfast at the designated breakfast tables in the commons. When 6th and 7th grade students finish eating, they are to go to the gym, until they are released to move to class at 8:40 a.m.
- Beginning with the first day of school, students will report to their first period class. Starting at 8:40 a.m., we will begin releasing students from the commons or the gym. In first period, students will review their class schedule and be provided with a hard copy of their class schedule.
Lunch:
- During the first couple of weeks of school, it is normal for lunch lines to be a little bit longer for 6th graders because the students are getting accustomed to the process of going through the lunch line at intermediate school and learning about the many food options available. We have planned for this and will extend the lunch times, as needed, to ensure that all students have an opportunity to eat lunch. After this initial period, students get through the lines much faster and have plenty of time to eat and still build relationships and mingle with students at their table.
- On the first day of school, students will choose their own place to sit at lunch. Then, we will encourage students to make that space their assigned space each day. That will help students to have a designated place to sit each day.
- For safety and security reasons and for the efficient use of time for our office staff to maintain general school operation, food deliveries from outside companies, like Uber Eats or Door Dash, or other delivery services, will not be accepted. Parents may drop off food if a student forgets lunch at home and may only bring food for their child. However, we ask that parents/guardians/families drop off lunches sparingly and only in cases of an emergency. We kindly ask that this be a rare occasion. Unfortunately, we cannot accommodate a regular occurrence of food being dropped off. In the event that a student forgets his/her lunch, we ask that the student lets an administrator know and we will ensure that the student receives a meal. Thank you for understanding and for your cooperation. We greatly appreciate it.
Dismissal Procedures and Transportation:
All students will be dismissed at 4:05 p.m., when the dismissal bell rings.
Buses:
- Buses will run on August 21st on the 6th grade Transition Day and will continue each school day thereafter.
- Bus riders are dropped off in the morning and get on the bus in the afternoon, in the front of the school.
- Through the district’s bus route system, you can find your child’s bus stop, route number, and estimated time of arrival in the neighborhood for pick up/drop off times. Please click the following link to go to the district’s website for this information: Bus Route System. Check out the district’s transportation link for more information: https://www.ccisd.net/transportation
- Please remind your child to go to his/her locker right after school and to exit the building soon afterwards to avoid missing the bus. During the first couple of weeks of school, we will help students to understand the bus routines so that they may get to the bus quickly after dismissal.
Bike Riders:
Bike riders may park and lock up their bikes in the front of the school using the bike racks. Bike riders should follow general bike safety rules, stay on the sidewalks, be vigilant and aware of their surroundings, and adhere to the instructions of the crossing guards when they are on duty.
Walkers:
Walkers will exit the building on the side of the school by the gym. A crossing guard will assist our students in safely crossing W. Walker Street before and after school.
Car Riders/Parent Pick Up and Drop-Off:
- Please help us keep the students safe with after school student pick up and drop off. All car riders should be picked up after school, in the back parking lot, by the gym in the designated Student Pickup area. Parents should wait for students in the car rider line in the back parking lot. All car riders are asked to be picked up by 4:20 p.m. After 4:20 p.m., students will be moved to the front of the school and may be picked up there.
- Vehicles should not stop alongside the front of the school for morning drop off when buses are present or after school, prior to 4:20 p.m. The front of the school is ONLY for bus drop off and pick up. Please do not pick up students on W. Walker. This is unsafe. Parents, please do not park in the area marked “No parking here” on the map. Please click the following link to view the appropriate drop off and pick up locations: School Pick Up/Drop Off Map
First Days of School
Student Class Schedules:
In some cases, there may still be a few schedule changes that may need to be made. This should only affect a small number of students.
General Information:
- For students new to VLI, we will spend the first days of school helping students with becoming familiar with the layout of the building, breakfast and lunch routines, lockers, arrival and dismissal procedures, finding their way around the school, and becoming acclimated to VLI.
- The first few days of school are about relationship building and understanding how the school operates. We will support the students with whatever they need. We will ease into curriculum later in the week.
General School Information
School Office Hours:
- School hours for students is from 8:40 a.m. – 4:05 p.m., with the first class beginning at 8:50 a.m.
- VLI’s Front Office Hours are as follows: 8:20 a.m. to 4:20 p.m., Monday through Friday.
District Academic Calendar:
Please click the following link to view the district academic calendar for the 2023-2024 school year: 2023-2024 CCISD Academic Calendar
Morning Tutorials:
The campus-wide tutorial time is from 8:20 – 8:40 a.m. Each teacher is required to offer two days of tutorials each week (with the exception of state testing days and the first week of school, and other campus events, which will be communicated to students and parents). Tutorials will begin on Monday, August 28th. We will send out an email with the campus tutorial schedule.
Tardies:
We will begin counting tardies on Tuesday, August 29, 2023. Excessive tardies will result in discipline consequences. If your child is a car rider, walker, or bike rider, please help your student to be on time to school. Additionally, please join us in encouraging your child to make it to classes on time.
Purchasing Laptop Insurance:
We will be distributing laptop devices to students who still need them once school starts. If your child needs a laptop once school starts, students may go to the tech office to make a request. Students are not required to have a CCISD laptop device. They may bring their own device from home. However, students will need to bring a laptop to school each day to keep up with class instruction, school information, and school activities. Insurance for district-issued laptop devices may be purchased in Skyward Family Access, which we strongly encourage. Please click the following link to purchase device insurance online: Student Device Insurance. You may also pay for insurance at the school.
Student Fees:
Student fees should be paid before the school year ends each school year. If your child owes outstanding fines and fees, please pay them before school starts, if possible. Some students owe fees for ID badge/lanyard replacements, unauthorized use of electronic device fees, technology/laptop fees, and/or course fees that still need to be paid. Please log in to your Parent Skyward Family Access account to view and pay your child’s fees (if any). Parents may pay fees online by clicking on the Fee Management Tab in Skyward. Please click the following link to view directions for paying student fees online: Directions to Pay Student Fees. Checks may also be brought to the school’s bookkeeper, Charla Pollard.
School Deliveries:
We will accept the delivery of student items that are instructional materials or related to class instruction, such as laptops, clothes/shoes, homework, and instruments.
Student Checkout for Dismissal:
If you need to check out your child at the end of the school day, but before dismissal, please plan to pick up the child no later than 3:45 p.m., so that the student may collect items and get to the office before dismissal procedures start.
Parent/Guardian Lunch Visitors:
Beginning Tuesday, September 5, 2023, parents and guardians may join their child for lunch in the commons at VLI. Parents and Guardians listed in Skyward only may eat lunch with their child. If you bring food for your child, you may only bring food for your own child and eat with your own child. Other students may not sit at the parent table with other students and parents.
Due to limited space availability, we are asking for each parent and/or guardian to sign up to eat lunch with their child. Before signing up to eat lunch with your child in the commons, you must first sign up as a CCISD volunteer, specifically for VLI. Please click the following link and click on the “Volunteer Application Form” link to complete the form and sign up as a volunteer: CCISD Volunteer Sign Up. All volunteers must register each year. More information regarding the Volunteer and Background Check Process may be found by clicking the following link: https://www.ccisd.net/volunteer-mentor
After you have received email confirmation from the district that you have been approved as a VLI volunteer, you may then sign up to eat with your child at VLI by following the directions below. We're using SignUp to organize our lunch Sign Ups.
Here's how the lunch sign up works in 3 easy steps:
- Click the following link to go to our invitation page on SignUp: https://signup.com/go/HZtJgdu
- Enter your email address: (You will NOT need to register an account on SignUp)
- Sign up! Choose your spots - SignUp will send you an automated confirmation and reminders. Easy!
Parent Volunteers/Campus Visitors:
We welcome you to get involved, as this greatly enriches our students’ experiences and opportunities. All parent volunteers for extracurricular clubs, athletics, and booster clubs, must register in our parent volunteer system. You may review the volunteer information by clicking the following link: https://www.ccisd.net/volunteer-mentor. Then, click on the “Volunteer Application Form” link to complete the form and sign up as a volunteer. For the safety and security of our students, faculty, and staff, CCISD conducts background checks for all volunteers. All volunteers must register each year.School Policies and Procedures
ID Badges:
For school safety and student identification, students are required to visibly wear their ID badges each day, above the waist. At the beginning of the school year, we will make ID badges for any student who needs one. The first ID badge is free of charge. If ID badges are lost, or students do not bring them, they will receive two free ID stickers. Thereafter, there is a $5 fee charged to the students’ Skyward account for the purchase of each ID badge. This covers the cost of the materials needed to make an ID badge. Please click the following link to view the VLI ID Badge policy: 2023-2024 VLI ID Badge Policy
Backpack Policy:
Please click the following link to view the VLI Backpack policy: 2023-2024 VLI Backpack Policy
Cell Phone/Electronic Devices Policy:
Students must turn off and put away cell phones at 8:40 a.m. Cell phones must be placed in backpacks or put away where they are not visible, until dismissal at 4:05 p.m. Students may not use cell phones during lunch. Please click the following link to view the VLI Cell Phone policy: 2023-2024 VLI Cell Phone and Electronic Devices Policy
Dress Code:
VLI will follow the CCISD dress code: 2023-2024 VLI/CCISD Dress Code
Students may wear ripped jeans, as long as there is material backing underneath the jeans that is not see-through material for holes above the knee. Below the knee, holes do not need to be covered with material backing.
Bell Schedule:
Please click the following link to view the VLI Bell Schedule for the 2023-2024 school year:
Hallway Lockers:
If your child would like a hallway school locker, we will take care of that during the first week of school. All 6th graders will be assigned a hallway locker and the locker number and combination will be printed at the top of their class schedule paper. All 7th and 8th grade students must go to the student center to request a locker, because most of these grade levels do not use lockers. We will make announcements about locker sign up during the first week of school to ensure that everyone who wants a locker, gets a locker.
Locker precaution: If your child has a locker, please let ask your child to not hang magnets or anything on the inside of the locker door. Anything with a magnet will interfere with the lock, which causes it to jam, and our campus key cannot open them either. In these cases, we call for district to come out and pry the locker open, which means that your child may have to leave school with items locked in his/her locker until we can get the locker open.
School Safety:
- Please click the following link to read and learn more about campus and district safety: https://www.ccisd.net/school-safety
- We encourage students to bring drinking water containers to school with them each day, that they can carry with them throughout the school day. Although students may carry any type of water bottle with them, we prefer that students carry disposable bottles as they are flexible, lightweight, and safer, if dropped on the floor or in the hallway. We do have refillable water stations around the campus.
- Hand sanitizer stations are placed at the building entrance, exits, and common areas throughout the building, and available in classrooms.
Student Athletes
Student Athlete Participation Requirements:
No athlete may tryout or participate in a sport until a CCISD physical form is completed by a doctor, uploaded to Rank One, and all Rank One forms are completed online. This is very important. For more information about VLI’s sports, please visit our campus website: https://victorylakes.ccisd.net/student-life/athletics
Please click the following link to access forms for physicals, Rank One information, and for Athletic Participation Requirements, along with other useful information for athletes: CCISD Electronic Physical Form
Volleyball Tryouts Information:
August 23rd:
8th grade tryouts - 6:45 a.m. - 8:10 a.m.
7th grade tryouts - 4:15 p.m. -.5:45 p.m.
August 24th:
8th grade tryouts - 6:45 a.m. -.8:10 a.m.
7th grade tryouts - 4:15 p.m. - 5:45 p.m.
August 25th: First Cut:
7th and 8th grade tryouts - 6:45 a.m. - 8:10 a.m.
Final cut will be posted on Canvas at 6:00 p.m. Friday August 25th
Additional Information:
- Athletes are expected to be at all tryout dates for their grade level.
- Please wear athletic clothes, tennis shoes, knee pads (if possible) and bring a water bottle.
- Tryouts consist of basic skill evaluation (serving, passing, hitting, setting) as well as defense, serve receive and game play.
- If you are trying out, you are committing to Monday-Wednesday morning practices at 6:45 a.m., Thursday game nights, and Friday morning practices.
- The following link includes general information about tryouts (dates/times etc.): 2023 VLIS Volleyball Tryout Registration and Information
Upcoming Dates & Events
Open House: SAVE THE DATE! VLI will have Open House on Monday, September 11, 2023. More information to follow. We will have our Book Fair that night in the library before and during our family Open House. The Book Fair will be open in the library on this evening.
Contact Us
About Us
Website: https://victorylakes.ccisd.net/
Location: 2880 West Walker Street, League City, TX, USA
Phone: 281-284-3700
Twitter: @vlinews