VAMS Panther Press Newsletter
August 16, 2019
We Are VA
It's a GREAT year to be a Panther!
Calendar
- Monday, August 19 - 7th & 8th Grade Boys Athletics Parent Meeting @ 6:30 p.m. in the VAMS cafeteria - this meeting will cover all of the boy's sports
- Wednesday, August 28 - Fall Festival Planning Meeting in the High School Multipurpose Room @ 4:30 PM
- Monday, September 2 - Labor Day Holiday - No School
- Friday, September 6 - Back to School Dance - 6th grade dance 5:30 PM - 7:00 PM and 7th/8th grade dance 7:30 PM - 9:00 PM
- Tuesday, September 10 - Fundraiser Kickoff
- Thursday, September 12 - First Pep Rally @ 3:00 PM - Parents and community members are welcome to attend!
- Tuesday, September 24 - Fundraisers Due
- Saturday, October 5 - VAISD Fall Festival
Other Important Dates:
- Pep Rally Dates - Sept. 12, Sept. 26, Oct. 10, Oct. 31 (Pep Rallies begin @ 3:00 PM)
- Student Dance Dates - Sept. 6, Dec. 6, Feb. 7, May 15 - (6th grade dance 5:30 PM - 7:00 PM and 7th/8th grade dance 7:30 PM - 9:00 PM)
- 8th Grade Dance - Friday, May 8 from 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM
A message from our counselor...
Important Information
Breakfast is served from 7:30-8:05
- Students can be dropped off as early as 7:30
- School cafeteria prices are $1.50 for breakfast and $2.75 for lunch.
- School hours are from 8:15-3:35.
- If parents or community members are interested in serving on the Campus Improvement Team, or being a school volunteer, they can contact the front office at 903-482-8804.
New Bell Schedules
Lunch Drop Off Changes
Drop-off and Pick-up Procedures
MORNING:
Buses will be arriving at our school and unloading students at the driveway of the north entrance of our campus. Students can be dropped off by parents starting at 7:30 a.m. **Students WILL NOT be supervised prior to 7:30 a.m. For their safety, please do not drop them off before that time. 6th and 7th grade students can be dropped off at the front entrance of our school or at the south entrance by our cafeteria and 8th grade students can be dropped off by the gym at the south entrance to our campus. All students who are eating will go directly to the cafeteria. Before school, all 6th and 7th grade students (except for those going to tutoring) will go to the cafeteria. All 8th grade students will go to the gym.
AFTERNOON:
The north entrance (entrance to the main office) will be closed to all traffic except for buses. Parents picking up their children in the afternoon will all use the south entrance to our school. Once in the parking lot, we have a limited amount of space for curb-side pick-up. It helps alleviate traffic back-up on Highway 5 if the cars that won’t fit in the curb-side pick-up line park in the parking lot (*see pick up parking areas on the map). Once the curbside pickup line is backed up to Highway 5, the next cars in line can follow the red arrow below to find a parking spot. We will have monitors assist students safely across the parking lot and out to their car as quickly as possible.
The first couple of days of student pick-up will be a little hectic because many people will want to pick their child up those days. Please be patient and follow the directions of our staff members who will be directing traffic. By the end of the week it should be running fairly smoothly.
Tip: To shorten your wait time and allow some of the traffic to dissipate those first couple of days, it helps if some parents come about 3:45 to pick up their child. By the second week, you will be able to come at the normal 3:35 time. **Also, starting the second week of school, students will be unsupervised outside after 3:50, so please be sure to pick your child up prior to that time.
Bus Rider Information
Band News
Attention all 6th graders: the VAMS Band has openings for certain sections.
If you are interested in playing Flute, Trombone, Euphonium or Tuba contact Ms. Meziere at smeziere@vanalstyneisd.org
VAMS PTA
Community Service Hour Log
Promoting community service is a goal of VAMS! 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.
Find opportunities throughout the school year for your child to work on their community service hours. Make sure your child is documenting their community service time on their hour log.
VAMS Community Service Hour Logs are due on Friday, May 1st.
Click on the link below "VAMS Community Service FAQ Flyer" for more information.
Communication throughout the year
Middle School Website: Click HERE to access the VAMS webpage.
Social Media: Want to see what goes on at VAMS during the week? Want to see pictures of students doing awesome things? Want to see what learning looks like on our campus? Be sure to like us on Facebook, Van Alstyne Middle School, and follow us on Twitter at @vamiddleschool
Digital Newsletter: We email parents a digital campus newsletter every Friday. If you are not currently signed up to receive our weekly newsletter, click HERE.
Grade-level Remind Accounts: Please sign up for the appropriate Remind accounts below to help keep you informed. We also recommend having your child sign up as well. Teachers use Remind to communicate important dates and information.
Volunteer Approval Form
Click the button below to access the Volunteer Approval Form. We appreciate our volunteers!
A Note From Our Nurse....
Our clinics must have a Medication Parent Consent Form on file for students requiring medication administered during school hours. This form must be signed by parent/legal guardian. Medication must be kept in the ORIGINAL bottle. (see links below)
Children who have the following symptoms should stay home and not come to school until these symptoms have been gone for at least 24 hours without the help of medication.
- Fever (100 degrees or higher)
- Sore Throat (with fever or swollen neck)
- Persistent Vomiting or Diarrhea
- Rash (with fever and itching)
- Conjunctivitis/Pink Eye (your child can attend school 24 hours after starting medical treatment)
A child with a typical cold, but no fever or green drainage, may come to school.
If a student becomes ill during the school day, he or she must receive permission from the teacher before reporting to the school nurse. If the nurse determines that the child should go home, the nurse will contact the parent.
Panther sports
Football - Thursday, September 12 @ 4:30 at home vs. Anna
Cross Country - Saturday, September 8 - McKinney Boyd Invitational @ Myers Park in McKinney
Go Panthers!
Cafeteria Menus
Van Alstyne Middle School
Website: www.ms.vanalstyneisd.org
Location: 1314 N. Waco Van Alstyne, TX
Phone: 903-482-8804
Facebook: facebook.com/pages/VanAlstyneMiddleSchool
Twitter: @vamiddleschool