Viking View
January 2021
Bring in the New Year!
We are still practicing all of our COVID 19 safety precautions at school. Please continue to monitor your child for any symptoms and keep them home when not feeling well. If your child needs to quarantine please let the school office know.
Mittens and gloves seem to be the most lost item for students! If you have an extra pair to send with your child in their backpack it might be a good idea! We have a few items in the lost and found already so please encourage your child to look there if they are missing items.
Hope all our families are doing well! Here's hoping to a wonderful 2021 for everyone!
Jan. 11th Viking PTO Meeting via Zoom
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us04web.zoom.us/j/72918164030?pwd=ZHh5NnB5VWNtUTNBUVRGN1ZWYlZUdz09
Meeting ID: 729 1816 4030
Passcode: JT3K8m
Early Release Wednesdays Jan. 13th & Jan. 27th
No School Jan. 18th, Teacher Professional Development Day
Survey for Parents
Any interest in a walk/bike to school program? Please fill out the survey so Viking PTO can see if there would be families interested in starting a program like this at Viking.
https://forms.gle/SMro6YbAVLiMVY6G7Love the Shark Mask!
Still Football Weather!
Masks, Hats, and Coats! Recess Was Fun!
Student Engagement Survey for Students Grades 3-5
Dear Parent(s),
We want to share with you an important opportunity for your child(ren) to impact and improve their school culture and learning environment. Student engagement is an important predictor of student success. North Dakota is committed to understanding, through the voice of students, how we can best support their engagement and success in learning. Students in grades 3-12, will have the opportunity to share information about their educational experiences and perspectives through the statewide Student Engagement Survey between January 18 – February 19, 2021. This survey is not a test. There are no correct or incorrect answers.
Participating in the survey provides your student(s) an opportunity to have a voice in their education. We take student privacy seriously therefore the data collected and analyzed will be at the school level. Individual student results will not be reported. We will not identify your child(ren) and how they responded to the survey.
Summary feedback across all students will be provided to teachers and leaders in order to support professional development and continuous improvement at your school and district. Statewide student survey results will also be used by the state to report school quality as part of the state’s accountability system.
The survey has 21 brief questions. We encourage you to talk with your child(ren) about the survey and let them know the importance of answering the questions honestly. The collective responses of all participating students will help schools learn what they do well and what they can do better to help all students succeed.
An accompanying Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) document is provided for your information. If you have additional questions, please contact your school principal.
Please encourage your child to engage with us in this important effort. We look forward to your child(ren) participating in the 2020-21 Student Engagement Survey.
Frequently Asked Questions: Parents & Other Stakeholders
When will the survey be given to students?
The survey administration window will be open from January 18 through February 19, 2021. Each district will determine the best time to administer the survey to their students during this time period.
What is the purpose of the student engagement survey?
The North Dakota Department of Public Instruction (NDDPI) is determined to provide its schools and districts with better information about student learning to support their continuous improvement efforts and improve teaching and learning. The Cognia Student Engagement Survey collects direct feedback from students regarding their learning experiences; results for schools help leaders and teachers understand what students need for their success. The 2020-21 results will be used to calculate each school’s School Accountability Index which accounts for 185 points (30%) of an elementary or middle school’s overall rating and 123 points (20%) of a high school’s overall rating for the 2020-21 school year.
Which students are included in the survey administration?
All students in grades 3-12 who were actively enrolled in a North Dakota school during the survey window should participate in the survey administration.
How will students access the surveys?
The survey is administered online to students statewide. Each student will enter his/her unique login credentials to access the survey that was developed for his/her grade level. The login credentials for each rostered student are visible in the student roster report downloadable from the Cognia eProve survey platform.
How long is the survey and will students be asked demographic questions?
There are 21 survey questions for students to answer. Students will not be asked any questions related to their gender, race or religion.
Will a transfer or new student have to take a survey?
Each student will only take one student engagement survey. Because this is a statewide survey, if a student transfers from another North Dakota school where he or she already has taken the survey during the current administration window, they will not have access to take the survey again. If during the survey administration window, a student transfers from a school outside of the state, or he/she did not previously take this year’s survey while at another school/district within the state, they should take the survey. If this new student does not have access to the survey, he/she should inform their teacher.
Who do I contact with additional questions related to North Dakota Student Engagement Survey?
Please contact the school or district the student attends.
Who do I contact with inquiries about the survey system or student engagement surveys in general?
Please contact the Cognia Help Desk: eProve@cognia.org or 888-413-3669 ext. 5720.
Caretaking
Taking care of children isn’t always easy, especially in today’s world. The good news is there are steps you can take to help protect your kids as they grow older. Effectively monitoring your kids through every stage in their lives is one important way to reduce their risk of becoming involved in potentially harmful situations or engaging in risky behaviors. Start monitoring your kids early on, in ways that are age-appropriate. In fact, the earlier you begin monitoring, the easier it will be to continue as your kids gets older and the more they’ll expect it from you. How do I monitor my kids? Visit www.parentslead.org for information and resources.
Viking Elementary School
Email: jbergstrom310@mygfschools.org
Website: gfschools.org/viking
Location: 809 22nd Ave S, Grand Forks, ND, USA
Phone: 701-746-2300
Twitter: @learningvikings