LVMS Newsletter
Excellence In All We Do - April 22nd
Spring Fundraiser
Dear LVMS Families,
We are wrapping up an amazing school year, and we appreciate the support you've given us throughout the year. We are going to do one last fundraiser for LVMS to help with our end of year projects.
Fundraising is something that helps to fund student activities and give teachers additional resources to support students. Through our partnership with School Funding Group we are simply asking for a minimum $20 dollar donation, and for that donation, you will receive numerous discounts on brand names like Amazon, Home Depot, Nike and Oakley. These discounts can far outweigh the cost of your donation.
The proceeds of this fundraiser will help fund:
- Student Council Projects
- Teacher Training
- Teacher Supplies
- Student Incentives
- Technology for the classroom
- UIL and OAP Supplies
- School Improvement
We appreciate any support you can give!
Here is the link - https://schoolfundinggroup.com/donate/dacbd9c3-ef0f-4649-b414-e418b263f442
Attendance Update!
We know that this school year has presented many challenges to regular student attendance. Between required isolations, voluntary quarantines, and other concerns, we have understandably seen an increase in student absences this year. That said, as we work to return to more normal operations, getting students back into the habit of daily attendance matters now more than ever. We are asking for your help.
Student absences impact our school in a variety of ways:
- Student Learning: If a student is absent, they are missing out on valuable opportunities to learn, to socialize, to gain confidence, and to be inspired. As we work to recover from the pandemic, building routines, connecting with friends, and engaging in learning are even more important to student success.
- Teacher Time: At a time when so much education has been disrupted, it is vital that we make every school minute count. As teachers work to engage students, bridge learning gaps, and move students forward in their learning, it is much more difficult to ensure effective teaching occurs when teachers have the additional need to "catch up" students who have missed school.
- Lost Funding: The State of Texas funds schools based on daily attendance - so every day missed costs schools money. This year, the percentage of students attending each day has dropped several percentage points, which means significantly fewer funds are available to pay for things like additional teachers, student programs, and even teacher pay raises. On March 29th, TEA announced funding adjustments that would assist with low attendance rates through the fourth six-week attendance reporting period. However, there will be no adjustment made for the last 12 weeks of school. As it stands, for the rest of the school year and beyond, each day a student is absent costs the school about $38 in lost funding. At our current attendance rate, the funding loss for the District is about $6,150 per day...if that continues for the remainder of school, that will mean about $160,000 in lost funding.
After so much disruption to children’s education over the past two years, the most important thing that we can do is work together to get our children back into school. So, we are asking for your help. As long as your child is healthy, please ensure that he/she is at school, on time, and in attendance for the full day. Every day of school is an important opportunity for students to learn as well as connect to peers and their teachers. If there is something we can do to help improve your student's attendance so that we can keep them engaged and learning, please reach out to me so that we can talk about ways we can help.
We are extremely grateful for the commitment of our families and staff who have shown such amazing flexibility and resilience over the past two years. Despite the challenge, our teachers, families, and students have persisted to keep learning happening. Thank you!
Construction Update
8th Grade Is Coming
There's a lot coming up to prepare our students for this next transition - here are some important dates:
Monday, May 2nd - Gen Tex Day at LVHS. 8th graders tour the high school.
Monday, May 23rd - 8th Grade Field Trip to Six Flags - For students to be eligible for the Six Flags trip, they must:
Be passing all of their classes for the current grading cycle.
Not be assigned ISS/DAEP.
Not be removed from their roller coaster group for discipline purposes.
Any student that is ineligible for the trip will be considered by a case by case basis.
Tuesday, May 24th - 8th Grade Promotion Ceremony, LVHS PAC - 6:00 PM
Wednesday, May 25th - Last Day of School!
What Doesn't Belong?
Kaleidoscope Color Wheel
STAAR Test Information
STAAR assesses students’ mastery of core content standards learned over the course of the school year. It is one of the many assessments the campus uses to determine students’ mastery of skills/standards as they move into the next school year. Students are required to take the STAAR tests during the assessment window that is set by the State.
In June 2021, the Texas Legislature passed HB 4545, which states that any student who does not test on testing day/window, or does not pass a STAAR assessment, will be required to participate in 30-hours of accelerated instruction in each assessment that was not taken or passed. Students will receive the accelerated instruction in summer school.
Summer school dates and hours are June 6th-17th from 7:30am-12:00pm. For the 2021-2022 school year only, TEA provided districts with waivers allowing campuses to administer beginning of the year assessments to any student who did not take the STAAR test in the Spring of 2021. Please note that TEA is NOT providing the waivers for the 2022-2023 school year, so any student who does not take the STAAR test this spring will be required to participate in accelerated instruction hours.
If you have any questions, please contact Kim Bentley at kim_bentley@lagovista.txed.net
Here are the STAAR test dates coming up in May - please try to avoid appointments, etc. on these dates.
Thursday, May 5th - 8th Grade Science STAAR Test
Friday, May 6th - 8th Grade Social Studies STAAR Test
Tuesday, May 10th - 6, 7 and 8 Math STAAR Test
Wednesday, May 11th - 6, 7, and 8 Reading STAAR Test
Summer Basketball Camp
Here is the camp information:
2022 LVHS Boys Basketball Camp. The camp is for 3rd – 6th graders in the morning and 7th-9th graders in the afternoon (all grades incoming for the 2022-23 school year).
You can use the link below or scan the QR code on the flyer to sign-up.
https://forms.gle/rHSq7BxriRCtNcEE7
Middle School Strength and Conditioning camp will 7/6 - 7/28. Sign information will be out next week.
8th Grade Roller Coaster Project
For students to be eligible for the Six Flags trip, they must:
Be passing all of their classes for the current grading cycle.
Not be assigned ISS/DAEP.
Not be removed from their roller coaster group for discipline purposes.
Any student that is ineligible for the trip will be considered by a case by case basis.
More details on the trip will be coming out shortly, but it will be in late May.
Fore!!
The boys and girls golf teams had their first tournaments of the year this week at Point Venture and played extremely well. The girls team of Josie Oatman, Anna Saldana, Katlee Raggio, Claire Everett, Ainsley Townsend and individual medalist Mililee McBride came in 3rd Overall.
The boys team of Dalton McKinney, Mason Taylor, Aiden Vasquez, Aiden Valasquez and Greydon Burke were Tournament Champions. Dalton McKinney was Individual Champion with a 43, and Greydon Burke was 3rd Overall with a 45.
Nice job!
iPads
Please talk to your students about properly caring for their iPad...here are a few simple solutions:
- Don't throw your backpack with the iPad in it.
- Be careful where you are charging it - make sure no can trip on the cord, or if they do, it doesn't fall.
- Don't put it on the edge of your desk.
Student Registration Forms
IMPORTANT! PLEASE COMPLETE ANNUAL STUDENT REGISTRATION FORMS IN ASCENDER PARENT PORTAL!
If you have not done so, it is important that you complete the annual registration process ASAP. This must be completed each year because these forms provide us with important permissions and information that must be provided annually. Students without completed registration forms will begin to lose certain privileges until they are completed, so please take a moment to submit those forms in Ascender.
HOW DO I ACCESS PARENT PORTAL?
https://ascportal.esc13.net/ParentPortal/login?distid=227912
¿NECESITA ESPAÑOL?
Todos los formularios de registro también están en español. Para continuar en español, hay un menú desplegable en la esquina superior derecha de la página de inicio de sesión para cambiar al español.
WHAT IF I HAVE A NEWLY ENROLLED STUDENT? WHAT IF DON'T SEE MY ENROLLED STUDENT IN ASCENDER PARENT PORTAL?
If you enrolled your student during summer enrollment, you must still complete annual registration forms. If you don't see your enrolled student when you log in, an Ascender Parent Portal ID is needed in order to link to your student and complete the annual registration forms.
Please email your campus registrar to receive your student's Ascender Parent Portal ID. Please note that there may be slight delays in answering requests during peak times, such as this, but we will get it to you as quickly as possible!
Once you receive your student's Ascender Parent Portal ID from the campus registrar, please log into Ascender Parent Portal, select "Link to Enrolled Student", and enter the Parent Portal ID and the student's date of birth.
WHAT IF I SEE MY STUDENT, BUT DON'T HAVE A "REGISTRATION" OPTION?
In order to complete forms or update data for a student, the email address you have listed in Ascender Parent Portal must match what we have in our system. If you can see your student, but can't update any information, those email addresses do not match. We recommend updating and verifying your email address in Ascender Parent Portal. If you need us to change your email address in our system, please email registration@lagovista.txed.net and your campus registrar. You will be asked to provide your student's full name, date of birth, and grade level for verification purposes.
NEED OTHER HELP?
See the Quick Guide to Setting Up Ascender Parent Portal below for more information or email registration@lagovista.txed.net.
Cell Phones
Please remember that cell phones are not allowed during school hours. Phones must be turned off and in their backpacks. If your child needs to contact you, they may come to the front office to use the office phone or bring their personal phone to the front office, where they are allowed to use it.
If you need to communicate with your child during the day, you can email your child on their ipads, using their school email - firstname_lastname@lvisd.com
Remember that if you call the front office, we will be happy to deliver any messages to your child. Less disruption in the classrooms, the better!
News and Notes From The Office
Attendance & Nurse - Please email or contact the nurse if your child is home ill. Also, please make sure if your child calls you not feeling well, they must check in with the nurse before leaving due to COVID protocol.
terri_harkins@lagovista.txed.net
Ext. 2505
Boys Athletics - If your son is in last period athletics and you need to pick them up, we ask that you pick them up BEFORE 3PM.
School Time - Please remember that we teach from "bell to bell" each day and when you pull your student(s) out early or they arrive late to school, they miss valuable class time. Thank you for understanding!
Here is the bell schedule...first bell starts at 8:00 AM!
Who Do I Contact?
If you have questions about registrations, contact:
Monica Kaiser @ monica_kaiser@lagovista.txed.net
Schedules? Counselor April Woodburn @ april_woodburn@lagovista.txed.net
Bus? Transportation Director Lisa Gordon @ lisa_gordon@lagovista.txed.net
Logistical Questions? Secretary Sue Kunze @ sue_kunze@lagovista.txed.net
You can contact myself(eric_holt@lagovista.txed.net) or our Assistant Principal Kim Bentley (kim_bentley@lagovista.txed.net) with any questions you need help with as well.
Lago Vista Middle School
Email: eric_holt@lagovista.txed.net
Website: www.lagovista.net
Location: 8039 Bar K Ranch Road, Lago Vista, TX, USA
Phone: 512-267-8300