Principal Zeman's Notes
11/11/22
2nd Quarter
Cell Phones
I am repeating information from the beginning of the school year, but it bears repeating as we move into second quarter. Cell phones continue to be a distraction to the learning environment. Therefore, we do not allow cell phones in the classrooms. Students may have their phones during lunch but are to return them to their lockers prior to class. If you are concerned about communicating with your child, we are more than happy to facilitate any communication you need with your child. Every student has a chromebook, so you can also email your child for urgent matters. Please support us as we continue to work toward responsible digital citizenship with our VMS Family.
Ultimately, we want our students to be safe and successful. Cell phones are extremely powerful tools, but it has been our experience that they can do a lot more harm than good in a classroom setting. Below is a TED talk by Rick Wisocki who I had the pleasure of seeing present at a National School Resource Officer (NASRO) Conference a couple years ago. It is about eleven minutes long, but it is eye opening as many of our students have devices. As a parent, I think it is valuable to know how to best keep our children safe in an online world as I did not grow up in their world. Thank you for your support with this.
Tardies
A reminder, all middle school students are expected to be punctual to each class having less than four tardies per quarter. In order for our students to succeed, we want to make sure they are present in all of their classrooms. Our building has seen great success in meeting this objective, and we want to continue this as we head into second quarter. If a student has four or more tardies in a quarter, they may have consequences which may include, but are not limited to, detention, student conference, parent conference and/or loss of privileges.
Students of the Week
Chromebooks
AVID Reminder
We are excited to be expanding our AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) program into 6th grade. 6th grade students listened to AVID presentations in their social studies classes this week and had the opportunity to take an application. 7th and 8th grade students are also welcome to apply if interested! Applications are available to pick up in the counseling office.
AVID applications are due November 18, 2022.
Tip of the Week
Upcoming Events
End of First Quarter - November 11
No School (Teacher Workshop Day) - November 14
First Day of Second Quarter - November 15
No School (Fall Break) - November 23-25