VAMS Panther Press Newsletter
August 3, 2020
It's a GREAT year to be a Panther!
Calendar
- Thursday, August 13 - First Day of School
- Monday, September 7 - Labor Day Holiday - No School
- Tuesday, September 10 - Fundraiser Kickoff
- Tuesday, September 24 - Fundraisers Due
Pep rallies and student dances have been canceled for the fall semester. We will try to have these events in the spring.
VAMS PARENT/STUDENT INFORMATION:
- Thursday, August 6 - “Meet The Teacher Night” has been canceled. On Thursday, August 6th, we will send parents an email containing information about their child's grade level teachers.
- If a schedule change is needed, please complete a schedule change form located in the front office. Any schedule change request made once the school year starts, must be requested by the parent within the first 5 days of school and approved by the principal. After that time, schedule changes will be made sparingly unless there is an extenuating circumstance.
- FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL – Thursday, August 13
- When students arrive in the morning, they can either go to the cafeteria and eat or go directly to 1st period. If your child does not have their schedule yet, there will be a staff member at the entrance doors to pass out schedules. We will also have students available to walk students to their 1st period class if they do not know where the classroom is located.
- NEW SCHOOL HOURS: 8:05 a.m. – 3:38 p.m. (first bell rings at 8:00)
If your child is participating in 7th or 8th grade athletics, please know that workouts begin the FIRST day of school! Please make sure your child has proper workout clothes to change in to and tennis shoes.
- The VAISD Student Code of Conduct, VAMS Student Handbook, student dress code, and school supply lists are on the school website, www.vanalstyneisd.org. Hard copies for each of those documents will also be available upon request in the middle school office. Please be familiar with the student dress code to help us proactively head off any issues before they arise.
- A few things to be aware of regarding the dress code are:
- Hair must be a natural color. Boys’ hair must be worn above the shirt collar. No Mohawks, faux-hawks, or designs in hair.
- Holes in jeans are allowed, but skin cannot show through the hole. Oftentimes, students will wear leggings under their jeans or have patches behind the hole.
- Skirt/short needs to be 2 ½ inches above the knee (a quick reference is a dollar bill width above the knee caps)
- And guidelines for wearing tight-fitting clothing, such as yoga pants and leggings (must have something over them that meets the school dress code, 2 ½ inches above the knee).
- Parents, please stay connected to Parent Portal so you can accurately track your child’s progress. An added perk of the program is that you can set alerts to let you know if and when your child scores below whatever standard you set. The link to sign in is under the “Parents” tab on our school website. If you need login information, you can contact our receptionist, Twila Whitaker, at twhitaker@vanalstyneisd.org or by calling 903-482-8804.
- 6th grade students will be required to purchase a VAMS student planner for $5.00. Student will be able to purchase a planner the first day of school. Please bring exact change if at all possible.
- School cafeteria prices are $1.50 for breakfast and $3.10 for lunch. Parents/students are encouraged to prepay for their meals before the school year begins, if possible. Parents can deposit money into their child’s lunch account online through www.myschoolbucks.com. **In accordance with state law, parents are not allowed to provide food for any child other than their own. This includes dropped-off lunches, sharing of pizza, cupcakes for their friends, etc. Due to COVID restrictions, parents and/or other visitors will not be able to come to the school to eat with their child. We will let you know when this changes.
- Breakfast will be served from 7:25 – 7:55 AM
- Our homework lab will be open from 7:30 – 8:00 AM every morning and from 3:40 - 4:00 PM every afternoon for students to work on homework or access a computer.
- If parents are interested in serving on the Campus Improvement Team or being a school volunteer, please contact the office or your child’s teachers at 903-482-8804.
- If you were receiving our weekly email newsletters last year and your email has not changed, you do not need to re-register to continue to receive them. If your email has changed or your child is new to our school, please go to our campus webpage and sign up to receive our weekly newsletters to help keep you informed. Go to www.vanalstyneisd.org, click Van Alstyne Middle School, click Newsletter Signup under the Parents tab.
- Following our Van Alstyne Middle School Facebook page is also a great way to keep informed, as well as signing up for the grade level Remind accounts.
Feel free to stop by our office or call us at 903-482-8804 any time you have questions or concerns. Thank you for your support.
2020-2021 Registration
New VAMS Staff members
Ms. Tayte Weatherly
Mrs. Sarah Coleman
Coach Jeremy Armstreet
Coach Jeff Middleton
Ms. Hannah Mitchell
Mrs. April Barbee
Mrs. Coleen Jones
Mrs. Kathy Edmondson
New Bell Schedules
School Supply Drop-Off
Drop-off and Pick-up Procedures
MORNING:
ALL students MUST enter through the doors at the south end of our building (7th grade hallway). We have a camera that scans every student's temperature located at this door. Students can be dropped off by parents starting at 7:25 AM. **Students WILL NOT be supervised prior to 7:25 AM. For their safety, please do not drop them off before that time. No students can be dropped off at the front entrance of our school. When students arrive to school, they can either go to the cafeteria and eat or go directly to 1st period. If your child does not have their schedule yet, there will be a staff member at the entrance doors to pass out schedules. We will also have students available to walk students to their 1st period class if they do not know where the classroom is located.
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 3:50 to pick up their child. By the second week, you will be able to come at the normal 3:38 time. **Also, starting the second week of school, students will be unsupervised outside after 3:55, so please be sure to pick your child up prior to that time.
Bus Rider Information - SIGN UP
The following safety protocols will be in place at the beginning of school:
- Water fountains — All water fountains will be turned off. There are three water bottle refill stations that will be accessible to students. Your child will need to bring a water bottle to school. Please make sure your child's water bottle has their name on it.
- Wellness Room — The clinic will have a wellness room (outside of the counselor's office) for students who are not sick.
- Desks in rows — Desks are arranged in the classrooms where they are in rows and students will help wipe down desks throughout the day.
- Face coverings — Students are required to wear face coverings that cover their nose and mouth. They should wear their own, but we will provide for those who fail to bring theirs. While we are under Governor's orders, students will be required to wear a mask at all times except while they are eating or participating in physical activity. When the Governor's orders are lifted, students will be required to wear a mask during passing periods.
- Sanitizing stations — Students will use hand sanitizer when they enter each class. Desks and shared equipment will be sanitized between classes. There will also be a hand sanitizing station in the front office, at the set of doors students enter through in the morning, in the cafeteria, and in the main hallway. These sanitizing supplies will be replenished throughout the day.
- Assigned seating — Teachers will have assigned seating for each class period which will help manage possible contact tracing. It also limits student exposure to the same few individuals closest to them. We will also have assigned seating during lunch. Students will be able to choose where they sit, but by the 2nd or 3rd day of school, they will be asked to remain in that seat until further notice.
- Entrance and exit — Entrances and exits to the classroom will be managed to assure social distancing. Students entering the classroom should wait until everyone has exited the room and then they should enter.
- Visitors and Volunteers — We love to have volunteers and usually allow parents to come and eat lunch with their child, however, in order to limit the number of people our students come in contact with, we will not be allowing volunteers or lunch visitors until further notice.
- Restrooms — We have signs posted on all restrooms asking students to limit 4 people at a time. We will also encourage students to wash their hands for 20 seconds before they leave the restroom.
- Symptom and Temperature Monitoring — All students will be required to enter through our south entrance (7th grade hallway). This entrance has a camera that checks the temperature of each individual that enters the building. A staff member will be at this entrance monitoring the camera. If someone has a fever, they will be asked to go to the nurse for further evaluation. All faculty and students are required to monitor symptoms and no one is permitted to come to class if they are displaying symptoms.
- VAISD COVID-19 Plan — See the COVID-19 Health and Safety Plan link below for more information.
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. Hours are documented digitally. Click the link below to access the digital hour log.
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.
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
Coach Voris, Middle School Girls Athletic Coordinator - jvoris@vanalstyneisd.org
Coach Sedlacek, Middle School Boys Athletic Coordinator - dsedlacek@vanalstyneisd.org
Middle School Volleyball Schedule Coming Soon
Volunteer Approval Form
Click the button below to access the Volunteer Approval Form. We appreciate our volunteers!
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