Message from the Principal 

I hope this issue of the VandenBerge VIBE finds you and your family in good health this festive season. Many things have been written regarding the stresses that come with this time of year. Be aware that your children can be affected by the very same issues that affect adults, and they might be exhibiting behaviors due to these issues.

I would like to remind you that our doors do not unlock for students until 7:45 am.  As winter sets in, please ensure that your child does not get to school prior to 7:45 unless he/she has made arrangements with a staff member.

Our choir students had the opportunity to show their skills before a packed gyms last week. Ms. Hahn did an awesome job working with her students to produce a top notch performance. Mrs. Klingelhofer’s band students will be performing on Dececember 14. I am looking forward to another phenomenal performance. Thank you for supporting VandenBerge’s music programs.

As we head into the holiday break, I wish you the very best this holiday season and hope everyone will enjoy some time with family and friends.  On behalf of the staff at VandenBerge, I would like to thank you for your help in making VandenBerge the best it can be.

School Board Student of Excellence

Congratulations to 6th grade VandenBerge student Julia Pobuda for receiving the November Student of Excellence Award from the Elk River School Board!  Students are recognized for their work in and out of the classroom. Their drive, determination and character are living and breathing witness to our mission in ISD 728.

Julia's parents state, "Julia is a patient of Children’s Minnesota (formerly Children's Hospitals and Clinics of MN). She has a rare form of asthma, triggered by viruses. She was diagnosed at age 5 after an unexpected stay in the pediatric intensive care unit. From that moment on, our lives changed.

At age 7, Julia wanted to give back. We'd been discussing the idea of doing something for others on Thanksgiving, and it was Julia's idea to go to the hospital and color with the patients. After learning that you have to be at least 14 to interact with patients, Julia decided to raise money to buy them activities. In 10 days, she raised $467 and delivered it to the hospital on Thanksgiving. The following summer we were invited to Children’s to meet with their philanthropy group so they could thank Julia and educate us about how money is utilized within the hospitals and clinics. From that moment on, Julia had a newfound commitment to raising money for Children's. She's done several different things to raise money, but started Julia's Big Adventures 5k two years ago. It has been a huge success!

Each year, Julia's goal gets a little bigger. Her goal for 2016/2017 is a combined total of $20,000, and that goal is well within reach at under $500.

Julia has become such a shining star for Children's.  She was recommended to be on their Youth Advisory Council. She applied, interviewed, and was awarded a seat in 2016, becoming their youngest member at age 10.  

One recent Saturday at one of their meetings, the Youth Advisory Council was the first to tour the new state-of-the-art ambulance for Children's. The experience was unlike any other; amazing, awesome, frightening, and powerful. This unit is similar to having an ICU on wheels and will be used to transfer critical patients within 1,500 miles to one of the Children's Minnesota hospitals."

The unit recently made its way to VMS, with a seventh grade health class getting an up-close and personal tour.

November/December

Students of the Week

Katie Bakken, Atreyu Bennett, Emma Boser, Alina Cirlan, Chloe Coffee, Cole Erickson, Luke Gintz, Nikki Hortian, Ben Konkol, Azrielle Mickelson, Brooke Mueller, Jacob Niemi, Emily Richter, Noah Rustad, Gavin Schwartz, Clarice Stanley, Vaughn Voigt and Harper Westgaard

Incoming Freshman Parent & Student Registration Informational Meeting

AVID Updates...

We are happy to announce that our grade 6 AVID students have been selected and they began working with their AVID teacher, Mr. Sears, on Monday, December 4.  We want to thank all the parents who helped with applications and interviews to get the students prepared for AVID.  Our 7th grade AVID students were able to attend a field trip to St. Cloud State University on November 29.  They enjoyed learning about the college and taking a campus tour.  Our 8th grade AVID students are working hard on their Tutorial Request Forms and I am extremely proud at how well they are doing during their Tutorial groups.  We will continue to work on organization, studying, note taking and study groups after the winter break.

English

Grade 8 students has been working hard on reading The Outsiders novel.  We are focusing our learning on story elements and analyzing the story for characters and relationships.  Along with marking their chapters while they read, they are creating a Website about their book.  The website is due before winter break, so please encourage your child to be working on their site outside of class. We hope everyone has a great winter break!

Science

Grade 6 is starting matter and energy.  We will be experimenting with density and chemical and physical changes.

Grade 7 is studying cells, focusing on mitosis and meiosis purposes and outcomes.

Grade 8 is digging through the geology unit, building up from atoms to minerals to rocks.

Social Studies

Grade 6 has been focusing on treaty making between the United States and Native Americans in Minnesota, specifically the Dakota and Ojibwe. We've explored the motivation for treaties as well as the people involved in creating treaties. We'll complete our study next week and begin our study of government. 

Grade 7 has been discussing the Civil War.  Students will be testing shortly and are looking forward to making videos of what they have learned. We will be having viewing parties the last day before the holiday break.

Grade 8 has been studying Australia and Oceania for the past few weeks. To complete our study, students have a choice of five topics to research: Aboriginals, Maori People, Climate Change, Endangered Species and the Great Barrier Reef. Once they have gathered information on the history and current issues regarding these topics, they will create a Pecha Kucha on their topic. Students in each class will have the opportunity to watch several of the Pecha Kuchas created by their classmates. 

VandenBerge Math League

VandenBerge's Math League continues to ROCK!  We are so proud!

VandenBerge's  Red team won a very competitive meet on November 14 by a mere two points over 2nd place Monticello.  The Red team was led by Lindsey Redepenning and Jordan Bauer with great help from Harper Westgaard, Peyton Maier, Ethan Andresen and John Palmer.  The Red team is in first place as a team by 28 points over 2nd place Big Lake.

Cummulative individual totals tightened up a bit.  Lindsey Redepenning is in first place, Jordan Bauer is in 4th place, Harper Westgaard is in 5th place and Peyton Maier is in 7th place.