Message from the Principal

I can’t believe the school year is almost over. It always goes by so fast! It has been a treat to see the students develop both academically and behaviorally. Another transition period is coming soon for our 8^th grade students. Their time at the high school will go by just as fast. We have thoroughly enjoyed having your children at VMS!

The staff is busy finalizing plans that include regular classroom material, assemblies, testing, concerts and field trips for the last few weeks of school. We are currently in our second round of MCA testing. Exploration Day is coming up on May 17, and students are getting excited for our Talent Show and Yearbook Signing on June 7. Our school year has been extended for students to include June 7 and June 10 due to weather. With all of these activities, please keep in mind that students are expected to be in school unless they have an excused absence due to illness, family vacation, etc.

As school winds down, spring and summer activities wind up and spare time is minimal for many of our students. Please continue to check your child’s progress on Parent Portal, and contact your child’s teachers if you have any questions or concerns. This is a pivotal time for many students, and sometimes attitudes change as the end of the year draws near. Student success at school can diminish, and anxiety can set in. Be aware of changes in what they are wearing to school, who their friends are and what they are doing in their spare time outside of school. Please contact our Guidance Counselor, Dave Crocker, if you have any concerns.

Have a great last month of school!

Talent Show

VandenBerge's 2019 Talent Show will take place on Friday, June 7th.

Applications are available in the office and are due this Wednesday, May 1st.

Auditions will take place on May 8th and 9th after school.  Students must sign up for their audition time in the main office.

We are looking forward to seeing some awesome talent this year!

Minnesota Math Corp

Make a difference in your community and join our team as a math tutor!  Minnesota Math Corps is looking for math tutors to give their time and talent to help kids become successful in math.

Tutors work one-on-one or in small groups with students during school hours between January – June. No matter if you’re a recent grad, career changer, stay-at-home parent or retiree, you can make a great tutor. No experience? No problem. Math Corps provides comprehensive training in strategies proven to help students learn, so tutors are well equipped to help students grow.

Perks as A Tutor

• Receive a stipend every two weeks
• Earn up to $4,200 for college tuition or student loans. Tutors 55 and older may gift the award to their child, grandchild, stepchild or foster child.
• Free health insurance and child care assistance for those who qualify.

Ready to be the change for struggling students? Click HERE to learn more about being a tutor.  Questions can be sent to join@servetogrow.org or call 866.859.2825.

From the Health Office….

Beat the Rush - Get your Student’s Sports Physicals and Immunizations

In preparing for the 2019-2020 school year, it is important to complete the appropriate medical information for your child as soon as possible.  Immunization and sport physical dates that the school has received for your child are posted on Parent Portal. Immunization requirements reflect the current school year only which are posted on July 1st of each school year.  

For requirements and appropriate forms to be completed by your medical provider, please refer to the Health Services webpage.

Students of the Week

Congratulations to our April Students of the Week!

Brooklyn Barth, Richard Clinton, Joshua Guevara Orellana, Easton Jones, Vayla Kutsi, April Levens, Grace Livingston, Megan McMorran, Greta Nelson, Brooke Vonada, Jay Wallace, Helayna Winter

Art

Greetings to all! We have been busy in the art room at VMS, planning, creating and learning about the great world of art!  Here is a quick snapshot of what some students have been working on. They have been busy!

Congratulations to two VMS art students, Allie Silvola and Braydon Goff, for having their art work selected for display at the District Office. Each school in the district has two works of art selected by art teachers to be put on display for the year.

Grade 6 students are currently learning about perspective and the art element of space. Students have been practicing using one and two point perspective and applying those concepts to a final work involving creating structures and forms.  They have been excited about how the system of drawing helps them understand depth and distance.

Grade 7 students have been learning the art of surrealism. We looked at works by Salvador Dali and Rene Magritte, and have been using the elements of surrealism to create collage works with magazine images. Students have enjoyed creating interesting combinations of images.

Grade 8 students have been working on understanding light and shade in realistic drawings. They have also been working with theme and choice of subject matter and have been practicing ways to show their subjects in a dramatic way. Next up, they will be working with acrylic paint in understanding the dynamics of color and light in their work.

Here are some of their works of art.

AVID

We just completed additional recruitment for the 2019-2020 school year. We will have full classes with our 7th and 8th grade students next year and will recruit for incoming 6th grade students in the fall of 2019.

For students enrolled in AVID this school year, we will be hosting a celebration night on Tuesday, May 21st from 6-7pm. Please mark your calendars to attend! We are continuing to build relationships, study skills, and work on organization.

The 8th grade AVID students participated in a Pringles challenge last week where they had to work as a team to create a complete circle using only one can of Pringles.  They had to communicate with their group while implementing engineering and critical thinking skills.  Pictures of them during their challenge are shown below.

If you have any questions about the AVID program, please contact Sarah Weinhold 763-241-3450 ext. 2698.

English

Grade 6 students worked on book reports/responses and drama in these past few weeks. All students did a great job taking their time on the Reading MCAs as well. Ms. Schultz’ class completed a poetry breakout box during the past week, and many groups were successful in breaking out. Please encourage your students to read through the end of the school year!

Grade 7 students will need working headphones or earbuds to watch different video clips for our Greek myths unit in the coming weeks.  Please ensure your student has a working pair in his/her binder or locker.

Grade 8 students will be receiving their preliminary scores from their English teacher soon. Feel free to ask your child about their score and the progress they have made over the last year. We are very proud of our students and the hard work they put into the test. As we move into the month of May, we will be spiraling back to some fiction work and reviewing standards from the beginning of the year. We are still supporting our Independent Reading goals and students should be reading novels outside of school for 20 minutes a night. Please continue to support your child by checking Schoology for upcoming deadlines and homework.

Feel free to email your child's English teacher with any questions.

Math

Over spring break, a small group of students from our 8th grade Geometry class and 7th grade Algebra class competed against 1000 other middle school students at St. Cloud State's annual math contest.  The top VMS finisher was Isabelle Silvola, who placed in the top 10% of the 8th graders. 

Media

We need your help!!  All library books are due on May 20th.  This may seem early but we need time to track down lost items, repair damage, get all the books reshelved and then complete an inventory.  All of this will go much more smoothly if parents help us with reminders to students to get those items returned by May 20th.  

Students can log into the online book catalog, Follett Destiny, through the Rapid Identity portal on their Chromebooks.  Once in Follett Destiny, students can open the "My Info" tab and then click on "Patron Status" to see what items are checked out to them. If they have any questions about what they have checked out, the Media Center is open daily from 7:45 to 3:15.

Students who do not return their books or pay for lost items will not attend the end of the year ice cream social.  Thanks for your assistance!

Music

8th Grade Band and Choir Field Trip 

On Friday, May 10^th, we will be visiting a new Senior Living space in town called the "Bee Hive" and will share our music with the residents there. From there, we will do a lunch stop enroute to Zimmerman Middle/High School where we will perform an "Exchange Concert" with the 8th Grade Band and Choir Students. 

VMS 6th, 7th, & 8th Grade Choir Concert

Thursday, May 16th at 7pm in the VMS Gym

VMS 6th, 7th, 8th, & Jazz Band Concert

Thursday, May 23rd at 7pm in the VMS Gym

This concert will feature guest conductor, Bruce Pearson, with the 7th Grade Band.

Band Instrument Display Night

Thursday May 9th from 4:00pm-7:30pm in the VMS Small Gym

For 5^th grade students who will be Salk and VandenBerge band students next year:

• Students will be able to test instruments (for those who missed the final Band Exploration Night because of our snow day)
• Rent an instrument from Schmitt Music
• Have a used instrument checked out by a Schmitt Music Representative
• Sign-up for the FREE Summer Band Lessons in August

Please Contact Sara Klingelhofer with any questions.

Science

Grade 6 students are exploring Forces and Motion and will soon move into Work, Machines and Energy.  They will be working outside on labs that will help them relate the science of motion to real life.

Grade 7 students are looking at Fish, Amphibians, and Reptiles.  They will be dissecting frogs next week.

Grade 8 students finished reviewing 6th grade Physical Science, Engineering and Technology and 7th grade Life Science. We are in our final week of review with 8th grade Earth Science and will begin taking the Science MCAs on May 6th - 9th.

Social Studies

Grade 6 students are currently studying the US-Dakota War of 1862. Students are looking at the war through different perspectives, such as the Dakota, MN settlers, and other groups. We will end the year by studying industrialization and urbanization in Minnesota.

Grade 7 just finished up our Great Depression Unit. Students had a fabulous time simulating the stock market in the 1920s and learning how this lead to the depression. We will be studying World War II and the modern era as we approach the end of the year.

Grade 8 students will be wrapping up the Asia Unit. Students learned about the secret state of North Korea. Their summative project was researching historical aspects (government, religion, economy, population, education) of China, India, and Japan. Students also learned about India's comparative advantage. Our next unit will bring us to the European continent where students will be learning about things like population pyramids and the European Union. 

Yearbooks

Our publisher has provided us with an extra handful of yearbooks to sell on a first come, first serve basis.

You can purchase these books online via the link below.

VandenBerge MS Yearbook

Again, we have limited extra copies that are only available while quantities last or until Friday May 3rd, whichever comes first.

Thank you,

The Yearbook Staff​